Chapter 57 Silver Heels
Phoebe
"I'm not that petty, honey."
Honestly, I was just teasing him—but damn, he’s still so stiff. I mean, I’d probably be freaking out too if someone brought up mating, the whole ceremony, and the idea of being officially bonded. Just thinking about it made my stomach twist.
I giggled after messing with Hayden. The guy immediately turned awkward, his ears turning red—an adorable contrast to that silver hair of his.
By the Moon Goddess, he looked like a flustered puppy.
I slowly pulled on the silver ribbon and opened the box. A silver dress caught my eye instantly. My heart skipped a beat as I took them out.
“They’re beautiful. I can’t believe you got these for me.”
“I’ve had them for a while. I was waiting for the right moment to give them to you—since your birthday passed before we really got to know each other.”
“I love them, Hayden,” I said, genuinely.
Coming from someone so obsessed with perfection, he didn’t choose something fancy like silk or chiffon. The fabric of the dress had this soft, ruched detail over the chest. I didn’t even know what kind of material it was, but it felt... me.
“I’m glad you like it. I wanted to give you something special—something that felt like you.”
“Thank you,” I murmured, then leaned in and kissed him on the lips.
After that, I left him and went straight to my room. Still floating from earlier, I pulled the dress out again and held it against my body in front of the mirror.
“He’s got great taste. I seriously can’t wait to go to his place.”
I started picturing it—me and Hayden walking into his home, hand in hand. All eyes on us. Even Lily, probably clutching her stomach, nauseous from the sight of Hayden choosing me over her.
Then reality hit: I didn’t have a single pair of decent shoes to match the look. My so-called shoe collection was sad—beat-up sneakers with the soles nearly falling off, off-white trainers that still passed as semi-clean, and these weird red shoes with holes meant for laces. I couldn’t use the money Mom gave me for new shoes because I had to stretch it until next month.
Am I really about to show up in those off-white sneakers? Ugh.
As I spiraled over my footwear dilemma, Tyra burst into the room—because of course, I forgot to close my damn door. She was panting like she’d just sprinted across campus.
“What the hell happened to you?” I asked, folding the dress back up.
“I… torn… my uniform.”
“You what now?”
I immediately imagined her uniform getting caught on a fence or ripping from moving around too much. That’s usually how it goes.
“I forgot to turn off the iron, and I had to pee real bad. I burned it. Do you have a spare I could borrow? I haven’t gotten around to buying a new one.”
“I do, but it’s Phoenix’s…” I didn’t even finish the sentence before she cut me off.
“It’s fine. The shirts are the same for guys and girls if I throw a blazer over it.”
She had a point. The uniforms were all a light ash-white, only the vests and bottoms were gender-specific. Luckily, I had a backup shirt she could use.
“But school’s out. Why do you even need to wear it?”
“The principal said if we want to watch the game, we have to wear our uniforms. Like I’m gonna miss your first match. I even charged up my camera.”
I couldn’t help but smile at her enthusiasm. Still, it was kinda weird that our principal insisted on uniforms just to watch a game. Gotta give it to him—dude’s hella proud of Livingstone.
“Hey, what size shoe do you wear?” I suddenly remembered.
“Eight. Why?”
“I’m borrowing your heels,” I said with a grin, eyeing her feet.
“Where are you going?” Her brows arched as her gaze dropped to the dress poking out of the box.
“Silver Claw.”
“That’s Hayden’s pack?”
“Yep.”
I ended up telling her everything that happened yesterday. Then I called her out for bailing on me when I got back to our room. She just laughed and said her pet turtle back home was having trouble breathing. Seriously.
She hugged me tight, and I could tell she was genuinely happy for me.
I headed to my closet and grabbed one of Phoenix’s spare shirts. Tyra’s cheeks turned pink when she took it. Girl was clearly having a whole fantasy moment.
“I’ll be back in half an hour. Hmm, silver huh…” She glanced at the dress again, the hem peeking from the box.
I nodded quickly and followed her to the door.
I told her I had practice and she could just drop the shoes off in my room. Then I made my way to the kitchen to find something to eat.
Honestly, I had zero interest in the BBQ pork ribs they were serving, especially after the last time. That sticky sauce was disgusting. Never again.
“Anything edible left?” I asked as I spotted Zion closing the fridge.
“Just eggs.”
I pulled a Post-it off the fridge door. It was Finley’s handwriting—huge and loud—telling Zion to do the grocery shopping for the week.
“I’ve been up all night, and this dude already left me notes? Unreal.”
“Where’s the card?”
I meant the debit card Coach Cooper gave us for stocking the fridge. Zion handed it over with a smug grin.
Yeah, I knew that look. I wasn't about to let him weasel out of helping.
“We’re going grocery shopping together after practise. But I’m frying some eggs first.”
“Hell yeah. We’ve never gone out, just the two of us.”
“Well, lucky you. I know damn well you wouldn’t say no if I offered.”
“Finally, my girl gets me.”
I grabbed four eggs and tossed them in the pan. Zion just sat there watching me cook and eat like I was the damn main course. He barely touched his food.
“You’re beautiful, Phoebe.”
“I know. And that’s your move to stop me from backing out.”
“I’m serious.”
“Well, so am I—because I’ve got a question for you, Zion.”