forever.”
Kandice shrugged. “If she wants to play the boys, we
shouldn’t stop her. Just don’t let Jason find out.”
“WE ARE JUST FRIENDS,” I hollered.
All three girls stared at me. “Sheesh, we’re just
kidding,” Sammy said, looking taken aback. “Don’t make a
scene.”
“I’m gonna try this one on,” I muttered, grabbing a
dress at random and hurrying off toward the changing rooms. I
locked myself in one of the stalls and let the dress fall to the
floor, pulling out my phone and tucking myself up on the seat. Now
what I should have done then is text Asher back, complaining about
the girls and telling him I would be over as soon as I got home. If
I had known what would happen later that day, that’s exactly what I
would have done. But instead, I ignored his text, rattled by the
girls’ comments. Instead, I texted Jason.
Ugh, dress shopping with the girls. Want to hang out
later?
A few seconds later, I held his reply in my
hands.
id love 2 you can come by my house whenever
Sighing loudly at his grammar (sure, it’s only a
text, but still), I watched as another text popped up with his
address. Snapping the phone shut, I felt a sense of triumph; I was
one step further in the relationship. I uncurled myself from the
seat and looked down at the dress on the floor. It looked rather
like a deflated ostrich. It wasn’t bad, really: mostly black with
white layers, fluffy, ankle-length. I quickly stripped off my
clothes and slipped it on, holding my arms high above my head as
gravity pulled it down into place. My hair stood out against the
black silk like fire. I thought back to what Jason had said about
my hair and smiled. It was perfect.
Much to the squealing of my friends, I asked Sammy’s
mom to drop me off at Jason’s house on the way home. She tsk- ed a little, but didn’t really seem to care, which was
fine by me. Standing in front of his house with my shopping bag
clutched in front of me, I listened to the girls drive off in the
car, leaving me alone on the sidewalk, miles away from my own
house. He lived in one of those houses that you buy one place and
get shipped to you. You could tell by the seam through the middle
where the two halves had been pushed together.
I walked up the stairs to his porch, trying to ignore
the sagging couch in the corner, probably home to spiders and
scorpions. With a deep breath, I opened the screen door and tapped
lightly on the door, almost hoping he wouldn’t hear and I could
begin the long walk home. Almost immediately, the door flew
open.
“Hey!” Jason pulled me in, looking exuberant. “Is
that your homecoming dress?”
I nodded as he shut the door behind me. “Do you want
to see it?”
He paused for a second, looking up at the ceiling. “I
don’t know. I suppose I should wait until the dance, but yeah, I
really want to see it now. I’m not very patient.”
I laughed, looking around. We were standing in a tiny
kitchen that was mostly taken up by a card table with dirty dishes
piled on top. “I’ll show it to you. Where can I change?”
“You can change in my room,” he said, leading me all
the way down the hallway to the back room. “I’ll be right out
here.”
Softly shutting the door, I sat down on his bed,
spreading out the dress next to me. The bedsprings creaked and sank
beneath me as I kicked off my shoes and quickly stripped down to my
underwear, pulling the dress on again. It was weird – it felt
scratchier and tighter, less magical than in the store. I softly
padded back over to the door and pulled it open, feeling
self-conscious.
“Wow!” Jason’s mouth dropped open as he looked at me.
“You look gorgeous, Paige. You look like a magpie.”
I considered that for a moment. “That sounds better
than looking like an ostrich.”
He laughed. “Seriously? You thought you looked like
an ostrich?”
I laughed, throwing my hands up in the air. “I don’t
know! It was the first thing that came to mind when I saw it.”
Kandice shrugged. “If she wants to play the boys, we
shouldn’t stop her. Just don’t let Jason find out.”
“WE ARE JUST FRIENDS,” I hollered.
All three girls stared at me. “Sheesh, we’re just
kidding,” Sammy said, looking taken aback. “Don’t make a
scene.”
“I’m gonna try this one on,” I muttered, grabbing a
dress at random and hurrying off toward the changing rooms. I
locked myself in one of the stalls and let the dress fall to the
floor, pulling out my phone and tucking myself up on the seat. Now
what I should have done then is text Asher back, complaining about
the girls and telling him I would be over as soon as I got home. If
I had known what would happen later that day, that’s exactly what I
would have done. But instead, I ignored his text, rattled by the
girls’ comments. Instead, I texted Jason.
Ugh, dress shopping with the girls. Want to hang out
later?
A few seconds later, I held his reply in my
hands.
id love 2 you can come by my house whenever
Sighing loudly at his grammar (sure, it’s only a
text, but still), I watched as another text popped up with his
address. Snapping the phone shut, I felt a sense of triumph; I was
one step further in the relationship. I uncurled myself from the
seat and looked down at the dress on the floor. It looked rather
like a deflated ostrich. It wasn’t bad, really: mostly black with
white layers, fluffy, ankle-length. I quickly stripped off my
clothes and slipped it on, holding my arms high above my head as
gravity pulled it down into place. My hair stood out against the
black silk like fire. I thought back to what Jason had said about
my hair and smiled. It was perfect.
Much to the squealing of my friends, I asked Sammy’s
mom to drop me off at Jason’s house on the way home. She tsk- ed a little, but didn’t really seem to care, which was
fine by me. Standing in front of his house with my shopping bag
clutched in front of me, I listened to the girls drive off in the
car, leaving me alone on the sidewalk, miles away from my own
house. He lived in one of those houses that you buy one place and
get shipped to you. You could tell by the seam through the middle
where the two halves had been pushed together.
I walked up the stairs to his porch, trying to ignore
the sagging couch in the corner, probably home to spiders and
scorpions. With a deep breath, I opened the screen door and tapped
lightly on the door, almost hoping he wouldn’t hear and I could
begin the long walk home. Almost immediately, the door flew
open.
“Hey!” Jason pulled me in, looking exuberant. “Is
that your homecoming dress?”
I nodded as he shut the door behind me. “Do you want
to see it?”
He paused for a second, looking up at the ceiling. “I
don’t know. I suppose I should wait until the dance, but yeah, I
really want to see it now. I’m not very patient.”
I laughed, looking around. We were standing in a tiny
kitchen that was mostly taken up by a card table with dirty dishes
piled on top. “I’ll show it to you. Where can I change?”
“You can change in my room,” he said, leading me all
the way down the hallway to the back room. “I’ll be right out
here.”
Softly shutting the door, I sat down on his bed,
spreading out the dress next to me. The bedsprings creaked and sank
beneath me as I kicked off my shoes and quickly stripped down to my
underwear, pulling the dress on again. It was weird – it felt
scratchier and tighter, less magical than in the store. I softly
padded back over to the door and pulled it open, feeling
self-conscious.
“Wow!” Jason’s mouth dropped open as he looked at me.
“You look gorgeous, Paige. You look like a magpie.”
I considered that for a moment. “That sounds better
than looking like an ostrich.”
He laughed. “Seriously? You thought you looked like
an ostrich?”
I laughed, throwing my hands up in the air. “I don’t
know! It was the first thing that came to mind when I saw it.”
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