Claire shook her head. "Just . . . my mom being my mom." She blew out a long breath. "Okay. Sorry. I promise I'm not going to be cranky today. Besides"—she reached into her pocket and slid the blue plastic rectangle out far enough for Emily to see—"I've got her credit card. And I intend to use it."
"Well, hallelujah," Emily laughed. "Let's get you to the mall before you come to your senses."
The sun streamed in through the car window as Emily sped out of the driveway, going too fast as usual. Claire stared out at the high, clear, impossibly blue sky that meant it was going to be one of those perfect autumn days. It was hard to stay angry when the grass was still green but the leaves were painted with color, when the sun was still warm but the wind promised winter and she was with her best friend. She leaned back in the seat, feeling the last of her bad mood slip away.
"Time for music?" Emily asked with a sideways glance.
"Absolutely."
Chapter Eleven
CLAIRE WALKED INTO the mall, trailing Emily the way a hiker trails a guide through a particularly dangerous jungle. The smell of floor cleaner mixed unpleasantly with the plasticy scent of new clothes and stale, food-court fried rice. Claire wrinkled her nose and focused on Emily, who was making a beeline for the nearest department store.
"Okay." Emily reached up, unconsciously respiking her hair. "So, first we're going to hit the sale racks at Nordstrom's, though we probably won't find anything there."
The idea of stretching out the shopping unnecessarily made Claire twitch. "Why not just go straight to the place where we're most likely to get an actual dress?" She was dying to have a dress, to see it hanging in her closet and be able to pet it. She just wasn't excited about the process of finding one.
Emily raised a lecturing finger, not breaking her pace. "Parental assurance. If she freaks about how much you spend, it's much better to be able to honestly say you bought the least-expensive thing you liked. Hence, the sale rack. Where you won't find anything, but after looking at it, you can shop with a clear conscience."
Claire snorted with laughter. The two of them breezed past the shoe department and up through accessories to where the formal dresses were. Claire followed Emily into the sea of clothing racks full of glimmering fabrics in a rainbow of colors, like a school of exotic fish.
After quickly rejecting the downright hideous dresses on the sale rack, Emily and Claire moved into the rest of the department and loaded their arms with dresses. Emily added two to the pile for every one that Claire picked out. When the salesladies started rolling their eyes, the two of them finally headed for the dressing room.
"Okay," said Emily. "These are the rules: As long as whatever you have on doesn't make you look like a dachshund in a tutu, you have to come out so I can see it. Deal?"
Claire sighed. With the stack of dresses she had hanging in the fitting room, it would take forever to do it Emily's way. "What're the other rules?" she asked.
"Just one more. No whining or you're buying lunch." Emily winked and then disappeared into the little cubicle where her own massive assortment of formal wear was waiting.
Claire pulled the first dress off the hanger. It was blue, with a deep V-neck and a ruffly bottom. She slipped it over her head, looked in the mirror, and frowned. She didn't have enough of a chest for the neckline, and as a result, the tight bodice made her look thick around the middle. And the ruffles were way too fussy for her. Still . . . it wasn't horrible. She might as well go show it to Emily.
Claire stepped out into the aisle of the dressing rooms, being careful not to trip over the frills at her feet.
"Claire? Oh, how funny!" Claire spun around and saw Amy framed in the curve of the three-way mirror. She was wearing a blue dress. Exactly the same blue dress that Claire had on. The only difference was, it fit Amy perfectly. Sure, the hem puddled on the floor, but the ruffles balanced out her waterfall of curls, and the blue fabric made her eyes look like summer leaves. And the bodice was exactly right, the V-neck sexy without being over the top.
"Hey, Amy." Claire forced a smile, crossing her arms over her chest. "That dress looks great on you."
"You think?" Amy asked. "I've tried on about a million—I can't even tell them apart anymore."
Emily popped out of her dressing room, half-zipped into a zebra-print gown. "Amy? Oh my God, this is so great! Are you here by yourself?"
"I was supposed to meet Yolanda here, but she bailed on me."
Emily's eyes went from Claire to Amy and back again. "You guys have on the same dress!" she exclaimed, a giggle running underneath the words.
"Yeah, I'm not getting this one," Claire said quickly. "It looks much better on Amy than it ever would on me." The compliment was honest, and Amy glowed.
"Thanks," Amy said. The sincerity in her voice made Claire want to put her guard up. Okay, so part of her wanted to be friends with Amy, but it just wasn't possible.
Amy gave Claire a grateful smile. "I'm so short. I always feel like I look like a kid playing dress-up, you know?"
"Polly Pocket goes to the prom?" Claire said, raising a joking eyebrow.