Beautiful Bedlam (23 page)

“Okay, just give me a minute!” she yelled back.
Crap
.
Noah was already here?
She had no time to even do anything with her hair. She wanted to pin it up in a bun with her new pearl pins and clips but she had already kept Noah waiting long enough. Knowing her dad, he was probably putting the fear of God in to him by now. So she swooped her loose dark curls over one shoulder and quickly ran some hair serum through her locks using her fingers. She finally reapplied her berry red colored lipstick and threw it in her clutch bag along with her other belongings and made her way downstairs. She could hear her dad chuckling downstairs in the hallway.
That’s strange. Maybe Noah had won him over after all?
She quickly made her way down the stairs praying to God that she wouldn’t fall headfirst and break her neck.

‘Why did I decide to wear three-inch heels?’ she moaned to herself quietly as she struggled to put her only pair of drop pearl earrings on. She barely made it to the bottom of the stairs before she looked up and froze. Logan Jackson stood tall and handsome in a ridiculously expensive-looking black fitted tuxedo, with his hands tucked in to his pockets. They both stood still for a short moment simply basking in each other’s beauty. Logan’s senses of motor skills and speech seemed to fail him as he opened his mouth. For the first time in his life he was rendered speechless. He wanted to tell her how simply stunning she looked and how he had never seen someone more beautiful and radiant than her. This new feeling frightened him a little and Logan being Logan, he wanted to push it aside immediately.

She wore a floor length ivory gown embroidered and embellished with beads and diamantes with capped sleeves and a sweetheart neckline that worked harmoniously with her olive skin tone and bright green eyes. The only skin that was bare was her flawless face and golden shoulders and slender toned arms. She smelt of sweet Chanel perfume and her perfect pouted lips were already enticing him and causing the palms of his hands to sweat a little, again, another first for Logan.

“What are you doing here?” she asked shocked after finally regaining her voice.

“I’m your date remember?” he told her sweetly taking a step towards her as if he couldn’t get enough of her. They were like magnets completely drawn to each other, mirroring one another’s movements and stances. They were like the opposite poles north and south completely different to one another yet they seemed to reflect and bring out the rare pure beauty and goodness within each other.  Her heart thumped and walloped around in her chest cavity as if she had just completed a marathon. Her stomach fluttered nervously at the mere sight of him looking at her like that way. Her dad who still stood in the hallway looked back and forth between them looking as confused as she felt. He quickly retreated to the living room wherein the rest of her family resided in who were no doubt listening nosily through the door. The corner of his mouth tilted to his usual cocky confident smirk. That immediately snapped her back to reality.
Stop looking at his mouth
, that annoying voice in her head barked at her as she realized she was just staring up at him unashamedly.

“Wow, Sienna you look-“

“You’ve had your fun Logan. But seriously, you have to go. Noah’s going to be here any minute.” She said quietly her voice wavering due to her nerves. The last thing she needed was her mom to hear how distorted her love life was, she already thought her daughter was all of two seconds away from joining the cast of 16 and Pregnant. She quickly interrupted him and reluctantly grabbed his arm trying aimlessly to get him out of the door. But he was made of hard muscle built like a brick wall and didn’t move an inch. Instead he put his hands on her upper arms holding her firmly in place in front of him.

“Sienna. Calm down. You’re overreacting again.” He told her in a soft soothing tone as if she were a child throwing a tantrum. This only seemed to infuriate her further.

“Me? I-“ she began, her emerald eyes set ablaze with rage as she stared at him outraged that he had the gall to come to her home, make nice with her father and demand to take her to the dance.
Caveman
.

“Shhhh.” He silenced her suddenly as he placed his index and middle fingers upon her soft rosy lips. She stilled at his touch mesmerized by his penetrating pensive gaze.

“Noah’s a little late. He’s got some car trouble and he’s trapped somewhere. He told me to take you to the dance.” He whispered as he grazed his thumb across the beautiful rose petals that were her lips. She turned her head away from his instantaneously as she heard his blatant lie. Logan would be the last person on Earth Noah would call for a date substitute. He’d much rather ask Julio the forty-five year old janitor. Seeing her immediate face and posture change, Logan quickly continued his statement.

“As your driver. I figured your dad-Phil, he told me to call him Phil, would be at work. And I figured Candice would take the mini so I thought I’d figure I’d just drive you there.”

“My dad asked you to call him Phil? What are you two best buds now?” she asked sardonically arching her eyebrow at him.

“Mm, don’t push your luck. Let’s just say we have a mutual understanding. We actually had a very interesting conversation.”

“Oh come on, don’t look at me like that. He used to love me as a kid. I was like the son he never had. Remember all those little league games he took us to? Things only changed after-“

“After you broke his nose?” Sienna suggested bluntly.

“No, after he realized how beautiful his daughter was and how inevitable it would be for me to fall for you. So come on, we’re late.” He said intensely taking the keys to the Mustang out and headed towards the door. He turned expectantly gazing in to those conflicted emerald eyes. He then turned abruptly expecting her to follow; rather she was sitting at the base of the long white staircase, carefully taking her ivory satin pumps off thinking of nothing but what he had just admitted.

Did he just say he was falling for me?
No, he said it was inevitable to fall for me. What does that even mean?
She asked herself wretchedly trying to decipher between the semantics.

“What are you doing?” he asked. This was not going according to plan at all.

“Thanks for the offer, but I’m not going.” She replied feeling slightly relieved. An evening of sitting in the corner waiting for Noah and watching all the girls at Haven Falls High throw themselves at Logan was not exactly something she was looking forward to. She’d much rather jump in to her pajamas, cozy up to the only true men in her life Ben and Jerry and cry herself to sleep to the sound of Adele. Even Logan the master of concealing his emotions let the disappointment he felt slip on to his face.

“Sienna, I-“

“You doing okay out here kids?” her dad asked as the living room door suddenly swung open and she could hear her mom and sisters whisper incessantly.

“Oh look at the time. Sienna, you’d better hurry before you end up missing the entire dance.” He chuckled nervously trying to maintain the peace.

“Dad, you were the one who practically emotionally blackmailed me not to go to the dance.”

“That was just your old man reminiscing about the days you preferred to stay at home and beat me at chess and called school dances America’s capitalism at its finest invading its way in to even the safest and soundest of places, high schools where individual businesses profited off lonely horny teenage boys buy selling overpriced corsages and boutiques selling ugly bridesmaids dresses at an even uglier price passing them off as prom dresses. She said that to me when she was twelve. One of my proudest and weirdest memories.”

“Oh, Noah’s not going to the dance so there’s no point going there. Besides I’m really tired and still stressed about the SAT exams. And God I’m just so tired.” She yawned wanting nothing more than to sprint upstairs and hide under her bedcovers.

“Noah is coming. He would never just stand you up. I’m just driving you there. Come on you’ve already gotten dressed and look all…you know like the way you do.” Logan stammered as he usually did when he tried and failed miserably to compliment her. For some reason he could compliment and call any girl beautiful but when it came to the most beautiful girl he knew he couldn’t bring himself to say it, and he wondered why.

“I look like a bride. Oh God, why did I let Candice talk me in to buying this dress?” Sienna asked herself desolately as she caught a look of herself in the mirror. All she needed now was a veil, a bouquet of flowers and an ordained minister and she and Logan were good to go. 

“Hello, have you met the girls at our school? Trust me, you will not be overdressed.”

“Why are you letting her go? She-“ her mother came yelling out in her thick accent then stopped abruptly in her tracks not because she realized Logan standing there but she was baffled by Sienna’s appearance.

“You haven’t worn a dress since-“

“Fifth grade disco dance, Cooper Godfrey.” Sienna filled in miserably.

“Oh good old Godfrey.” Logan chuckled at the vomit spewing memory.

“I know, I know, it’s too much. I’m taking it off-“

“Don’t you dare. This is the way it should be. The way it should have been. Go.” Her mother murmured suddenly looking rather poignant and despondent herself as she smoothed her daughter’s dress. Her parents actually wanted her to go to a school dance, stay out and “party” with Logan Jackson all night? She searched her mother’s eyes and was surprised to find her sober.

“Fate can be so cruel sometimes.” Her mother added tenderly with tears in her eyes before walking slowly away in to the kitchen giving Sienna the sinking feeling that she was for some reason contemplating pouring herself a glass of wine.

Logan and Sienna were both left baffled and confused by this, her father on the other hand didn’t. He just looked like himself. Phillip Rivers managed to purvey a look of resolute sadness and stoicism all in one glance. He had sad pale grey eyes that none of his children had inherited, and a thin frame of a withering man despite only being fifty. “Have fun, sweetie. Don’t worry about coming home too late.” He said, words she’d never thought would come out of her father’s mouth.

“Just dancing.” He said in a cold menacing voice his eyes boring in to Logan’s unflinchingly.

“Got it. Besides, I’m just the chauffeur.” He said shuffling his feet looking very much out of his comfort zone. Which surprised Sienna, she would’ve bet all of life-savings which was now a grand total of zero dollars thanks to buying the outfit for the dance that he had dealt with far more severe conversations and confrontations with the fathers of Haven Falls seeing as he had been the one to deflower all their daughters.

“Uh huh.” Her father merely replied suggesting he knew otherwise.

“You take good care of her. I love you, sweetheart.” He said somberly with a sad smile and kissed her forehead completely throwing Sienna off. Her family wasn’t the affectionate type. And her father preferred to show his love than pronounce it. He had always been the tough love kind of guy.

“I love you too dad.” She replied confusedly with a small smile of her own.

“Oh go already! I can’t even watch TV without hearing your annoying teenage drama. Either you go with lover-boy or you don’t! I don’t get what the fuss is, dad, you never cared when I never went to any of my high school dances!” Meredith huffed as she came to join the Brady bunch in the crowded passageway.

“That’s not true.” He answered airily looking like he genuinely didn’t care.

“Okay, okay I’m going, sheesh.” She quickly declared and threw her shoes on and practically ran out of the door before Logan could witness anymore of her family drama. He followed shortly afterwards. She gracefully sat in the cherry red Mustang swooping the bottom of her dress in carefully not creasing it.

She tried calling Noah more times than she could remember but each time it went straight to voicemail. She sighed frustrated and left him half a dozen worried and angry messages. She quickly took her compact mirror out from her clutch and anxiously looked at her reflection. She had always thought she had scary eyes, like a cat’s, almost glowing bright green. Her sisters had always teased her about her nose, she was so different to all of her siblings as they had smaller more squat noses whilst as she had a sharp and straight edged nose, which she hated. Her cheekbones and lips were the only thing she liked about her face. She sighed suddenly feeling very self-conscious and put the mirror away. She looked over at Logan who was notably silent for once. He stared ahead as he drove but couldn’t help but steal secret glances at her every few seconds. She had been calling her boyfriend for the entire ride to the dance. She had told him to back off so many times he lost count. Despite his hopes, it was clear that although she was attracted to him, she clearly didn’t want to associate herself with him in anyway any longer. Trent was probably right about something for once, Sienna was a relationship type of girl and he wasn’t that kind of guy. He was seventeen years old and loving every single second of being the most sought after guy in town. He was nowhere near ready for a committed relationship and she was nowhere near ready for a casual summer fling.

“You’re quiet tonight.” She said breaking the unbearable silence, wishing he would just say something.

“I’m just flustered and thinking, that’s all.” He replied honestly looking straight ahead avoiding her eyes as he drove.

“Your dad…is not as bad as I thought.”

“I mean he’s still an asshole for breaking your-“

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she said brusquely cutting him off.

“You don’t want to talk about a lot of things.” He remarked vaguely.

“Like Rose you mean? What do you want me to say? I forgive you? That I give you my blessing? What?” she asked irritably.