Emilia's POV

Hell week.

This is the only way I can describe the entirety of this week so far. Julia has been badgering me with different dresses that she found online and how she wishes we could afford the three-hundred dollar gown she stumbled upon that in my opinion, looked completely hideous. It was never-ending. When I thought I was safe away from the apartment and in my classes, she would still send picture messages of dresses to me. Most of which I deleted immediately because they were either not my style or out of my price range.

Even though Julia has been annoying the living shit out of me, she was the least of my problems this week. When I left Ashton and the boys on Monday, I found out that I have exams in both my government and trigonometry class on Friday. I know I will do well in government, but with trig...let's just say I'm mathematically challenged. I know I will have to study twice as hard for math. In addition to that, on Tuesday, Michael and I found out that we had a history exam on Thursday. We decided to study together since I am acing the class and he is on the border of failing even though it was still early in the semester.

All the extra studying that we had to do made it difficult for me to hang out with Ashton. He also has to study for a few exams this week so we really didn't see each other after Monday other than the short period we have together in communications. We still keep in contact throughout the week with text messages full of complaints about not wanting to study as well as desperate calls for help with remembering the ungodly amount of information we were cramming into our brains.

The weight that has been piled on my shoulders slowly lifted after finishing the history exam yesterday. Michael and I were both confident that we passed with flying colors. Government was just as easy. However, the same can't be said with my trig exam. When I walked into the classroom, I forgot every trig function that I needed to remember for the test.

Which quotient identity was I supposed to use to find tangent 'x'? Was it sine over cosine? Cosine over sine? Hell if I know.

Everything had been wiped from my mind. I even had to check my calculator three times to make sure that two times two was four. It would be a miracle if I passed that exam.

Earlier in the week, Ashton and I agreed to go dress shopping with Julia after I finished the last of my exams. His dad cancelled class today since he had to get things ready for the party tomorrow evening, so that gave us a lot more time to look for a dress.

Ashton picks me up after I finish failing my trig exam and we pick up Julia, who was waiting at our apartment before heading to the mall. The drive there consists of us explaining how well—or awful—we did on our exams. I don't even want to talk about trigonometry, but Ashton pulls it out of me. He tells me that I should ask Luke for help next time since he is a genius when it comes to math. I can't afford to fail and repeat a class so I agree on the spot.

"Do you mind if the guys meet us there?" Ashton asks, quickly glancing over at me before returning his eyes to the road. "I was able to convince them to meet us there so that I wouldn't die of boredom when you try on dresses."

"That's fine," I say. I don't blame him for wanting to drag his friends along with him. I'm not looking forward to trying on dresses just as much as he isn't looking forward to watching me try them on.

Once arriving to the mall, Ashton parks in the parking garage and we head to the only store where I know I can potentially afford a dress at. For the sake of saving money, I insist we find something at the large Macy's department store instead of some boutique that Julia had initially wanted us to check out. Julia pouts at my request but gets over it quickly after spotting the gowns. Ashton follows quietly behind us, laughing to himself because of Julia's excited behavior.

I watch as she grabs several dresses of different colors and lengths and lets them hang from her arm. Ashton and I don't want to get in the way of her search so we stand by one of the metal racks, bored. I pick at the green fabric of the dress hanging on the rack next to me for entertainment. I glance over at Ashton as he keeps himself busy by typing away on his phone, occasionally glancing around at the various formal wear around us.

The sound of Luke laughing pulls us out of our boredom as we watch the three boys walk over to us. Their tall bodies tower over me as they greet and pull me in for a hug.

"So are you going to make us watch as you pretend to run the catwalk with every dress you try on?" Michael asks jokingly, but it sounds as if he's looking forward to it.

"Your luck's run out if you think I'm walking any sort of catwalk," I reply.

Julia's small body appears next to us, her arms no longer visible under the stack of dresses piled on her. "Hey guys," she says, acknowledging the other boys. "Em, you ready to try these on?"

No. Hell no.

Instead of speaking my mind, I just nod.

"Oh, my," a young female employee says, stunned by the amount of dresses Julia is carrying. "Would you like for me to get a dressing room ready for you?"

"We'd appreciate it," Julia says, handing the employee—whose nametag reads "Darcy"—the plethora of dresses she picked out. Julia follows Darcy towards the dressing rooms with the rest of us hot on her trail.

Julia and the boys wait in the small area outside of the dressing rooms, taking a seat on the leather loveseat that looks almost like the one at their house. I go into the large dressing room where Darcy placed the dresses and lock the door behind me. Looking at the different pieces hanging, I begin moving the gowns that I immediately hated into a 'not going to happen' pile. Glitter, sparkles, and a lot of ruffles. Are girls seriously supposed to like these things?

"Julia?" I call. "I hate to break it to you, but none of these are very appealing. I'm not going to prom or celebrating a sweet sixteen, so is there really a need for all the adding beading and sparkles on these dresses?" I complain.

"At least try one!" Julia shouts. "Pick one that you hate the least and try it on."

I groan and sift through the remaining dresses that made it in the 'this isn't too bad, but it's not something that I would choose for myself' pile and pull out a strapless, emerald green cocktail dress. I quickly undress and slip into the smooth material. Thankfully the zipper is positioned along the side and not the back of the dress so I don't have to call Julia for help just yet. I stare at myself in the full-length mirror. The length of the dress fall a couple of inches above my knee. It doesn't hug tight against my body, and the slick satin material feels cool against my skin. Overall, it's a nice dress, but what I dislike is the row of large satin flowers that were sewn onto the dress, making it look like I was trying to grow a garden on my waist.

"Do you have it on yet?" Julia asks; her voice seeping in from the other side of the door. I guess she got tired of waiting with the boys who have been surprisingly quiet. I open the door and walk out, allowing Julia the first look. The smile she had been wearing slowly falls as she eyes me up and down. "I guess some things look better on the rack," she says.

I glance over her shoulder to find the loveseat that had once been occupied by the boys empty. Where did they go? My question is answered when four tall figures waltz into the dressing area holding a single dress in each of their hands.

"Wow that is an ugly dress." Michael says.

"Hey Michael," I start, "remember when I asked for your opinion?" He stares blankly at me. "Neither do I." I try to keep a serious expression, but the other boys' laughter ruins it, causing me to laugh with them.

"Why are you all holding dresses?" I ask, gesturing to the dresses in their hands.

"I asked them to each pick one out for you," Julia says. "Since you hate my choices, I thought maybe they could choose something you like."

They all hold out their picks. Calum has picked a short, one shoulder white dress with a silver trimming at the hem. If it weren't for the cool and windy autumn weather, I might consider it, but I don't want to freeze. I shake my head at his choice and examine Luke's. He has chosen a floor-length pink gown with a lace backing. It's actually stunning. As much as I hate the color pink, I take the dress from his hand and give it to Julia to hang in the dressing room.

"Not bad, Luke," I compliment, earning a full smile from him.

I move on to the dress that Michael has picked, which is just a plain, long and black strapless dress. Before I could examine it further, I catch a glimpse of the dress Ashton is holding. It's the same length as the one Luke chose, but it's a royal blue color with a silver trim under the bust. It's absolutely beautiful.

"That's so pretty," I say, gawking at the dress in his hand.

"I thought you'd like it," Ashton says. "Go try them on, because the dress you're wearing now is not flattering you at all." He laughs as I take the dress from him and walk back into the dressing room with Julia. I strip out of the garden dress and pull Luke's choice on. Julia helps zip me up since my arms can't reach the short zipper in the back. I wait for her approval before stepping out to show the boys.

All four are waiting patiently on the leather couch, talking softly to one another. Their heads turn simultaneously once I enter their field of vison. Luke grins as I twirl in a circle to show off the dress, extremely pleased with the way the dress looked on me. However, by the looks on the other three, they don't seem to feel the same way.

"I don't like it," Calum says blatantly.

"It's nice, but it doesn't look like you," Ashton adds.

"Next!" Michael says, shooing me away.

I spin around and go back into the dressing room to try on the other dress. I remove Luke's dress and change into Ashton's choice. Julia and I struggle to zip up this dress unlike the other one. Julia really has to put some effort into it.

"Em, suck it in!" she demands.

The zipper is stuck near the middle of my back, and Julia is struggling to pull it up. I inhale deeply, trying to make it easier for the zipper to slide up.

"No, suck in your boobs!" she says.

"How do I suck in boobs?" I ask while trying to flatten my chest with sheer willpower. She never answers, but instead, succeeds in pulling the zipper up.

I look at myself in the mirror and gape at the sight. The dress was absolutely gorgeous. Along the side of the dress, a slit runs up mid-thigh, showing off my lean legs. I turn from side-to-side, admiring my reflection before turning to show Julia.

"That's it," she says, smiling.

I walk slowly behind her out of the dressing room, anxious to hear the boys' comments. The hem of the dress drags along the floor because of my height, but I'm pretty sure wearing heels will fix that. As I stand in front of the boys, their eyes widen and jaws drop.

"What do you think?" I ask, eager to hear their thoughts.

"It looks great on you, Emilia," Michael answers first.

"You have to get that one," Calum orders, making me chuckle.

"This one definitely fits you better," Luke says.

I wait expectantly for Ashton's response. He bites his lip and his eyes are still wide. His silence raises my self-consciousness. He blinks furiously before finally speaking up.

"It looks beautiful on you, Emilia," he breathes.

I've noticed that whenever he calls me by my given name, he's being completely serious, and from the look on his face, this is another one of those moments. I can feel the blood rushing to my cheeks from his comment, and his are also turning a crimson shade. I like that he likes the way it looks on me. Even though it's a little creepy, I like the way he stares at me like I'm a piece of artwork.

"Well then, I think the decision is unanimous." I smiled and everyone agrees.

After changing back into my clothes, apologizing to Darcy for the numerous dresses that we left in the dressing room, and paying for the dress—which happens to be on clearance—we all leave the mall and head home. I'm actually excited about the party now. Just the memory of Ashton's face when he saw me in the dress makes the familiar fluttering feeling in my stomach appear again, and I can't wait to put it on again tomorrow just to see his expression.