Chapter Seven:
Denial

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"Hey... can I come in?"

As Laila let Evie into her dorm room, she briefly wondered why Evie seemed so troubled. The blue-haired girl's brows were furrowed, and Laila could practically sense the battle going on in her mind.

Sitting on her bed, Laila tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "So... what's up?"

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry about earlier," said Evie, standing in the middle of the room, unsure if she should sit down or not.

Laila shrugged. "It's cool. You guys needed some space. I get that."

Evie nodded and didn't say anything further. It was the kind of nod that told Laila something was still bothering the girl, but she didn't want to say something about it because she didn't want to overstep. Instead she watched on quietly as her dog, Isak, plodded over to them and wagged his tail at Evie, who crouched down and started to pet him. Evie's expression, whilst it softened for Isak, remained troubled. This went on for a minute or so, before Laila decided to speak up.

"... Is there something else on your mind?"

Evie's conflicted expression stood out as she turned toward Laila with a sigh. Isak let out a noise of protest when Evie stopped petting him.

"It just..." Evie walked over and sat down next to Laila on her bed. She sighed. "There's something I have to do. And I'm not entirely sure if I want to do it... but I feel like I have to do it..."

Laila tilted her head. "Why?"

"If I don't do it, there's gonna be a bunch of people who will be really mad and disappointed in me," said Evie. "And I don't know what to do."

"You want my opinion?" Laila asked. Evie gave a light shrug of the shoulders, before she nodded. "OK, um..."

From his place on the floor, Isak let out a yawn. He started to stretch, then jumped up on Laila's bed. Normally, she might've told him to get off, but he was rather cute when he was tired, so she let it slide. She turned to face Evie.

"Um, I think..." Laila started, then paused, taking a few seconds to collect her thoughts. "I think that you should never have to do something you don't want to do. So... if there are people who are going to hate you for doing something you don't want to do, and if, just spitballing here, but if it's your friends we're talking about here... well, I know I wouldn't want to be friends with someone who gets mad at me for not doing something I genuinely don't wanna do." She paused again. "Not sure if that helps, but..."

Evie nodded slowly.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it'll work out fine," Laila said. "I'm here if you need, though."

"Thanks, Laila." Evie managed a smile. "I should go..."

Laila nodded. "Sure. I'll talk to you later, yeah?"

Standing up, Evie said, "Yeah."

As Evie opened the door to leave, she almost walked into someone else who had been opening the door at the same time. A short red haired girl stepped into the room, muttering a short greeting to Evie, who did the same. The door shut.

Ingrid didn't speak to Laila at first, instead she went straight for the bookcase on the far side of the room. She pushed back a few books to reveal a box that Laila and Lonnie had secretly hidden there... well, it was supposed to be a secret. After picking it up, she turned around to face Laila, whose jaw had dropped.

"How did you know—?"

"Sooo... I've been meaning to ask..." Ingrid interrupted, raising her eyebrow suggestively. "Anything going on there?" The thirteen year old jumped onto Laila's bed and put the box of snacks between them.

Laila frowned. "Huh?"

Ingrid nodded toward the direction of the door, where Evie had left a few minutes before. "Between you and Evie."

"What? No!"

"Laila's got a cruuuush!"

Laila huffed. "I do not have a crush on Evie. We're friends."

OK, sure, Evie was extremely cute and all, Laila knew this, but Laila did not have a crush on Evie. Nope. Nuh-uh. Not at all.

"C'mon, seriously?"

Laila rolled her eyes and looked away for a second. She turned back to Ingrid, nodding in the direction of the snacks. "How did you even know about that, anyway?"

"I have my ways," Ingrid said cryptically. Laila rolled her eyes again. "But stop trying to divert the conversation! You have a crush on Evie!"

"I do not," said Laila, frowning.

When Ingrid began to make kissing faces, Laila grabbed her pillow from behind her and threw it at her sister. Ingrid gasped as it collided with her face. She picked it up and started wacking Laila with it, who retaliated by grabbing the other pillow on her bed, and before long, the two were in a full fledged pillow fight.

Isak was no longer sleepy; at the first sight of movement he had started barking at them. Laila hoped no one could hear him, or she'd be in trouble. However, she guessed that most people were still outside, as family day had yet to come to an end.

Laila was defending herself the best she could, but Ingrid was too good. She'd been pillow fighting with her best friend, Saxa, Laila could tell. Laila, on the other hand, hadn't had a good pillow fight in ages.

"Bitch!" Laila gasped as a pillow collided with her face.

Ingrid stuck her tongue out. "Jerk."

The door suddenly opened, and the two sisters turned abruptly at the sound, looking like deer caught in the headlights. Isak stopped barking. Lonnie stood in the doorway, her eyebrows raised slightly.

"I'd ask," Lonnie said, "but I don't think I want to know."

Laila put down the pillow she'd been using to fight (after she'd seen Ingrid put hers down, of course; she didn't want to let down her guard). She looked at Lonnie. "What's up?"

"I think your parents are getting ready to leave," Lonnie said.

Laila immediately pouted. She turned to Ingrid, whose shoulders had drooped. After a few seconds, Ingrid spoke up.

"I'll miss you," Ingrid said quietly, making eye contact with her sister.

Laila gasped, a wide smile on her face. "Did I hear that right? My sister, the Ingrid Bjorgman, is going to miss me? The world must've ended."

Ingrid scowled. "Shut up."

"I'm kidding. Obviously. I'll miss you, too." Laila smiled. "But I'll see you at the end of the year, for Christmas, like always."

Compared with closer places like Charmington or Camelot Heights, Arendelle was further away from Auradon City, so it took a while to get to and from each place. That was why it was easier for Laila to simply come back to Arendelle and see her family for the few months around Christmas, instead of some of her peers who could simply drive fifteen or so minutes to see their family.

It was also why Anna, Kristoff, and Ingrid had to go back today. They couldn't be away from Arendelle for too long, especially with Anna being the Queen and all. It was a shame that they couldn't stay for Ben's Coronation, but Laila understood. Besides, they could just watch the live broadcast.

She supposed it was hard, not being able to see her Mom and Dad and sister all the time, but they were always in contact. Perks of modern technology.

"I can't wait to come here next year," Ingrid said as the two sisters began to walk down the hallway.

"I don't think Fairy Godmother is going to be able to handle both of us," Laila said jokingly.

Laila had started at Auradon Prep a couple of years ago, when she was fourteen. Like Laila had, Ingrid would soon be starting at Auradon Prep, too, once she turned fourteen herself.

About ten minutes later, after Laila and Ingrid had gone outside and met up with their parents, Laila found herself standing and waving goodbye as the car drove down the gravel path. She watched as the car got smaller and smaller and smaller in her view until it was no longer in sight.

Sighing, she felt a small wave of sadness wash over her. It was nice to see her family again, yes, and even though she'd only just said goodbye, she missed them dearly.

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     Laila started to feel tired as the afternoon approached. It had been a big day, and she was beginning to feel the effects of it.

She was lying down on her bed whilst Lonnie gazing into the mirror in the room, trying on her outfit for the coronation tomorrow for what seemed like the millionth time. Using her elbows, she propped herself up on the bed.

"It's pretty, Lonnie," Laila said.

"Thanks," Lonnie said, smiling at herself in the mirror. She turned around to look at Laila. "What are you wearing?"

Laila shrugged. "I haven't decided."

Lonnie's eyes were wide. She said, "You haven't decided?"

"... No?"

"Well, when are you going to decide? Five minutes before?" Lonnie shook her head, already walking over to Laila's side of the room. "C'mon, let's see what you've got in here." She opened Laila's closet. After a few minutes of, "No, no, definitely not," Lonnie turned to Laila, aghast. "There's literally nothing in here except jeans and sweaters and a cheerleading uniform, and you can't wear any of that to the Coronation!"

Laila pouted. "Aw, really? Shame." She wasn't even being sarcastic.

"Alright, I'm going to get changed, put my shoes on, and brush my hair and then we're going to go." Lonnie wandered over to her side of the room, opening her closet door.

Alarmed, Laila frowned. "Go? Go where?"

Lonnie looked over at her. "To get you a dress, obviously."

"Huh?"

"We won't be able to get you one fitted, of course, since you've left it so late, but we might be able to find one in town," Lonnie said, holding a change of clothes in her arms. She turned around fully. "I'll only be a few minutes."

Laila blinked. "Right now?"

"Yep! There's no time to spare!" Lonnie walked into the bathroom.

Groaning, Laila flopped onto her bed. Dress shopping? Ugh.

Isak jumped onto her bed, and started walking on her belly. She groaned again, sitting up. Isak panted happily. For a few moments, she scratched behind Isak's ear, before she tilted her head. "What do you think, Isak?" Laila asked her dog. "Do you think I need to buy a dress?"

Laila lowered her voice, pretending to impersonate Isak, and said, "No, Lailia! You're so cool. You don't need to buy a dress. Just wear jeans! You're amazing."

"Aw, thanks, buddy," Laila said. "You're so cute. Yes, you are!"

Lonnie walked out of the bathroom and raised an eyebrow. Now dressed more casually, she said, "Whenever you're ready."

"... Let's go."

Getting into town wasn't hard, but picking out a dress was. They'd been in two stores so far, and none of them had a dress that Laila liked. Was she picky? Eh, you could say that. Once she'd taken a solid half an hour two decide between two pairs of shoes—they were the exact same, minus the differing shade of blue. She had ended up buying the darker shade, much to her sister's dismay, who thought she should've gone with the red ones instead.

"Third time's the charm," Lonnie said as they walked into the third shop.

The shop was quaint, Laila thought, as she took her first glance. She didn't think she had ever been in this particular store before. Come to think of it, Laila wasn't sure she had been in any of the stores in town except for the Pet store and the supermarket. She wasn't the biggest fan of shopping.

As Lonnie went in one direction, taking fancy to the hats in the front of the shop, Laila headed in the direction of the dresses. There was a rack in the middle of the store with the tag SALE on it, but nothing there was what Laila was looking for. Granted, she figured that if she couldn't find a dress soon, she would just end up having to buy the nearest dress and calling it a day. She had to wear something to the coronation!

Migrating to the back of the shop, there was a section on the right titled SUMMER DRESSES and one on the left titled FORMAL. Laila supposed that formal dresses would be the kind of thing she would have to wear to, you know, a formal occasion, so she headed over there.

Laila wouldn't have even worn the first few dresses that were on the rack even if her life depended on it. It was a little bit of an exaggeration, sure, but you would understand if you had seen them, too. As she flicked through some more dresses, Laila began to grow a little nervous.

"They're gonna shut up shop in ten minutes," Lonnie said, slightly tense. "Find anything you like?"

"Not really," Laila said. "Wait..."

There, practically hidden between two other dresses, hung a dress that was silver, although it was the kind of silver that, if looked at in the right lighting, contained a bluish tinge to it. It had shoestring straps, low back, and wasn't too long that she'd trip. She noted that whilst it was kind of simple, it was rather... nice. And Laila did not like dresses all that much, so that was saying something.

A brief thought of whether Evie would like the dress crossed her mind. She shut it down—locked it in a box in her mind and threw away the key. Why should she care whether Evie might like the dress she chose? It wasn't like she had a crush on her.

"What about this one?"

Lonnie smiled. "It's perfect."

word count: 2336
11.10.2020