AllFreeNovel
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“You okay?” Riley startles me as she comes up behind me, looking over my shoulder.
“Ugh. Yeah. I’m fine.” I push my snowboard bag farther under my bed and slap my hands to my mattress. “Do you know what you’re wearing?”
Riley holds up a finger. “I might need your help.” Her expression twists. “If you’re up for it. I know your style isn’t…”
I laugh it off before she makes the situation any weirder. “It’s fine. I might not dress up, but I do have an eye for fashion and hair. Show me what you got.”
Riley opens the doors to her armoire closet she must have brought from home and pulls down two dresses. One, a very short, bubblegum pink dress with a floral overlay. The second, a navy blue satin dress with braided spaghetti straps. I don’t even have to give it a second thought before I blurt out, “The blue one.”
“I knew you’d say that, which is why I have a third option.” She lays the dresses on her bed and walks over to her dresser. Pulling out a drawer, she retrieves a jean miniskirt. “Or this with a cutesy tank top.”
My finger taps to my chin as I assess all the outfits. “Navy dress with the jean jacket you have on and a pair of flats. If this party is as epic as it’s made out to be, you don’t want to be in heels.”
Riley flashes her eyes. “Impressive. You do have a sense of style.”
I rest my arm on my stomach and curl over, bowing gracefully. “Why, thank you.”
Riley goes to the bathroom to wash her face while I get changed. I decide on a pair of baggy jeans, a solid black tank top that rests just above my pierced belly button and my black slip-on Chucks. Bending over and flipping my head, I bunch my long, black hair together, then flip my head forward to tie a ponytail holder around my messy bun.
When Riley returns, she takes one look at me and palms her face. “That’s the perfect outfit?”
“Hey now, I didn’t ridicule you for dressing like you’re going to a dance club.”
“Dance club, party. Tomayto, tomahto.”
“This is me. Take it or leave it.”
Riley scans my body before a smile parts her lips. “I’ll take it. Only if you’ll help me curl the back of my hair.”
“Your hair is already curly?”
Her shoulders do a little dance. “I want more. Big, bouncy curls with loads of body.”
Taking a seat on the vanity stool beside her bed, she applies her makeup while I tap my finger to the curling iron to make sure it’s hot enough. When it burns the tip of my index finger, I know it’s ready.
My fingers slide under a thin chunk of her hair and I press the lever on the curling iron. My chest splinters as I clamp the iron down and wrap it around her hair.
“Will you do my hair before we go?”
“Maddie,” I laugh, “we’re snowboarding, not going to a dance.”
“I know, but I still wanna look cute. Crew will be there.”
“Of course. How can I forget? Maybe I need to invite him every time, just to get you on the slopes. You’ll be an avid snowboarder before you know it.”
“Not likely. I can barely stand on my own two feet, let alone with them both together as one. I am excited for today, though. I won’t pretend I’m eager to be on those cold mountains, but if Crew’s around, every part of my body is warm.” She winks at me in the mirror and we both start laughing.
“Okay. How do you want it?”
“Hmm. How about curls? They can bounce around as I fly down the hill.”
“Curls it is.”
“Scarlett? Hey. You okay?”
I quickly snap out of the trance. “Oh shit?” I unclasp the iron and let Riley’s steaming curl fall to her back. “We’re good. It’s not burnt.”
“Better not be.” Riley pins me with a glare through her reflection in the mirror.
