Fighting Fate (Granton University #1)(32)

“Uh…okay.” Realizing they wanted her to try it on that very minute, Paige reluctantly set her popcorn aside. To her surprise, Tess and Bailey each grabbed her arms, helping her off the bed.

Together they stripped her of her shirt and jeans. Feeling more like their play doll than a human being, Paige shifted awkwardly as they pulled the black swath over her head.

“Arms,” Tess commanded.

Obediently, Paige lifted them and her hands poked through the armholes. The dress slid down over her body, the clingy synthetic blend feeling deliciously soft as it fell around her knees. Without checking a mirror first, she lifted her face to gauge Bailey and Tess’s reactions.

Both girls frowned.

“You’ve gotta be freaking kidding me,” Bailey muttered.

Tess covered her mouth with one hand. “Oh, my. The only place it fits is in her boobs.”

Confused, Paige glanced down. The waist and hips were a little loose, but it felt nice on her. Comfortable. Then she turned and looked at her reflection in their mirror.

“It looks like you’re wearing a black potato sack,” Bailey wailed.

Tess clucked her tongue. “I didn’t realize you were quite that skinny, Paige. Or chesty. You are so not trying on any of my dresses.”

“Maybe we could pin the waist in.” Bailey gathered a handful of cloth, then another. “Good God, is your waistline, like, ten inches around?”

Paige blushed, humiliated. “No.”

“Um…” Tess tapped her finger against her chin and cocked her head to the side. “I don’t remember it looking that short on you either,” she told Bailey.

“That’s because she’s like five inches taller than me. And it’s all in her legs. Ugh!” Scowling at Paige, Bailey set her hands on her hips. “I officially hate you. Pretty face and killer body. It’s just not fair.”

“Okay, take it off,” Tess ordered, looking away as if disgusted. “It hurts too much to see you in that.”

“And it’s my dress.” Clearly offended, Bailey helped Paige rip it off over her head.

Scurrying to put her shirt back on, Paige mumbled, “I’m sorry, I—” In an attempt to make them feel better, she wanted to tell them she never looked good in black anyway; it washed out her already pale complexion completely. And with Bailey’s multi-colored hair cropped short in varying lengths to frame her pixie-cute face with a stylish flare and her tanned skin, Paige was sure her suitemate really did look nice in this dress.

“Sorry?” Bailey yelped, glancing at her incredulously. “Why are you sorry?”

Tess laughed. “Sweetie, you’re gorgeous. Own it.”

Nodding in agreement, Bailey grinned. “Totally.”

Immediate relief swamped her; they didn’t hate her for being a little taller and slimmer than them.

Through the bathroom, she heard her room door open. Hurrying even faster to yank her jeans on because Mariah rarely came home alone, she was just fastening the top button when Bailey called, “Hey, Hooker. Do you have a decent dress Paige can wear tonight?”

“Oh my God,” Tess hissed, slapping her roommate’s arm. “I can’t believe you just called her that.”

Bailey blinked, looking confused. “What? We always call her that.”

“Not to her face.”

Mariah appeared in the bathroom, scowling at all three of them. “And why does Paige need a dress?”

“She’s going on a first date with some hot guy to a costume party,” Tess promptly answered, smiling engagingly at Mariah. “And we’re fresh out of costumes over here.”

Paige soon learned there was one universal thing no girl could resist: playing dress up on another girl.

As Mariah dragged her into their room, Bailey and Tess eagerly padded along behind, but they froze in the doorway when they saw the guy lounging against the door, waiting for Mariah. In cowboy boots, lean blue jeans, a shiny brass belt buckle, and a Western pearl-snapped shirt, he’d crossed one booted foot in front of the other.

“Howdy,” he greeted with a Texas twang as he tipped his cowboy hat to them.

Covering her heart with one hand, Bailey sank against Tess as she gawked.

“All you really need for a costume party is some kind of ears and a kickass skanky dress,” Mariah instructed, pulling Paige along. Reaching into her closet, she tugged out a pair of bunny ears and set them on Paige’s head.

“Oh, those are perfect.” Tess clapped, skipping closer. “So do you think you have a kickass skanky dress that’ll work?”

Mariah rolled her eyes. “Look who you’re talking to here. Of course I do.”

And she did. It was red, sinfully tight, and short enough that Paige wouldn’t dare bend over while wearing it.

“It’s stunning,” Tess said, her voice awed. “Let’s try it on.”

When she reached for the hem of Paige’s shirt, Paige skipped backward and sent the cowboy a leery glance. “Umm…”

He grinned at her, flashing a pair of deep dimples. “Don’t stop on my account, darlin’.”

Bailey whimpered.

“Try it on after we’re gone then,” Mariah said with a sigh that told Paige what a prude she thought she was. “If that one doesn’t work, try this.” She shoved an emerald green dress into Paige’s arms. After grabbing up the overnight bag she often took with her when she stayed out all night, she strutted toward the cowboy. “Come on, handsome. Let’s go have some fun.”