Typhoon & Tempest

Chapter Seventeen

Jack hadn't been happy for the past twenty-four hours. Sat on the edge of the bed she shared with Lily, her fingernails tapped the bed post out of tune. She stared viciously at the knot in the carpet beneath her shoes, wondering how long it'd been there, as she waited for the all clear to look up.

Lily cleared her throat. "How's this?"

Jack looked up and blinked. "It's blue."

Lily sighed, her hands brushing the soft fabric of her dress. It had a wide neckline, brushing the edges of her collarbones, and the sleeves ran down to her elbows. It was tight across her chest before flaring at her waist, scraping her knees. "It's the dress Claire lent me for the formal. Is it appropriate, I mean? For Cody's party tonight? It has pockets, if that means anything."

Jack frowned. "Yeah it's fine."

"You don't look happy."

"Well, I've been roped into a party I don't want to go to, by a person I don't completely trust, and..." Jack looked back at that knot in the carpet. "Something doesn't feel right."

"About the party?" Lily sat down next to her, the mattress dipping. "Or about something else?"

Jack's nails scraped the bed post, unintentionally leaving marks in the wood. "I don't know, something. Something's just off, you know? It doesn't feel right. Like, Cody suddenly throwing this party because you can almost move your arm? No offense but that's not a reason to throw this big a party."

Lily looked down at her lightning-kissed arm, stretching the fingers she could now move. "I agree," she said quietly. "I think Cody does want to throw a party, but I don't think my arm is the reason why."

"What's your take, Watson?" Jack leaned back on their bed, her hair tickling her ears before she pushed it out the way. "What deductions do you deduce?"

Lily snorted, leaning back as well. "Well, Holmes, I don't think Cody's acting genuine."

"That's quite a theory," Jack mimed smoking a pipe. "You see Watson, you'd made quite a detective. I, too, have deduced that Cody is not all she seems."

"Based on what, oh great Sherlock Holmes?"

Jack paused. "...Deductions."

"You have no evidence do you?"

"No."

Lily laughed, sitting up. "Look, we won't know if something's up with the party unless we go."

"Or, we could wait and watch the party go into chaos from afar and tell everyone, I told you so!" Jack pointed with her imaginary pipe, raising another chuckle from Lily. "Come on, why are we even going to this party?"

Lily's gaze flickered to the mirror in the corner of the room before quickly looking away, pushing her long hair over her scarred shoulder. "If Cody's invited everyone, then my grandmother's probably going. I want answers Jack."

"So you don't want a dance with a certain sprightly guy named Niall?"

Lily's cheeks flamed. "I-no, w-what? That's crazy, why, why would you think that?"

Jack blinked slowly. "Wow, that was so convincing. I completely believed you."

"Shut up." Lily dipped her head, her hair hiding her blush.

"Nah," Jack smirked. "You weren't asking about the dress because you were worried about standing out, you were asking because you want to know if Niall would like it."

Lily choked. "I-no! That's not true!"

"Wow, that was even more convincing."