Chapter Text
Inej was sitting next to Nina on a couch. Jesper and Wylan were walking around the shop, picking things they wanted to try. This surely couldn’t have gone wrong, as seen when Jesper planted a giant purple hat on Wylan’s head, who started to parade.
A few days before, Nina’s friend Genya had popped in to help create some stage outfits. They had settled on black with red accents and glitter. Lots of glitter.
“We’re a band,” Nina had said, “so we have to look like one.”
For Wylan and Matthias, they had a black glittering pair of pants with a red T-shirt. Jesper had a red skirt with a black tank top. Nina wore a red dress and Inej a black one. She had a red scarf that she’d tie in her hair.
Kaz had refused anything with glitter. “No one will see me anyway”, he had said. “There’s no point.” They’d settled on a black suit, and, with some help from Inej, a sequined tie.
“So,” Nina said now, “what color do you want?”
Inej sighed. “Can’t I just keep on wearing my band outfit? I really like that dress.” She pictured it in her mind, with some red killer shoes underneath.
Nina shook her head. “This is your only chance to wear the most ridiculous dress until your wedding day. Or outfit, I mean, it doesn’t have to be a dress of course.” She got up and walked over to a clothing rack. “Blue? No, not this one, … Green maybe?” She pulled a dress out of the rack. “Oh no, this is horrendous. Jesper would like it though.”
“What would I like?” Jesper popped out from two aisles further. He saw the dress Nina was holding. “Oh yeah, definitely!” He disappeared again.
Inej smiled at her friends. Wylan emerged from somewhere and sat down next to her. He exhaled loudly. “I didn’t know shopping was this exhausting.”
“Did you find anything yet?”
“No- I- oh this is gonna sound so spoiled, but my dad gets my clothes made by someone. So I never had to choose anything.” He glanced at Inej.
“It’s overwhelming you”, she said. She stood up. “Com’on, tell me what your favorite color is and then we’ll go find the one!”
Inej saw that Wylan wanted to make a remark - probably about Jesper being the one for him or something as cheesy as that - but they got interrupted by Nina.
“I’m sorry, Wylan, I’m stealing Inej for a moment.” She had a couple of clothes draped over her arm. “Jesper is over there, or you can help us choose.”
Wylan exchanged a look with Inej. She saw that he had refound new energy.
The first dress was orange. Inej didn’t even try that one, as much as she loved Nina, but she hated it at first sight.
Nina pouted at that, but she respected her friend too much to really complain.
The second one was an icy blue suit with bronze accents. It looked really cute on the hanger and Inej liked the feel of it.
She emerged from the dressing room. “What do you think?”
Nina looked her up and down. “I like it. You look amazing in it, but I dunno…” She got up and walked around her. “I mean, it’s your choice after all, but I think you should try the last one and compare them first.”
Inej turned to look at herself in the mirror again. “Yeah, it’s really cute, but I’m not sure.” She went back into the dressing room, closing the curtain behind her.
The last outfit was a dress, in a purple so dark it looked almost black. But when you moved the fabric, it shimmered and shone like there were stars woven in it. When Nina had seen it on the hanger, she knew immediately that that was the one.
Inej came back out. She had loved it from the moment she laid her eyes on it. Nina always knew exactly what Inej wanted, even if she herself didn’t know it yet.
“How does it look?” she asked. Then she lifted her chin and said, “Or actually, I know I look stunning in it. Nina, you’re the best.”
“I know.” But her smile went from ear to ear. Inej walked over and hugged her.
“And Kaz will like it too, I assume.”
Inej froze in her embrace. She pulled back to look at her friend. “Excuse me?”
“Oh, the most mysterious boy in the entire school who only one person, not saying who, can get to smile or wear a sequined tie? Nah, I’m just imagining things.” Her eyes shimmered.
“He didn’t ask me, if that’s what you’re trying to say.” But what if I-? she thought. She sighed and sat down next to Nina. “I don’t think he’s a person that goes to school dances. He’ll stay for the concert, because we asked him too, but my best guess is that the minute we’re done he’s going away.”
Nina nodded. And then she shook her head. “For someone that clever, you can be so stupid sometimes.”
“What do you mean, Nina?” Inej perched an eyebrow.
“You said it yourself. You’re assuming he’ll go home. You’re assuming he doesn’t like dancing.” Her voice got serious. “People assume things all the time, but you don’t know it for sure until you’ve asked them. So go, Inej, ask him.”
Inej thought about that. Nina wasn’t the only one that encountered small-minded people. They had talked about it before. And sometimes you think that there’s no way you’ll do the same, but it happens.
“You’re right. I’ll ask if he wants to go to the dance.”
“With you?”
“With me”.