Promises Hurt

“This is ridiculous, the steroids have made me lose so much weight, I have the body of a twelve-year-old boy! Seriously, look at this,” she motioned to her ass where the jeans were completely baggy and hanging funny. “I should just buy a pair of Calvin’s and walk around with my ass hanging out like a skater boy.”

 

 

I suppressed a laugh and scrunched my nose. “Yep, those are definitely not the right cut for you anymore. Shame though, they’re cute.”

 

“You should take them and try them on, they’d look good on you,” she said, slipping the jeans down her legs and shoving them into my arms.

 

“Sure you don’t mind?”

 

“Why would I mind?”

 

“Just you really liked them, is all.” I looked at her for confirmation and she just shook her head.

 

“You’re strange sometimes; of course I don't mind.”

 

“Okay, then.”

 

I unbuckled my belt and wiggled out of my shorts before shaking out the jeans in front of me. I pulled the jeans up my calves and over my knees. The denim didn't have much give and I did a little jump and held onto the belt loops as I tried to hoist them up. It wasn't happening, though, and the jump set me off balance. I fell slightly into the side of the cubicle and then everything seemed to happen in slow motion. The rail holding the curtain slipped from its mount and came crashing down, while at the same time one side of the cubicle collapsed and crashed into the next. We both watched in horror at the domino effect, one by one the five cubicles in the women’s changing room came crashing down around us. It sounded like a bomb being detonated. Em took one look at my panic-stricken face and burst out laughing.

 

The sales assistants came running through to see what had happened, men and women both. They came to an abrupt stop and surveyed the sight that greeted them. Em was sitting amongst the curtains on the store floor in fits of laughter, tears streaming down her pretty face as I was standing frozen in the middle of the room, clutching a pair of jeans that I couldn’t pull past my thighs. To make matters worse, I was wearing a bright blue thong that had the word ANGRY above a picture of a cartoon beaver. I glanced behind me and realized that every mirror in the dressing room was doing a pretty stellar job of reflecting my thong-clad ass.

 

 

 

I smile about it now, but at the time it was the most horrifically awkward shopping trip I’d ever been on. There really is no wonder why I don't like shopping.

 

“Jeez, Blair, are you sure you're a girl? You complain more than my brother does when Lauren drags him shopping,” Brie says with her hand on her hip, pouting.

 

“Sorry, I’m just tired,” I tell them, and right on cue I let out a huge yawn.

 

“Someone keep you up all night?” Casey wiggles her eyebrows at me and I feel the embarrassment wash straight over my face, heating my cheeks.

 

“Holy shit, you're blushing, did you and Ethan bump uglies?” Brie laughs, hanging the skirt she’s holding on the nearest rack and marching over to me.

 

I groan in anticipation of the twenty questions she’s sure to throw at me.

 

“You did, didn’t you? Ha-ha! I knew it! Didn’t I say that they’d end up having sex last night, Case?” She nods at Casey in encouragement and continues. “So come on, dish it, was it good? Is he big? Did he get you off? I wanna know everything.”

 

I look around the store, mortified at how loud she just asked that, and then whisper-shout at her, “I’m not telling you that, especially not in here!” I motion with my hand wildly around us at the store full of people.

 

“Chill, nobody knows you, they won’t care,” Casey drops in and both girls nod their heads at me, eager for my admissions.

 

“Not. A. Chance!”

 

“Fine!” Brie says with a pout. “Let’s go grab a coffee and you can tells us then.”

 

I shake my head at her, but still follow them out of the store and down the escalators to the coffee shop on the first floor.

 

 

 

 

 

We settle into the plush warm brown leather sofas with mochas in hand and then I wait for the onslaught to begin. An awkward silence settles among us as they sit facing me, eyes wide and waiting to be regaled with the events of my night with Ethan.

 

“You’re kind of freaking me out guys,” I admit and Brie lets out an exasperated sigh.

 

“Fine, we’ll do this the hard way.” My gaze narrows as I look at her in confusion. She takes a sip of her drink and places it on the table in front of us.

 

“Okay, so you slept with Ethan last night, correct?”

 

There’s no way they would believe me if I denied it, so I go with the truth.

 

“Yes.”

 

“And?”

 

“And what?”

 

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, you're killing me here! And how was it?” she asks, looking at me like I’m a moron.

 

I smile at the memory of last night and this morning. “Pretty amazing, actually.”

 

Brie finally smiles, satisfied with my answer as Casey interjects. “I hate you a little right now. I bet he was huge, too, wasn’t he? Please tell me no! A boy that good looking, popular and in a freaking band can’t be blessed with being hung like a stallion too, surely?”

 

Brie and I fall back into the sofa laughing as Casey shakes her head in disappointment.