Tucking my suitcase under the bed, I put on the sheets from Sam. Instead of feeling sad, a new feeling bloomed. Resolve. I needed this… living here with Rachel, someone my own age. Well, close to it. And female. Normal things like lying out in the sun had escaped me over the years. She’d help me catch up. That she didn’t seem adversely affected by me gave me hope. Granted, she hadn’t yet faced rejection from a man because of me. Maybe we could work on becoming friends first. Who knew, it could help prevent the ugly hostility I’d grown accustomed too. I liked the idea of having a real friend. Sure, I had Paul and Henry, but I wanted a friend of the same gender.
Unpacked and bed made, I changed into the shortest shorts I owned and a strapless top that Barb had given me for my eighteenth birthday. I’d kept in touch with my foster parents because of their insistence that I do. Even though they had a beautiful little girl of their own, they still thought of me, especially on my birthday. Feeling light at heart, I headed out to the deck.
Rachel turned her sunglassed-gaze my way when I closed the screen door. “Where’s your suit?” she asked curiously.
“I don’t own one,” I admitted, lying on my stomach on the cartoon beach towel she’d laid out for me. “Didn’t want to embarrass my grandpa. He’s a little old school.” I just hadn’t wanted him to suggest I bring it with to Canada.
“Really? You don’t own one?” She propped herself up on her elbows and looked at me over her sunglasses, a wide smile on her lips. “Wanna go shopping? I’ll use any excuse to go.”
I hesitated. If I declined, we’d be starting out on a poor note. If I said yes, we’d most likely have an issue with guys somewhere along the way. But if I didn’t say yes, how could I hope to win her over as a friend. Any normal girl probably wouldn’t even stop to think about this. I really wanted to try for normal. “Sure, let me go change,” I agreed.
“Yay!” She jumped up, grabbing both towels and danced into the house behind me.
Since she had the car, she drove us to the outlet mall promising it was the best and cheapest place to shop. Stunning in a tank top, short shorts and cute little sandals with a heel, she outshined my drab worn t-shirt, jeans, and sneakers. Twisting my fingers in my lap, I tried to quell my worry.
“While we’re here, we should look for some clubbing clothes for you.” She pulled into an open space, parking the car. “And don’t be afraid to tell me if I’m being too pushy. I love shopping, but have too many clothes already. By shopping for someone else, I get my shopping fix without adding to the mayhem in my closet.”
“No, you’re not being pushy. I could use a swimsuit and a few new tops. But, I have to be honest. I’m not really into the party scene. Guys act too weird around me and it makes me uncomfortable.”
“Weird how?” she asked as she reached for the door.
“Wait,” I said to stop her from leaving the car. I’d rather tell her where no one else would overhear.
She paused, turning to look at me.
I took a deep breath. Normal. I needed to sound normal. “Every friendship I’ve ever had was ruined by competition over a guy. Only problem was, I was never competing. I wasn’t interested in the guy, my friend was. But the guy was interested in me.”
Behind her sunglasses, her eyes searched my face. I struggled not to squirm or look away. Anxiety bloomed. I should have kept my mouth shut.
Her lips curved into an amused smile and she laughed. “You’re a serious one. I can see that already. Don’t worry Gabby. If a guy doesn’t trip over himself to get to me, I’m not interested. I don’t want to waste my time chasing what doesn’t want to be caught.” She opened the door to the sunbaked parking lot and I followed.
We’d just crossed the black expanse, stepping onto the sidewalk in front of the outlets, when Rachel whispered to me, “Gabby, check out this hottie.”
The man she spotted exited the same door we headed for. As I expected, he first looked at Rachel and then at me. I looked down keeping my eyes on the sidewalk as we strolled past him through the door.
Rachel obviously didn’t know about the ‘wait for the door to close’ rule because she started laughing before I’d even made it over the threshold. “He kept his eyes on you the entire time,” she laughed. “I can’t wait to see what happens the first time we go out.”
I wanted to groan.
The clerk at the register looked over at us just then, because of her laughter. His double take at me caused her to start laughing even harder. I pulled her toward the back of the store before he could decide he wanted to talk to us.
Her carefree attitude about it did bring a smile to my face. Maybe things would work out.
After helping me pick out a swimsuit, a rather daring bikini that she insisted would not cause her the least bit of animosity no matter what attention it brought me, she talked me into a few more stores. In three hours, I purchased two “clubbing” tops and a black mini skirt. My careful spending slowed the process down a bit, but she didn’t seem to mind.
Back at the house, the pleasantly warm breeze and inviting deck beckoned us and we decided to catch the dying rays out on the deck before calling it a night. I just wanted to try on my bikini.