Chapter 5

MILA

For the past week, I avoided Gabe as much as I could. My mind kept drifting back to the awful incident in the sewing room. The humiliation, the pain, the feeling of helplessness–it all came back every time I closed my eyes. I couldn’t even work on my designs without going back there. 

Even though I kept my head down, Tyler and his friends would throw quips my way whenever they caught me alone or in the halls. Either snipping at me with scissors or loading my locker up with pieces of fabric. So, I made it my mission to try to leave as soon as I could.

“Mila?” I jumped as the familiar voice broke my reverie. Gabe was standing beside me, concern etched on his face. “Hey, are you okay? You’ve been avoiding me lately.”

His concern tore my heart. I wanted to tell him the truth–that his brother Tyler and his friends had tormented me, ruined my dress for the dance, and was making my life a living hell. But I couldn’t. Instead, I forced a smile and shook my head. 

“I’m fine, Gabe. Just…a lot on my mind,” I said softly, hoping my trembling wasn’t giving anything away.

Gabe frowned, his eyes searching mine for answers so I looked away. “Is it about the dance? I knew you were working on a dress, right? How’s it going?”

I felt my smile drop instantly and I felt a lump in my throat. I took a breath to keep my composure. “The dress…it’s ruined,” I said, my voice barely over a whisper. “I can’t go to the dance. I’m…”

“Ruined? How? Gabe asked, his confusion evident. “Hey, I’m sure we can fix it. Together, yeah?”

Fix it? I could barely stare at a sewing machine now. Tears fell down my face as I shook my head. “No, it can’t!”

I tried to leave but Gabe grabbed my arms. I flinched away from him and he let me go. Looking just as shocked as me. Then realization flashed across his face.

“Tyler,” he said, clenching his fists. “Mila, what did he do?”

“I don’t want to talk about it, please,” I said, my voice trembling. “I just can’t go, okay?”

I didn’t wait for him to respond. I grabbed my bag and hurried out of the school. I already felt like crap that I couldn’t confide in him, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell him. I felt so humiliated and every time I thought about it, it made me feel worse.

*******

While doing my chores at the packhouse, I ran back to my room to get something when I bumped in Tyler. He was crouched in front of my door fidgeting with something. I kept quiet, peeking around the corner trying to figure out what kind of prank he was pulling now. He stood up abruptly and left. I noticed the gift wrapped box in front of my door and waited a few minutes before going over to it. 

I knew if someone caught me I would look ridiculously as I cautiously walked around the box, giving it a sniff. The smell from the box was actually pleasant. I poked at the box a few times with my foot in case something blew up or jumped out. 

“I don’t need to open it,” I thought out loud.

“Then I will be very disappointed.”

I whirled around to see Tyler leaning against the wall. My heart skipped a beat and not because he looked so good in his dark navy blue suit. Though, he always looked good to me. He was just shy of six feet and lanky, which I thought was still cute. His dark brown eyes, framed by thick lashes, were absolutely mesmerizing and soulful. Though, there was a bruise around one of his eyes that I didn’t notice before. He smiled when he noticed me checking him out and I closed my eyes momentarily to cuss myself. Tyler was nothing but a bully. I repeated to myself before turning away from him.

“Well, you can take it back,” I said, opening my door and walking into my room.

I tried to close the door only for Tyler to stop it. He walked in with the box in his hands. “Look, chipmunk, this was hard for me to do ok,” he said, handing the box to me. “So if I was you, I would accept this as a peace offering”

I took the box from him, surprised at how light it was. Maybe the prank was an empty box. I would actually prefer it was.

“Why are you giving me a peace offering?” I asked, not hiding the fact I was very suspicious.

Tyler laughed. “Geez, do you give my brother this much grief when he gives you a present? Just open it.”

I was still convinced this was going to be bad for me, but Tyler was standing right here as if he wasn’t going to leave unless I opened it now. Besides, I had to hurry and finish my chores before it got too late. I glanced at the box, then back to Tyler, who had a mischievous glint in his eyes, then back at the box. I didn’t like the situation.

“Are you sure it isn’t rigged or something?” I asked, turning the box in my hands before bringing it to my ear to see if I heard any ticking of some sort.

“It’s not,” Tyler said, clearly getting annoyed. “Open it, Mila”

I sucked in a breath at his command. It was soft with a tinge of heat, but made me feel warm inside. I don’t think I remember the last time Tyler ever said my name. Hell, I didn’t think he knew it. I raised an eyebrow, still convinced I was falling in a trap. I slowly took off the bow and opened the lid. Inside the box was a neat layer of chiffon. 

At first I thought it was pieces from my dress they kept putting in my locker, which was now missing from my locker, but once I pulled it out I realized it wasn’t. This was a brand new bulk of chiffon and the color was a shade darker than what I had.

“The darker color goes better with your–I mean, dark–complexion,” Tyler said. “At least that’s what my dad said.” 

I heard him talking but my focus was on the chiffon. I was already thinking of how many outfits I could create with these. Too bad the dance was tonight and there was no way I could finish a dress right now.

“Hello,” Tyler said, snapping his fingers to get my attention. “I was expecting a ‘Thank you.’”

Really? You’re the reason my first order was destroyed. I thought, but would never say out loud. “Right, thank you,” I said with a small smile.

“Well, don’t think too much of it,” Tyler said, running a hand through his hair and looking away. 

That’s when I caught the blush on his cheeks. Did Tyler freaking Aliz like me? I thought about this for a minute before realizing he was looking at me. It was my turn to blush now. There was something about the way he looked at me that made my heart flutter. I felt a mix of excitement and nervousness raced through me when he smiled.

He cleared his throat. “If you tell someone, I will make your life a living hell,” he said, before closing the door behind after leaving. As if he didn’t already.

With a sigh, I closed my eyes, letting the feelings of the situation wash over me. For some insane reason, I couldn’t stop smiling and it frustrated me. I shouldn’t be this happy for a freaking bully. Sure, he was amazing when he was nice but I knew once I went back to school it would start all over. Still, this crush was different, deeper than anything I felt, and I needed to find a way to eliminate before I got hurt.

There was a knock on the door and I suddenly got excited. Maybe he forgot something? Like a hug or a kiss. Stop thinking like that! I put up the box and fixed myself before opening the door.