Chapter 6

MILA

“Miss Josalyn! Hey!”

Wow, that was too excited. I thought as Head Housekeeper, Josalyn, looked at me suspiciously. She must’ve had the straightest spine I’ve ever seen. She barely moved her head even when looking down at me and she always kept her hands clasped in front of her. She took a deep breath before speaking.

“It has come to my attention that you are behind on your chores, Miss Davis,” she started with a hint of malice. “I do not tolerate laziness on any of my shifts. Do you understand?”

“Of course, Miss–”

She waved me off. “Since it seems you are prone to laziness, I’ve added a few extra chores to get you up to par. If I were you I would start now to ensure proper sleep for the morning chores.”

She placed the list in my hands and turned quickly to leave. The workload was definitely enough for three people at least and the dance started in two hours. 

“Now I’m never going to the dance,” I cried, walking to the first list of things. “I won’t even have time to go buy a dress.”

Later that evening, I watched as some of the servant girls left for the dance. I finished up the chores and went to my room. I tried distracting myself with homework and watched as the paper became stained with my tears. I wondered what my parents would’ve done if they were here. I imagined my dad would teach me how to confront my bullies head on while my mom reassured me about my insecurities. I imagined that they would’ve been an amazing duo to have a daughter like me. 

A knock on the door interrupted my thoughts. For a moment, I thought it was Miss Josalyn with more work for me since I was still here. Then again, maybe Tyler got bored at the dance and came to make fun of the fact that I couldn’t go to the dance. I waited for the person to leave, but the knocks came again and again. He was persistent. 

I wiped the tears from my face and opened the door to find Gabe standing there, dressed in a fancy suit. In his hands was a box wrapped in a shiny, silver paper, but my eyes were focused on the black eye. It must be my luck to have both Aliz boys at my door with gifts and a black eye.

“Gabe, what happened to you?” I asked, touching his face lightly.

He flinched away but smiled. “Let’s just say I signed up to be a dummy in a self-defense class. At least that’s what I told my mom.”

“Gabe…” He was joking but I knew this had to do something with Tyler and his friends.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said simply. “I wanted to see you and bring you this.”

He handed me the box and I carefully unwrapped it. Inside was a beautiful, handcrafted chiffon dress–a flowing, multicolored pink gown that shimmered under the light. I could even see the pieces of chiffon that I had purchased sewn in. So that’s where they went. My breath caught in my throat as I looked at Gabe, who was looking at the ground with his fists clenched.

“Jenna told me what happened and I’m sorry that I wasn’t there to protect you, Mila.”

I ran my hands over the fabric. It wasn’t the form I wanted to design but at this point I didn’t care. I was grateful that at least one person cared enough to do this for me. “Gabe, I don’t know what to say,” I stammered. 

“I know how much going to the dance meant to you,” Gabe said softly, “and I know you wanted to make your dress from the chiffon material. So I took what Jenna gave me and asked a local seamstress to make something quick. I really hope you like it.”

Tears fell down my face, but this time they were tears of gratitude. “Gabe, you have no idea…” I could barely get the words out.

Gabe smiled, using his handkerchief to wipe the tears on my cheeks. “I hate seeing you upset, Mila, and you know you don’t have to go through this alone. Whatever it is, you can tell me. I’ll always be here for you.”

I nodded, feeling a warmth spread through my chest. I wasn’t ready to tell him what happened, but knowing that he will always be there made the burden a little lighter.

“For someone who wants to go to this dance you’re sure taking your time.”

I turned to see Jenna standing near the door. Her face looked apologetic and in her hands she held a few makeup accessories.

“I figured you might need some help with this stuff,” she said, walking in and placing her things on my bed. “I have some experience in covering up things.”

“Alright, let’s do this before it gets too late,” Gabe said with a renewed sense of excitement. “I’ll leave you two to it.”

After a quick shower and a few adjustments with the dress, I was almost ready to leave. Jenna helped with my makeup and accessories. Many times I could see her wanting to say something and then deciding against it at the last minute. Then she sighed.

“I’m sorry about the other day,” she said softly. “What they did was…uncalled for, Mila.”

I laughed harshly. “If apologizing could keep me from being bullied I would accept it.”

I saw Jenna flinch a bit by my tone. I was angry, not at her, but the situation. Her apology won’t stop them from doing it again, and it won’t make her stand up for me either. Then again, how could I ask her to stand up for me when I couldn’t do it myself. Honestly, I wanted to forget about it and try to focus on having fun with Gabe.

“But it isn’t you who should be apologizing for them,” I quickly added when I saw her face fall. “It's them.”

“Well, if you can’t fight with your fists then fight with something better,” Jenna said with a clouded look. “Families like that have secrets, you know. Just one spill can have them falling down like dominoes.”

“Secrets?” I asked, though I was afraid to know what she meant.

Jenna laughed off my questions. “In due time, you’ll find out, but right now, we have to get you to the dance.” She turned me toward the mirror and smiled. “You look too good in this to miss the dance.”

“She ain’t lyin’.”

I turned around to see Gabe staring at me with wide eyes. I blushed and looked away. I couldn’t stand all the attention.

“I know it’s not a Mila original but you make this look so good, Mila.” Gabe walked around me, giving me a once-over. “Again, I’m sorry about him, Mila. I–”

I stopped him with the tightest hug I could possibly give anyone. I was so happy I didn’t even need to go to the dance anymore. Though, I wanted to. I wanted to show them I wasn’t the type to go down easy and that I had the best people in my corner. I was going to be the best dressed and I knew it was going to ruffle some of their feathers. So do your worst.