Who Invited You
I've yet again borrowed Declan and Roxy Somerset from @myloveforhergoeson because, yes. This is based off a dream I woke up from lmao.
"Six grand!"
Donna parted the weighted burgundy curtains that separated the dressing room from the rest of the store. Her hair was partially mussed up from trying on various different dresses. If she told her seventeen year old self that she would be stuck in a dressing room of a high end store, she would have laughed at herself. Donna gently pulled at the tag to read it in the clearer light, but she didn't misread the price.
"You look smokin'!" Lila wolf whistled and leaned forward. Her vibrant hair was neon under the fluorescent lights.
Donna stopped in front of the mirror and turned every which way. The glittering dress caught the light, it was floor length and backless covered in sequins. Considering a gala was pretty fancy in industry standards, she would have to find something to cover her back tattoo. She loved the roses that crept up her spine, but execs in stuffy suits and ties might not be too keen about it.
Too Bad About Your Girl played over the sound system. Donna, Myron, and Lila paused. It's been a while since they last heard their music over the speakers. It wasn't like they were washed out or old, all three of them were in their late-to-mid thirties.
"Is everything alright, over here?" One of the clerks came over. She was the same lady who took one look at them and tried to direct them toward a more 'affordable' clothing store. "Are the prices more than what you hoped?"
"The prices are fine." Donna sucked on her teeth. Maybe it was on her for looking like she didn't belong in such a high end store, but she doubted that would make much of a difference.
The dress was gorgeous, but did she really want to pay six grand for something she would wear for a single night? It wasn't exactly something she could wear casually either. But the gold coloring of the dress complimented her bleached hair. Looking at the price tag again she sighed and lowered her head.
"I think you look hot as shit, those suits won't know what hit 'em!" Lila grinned and joined Donna at the mirror. "I mean look at you! That pretty face and those long gorgeous legs!" Lila squished Donna's cheeks together and giggled.
"I never said I wasn't going to buy the dress," Donna chuckled and swatted Lila's hands away. "But, six grand... Damn."
"We can afford it, now." Myron said from where he lounged on a beige cushioned seat.
"I'm so used to diving through the bargain bin, I don't know..."
"Wearing this is all about confidence." Lila grinned and pushed Donna's shoulders back. "The price doesn't matter as long as you wear it like it was born for you,"
"Oh! Maybe you could send a picture to that cute guy who's daughter you've been hanging out with, a photo of your outfit like all those kids do!"
"No!" Donna's face turned very red and she shook her head. "For one, that's insane. There's nothing between us, I'm just playfully teasing him."
"Can't believe you stopped having fun." Lila pouted.
"You can blame Nathaniel for that one,"
"When is this big party again?" Myron asked. "I don't have a suit, and as much as I love the girl talk. I need a suit."
"Party pooper." Lila stuck her tongue out at him.
"He's right." Donna smacked her arm. "We're on a tight schedule here. So, I'm buying this one and you're buying that blue one. Together, that's..." Donna tapped her chin as she tried to calculate in her head. "Eh, whatever." She shrugged and slipped between the curtains.
Although she was much more comfortable in casual wear, she had no qualms with wearing anything fancy. Other patrons at the high-end store gave her strange looks as she walked up to the cashier with her friends. If Donna was a decade or two younger she would have been embarrassed and insecure about all the stares or the hushed whispers, but it came with the job. In the industry, everything she did was a spectacle to her fans or haters.
The cashier with a bob cut was thoroughly stunned when Donna pulled out her debit card and flashed a toothy smile. She stared with wide eyes and possibly even contemplated her life choices on the spot. It didn't take long for them to pay. They were out of the store in a few minutes. The big white bag on her arm looked out of place with her burnt-orange leather jacket, patched jeans and faded band t-shirt. She ran a hand through her hair, pushing it back. The L.A. sun assaulted her eyes but Lilla pulled sunglasses out of nowhere.
~ ~ ~
"You're going to a gala?"
Declan Somerset was supposed to be back in Minnesota at the start of the week, but because of a snowstorm in Minnesota he was stuck in Los Angeles for a little while longer. As much as he was stressed about his job back home, it was nice to not be so lonely. He would never admit aloud just how lonely without Roxy around. For so long it had been him and his daughter at home but with her at work in Los Angeles it made things seem a lot less lively.
"Yeah! Gustavo said it was to get more traction for Big Time Rush!" Roxy's eyes sparkled as she hugged her songbook to her chest. "And if they like the music, then maybe I can tell them I wrote it!"
"Is Mrs. Knight going to the gala?"
"No, I don't think so." Roxy shook her head, slightly caught off-guard. She loved having her dad around, but after so long of not having him around it was a little strange.
"You don't have a chaperone?" Declan raised a brow.
"Technically, Kelly is our chaperone but she'll probably be with Gustavo the whole time." Roxy shrugged.
"I'll go, to keep you kids out of trouble." Declan chuckled. "Also to make sure nothing sketchy happens."
"Wait, really?" Roxy's eyes sparkled and a big smile tugged at her lips. "You'll go with us to the gala?"
"Yeah, I've had my fair share of galas back in the day. They're boring, but I don't doubt you and your friends will find a way to entertain yourselves." Declan chuckled and pulled her into a side hug.
"You went to galas?" Roxy's eyes widened. "Please! Tell me all about it!"
"There isn't much to tell," Declan shrugged. "The parties were boring, and the people at those parties were even more boring." He laughed.
"Oh! I have to figure out what I'm wearing!" Roxy gasped. "James would want to coordinate out outfits!" She gave her father a big hug and pulled away.
"I'll go tell Mrs. Knight I'll be chaperoning," Dec laughed as he let his daughter go.
~ ~ ~
"Oh, this takes me back."
Dec whistled as he stepped out of the car. He straightened out the suit he was thankful to find for a bargain, as much as Roxy wanted to pay he wouldn't let her. He would never be able to forgive himself. His daughter wore a lovely red dress and coordinated with her boyfriend James, the accents on his suit matched the red of her dress. It was simple, not too extravagant.
"Look, there's a buffet!" Carlos gasped. He grabbed Kendall's arm and pulled his friend over.
Roxy and her friends were in awe of the venue. Glorious marble floors, chestnut walls decorated with expensive art, golden chandeliers hung from the ceiling over head. The hall opened up to a large room lined with clothed tables by the edges. The buffet was in the other room, but there were signs on the floors pointing patrons to where it might be.
Declan was confident he would be able to find Kendall and Carlos at the buffet if he thought he truly lost them. Logan, Roxy and James stayed to the side in the big room. They sat at a table by the wall. He could tell that it was overwhelming for his daughter, but once she got her bearings she'd drag her boyfriend to join the others on the dancefloor.
For a moment, he swore someone wearing orange perfume was nearby. It was stronger than vanilla or lavender. And it wasn't like Declan came to the gala for any other reason than chaperone the five teenagers. The last thing he wanted was for someone to rope them into a shady deal. Amidst the dresses and suits, he swore he saw Donna across the room but when he looked again she was gone. Shaking his head, he checked the tables and confirmed Logan was the only one sitting down.
"Pleasure to see you here, love." Donna jumped. She nearly dropped the small white plate in her hand. She piled it high with various pastries.
That British accent belonged to the only person she knew. Whenever she made an entrance she tried to replicate it horribly. Heat rose to the surface of her skin. Donna tried to ignore the feeling in the pit of her stomach. His voice made her sick to her stomach.
"Are you still in the top ten or have they demoted you?" His voice was smooth and buttery, but she knew what venom hid behind it. She grabbed a cannoli and put it on her plate.
"I don't want to talk to you."
"Oh, and why's that?" She heard the pout in his voice but pressed on, moving down the buffet table.
"You know very well why I want nothing to do with you."
"It's too bad, you look smashing in that dress. I can only imagine it took quite a chunk out of your savings." Nathaniel slyly grinned. He was trying way too hard to get under her skin.
Donna scowled and walked away. She took a seat at one of the vacant tables and leaned her cheek in her palm. There was no doubt in her mind that galas were quite boring, she had only attended one of these when Orange Rust first started. But, knowing Nathaniel was here meant The Burbs followed him. His posh rock band from across the pond was the bane of her existence. She tried to pretend he didn't get under her skin, but she was scorned once already and was in no mood to let that happen again.
Sitting alone wasn't a high light of her evening, but while Myron and Lila schmoozed with the execs in suits she was left by herself. It wasn't all that bad, but once in a while she would catch a glimpse of Nathaniel across the room and her stomach would twist in knots. But she had to admit the pastries were decadent. If she had her purse and a few Ziploc bags she could take as much as she could to take home.
Donna wasn't sure if she should let the plate stay on her table or if she needs to put it somewhere special. On her way to find out where the dirty dishes go, she bumped into someone.
"Oh! I'm so sorry!" She half expected to have bumped into an exec, but she was pleasantly surprised it was Declan.
Wait, Declan?
"No, no. It's alright!" Declan wiped the crumbs off his suit jacket and laughed heartily. She wouldn't have recognized him. Her brain went numb. He looked so nice in a suit. "You can't figure out where they go either, can you?" His smile was so warm.
Donna's giggle was high pitched and she looked away. What was wrong with her? Why did she freeze up like a bashful teenager?
"Well- Well you never know, fancy people have all kinds of rules." If her hair were longer she would have idly twirled a strand around her finger. It wasn't often she was this flustered. "What are- What are you doing here?"
"Chaperoning my daughter and her friends,"
"They're here?" Donna's eyes widened a fraction. "Like, Gustavo invited them?"
"Yeah, why?" Declan raised a brow. He wasn't alarmed, but her alarm was getting to him a little bit.
"Donna!" Nathaniel smiled brightly and casually draped an arm over her shoulders. She tensed up, her smile no longer emotive. Her eyes were screaming discontent.
"I'm sorry, I don't think we've met."
"Nathaniel Dunlop, perhaps you've heard of The Burbs." He tucked Donna into his side like she an accessory. "Any friend of D's is a friend of mine." He chuckled and held a hand out.
Donna squirmed, taking his arm off her shoulders. His touch made her recoil, no matter how unprofessional it may seem. She didn't need to win him over, if anything she wanted him to go away but refrained from making a scene.
"Declan, this is the red-coat from across the pond." Her voice was as tense as she was.
"Red-coat? I think we're more familiar than that, dear." Nathaniel leaned close to her.
Declan didn't want to assume anything, but he might be right about the British man feeling threatened. It was in the way he spoke, and the way he regarded her. But Donna wanted nothing to do with him. Declan didn't want to step in unless it was direly needed.
"Yankee, red-coat. Same thing." Donna leaned away as politely as she could. "Either way, your presence isn't needed." She laughed it off as a joke.
"Oh, don't be like that. I'm sure your new friend would love to hear all about our past."
"Haha. No." Declan went from laughing to stone faced in the blink of an eye. "I don't even know who you are, or your band."
"What?" Nathaniel's eyes bugged out of his head. "The Burbs are far better than that American slop you pass off as music!"
"Nate," a blonde purred and sidled up to him. "Come dance with me."
"Apologies, but I can't let the lady down." Nathaniel chuckled and let the girl drag him away.
Declan's main priority was making sure the kids didn't get into too much trouble. He was content with watching the five teens have as much fun as they could dancing amidst the crowd. Although it was formal dancing, and he himself didn't have much practice in that department it was better that the kids were having fun. Neither he nor Donna could figure out what to do with their dirty/lightly-used plates from the buffet so they kept them at their tables.
Once in a while Nathaniel would lean away from the blonde he brought to the gala with him and would wink at her. Every fiber of her being revolted. Tapping her nails on the clothed table she sighed and leaned her chin in her palm. Lila and Myron were messing around on the dance floor having fun, and it was nice to see her childhood friends letting loose.
Declan practically had two left feet when it came to dancing, but he felt a bit bad seeing her all alone. Seeing as he knew where all the kids were, it wouldn't be that bad if he asked her to dance. For some reason, he felt like a teenager at prom when he approached her table.
Roxy spotted her dad from where she was with James and whispered something to her boyfriend. She couldn't contain the grin on her face as they moved across the floor to get closer. At first, she was afraid her dad would stay on the sidelines away from the fun but it put her at ease that he at least had someone to spend time with.
