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“I’ll do every single thing that needs doing,” I tell her. “Your exams are more important than a dress.”
Violet gasps in mock horror. “Don’t ever say that again.”
“You’ll thank me when I’m the one giving you free legal advice,” Riley says.
“That’s true,” Violet says. “I know I’m going to need it. Let’s get going.”
I have no idea if Violet can pull this off in time. Then she spreads out the designs she drew up in the short time right before we all met at the fabric store.
I stare at her pages. “This is beautiful,” I tell her. “Can you measure me quick? I’ve got to pull a short shift at the restaurant that I couldn’t get out of. I’ll be back as soon as I can get out of there.”
“On it. Don’t be long,” she says as she pulls out her tape. “I need you here if I’m going to get the dress done in time.”
I fly through my shift and convince the manager to let me leave early. I’m out of breath by the time I run back up the stairs to Vi’s apartment.
“Check this out,” Violet says when I burst into the living room. It’s as if she got so absorbed in what she was doing, she didn’t even notice I was gone. When she finally looks up at me, her eyes are bright. “Try it on.”
Riley’s napping on the sofa and Violet pokes at her once I’ve worked my way into the few pieces of fabric she’s stitched together. They don’t look like any kind of a dress, let alone a designer gown.
“Perfect,” Violet says as she examines her work. I glance at Riley, who’s as lost as I am.
“Are we still on track?” Riley asks cautiously.
“Absolutely,” Violet says firmly. “It’s all good. I might change the back a little bit. Maybe the neckline too. Come on, assistant. I need your hands.”
Violet keeps me almost as busy as she is. All of us are keeping each other awake by taking more than one dance break. Riley’s pitching in when she needs a break from studying andit’s so fun doing something crazy with my friends. The hours speed by and before I know it, the sun’s rising.
“I’m so hungry,” Riley announces around a yawn. “I’m going out to get us something to eat.”
“There’s a bakery at the end of the block that you have to go to,” Violet says, deep in the middle of sewing.
I sink down onto the floor, resting my head on a cushion. “I just need five minutes.”
I fall asleep the moment I close my eyes and I have no idea how much time’s passed when Violet’s smiling at me and shaking me awake.
“It’s ready.”
“What?” For a second I think she’s talking about Riley getting back with breakfast.
“Your dress. It’s ready and I need to see how it looks on you.”
I climb into it carefully, still expecting to be scraped by stray pins like I have been every other time I tried it on. Violet eyes me critically, turned me this way and that.
“You’re a designer. Don’t you have a mirror?” I ask. “I’m dying to see it.”
“Not right now,” she says. “It got broken when I moved in. I usually balance on the edge of the tub and lean over to see into the one above the bathroom sink, but you can’t do that in this dress. You’d fall over from the angle you have to bend at to see anything.”
The door opens and Riley comes in. “I’ve got donuts. And these other twisty things, I don’t remember what they’re called but they looked good.”
Her voice trails off as she catches sight of me. “Wow,” she breathes, and starts to examine me like Violet’s doing. “You really pulled it off, Vi.”
“How does it look?” I want to know. “I can’t see myself.”
Riley shakes her head. “You won’t believe it. It’s something else.”
“Yeah?” I’m a little doubtful. I almost never wear white. “Does it suit me?”
“It’s perfect, if I do say so myself.” Violet’s walking around me, leaning and dipping to examine the dress from every possible angle. “Couldn’t be better. I have to photograph you.”
