Chapter 20// Little Red Dress

“This one is cute,” Rita muses, holding a knee length red dress against her frame and looking down at herself. The dress is a high neck, made of tight chiffon material, with small sections cut out of the sides: where her hips will be exposed. It’s a pretty dress actually, and it’ll be perfect for the town’s summer dance in a few weeks. I still haven’t found my dress yet, and neither has Rita, although I’m assuming that she actually does have a million different dresses she could wear back at home. She holds the red dress away from herself again and examines it critically. “Do you think it will clash with my hair though? Because I’ve pulled off red before…but never a red dress.” She bites her lip and looks at me for advice.

“Does the dress come in other colours?” I bite my lip, “You could ask. I’m sure a green or blue would suit you better.” I’m completely making this up on the spot, but Rita takes my suggestion very seriously- nodding and examining the style of the dress. Then, without hesitation, she ambushes the nearest worker: a straight haired girl with glasses and a curvy figure. Her nametag reads ‘Zoe’. She looks terrified by Rita’s determination, and I don’t blame her.

I sigh, and turn back to the rack of dresses I was examining. The Hamilton Summer Dance is coming up in a few weeks, as we come into the last half of summer. It’s a modest occasion really: a layer of decking is set out on the beach, with some fairy lights and the music acts are provided by the high school- who select some of the more musically gifted students to perform. This year, The Beach Café is catering for the event, so Adam needs all hands on deck which is why I’m going. I get the first shift, which is good for me seeing as all I’ll really be doing is setting out food on the buffet tables in preparation. After that, I have no reason to stay at the dance if I find it boring, which is very likely.

I select a dress from the rails in front of me. I don’t want too much glitz and glamour, like Rita or Heather. I’d prefer just a simple dress which I can preferably use again. If it wasn’t for my growth spurt over last winter, I’d wear the dress I wore last year again. Rita would be horrified, but I don’t really mind what I wear. It’s only for one night, and it happens every year- it’s not like it’s my wedding or anything. Plus, I probably won’t stay for that long anyway.

“It comes in navy blue!” Rita cheers, heading over to me. “Now we just need to find you something to wear, and we can head to the changing rooms.”

I fold the material in my arms, not really paying attention to the dress I’m holding, and roll my eyes playfully. “Why don’t you just go to the changing rooms by yourself?”

“Because,” She replies defiantly, “Now let’s find you a dress. What’s this?” She pulls the grey dress out of my hands and holds it up between us, so that for once I pay attention to it. It’s a modest thing: a sleek grey dress with spaghetti straps and minimal detailing across the front. I can tell even before Rita has pulled a face that she won’t like it. I think it’s alright, personally, but it doesn’t particularly stand out from any other dress. She grits her teeth at the dress that I absentmindedly picked out, and slides it back into the railing. “No that colour is all wrong on you,” She instructs, “You need to go for a green, or possibly a red. With dark hair like that…you need to go for bright colours.” She grabs me by the shoulders and steers me towards a rack filled with red dresses.

“You have quite a willowy, slender figure,” Muses Rita, “Which means you need to go for a dress that hugs you in at the waist- accenting your curves. We’ll see if we can find you a little padding for your chest area too,” She bites her lip, staring confidently as she assesses my bust. I instantly blush, folding my arms across my top and considering my urges to throw her in front of a bus. Who’s flat now? I snort with laughter at the thought, but Rita is now searching the racks for something she deems suitable for me to wear. I doubt this is going to go anywhere- Rita and I don’t exactly have the same taste. To my surprise however, Rita doesn’t gravitate towards the bright, gaudy reds like I thought she would; instead favoring a darker tone.

“This one would accent your frame,” She says, pulling out a simple shift dress with some detailing on the front. She frowns, “Not suitable for a dance though…How about this?” She slides the original dress back onto the rack and pulls out a dark rose red dress. It is simple- no sequins or glitter, but elegant and beautiful. The dress itself looks around mid-thigh length, with a thick halter neck and a tight torso which has been bunched up artistically into a sweetheart neckline. The rest of the material flows down elegantly. It’s pretty, I’ll give her that, but I can’t see myself pulling that kind of a dress off. I glance at her hesitantly, seeing the excitement growing in her face. “This is perfect,” She declares, “You should try it on. Do you like it?”

“Well yeah, but-“

“No buts,” She grins excitedly, “Let’s go to the changing room.” She shoves the dress into my arm and tugs me towards the changing rooms at the back of the store. I slide into a stall and lock the door behind me, grateful for the peace and quiet I get for a second, before I begin to eye up the dress. It couldn’t hurt to try it on, right? Slowly, I shimmy off my clothes and pull myself into the dress. It hugs my waist tightly, and as Rita promised, there’s a little bit of padding in the bust area. I stare at myself in the mirror, evaluating the dress, and I feel a flush of happiness at the sight.

I’m not going to say that I look like a changed woman, because I don’t. Nothing drastic has happened to turn me into some kind of princess with the upwards do of a zip, but I do feel pretty. Despite the fact that my hair is frizzy like it has been all day, and I’m wearing minimal makeup and my bare legs are bruised…this dress makes me feel like I look good. Rita was right: the padding and the tightening of the dress does make it look like I have a much curvier figure: something I’ve always secretly desired. It’s simple, like I asked for, so what could possibly hold me back? I examine myself in the mirror, turning this way and that, and that’s when I see it.

The price tag.

<><><><><> 

“Lois you have to buy that dress,” Rita whines, “It’s perfect. Look at it!”

“I love it,” I reply softly, “Really I do, but I can’t afford to pay $200 dollars for a stupid dance that I’m probably not even going to spend an hour attending.” I take one last longing look at the dress, holding the soft material in my hand, before sliding it back into its place on the rack. Rita may be able to afford those sorts of prices, but she’s so rich. If I spent that much on a dress, I wouldn’t be eating for a month. I guess I’ll just have to find another one in a different shop, although it breaks my heart to think that somebody else could turn up wearing it. I’ve grown pretty attached to that dress in the last ten minutes.

“How much does it cost?” Rita asks, grabbing the price tag. $180 dollars. Hers costs more, and I expect her to sneer at the fact that I won’t pay that much for a dress, but instead she looks purely determined. “How much are you willing to pay for it?”

“I have $100, but that was meant to be for the whole outfit…” I sigh. Really, what did I expect by coming into one of the most expensive boutiques in the mall? I’m a bit of an idiot for not seeing this coming. “It’s okay Rita, honestly, we can just go to another store.”

“No, we’re going to negotiate,” Rita says determinedly, “I am going to get you that dress for $100 and I will give you some shoes to wear. Now pass me the dress.” A little awed by her determination, I hand her the dress. Might as well give her little plan a shot, I won’t get my hopes up though. Rita takes the dress and examines around the boutique until her eyes land on the perfect victim: a lanky teenage boy, who looks about a year younger than us, who’s looking at underwear catalogs under the desk. Or something of that nature, judging by his bright red face.

I watch as Rita stalks over to him, her heels clicking intimidatingly against the tiles, her red curls bouncing on her shoulders. She leans against the desk, pulls her top down slightly to expose her chest and pouts her lips. “Hi there,” She purrs. The boy looks up and almost has a heart attack at the sight before him. Hurriedly he shoves the magazine under the desk, gulps and attempts a smile back at her. I cringe at the sight before me- classic Rita manipulation, although I have to admit that I’m quite inspired by her confidence. Maybe if I looked like her, I’d use my assets to my advantage as well. She smiles at the boy, and I think he melts in his chair.

“My friend and I are having a little issue you see, with the price of this dress,” She complains, “She has absolutely fallen in love with it, but she hasn’t got the money to afford it. Her cat died the other day, poor dear,” She glances back at me, and I try to look mournful. “She’s a big cat lover. Anyway, as a loyal customer to this boutique, I think it’s only fair if I try to negotiate some kind of a deal on the dress. Don’t you agree?” She bats her eyelashes, and the boy nods dazedly.

“Um, what kind of price do you want it for?” He stutters.

“She has 100 pure, fine American dollars,” Rita says sweetly, “Do you think you could negotiate to that kind of a price? Especially seeing as I’m buying an expensive dress as well, for full price.”

“I can do that,” The boy nods, seeming less nervous now. “$100 on the dot…if you, um, give me your number.” He looks up at Rita, and she smiles as if flattered by the notion. I roll my eyes- she’s teasing him so badly; I feel so sorry for the kid.

“You have yourself a deal, hot stuff.” She winks.

<><><><><> 

“Did you really give him your number?” I ask Rita, astonished. “Please tell me you didn’t.” I tuck the bag containing my beautiful new dress into the nook of my elbow, grinning at the happy feeling in my gut. I should come shopping with Rita more often if she can negotiate like that. Wearing this dress, I might actually feel more willing to stay at the dance for more than ten minutes. For the first time since I was about seven years old, I’m excited for the dance.

“Of course I didn’t,” Rita snorts, “I gave him the number to the local pizza place.”

“Obviously,” I shake my head, laughing.

“You know Lois,” Rita smiles, suddenly a bit more serious. “I think you’re becoming one of my closest friends. Is that weird? We’ve only known each other a few weeks after all.” She glances to the side at me, a small smile on her face, and my stomach stirs happily at the idea of her acceptance. Four weeks ago, I’d have never anticipated to befriend the Queen Bee of the school, and I’d have never expected for her to turn out this nice either. I always assumed from the clichés, that popular girls are evil. I’m glad I’ve been proved wrong though, for once in my life.

“I don’t think it’s weird,” I shake my head, “Just remind me to thank Jesse for introducing us.”

“Oh yeah about that,” Rita nods, making her way over to the Starbucks where we had our drinks last time I went shopping. “Did Jesse tell you that he came over to mine yesterday afternoon?” She eyes me carefully, and I feel a small lump beginning to form in my throat despite my happiness. No doubt I’m about to hear an enthralling tale of all the things Jesse said…or did to her last night.

No, no, no. There’s no way Jesse and Rita would’ve done that. He’s a virgin remember?

I gulp. “Oh yeah,” I try to mumble nonchalantly, “He did mention something about that.” I assess her features curiously- for any sign of recognition. Does she know that I like Jesse? Because the way she keeps scanning me makes me think she does, but why wouldn’t she mention something?

“It was so amazing,” Rita gushes, “He completely took control. He came to my door and he was so confident and strong…it was like a new, sexy Jesse. You should’ve seen it, Lois.” I find myself biting down hard on my lip, and I snap out of my chance, releasing the skin and tasting the bitter metal taste of blood on my tongue. Don’t let Rita see. I lick my lips, smile at her and gush with her, but I can’t help but notice the way that she’s looking me up and down. Does she think I’m competition? Is that what this is about? But I was so convinced it’s her and Everett who are secretly dating…

“Don’t you think Jesse has changed so much though, recently?” Rita leans back in her chair, and sighs dreamily, “He’s become so confident. Don’t you think?” Her eyes snap to mine, and I stiffen a little. What am I supposed to say?

“Definitely,” I wince, “He seems to be a lot more assured than before.”

“Right,” Rita nods, her eyes flashing. “Do you think he’ll ask me to the dance?”

Ouch. I fake a laugh. “With his newfound confidence, I bet you’ll get lucky,” I assure her, “That is…if you want to go out with Jesse?” Two can play at this game, Rita. I feel like we’re both evaluating each other- to see if we like Jesse or not. Is she with Everett or not though? Unless…she’s with Everett but actually likes Jesse? I fight the urge to groan aloud, wishing I could just confront her directly about who she likes and what exactly is going on with her and Everett, but I can’t. I want to find this out for myself, because for whatever reason: my brother doesn’t want me knowing. What would Sherlock do? He definitely wouldn’t ask her directly, that’s for damn sure.

“I don’t know,” Rita smiles vaguely, “What’s your type? Maybe I can hook you up with someone,” She wriggles her eyebrows suggestively, and I cringe in reply.

“I’m not really looking for a boy in my life at the moment,” I lie smoothly, “I’m too busy.”

“Yeah but what’s your type?” She slides herself into a chair in Starbucks, and I sit down opposite her. My hands, I’ve noticed, are beginning to get clammy. I still have that horrible sickening feeling in my stomach. Will Jesse ask her to the dance? Probably. Suddenly the bagged dress in my hands seems a little less special. I bought this dress because it made me feel good, but I have to admit, the fact that Jesse won’t be as interested in it as I hope he’d be is kind of a downfall. I want him to see me looking nice, and that dress makes me confident. Of course, he’ll ask Rita though. Stupid Lois.

“Um, my type,” I hum vaguely, “I like…a sense of humour. Someone I feel comfortable with.”

“Comfortable with?” Rita echoes, frowning.  “So someone you’re already friends with?”

“Maybe?” I question doubtfully. “Why are you asking?”

“No reason,” Rita smirks, looking away. “What do you want to order?”

I sigh. A tall double whipped and ripped mocha boyfriend would be nice. Extra hot.

“Just a coffee please.”
 I guess that some things that I want in life are just a bit too far out of my league.

<><><><><> 

“What the hell, Everett?”

My mouth drops as I stare at the sheepish boys in front of me. I have shopping bags and a lamp in my hand, my sunglasses are on top of my head and my jaw is on the ground. Everett has invited friends over. And by friends, I mean his whole posse of boys. There are a whole six attractive boys in the same house as me. I had just entered the door from my day out with Rita when I heard it: a crash coming from the kitchen. I didn’t realize Everett was home, of course, so I grabbed a lamp and approached the kitchen. What did I find, you ask?

I found six, very attractive boys staring sheepishly back at me, with my mom’s best vase smashed on the floor.

“Mom is going to kill you,” Is the first thing I say to Everett, after I’ve recovered from my shock. I lower the lamp down from its defensive position, and one of the boys clears his throat anxiously. I think his name is Michael, and he’s eyeing the lamp as though I’m actually about to use it on him. I glance between the boys- assessing the situation in front of me, and feeling a blush rise in my cheeks. Jesse and Ben are here, alongside Warren (Cringe: the guy that I did the body shot from at the party), and brothers Michael and Nick Gomez. All popular. All attractive. Everett is stood in front, hovering over the vase and wincing as he hears the truth in my tone.

“Lois, what are you doing with that lamp?” Jesse raises an eyebrow.

“I thought we could do with a bit of added atmospheric lighting,” I drawl sarcastically, and a couple of the boys chuckle. Jesse continues to look at me expectantly, waiting for an actual reply, and I sigh. No doubt they’re going to find this hilarious. “I grabbed it in defense,” I mutter, “I heard a crash, and I thought we were getting robbed or something.”

“So you were going to take on the robber with a table lamp?” Jesse snorts.

“No I’m saving the lamp for you, sweetie pie,” I wave it tauntingly, and Jesse grins.

“Dude, stop flirting with my sister in front of me,” Everett glares at Jesse. The other boys shuffle uncomfortably, but I can see the smirks on their faces as they try to restrain their laughter. Suddenly I feel very alone: the only girl against these guys, and I can sense the heat flooding my face at the humiliation of my annoying twin brother picking up on mine and Jesse’s banter. I think I’ll invite Heather around. Then at least I won’t be quite as outnumbered.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about man,” Jesse replies with a grin.

“Where’s mom?” I ask Everett, changing the subject. I kick some of the vase shards with the tip of my shoe, cautiously. The fragments are quite big: if my brother tried, he could probably stick them back together in the right places. Mom is going to crucify him when she finds out though. She got that vase from somewhere in Europe, I think, on her and Dad’s honeymoon. She’s a sucker for quirky little things like that. Everett shrugs in reply to my question, and I frown. “Clear this up before she gets home. I’m going to go and get changed. I’m calling Heather round if that’s okay.” A thought strikes me, and I feel a little devious, “Unless, you want me to call Rita around?”

Everett coughs a little. “Heather is fine,” He nods, turning away. I knew it, I grin and share a look with Jesse, He so likes Rita. I can’t believe that neither of them would tell me about it though. I spent the whole day with Rita, for Christ sakes. The smile seems to fall from my face and I turn around and head back into the hall- placing the lamp back in its spot on the hallway table, and running upstairs to put my dress for the dance away and call Heather over. I believe this counts as an emergency, right? I mean, who knows what six boys could do to the house? I need to defend my territory.

God knows where Tammy is. She spends more time out of the house than in it anyway, so she’s probably at her friend’s house.

“Greetings Earthling,” Heather’s voice comes through the phone, interrupting my thoughts.

“Heather this is urgent. There are six hot guys in my house. Backup requested immediately.”

“That sounds great,” I can hear the smile in Heather’s voice. “Aye, aye captain. I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

<><><><><> 

After Heather’s arrival, everything seems to get a lot more comfortable in the Reynolds household. She’s that kind of people-person that gets along with everybody, and soon any awkwardness has diffused between us all. She gets along with all the boys, and when she’s confident, I’m confident too so it all works out pretty well. Everett has cleaned up the vase- keeping the fragments in a tub underneath his bed so that he can fix it later. The pizza has been ordered, Fast and Furious is playing on the TV and we’re all playing a good old game of Interrogation or Abuse. As it’s commonly known- Truth or Dare. I’m actually having a lot of fun, believe it or not.

“Truth or Dare, Warren?” Heather asks, watching the bottle slow its spinning and point towards him. Warren grins, running a hand through his dark curls.

“Dare,” He challenges bravely.

“I dare you to ring up Billie and ask her out,” Everett laughs, leaning back into the couch. Jesse is slouched beside him, and Heather and I sit in front of them both on the floor. To be honest, I’m considering moving though, because Jesse keeps propping his legs up on my shoulders and it’s insanely irritating. I glance over at Warren, biting my lip to restrain my smile. I found out today that apparently he and Billie have some kind of rivalry going, since he tried to hit on her last year when he first moved here. She did not take it lightly, and now they’re in a love/hate relationship. He loves her. She hates him. Poor Warren: he’s got his hands full with Billie, that’s for sure.

“No,” Warren says, shaking his head. “I’ve asked her out too many times now. That’s not even funny, I just lose my dignity even more with that dare.” Alas, it’s true. Warren has gone after Billie so many times, and she never complies. I do think she likes him though. She seems to have a bit of a soft spot for him in the fact that she rants about him all the time. It’s only a matter of time until she accepts her feelings and agrees to go on a date with him. How it’ll end? I can’t be sure.

“Face the dare like a man, Warren,” Michael grins, “What would you do if she says yes this time?”

Warren set his mouth into a grim line, but I can see the spark of hope in his expression. “Pass me a phone,” He grumbles. Ben offers him his phone, and I get an idea.

Before Warren has a chance to start ringing, I grab my own phone and send a swift text to Billie, consisting of two words only.

Say yes.

A second later, and Billie has seen the message, but by that point the dial tone is already ringing on Ben’s phone. Warren is calling her, and he’s put her on speaker phone.

“Hello?” I hear Billie’s voice through the end of the line. Everybody is silent as they listen. “What do you want, Warren?”

“I want-“Warren clears his throat, shooting Everett a death glare, “I want to know if you’re free tomorrow.”

Billie pauses on the end of the line, and I feel a spark of hope. “What for?” She demands.

“A date.”

“Do you have a date planned?” Billie drawls in reply. Ben sniggers as Warren face palms. Of course he doesn’t have a date planned. This is a dare, and he’s screwed.

“No, but-“

“But what?” She interrupts, mischievously.

“But there’s a band playing a gig in the White Horse at the weekend. It’s a rock band. I thought you’d maybe enjoy that,” Warren tries weakly. Sensing the silence from the other end of the line, he straightens. “They aren’t very well known, but their reviews are good…” I can hear the hopefulness in his voice, and I can’t help but feel heartbroken for the boy. He’ tried so many times to go after Billie. It would be so nice for her to say yes for once, and give him a shot.

“I-“Billie growls, frustrated. “Will you stop pestering me to go out with you if I come on this date?”

Warren’s features light up. “Yeah, if you go…” He leans forward in anticipation.

“Okay, I’ll go,” Billie relents. Warren’s face breaks out into a wide grin.

Everett is speechless, staring at Warren in shock.

I am practically dancing in happiness. Jesse rests his legs on my shoulders again to stop me from moving, and I don’t shrug them off this time. What’s the point? He’s only going to put them back up there, that irritatingly attractive human specimen.

“Okay?” Warren echoes, disbelievingly.

“That’s what I said,” Billie sighs, “Text me the details. And tell Lois that I’m going to kick her ass next time I see her.”

All eyes draw to me, and I smile angelically.

“I don’t know what she’s talking about.”

I hope you all liked the chapter! The image to the dress is attached, alongside a trailer for IAKMCM!