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“I third it!”
Justine shushed Taylor and Christy before turning to Rebelle again. “You’ve changed so much in such a short time and Ithink it’s helped you grow and given you confidence. You seem less closed off, more open to people and you barely reacted to the party poppers. Maybe you’re ready to explore a new relationship?”
“But the shelter is my priority. I can’t-”
“We know it’s important to you. It’s important to Will too. He won’t let anything happen to it, or you. No matter what happens between you,” Taylor added. Rebelle chewed on her lip, mulling their words over for the rest of the journey.
When they arrived at the mall, Rebelle checked her phone and saw a message.
Will: Have fun with your errands *smiley face*.
She wanted to reply but didn’t know what to say except;
Rebelle: Thanks. Can you check on Parfait while I’m gone?
He replied with a thumbs up and then she was whisked away by the girls. They grabbed pastries for breakfast then hit the stores. Rebelle couldn’t believe the clothes she saw, snagging multiple jeans and t-shirts, a skirt and some sweaters now the weather was cooler.
The others kept finding clothes that would ‘make her eyes pop’ or ‘her ass stand out’ and ‘her breasts look great’ along with a number of other things that all ended up with making Will drool apparently. They completely ignored her protests that she didn’t want him to drool over her, their relationship was purely professional.
Then Rebelle picked up a few pairs of tennis shoes and boots for the dirtier parts of shelter life along with some adorable ballet flats before she stumbled into the lingerie department.
The sea of colors and fabrics fascinated her and she couldn’t stop herself from trailing her fingers over them, like a kid in a candy store. She knew she needed basic underwear but after wearing second hand ones for so long she just couldn’t do it. Shecraved luxury. She bought satin, lace and silk in various colors and styles and loved every second of it.
Next, they went into a store so fancy if Rebelle had been on her own, she would have been too intimidated to enter. But today, she had back up.
Justine found a gorgeous orange wrap dress that fit around her belly and made her look like a Goddess. Christy went for a classic black cocktail dress and Taylor snagged a pink satin floor length gown.
“What color are you wanting Rebelle?” Christy asked.
Taylor looked up from her phone, her gleaming eyes fixing on Rebelle. “Something tells me that red would be the best color for you to wear to the ball.” Red was such a bold, daring color that Rebelle halted. She wanted to blend into the background, to disappear and draw no attention.
The women dug through the racks of dresses until Christy gasped and pulled out a long, rose red backless dress with a full satin skirt. Justine squealed and Taylor clapped. “It’s perfect!”
“No, it’s too…” Rebelle trailed off.
“Are you kidding? This is damn perfection!”
“No, it’s too much, I can’t…”
The women closed around her and Taylor squeezed her hand. “Sweetheart, sometimes too much is just right.”
“You’re allowed to be too much, there’s nothing wrong with that.”
They bundled her, protesting all the way, into the changing room, they drew the curtain and silence embraced Rebelle and the dress. She swiveled. Ignoring her reflection in the mirror, she eyed the dress with undisguised curiosity. What would it feel like to wear something this beautiful? Her fingers twisted into the fabric, snaking it around her hand as anticipation grew.
She hastily undressed and removed the bra that was two sizes too big and stared at herself in the mirror. She assessed herbody. The small breasts that seemed unimpressive. The ribs that didn’t protrude quite as much as they used to. The hips that didn’t flare out as far as on other women and her short legs which had grown muscular from hard work. She spotted the marks, the scars, and the bone on her elbow that would always stick out more where it wasn’t fixed properly. It hurt to look at herself and see the map of abuse.
“Is it on?” came an eager voice, snapping her out of her perusal. She removed the dress from the hanger and stepped into it, pulling it up and slipping her arms through the straps that skimmed down the sides of her waist, leaving her back bare. She smoothed the material and looked up at her reflection. She clapped a hand over her mouth and tears filled her eyes. She barely recognized herself. She was beautiful, delicate and feminine.
She let out a small sob and the curtain was pulled back and her three new friends rushed her, pulling her into a hug. She didn’t fight the contact, in fact, she welcomed it. They gently shushed her, stroking her arms and comforting her until she took a deep, shuddering breath and pulled away, wiping her puffy eyes. She never had been a pretty crier.
“You look spectacular,” Christy said.
“This color and style looks amazing on you. You’re like a princess, Rebelle!”
“Will is going to lose his shit,” Taylor tsked, a sly smirk on her face.
“No doubt,” Justine agreed.
