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"Looks like the coffee is on my dad today." I sigh, trying to hide the sadness in my tone.
"Oh, I thought we were meeting them? I was excited to meet your parents. You don't really talk about them much," Harper admits with a half-smile.
"There's not much to say, really. They're busy most of the time." I shrug.Just once, I wish they'd give me time and not money. When will they realize their presents can't make up for their lack of presence?
"That's bullshit," I hear Riley snap.
"Riley!" Harper snaps back, slapping her sister on the arm, clearly trying to tell her to shut up.
"No, Harper, that's bullshit! Their only daughter, the one who, as far as I'm aware, hasn't seen them in months, is parked just a few blocks away. And they can't even make the effort to come and have coffee with her for ten minutes?" she scolds. "You deserve so much better," she states, putting her arm around my shoulders.
"It's okay. I'm used to it." I shrug.
"But it's not okay, is it?" she whispers.
"Just forget about them. Let's enjoy the day and buy the biggest coffees we can get, since it's on them," Ava suggests with a smile. She pulls out her phone and starts looking for the best store for prom dresses.
We go to a few high-end stores, and while there are a few nice dresses here and there, there's nothing that really makes any of us say WOW. We pass a wedding dress store called‘Beautiful Boutique’. Ithas some gorgeous dresses in the window that make us all stop and stare. Obviously, it's not the kind of dress we're looking for, but a girl can still dream.
We're about to walk away when Ava suddenly calls out, "Wait, I see a red dress on the mannequin inside. Let's go in and see if they have any other dresses." She disappears inside before any of us have a chance to protest, so we have no choice but to follow her.
"Excuse me, this may sound like a strange question, but do you only sell white wedding dresses?" I hear Ava ask one of the ladies inside.
"We sell white, cream, and ivory wedding dresses, and we also have quinceañera, bridesmaid, and prom dresses upstairs. If you want to try on one of our dresses, you'll need to schedule an appointment because you'll need a store representative to put them on for you."
All four of us feel like our dreams are coming true, only to have them shattered as the woman speaks. She must see our faces sink as she quickly adds, "I can't promise anything, but our manager is in the back. I can see if she can squeeze you in."
The woman walks away, leaving us standing at the front desk. We all silently wish and pray that the manager will say yes, because as we look around the room at the mannequins, we know for sure that this is the place we NEED to buy our dresses from. A few moments later, an older woman, probably in her mid-fifties, with gray, yet still elegant and beautiful hair, comes out to greet us. "Good morning, ladies. My name is Louisa, and I'm the manager of Beautiful Boutiques. What can I help you with?"
"Hello, ma’am, my name is Isabella. We're looking for some dresses for our prom next month, and after seeing some of the beautiful gowns you stock, we were hoping you could help us," I explain, trying to be as polite and hopeful as possible.
"As you may have heard, usually we like our customers to make reservations in advance to try on the dresses. Here inBeautiful Boutiques, we like to sell not only dresses but also experiences," the woman begins.
"But actually, today you may be in luck because I've had a bit of a disaster myself. I'm supposed to showcase my latest collection of dresses at a wedding fair tomorrow. But two of my models have come down with the flu. I noticed that you're all beautiful girls. If you'd be willing to help me out and model for me tomorrow, I'll gladly repay you by allowing each of you to choose a dress from either our bridesmaid or other collection at a discounted price."
"We would love to!" all four of us cheer excitedly at the same time.
"Then follow me upstairs, and I'll show you what dresses I have for tomorrow. We'll try them on, take your measurements, and I will see you here tomorrow at 7 a.m." Louisa coaxes as she opens a door.
We go up the stairs and see three other women at the top. "Problem solved, ladies!" Louisa announces loudly as she opens the door that leads to a huge dressing room area with floor to ceiling mirrors.
"These beautiful girls will be our models," Louisa exclaims, pointing her hand at all of us as if presenting some sort of prize to the room.
"What are your names?" one of the women asks. We introduce ourselves, and after a brief conversation about our size, our looks, and what dresses would suit our style, they take us all into the fitting room and take our measurements. Then we're each sent to a different dressing room, and they quickly pull out different dresses for us to try on for tomorrow.
"How exciting is this! I feel like a real-life supermodel," Ava squeals as she pokes her head out of the dressing room curtain.
"I know, I feel like an actress starring in a Hollywood movie." Harper giggles as she pokes her head out as well.
"How are we going to get here tomorrow? It took over two hours to drive here" asks Riley.As usual, she’s the most skeptical member of the group. Can't she just enjoy the fairy tale for a moment?
"Well, I guess we could find a cheap hotel and stay there tonight. It’s probably cheaper than gas, and we can make it into a girl’s night away." I smile, beginning to get excited.
"Good idea!" Ava gasps, clapping her hands excitedly.
"Are you ready, girls?" We hear some of the ladies call out as we see two of them roll in a rack of dresses, each one more beautiful and colorful than the last.
We spend almost three hours trying on dress after dress, while the ladies in the room make us stand in front of the mirror, so they can poke and prod at us. They make us turn this way and all while they take little pins and mark them to make sure they fit us perfectly for tomorrow. But as amazing as the experience is, we're all exhausted by the time it's over.
