She turned toward him and threw her arms around his shoulders. “How does brunchsound?”
* * *
Isa and Adrianspent the entire day playing volleyball and chasing after the ice cream truck on the beach. It was fun, blissful. She almost forgot abouttheball.
But when she returned to her house at three, she felt like a ball and chain were being fastened to her ankle. How had she let her friends talk herintothis?
“I’ll stay down here and get ready,” Adrian said, smiling at her. “I can’t wait to see what youlooklike.”
Isa smiled. At least Adrian was going to see how pretty she looked, and she was going with him as her date. A ball was supposed to be romantic,right?
An hour later Isa was looking for every excuse to get out of this, but as Shelly piled her hair in a crown at the top of her head and as Harbor dotted her face with makeup, Isa forced a porcelainsmile.
As she looked at herself in the mirror, she felt confident in her dress. But Harbor and Shelly immediately toreitdown.
“There are so many sequins on this thing I think I’m gonna go blind,” Shelly said as she examined the blue dress that was Isa’s favorite. “Don’t you think it’s a bit…tacky?”
“What are you trying to be, a mermaid?” Harbor laughed. She threw a plain A-line dress in a light purple color at Isa. “Try this on. It was my prom dress, but anything’s better than thatthing.”
Isa did as she was told. She stood in Harbor’s prom dress in front of the mirror, staring at herself. Her green eyeslookeddead.
This isn’t me,she thought.This is who everyonewantsmetobe.
Isa took off the spare, threw it aside, and said, “No. I’m wearing what Adrian bought me.” If she was being forced to go to this stupid thing, she was at least wearing what shewanted.
Harbor and Shelly made faces as Isa slipped her blue mermaid dress on, but Isa didn’t care. She shoved her feet in white heels and made her way down thestaircase.
Adrian was dressed in a slim navy tux that fitted to his form. He grinned broadly as he watched her come down the staircase and took her by the arm. “Readytogo?”
“Let’s get this over with,” she breathed, glad of the feel of Adrian’s armonhers.
The Seaside Ball was held at an actual castle on the beach, on the far side of town. The castle had been a house for a general after the Civil War, but once the South lost the general moved on and left the castle to Coral Bay. It was used now mainly for conferences and weddings, but its biggest event of the year was always theSeasideBall.
Everyone from Coral Bay was there, young and old. Children and elders alike mingled with the adults in the grand ballroom, which had a ceiling made of glass and and fixed with crystal chandeliers. The house was decorated with typical Southern class, the best handkerchiefs and china, round tables fitted with silk covers and ornate centerpieces of blue and greenstones.
No expense was spared when decorating for the ball, and the citizens of Coral Bay knew it. Even Adrian seemedimpressed.
When she was younger, Isa used to love the Seaside Ball— it was her favorite party of the year. But once people kept prodding her that she would soon be the next Queen, it became something shehated.
People were staring. They were whispering about her blue hair, her outlandish dress. Isa caught a few girls she used to go to high school with laughing at her behindherback.
Adrian tugged her onto the dance floor. “Don’t look at them. Look at me,”hesaid.
She did. Isa fixated her eyes onto Adrian’s and pretended not to noticeanyoneelse.
“It’s better to be the center of attention than to blend in with the crowd,” Adrian whispered. “They just don’t like you because you have the courage to be different, and theydon’t.”
The music started. Adrian had two left feet. Isa was okay at dancing, but Adrian kept stepping on her feet and making a bigger scene. They weren’t going along with the dance properly, and people were hating themforit.
“I don’t think they approve,” Isa said to Adrian quietly, privatelydelighted.
“I’m better with my fins,” he whispered, and Isalaughed.
Her eyes flickered from Adrian’s face to her high school friends, just for a moment. The laughter was gone now, and irritation had taken itsplace.
“They’re pissed off I’m having agoodtime.”
“Good. Let’s make them angrier.” Adrian kissed her on the lips deeply, in public. Isa could almost hear the shouts of outrage from here. Public displays of affection at the Seaside Ball were definitely not allowed. She loved breaking therules.
