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“I’ll look forward to seeing everything you’ve bought. Maybe one night we could go shopping together?”
“Maybe, Mom. I’ve got to go. I’m having my hair done.”
“Speak soon, darling, and leave your party to me. I promise it will be divine.”
I ended the call on my cell and turned to Larissa.
“I have an open tab to spend what I like. So, after here, let’s get us both expensive dresses for my party. My treat.”
Larissa had more than enough money of her own, but s
he understood why I want to charge her dress to the account also. “Ooh, yes. Can I have shoes and a new purse too?”
“Of course.” I told her, “and some new jewelry. Now sit beside me and have your hair done. Even if it’s just a conditioning treatment or blow out. We’re treating ourselves.”
The hairdresser ran an almost black, dark-brown color treatment through my hair. It was semi-permanent so that I could see if I liked it before I went the permanent route. Then she cut it to my shoulders, which made the waves of my hair naturally spring up and gave them extra bounce. The color added gloss. As I turned my head from side to side, I imagined the overall look with my new clothes. I was going to blow Parker…I meant, Julian, away.
“Make-up next,” I informed Larissa.
The mall was closing as we left. My feet ached from all the walking, my body ached from trying on so many outfits, and my mind ached from attempting to avoid thinking about Parker. My crush on my teacher was nothing but an embarrassing schoolgirl infatuation, and I needed to move my focus onto Julian. Once he was eating out of my hand, we might manage a decent date. While he was being an asshole, I wasn’t dating him.
What annoyed me was the fact I knew once my birthday party was announced he would be desperate to be my date and by that, gain automatic entry to one of the parties of the year. Well, I wanted him there because he wanted to be with me, not because he wanted to be there at the event. So, Operation Candace was now in full force. Yes, my friends and family would still call me Candy, that was all they’d ever known me as, (apart from my mom who refused to ever shorten my name), but inwardly the woman Candace was unfurling, and for once in my life, I was excited by something beyond books and inspirational prose.
On Monday morning, I got ready and made sure I headed down to breakfast early. I was wearing the flare-sleeved striped top and white trousers. My hair hung to my shoulders, dark and glossy, and the product recommended by the salon meant it had soft curls to it which bounced as I walked. Subtle make-up as shown to me on one of the counters at Maribel’s, made my brown eyes look huge and doe-like and my pout was pink.
My mom clapped her hands, and my father almost dropped his newspaper in his breakfast.
“Candace, you look splendid. Twirl, twirl around.” My mom circled her finger, and I entertained her by doing so.”
“Oh, you look beautiful. Art, doesn’t she look stunning?”
My father looked a little lost for words, and my mom crinkled her face up at him.
“Oh, darling. You’ve noticed your little girl is all grown up.” She grasped his hand. “She’s almost eighteen, Art but she’s still our little girl. You don’t have to worry about her moving on for a while yet.”
My father coughed and took a drink of his tea. “You look very elegant, Candy. Only it’s a shock to your father seeing you look so grown up.”
“Well, as Mom said, I am almost eighteen, and I felt it was time to grow up a little, instead of looking like a studious mouse,” I asked the hovering staff for a bowl of fruit, which always pleased my mother. She could be so vacuous sometimes. However, I had my dress for the party, and I needed it to stay fitted to perfection. “Just a black coffee as well, please. Thank you.”
My father returned to his paper, and I chatted to my mom about the plans she’d made for my eighteenth. I told her that I would meet with her and the planners from now through to the party date and requested she avoided any extra tutor dates of Mondays and Thursdays.
“Tonight, you could come and look through my new purchases,” I told her.
“Yes, darling. Oh, I made some calls. Your closet will be installed by the end of this week.” She informed me. At the moment, my purchases were mainly in a guest room, still in their packaging. I closed my eyes and said a mental goodbye to my library, vowing that when I had my own place, it would be the first thing I arranged. “That’s fantastic,” I told her. “I need to get ready for school.” I rose from the table, kissed her and my father on the cheek and went to grab my new tote and wait for Larissa and Jeff.
“Girl, you look sensational.” Larissa declared. Even Jeff, who was usually so quiet on the journey to school, to allow us to gossip, opened his eyes wide. “Candy, you look hot. Julian is going to come in his pants when he sees you.”
“Jeff!” Larissa scolded. Jeff just shrugged and started the engine.
“Bring it on,” I whispered to Larissa. “Julian can do what he likes today. I’m not going to notice.”
“Oh, I love this.” Larissa giggled. “School just got much more fun.”
I was the hot topic of conversation at school. The girls all wanted to know where my clothes were from, who did my hair and no doubt bitched about me behind my back. The boys stared, and I got some wolf-whistles. I saw Julian’s jaw drop just before I turned on my heel and walked in the opposite direction to where he was.
This time when it came to the seating arrangements at lunch, Julian stood at the side of me.
“Is this seat taken, Candy?”
