you asking."
Mary shrugged. "So you were mostly asleep. A promise is still a promise." She held up the bag and gave it a little jiggle. "Just look."
Gaia took the bag and peeked inside. "What is it, a top?"
Mary sighed in exasperation. "It's a dress, of course." She grabbed the bag back from Gaia, reached inside, and pulled out the garment.
Gaia's eyes went wide. "You're sure that's a dress?"
"Absolutely," Mary said with a nod. She shook out the dress and held it up against herself. "It's a little black dress. A genuine LBD. A staple of any decent wardrobe."
"Your wardrobe, maybe." Gaia shook her head. "I don't think that's my size."
"It's exactly your size," said Mary. She held the dress toward Gaia. "It'll look great on you."
Gaia took the dress from Mary and stared at it.
It made her feel a little queasy to think about wearing the thing
. Not that she didn't want to. Gaia could imagine what Mary or another girl might look like wearing the dress. A normal girl.
"You wear that tonight," said Mary, "and every guy in the place will be looking at you."
Yeah, it'd be a regular freak show. "This thing doesn't even have any straps." Gaia turned the dress over in her hands. "What's supposed to hold it up?"
Mary laughed. "You are."
The thought of that was enough to make Gaia want to drop the dress. "Thanks, but no." She started to hand the dress back, but Mary pushed her hands away.
"You're not getting out of it that easy," Mary said. "You're going to wear that dress, and you're . . . you . . . " Mary's voice trailed off, and she stared off into the distance.
"Mary?" Gaia turned and tried to see what had upset Mary, but Gaia couldn't see anything but a handful of people walking along a path. "What's wrong?"
Mary continued to stare for a moment, then shook
her head. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong." She raised one hand and pushed her red hair back from her face. "I'm seeing ghosts. That's all."
Gaia frowned. "You're not still looking for Skizz, are you?"
"No, I--" Mary stopped and shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know."
Gaia wasn't sure what to say. She knew that Mary had been afraid of the drug dealer. And Mary had been right to be scared. Skizz really had tried to hurt her to get back the money Mary owed for drugs. But there was no reason to be scared of the dealer now. Gaia wasn't proud of the beating she had given him, but there was no way he would be a problem to anyone.
"Skizz is in the hospital," said Gaia. "You know that."
"Yeah, I guess so." Mary still looked doubtful. "It's just that this morning . . ."
"What?"
Mary shook her head. "Nothing." The grin returned to her face. "Let's get back to an important topic, like how you are so going to wear that dress tonight."
Gaia thought about it for a second. She could wear the dress. She would look
about as attractive as a football player in a tutu
, but she could wear it. "I think I'll find something else."
"You won't even try?" asked Mary.
"Not this time."
Mary's bright green eyes locked onto Gaia's. "Coward."
Gaia took a step back. "What?"
"You heard me," said Mary. She jerked the dress from Gaia's hands and shoved it back into the sack. "I buy you a great dress, and you don't even have the guts to wear it."
Anger started to tighten down on Gaia. "If it's so great, why don't you wear it?"
"Maybe I will." Mary narrowed her eyes. "At least I'm not too scared."
"I am not scared," Gaia said in a near shout. "Believe me, I'm not afraid."
"Yeah?" Mary held out the bag. "Then prove it."
ED WAS ON HIS WAY OUT THE DOOR
when the phone rang for
the two hundred and thirty-seventh time
that afternoon. He groaned. Every time his parents were gone, it seemed like he spent all his time answering junk phone calls.
Checking with Undertakers
He rolled across the kitchen, grabbed the phone, and started talking. "Look, this is an apartment. We
don't need insulated windows. We don't need siding. I don't need insurance because I don't own a car, and I don't donate to anybody
Mary shrugged. "So you were mostly asleep. A promise is still a promise." She held up the bag and gave it a little jiggle. "Just look."
Gaia took the bag and peeked inside. "What is it, a top?"
Mary sighed in exasperation. "It's a dress, of course." She grabbed the bag back from Gaia, reached inside, and pulled out the garment.
Gaia's eyes went wide. "You're sure that's a dress?"
"Absolutely," Mary said with a nod. She shook out the dress and held it up against herself. "It's a little black dress. A genuine LBD. A staple of any decent wardrobe."
"Your wardrobe, maybe." Gaia shook her head. "I don't think that's my size."
"It's exactly your size," said Mary. She held the dress toward Gaia. "It'll look great on you."
Gaia took the dress from Mary and stared at it.
It made her feel a little queasy to think about wearing the thing
. Not that she didn't want to. Gaia could imagine what Mary or another girl might look like wearing the dress. A normal girl.
"You wear that tonight," said Mary, "and every guy in the place will be looking at you."
Yeah, it'd be a regular freak show. "This thing doesn't even have any straps." Gaia turned the dress over in her hands. "What's supposed to hold it up?"
Mary laughed. "You are."
The thought of that was enough to make Gaia want to drop the dress. "Thanks, but no." She started to hand the dress back, but Mary pushed her hands away.
"You're not getting out of it that easy," Mary said. "You're going to wear that dress, and you're . . . you . . . " Mary's voice trailed off, and she stared off into the distance.
"Mary?" Gaia turned and tried to see what had upset Mary, but Gaia couldn't see anything but a handful of people walking along a path. "What's wrong?"
Mary continued to stare for a moment, then shook
her head. "Nothing. Nothing's wrong." She raised one hand and pushed her red hair back from her face. "I'm seeing ghosts. That's all."
Gaia frowned. "You're not still looking for Skizz, are you?"
"No, I--" Mary stopped and shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know."
Gaia wasn't sure what to say. She knew that Mary had been afraid of the drug dealer. And Mary had been right to be scared. Skizz really had tried to hurt her to get back the money Mary owed for drugs. But there was no reason to be scared of the dealer now. Gaia wasn't proud of the beating she had given him, but there was no way he would be a problem to anyone.
"Skizz is in the hospital," said Gaia. "You know that."
"Yeah, I guess so." Mary still looked doubtful. "It's just that this morning . . ."
"What?"
Mary shook her head. "Nothing." The grin returned to her face. "Let's get back to an important topic, like how you are so going to wear that dress tonight."
Gaia thought about it for a second. She could wear the dress. She would look
about as attractive as a football player in a tutu
, but she could wear it. "I think I'll find something else."
"You won't even try?" asked Mary.
"Not this time."
Mary's bright green eyes locked onto Gaia's. "Coward."
Gaia took a step back. "What?"
"You heard me," said Mary. She jerked the dress from Gaia's hands and shoved it back into the sack. "I buy you a great dress, and you don't even have the guts to wear it."
Anger started to tighten down on Gaia. "If it's so great, why don't you wear it?"
"Maybe I will." Mary narrowed her eyes. "At least I'm not too scared."
"I am not scared," Gaia said in a near shout. "Believe me, I'm not afraid."
"Yeah?" Mary held out the bag. "Then prove it."
ED WAS ON HIS WAY OUT THE DOOR
when the phone rang for
the two hundred and thirty-seventh time
that afternoon. He groaned. Every time his parents were gone, it seemed like he spent all his time answering junk phone calls.
Checking with Undertakers
He rolled across the kitchen, grabbed the phone, and started talking. "Look, this is an apartment. We
don't need insulated windows. We don't need siding. I don't need insurance because I don't own a car, and I don't donate to anybody
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