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"What’s wrong with what I own?"
"He's seen it all before, that's what," she said, smirking.
"No. Not a good enough reason to do it."
"We could make it a whole day. Shop, get our nails done, it'll be fun."
"I'm not spending money on a new dress."
"You've barely quit working since school let out, and then you'll be right back in class on Monday again."
She had a point. I sort of hated that she did, but class was starting next week and it had been a little while since I had spent money on a manicure. I was happy to do my nails at home since I could save money that way, but it was nice to let people take care of you sometimes. Getting them done today, just before the date with Roman, didn't mean that I was doing it for him. No. I was doing it for me, like Tiff said. There was no shame in doing something nice for yourself when you deserved it.
"I'll come with you, but I still won't spend money on a dress," I insisted.
"That's all I want," she said, popping up to her feet. "Grab a shower, and we'll leave." I resented that she thought I wasn't clean just because I was wearing pajamas, but let her have it. I changed and coaxed my hair into a simple up-do, not really wanting to brush it out into a lion's mane. We took separate cars, starting at the nail salon.
We ended up at the mall next. I didn't want to really buy anything, so I just followed Tiff's lead, following her into a boutique where she claimed she had seen something that she wanted to get. She was tall, long limbed, and willowy, so she could have just skipped the school thing entirely and taken up modeling. Shopping with her was fun, but clothes just didn't sit the same on me. I was slightly above average height, but still three inches shorter than her. I wore a size six, but I wasn't walking down anyone's runway anytime soon.
I kept her
company as she looked through the racks, looking a little, too – at least that much was free. She pulled a coral-colored dress off a rack and held it against herself to see how long it would be.
"What do you think?" she asked me.
"A little short," I offered. On a shorter girl it wouldn't have been, but on her, it would border on salacious. She had the legs for it, though. She sighed and put it back on the rack. I remembered her saying she had wanted something specific, but it seemed to me that we were just browsing at this point. I wasn't complaining, just a little suspicious. She had taught me already that she couldn't be trusted when it came to her brother.
"What about this?" she asked, holding out a red one. It had a keyhole cut out in the chest and one similar in the back. It looked about knee length and the skirt had some movement to it.
"Same problem as the last."
"What about on you?" she said, holding it up against me.
"I told you I wasn't getting anything."
"Just try it on," she said. "That's free."
I didn't want to be grouchy, so I relented. I’d try it on if that meant she would leave me alone about getting a new dress. She waited outside the changing room stall for me as I slipped into it. It was my size, which didn't matter since I wasn't getting it anyway, but I looked at myself in the mirror wearing it. The skirt skimmed over my hips and hit me two or three inches above the knee. I could see my bra from the rear and front cutout details but I could always go without. I did a slow spin, checking myself out.
I looked kind of hot.
"Can I see?" Tiff asked, poking her head into the stall. Her jaw dropped. "You have to get it."
"How much does it cost?" I asked warily. My resolve to not get anything at all had shaken a little bit. She checked the price attached to the label for me.
"It's an investment," she said instead of giving me a number. I pulled it off, checking myself. Sixty eight dollars. It could have been worse. but that wasn't good.
"Seventy dollars for a dress?" I said to her like she was the one who had priced it.
"It's for a special occasion."
"Not that special."
"You have to get it. Just take it home and see how you feel tomorrow. Keep the tags on and if you regret getting it, return it," she said simply. I got dressed, putting the dress back on the hanger. I didn't want to tell her that I liked her idea. The dress was calling to me, and her plan would work great if I stayed within the return window. She waited for me to come out of the dressing room.
"So?" she said expectantly.
"I'll get it," I said grudgingly, like it was really hurting me that much to buy myself a beautiful dress. From the feel of the fabric and its construction, it seemed worth the almost $70 price tag, but we'd see whether I ended up here tomorrow giving it back. Tiff did a joyful little jump and cheer like I was getting it for her. It was nice that it made her happy; she just wanted me to have fun. I didn't know what that meant and a lot of the time didn't care to unwind. I knew she was looking out for me in her own way.
