about law school, are you?"
I shrugged, glancing at the teakettle shaped clock on the wall next to me. "Let's finish our tea. The stores will be open in ten minutes."
We finished our tea and went to a clothing store down the street. For a moment the array of clothes sucked my breath right out of my throat. So many choices. The racks were crammed with the colors of spring, splashed with an occasional dash of hot pink or lime green.
"Let's look at prom dresses first," Erwina said.
"Good idea." I needed time to get accustomed to such a wide range of clothes. The selection in Waterside was severely limited, and I didn't get to the city nearly often enough.
Erwina searched through the size-five rack, while I browsed through sizes ten and twelve. I had worn a fourteen for ages, but now I didn't know what to try.
Erwina pulled out a pale green dress with a dark green ribbon at the waist. She held it up to herself. "How's this?"
"Cute."
"How about this?" Erwina held up a delicate pink off the shoulder gown.
"Really pretty!"
"What a sweet little dress." Nicole Sandhurst emerged from the dressing room wearing a low cut slinky red dress with a slit to her thigh on one side. "It would look adorable on you, Erwina. Are you going to get it?"
"Just browsing," Erwina said.
"Oh, Mattie," Nicole said as if she'd just discovered me standing there. "Are you getting a dress today?"
"Just looking." Waves of acid splashed in my stomach.
"I've tried on several dresses already," said Nicole. "But I think this one is stunning." She raised one eyebrow. "Don't you?"
"Stunning is the word for it," Erwina said.
I nodded in agreement. Nicole had a gorgeous figure and the red dress showed off every inch of it.
"Kevin will love this dress. I hate to take it off. But I guess I'd better pay for it," Nicole said. "Oh, thanks for the invitation, Erwina. Kevin and I can make it." She swirled into the dressing room.
"So. Kevin has asked Nicole to the prom." I spit out the words.
"Why do you say that?"
"She's buying that dress!"
"So? That doesn't mean Kevin asked her to the prom. She probably stockpiles dresses, just in case. It could be for anything."
"But she said Kevin would love it."
"Any guy would," Erwina said. "That doesn't mean he's ever going to see her in it. Come on. Let's look at blouses."
"Yeah. Let's," I said. "I know just what I want."
While Erwina oohed and aahed over nearly every blouse she saw, I carefully scrutinized the racks for exactly what I wanted. Finally I pulled out a silky hot pink blouse with a V-neck. I marched around the corner and found a pair of black jeans.
"There you are," Erwina said, her arms full of blouses. "Are you ready to try things on?"
"Just a minute," I said. "First I have to find a good bra. Nicole Sandhurst doesn't have the patent on cleavage!"
"Uh, all right." Erwina shifted her pile of blouses. "I'll meet you in the dressing room."
I picked out three bras and tried them on. One didn't fit. Another provided only a little uplift. The third gave me cleavage like a mountain range.
I tried on the hot-pink blouse. I tucked it into the black jeans, which fit just right, and admired how slim I looked in them. I left the top button of the blouse undone. There wasn't much to see. I undid the second button. Better, but not quite. I unbuttoned the third button. That did it! I looked more voluptuous than the time I was four and played dress-up by stuffing two grapefruits down the front of my dress. I stepped out of my cubicle and called softly, "Erwina."
She poked her head out from behind a curtain. "What?"
"So … what do you think?"
"Wow! Those jeans look great on you. And that blouse is a great color for you. Uh, but you forgot to button a button."
"No, I didn't. You said to show off my new figure. So that's what I'm doing."
"I said to show it off. Not show it all."
"It's not any more revealing than that dress Nicole had on."
"Nicole can carry it off," Erwina warned.
"And I can't?"
"I mean
I shrugged, glancing at the teakettle shaped clock on the wall next to me. "Let's finish our tea. The stores will be open in ten minutes."
We finished our tea and went to a clothing store down the street. For a moment the array of clothes sucked my breath right out of my throat. So many choices. The racks were crammed with the colors of spring, splashed with an occasional dash of hot pink or lime green.
"Let's look at prom dresses first," Erwina said.
"Good idea." I needed time to get accustomed to such a wide range of clothes. The selection in Waterside was severely limited, and I didn't get to the city nearly often enough.
Erwina searched through the size-five rack, while I browsed through sizes ten and twelve. I had worn a fourteen for ages, but now I didn't know what to try.
Erwina pulled out a pale green dress with a dark green ribbon at the waist. She held it up to herself. "How's this?"
"Cute."
"How about this?" Erwina held up a delicate pink off the shoulder gown.
"Really pretty!"
"What a sweet little dress." Nicole Sandhurst emerged from the dressing room wearing a low cut slinky red dress with a slit to her thigh on one side. "It would look adorable on you, Erwina. Are you going to get it?"
"Just browsing," Erwina said.
"Oh, Mattie," Nicole said as if she'd just discovered me standing there. "Are you getting a dress today?"
"Just looking." Waves of acid splashed in my stomach.
"I've tried on several dresses already," said Nicole. "But I think this one is stunning." She raised one eyebrow. "Don't you?"
"Stunning is the word for it," Erwina said.
I nodded in agreement. Nicole had a gorgeous figure and the red dress showed off every inch of it.
"Kevin will love this dress. I hate to take it off. But I guess I'd better pay for it," Nicole said. "Oh, thanks for the invitation, Erwina. Kevin and I can make it." She swirled into the dressing room.
"So. Kevin has asked Nicole to the prom." I spit out the words.
"Why do you say that?"
"She's buying that dress!"
"So? That doesn't mean Kevin asked her to the prom. She probably stockpiles dresses, just in case. It could be for anything."
"But she said Kevin would love it."
"Any guy would," Erwina said. "That doesn't mean he's ever going to see her in it. Come on. Let's look at blouses."
"Yeah. Let's," I said. "I know just what I want."
While Erwina oohed and aahed over nearly every blouse she saw, I carefully scrutinized the racks for exactly what I wanted. Finally I pulled out a silky hot pink blouse with a V-neck. I marched around the corner and found a pair of black jeans.
"There you are," Erwina said, her arms full of blouses. "Are you ready to try things on?"
"Just a minute," I said. "First I have to find a good bra. Nicole Sandhurst doesn't have the patent on cleavage!"
"Uh, all right." Erwina shifted her pile of blouses. "I'll meet you in the dressing room."
I picked out three bras and tried them on. One didn't fit. Another provided only a little uplift. The third gave me cleavage like a mountain range.
I tried on the hot-pink blouse. I tucked it into the black jeans, which fit just right, and admired how slim I looked in them. I left the top button of the blouse undone. There wasn't much to see. I undid the second button. Better, but not quite. I unbuttoned the third button. That did it! I looked more voluptuous than the time I was four and played dress-up by stuffing two grapefruits down the front of my dress. I stepped out of my cubicle and called softly, "Erwina."
She poked her head out from behind a curtain. "What?"
"So … what do you think?"
"Wow! Those jeans look great on you. And that blouse is a great color for you. Uh, but you forgot to button a button."
"No, I didn't. You said to show off my new figure. So that's what I'm doing."
"I said to show it off. Not show it all."
"It's not any more revealing than that dress Nicole had on."
"Nicole can carry it off," Erwina warned.
"And I can't?"
"I mean
Similar Books
