Deanna moved on to another section quickly. I pushed dress after dress aside hoping that the very next one that I laid eyes on would be the one. And then I found it. It was the perfect shade of red and it was the perfect size. I raced to the dressing room to try it on. I changed quickly and then stepped out to evaluate myself in the large mirror. Love at first sight! The dress was strapless and fitted – but not so much that I’d be confined to a chair all night. There was a split up the front that stopped a little higher than the middle of my thigh. With my silver stilettos to set it off, I’d look like a movie star.
As I assessed my appearance, I was startled to see Leslie, Megan and Kyla file into the dressing room with three or four dresses apiece draped over their arms. The excitement drained from their faces as they zeroed in on me. Megan rolled her eyes and disappeared behind one of the doors. Leslie’s eyes were fixed on me and mine were on her. She looked over my dress and laughed a little under her breath. Just then, Deanna appeared in the doorway and gasped when she saw me. “Sam! It’s perfect! You look great!” She shrieked. Behind Deanna I could see Leslie’s eyes shift to her. If I weren’t mistaken I saw a hint of jealousy in them just before she turned to try on her dresses. Deanna looked back briefly to see what I was staring at, but forgot about it quickly as she continued to dote on my dress.
“What’d you find?” I asked, noticing the dress in her hands.
“Give me a sec and I’ll show you,” she grinned.
I returned to my dressing room to get my clothes back on. Over the flimsy partition I could hear Megan’s voice clearly. “I can’t stand her. She thinks she’s better than everybody else or something.”
“I know, me either,” Leslie added. When I stepped out of the room, my face must have told it all. Deanna stood in the mirror with her dress on watching me. “They’re stupid. Don’t even let them get to you.” She said it loudly enough that I was positive she intended for them to hear her.
Just then Leslie and Kyla stepped out and shifted their gazes to me. They were mumbling to themselves and rolling their eyes at me, but they didn’t address me. Deanna changed hurriedly, understanding that I was agitated. We paid for our dresses and walked back out to the car. Even the run in with Leslie and her crew couldn’t stifle the excitement that I felt. Mom was going to love it.
I nearly ripped the door off the hinges to get inside and show her. She and Daddy were sitting at the kitchen table together just finishing up their lunch. “I found it!!!!” I screeched. She followed me up the stairs nearly as thrilled as I was. I closed the closet door and hung the garment bag on the hook on the back. Slowly, I unzipped it and pulled the dress out.
“It’s beautiful.” She immediately opened the closet door back to grab my silver shoes that I was already planning to wear with it. This made me smile even more. “These are perfect.”
Mom hugged me around my shoulder as we both stared at the dress. Her smile faded a little. “Sweetie, I think we need to talk about something before you go to the dance next weekend.”
My body stiffened as she sat on my bed and motioned for me to close my bedroom door. She didn’t continue to speak until I was seated next to her. “I’m trying to decide what to do about your curfew. I understand that you want to hang out afterward and spend time with your friends, but……I’m a little concerned.”
I understood what it was that concerned her. She hadn’t yet been updated on my feelings on the subject matter since that night in the attic. “Mom, relax. It won’t happen again.” She was obviously relieved by my admission. There was still the not so small task of breaking the news to AJ, but all she needed to know was that my mind was made up.
She turned to look into my eyes. It was evident in her expression that she was putting a lot of thought into her next statement and it may have even been difficult for her to say. “I’m responsible for you while you’re here under this roof.” She started tearing up. “But when you leave for Charleston, it’s up to you to make smart decisions for yourself. I’m proud of you for being mature enough do the right thing. I know you well enough to trust that you’re telling me the truth right now, so I’m going to allow you to stay out until two.” I started smiling right away. “But……whenever I call your cell phone, you answer. Understood?”
“Understood,” I replied.