A-Line or Empire?
1197 Words
Taylor is talking 100 miles a minute, but driving like an old lady. I tease her about her speed, but I appreciate it. Mom usually drives like a maniac, so this is a welcome change. The entire drive, I’m trying to focus on Taylor, but I can’t stop thinking about that journal. What exactly did she mean by mate? That’s just too weird. I need to know what happened between her and my grandparents. And exactly how guilty this “Alan” character is. About halfway to the mall, I force myself to table all thoughts of the journal and enjoy the day with Taylor.
“Do you know what classes you’re taking yet?” Taylor asks me.
“I don’t even think I’m enrolled yet. I guess I’ll have to take care of that this week.” I’m sure mom hasn’t thought about it yet. Although maybe grandpa did?
“Well, most seniors take chemistry, which I am SOOO excited for! And senior lit will be fun I guess, but if you’re in the honors class with me, we’ll have to read a bunch of stuffy books, and I heard the other classes just get to listen to podcasts.”
“Oh, I’ll probably be in honors, I love reading so much!” I tell her.
She’s quiet for a minute as she looks for parking at the mall. We’ve traveled about two towns over to the closest shopping center, and it is way more crowded here.
After she stops the car, I ask her, “So….is there anything in particular we’re looking for, or just a general fun shopping trip?”
Taylor thinks for a second then takes a deep breath. “Well…..I need new running shorts because I ripped my favorite pair, and I need a new pair of cleats for cross country, but they won’t sell those here, I’ll probably have to get coach to special order them from the running store to get my size. Then I want a few new shirts for school if something catches my eye. But what I really want to do is get a jump start on looking for a dress for homecoming.”
I grin. "Dress shopping sounds like so much fun!"
Taylor loops her arm through mine and leads me towards the mall. The contact feels awkward, but not altogether bad. I'm not used to having a touchy friend. I can't even remember the last time I hugged anyone besides Gracie or, occasionally, mom.
Taylor leads me through the Belk's, past their dress department. I start to scan the racks, mentally selecting things I might want to try on later. To my surprise, Taylor leads me right out of the store.
She must notice my confusion, because she says, "Oh, we're starting at the boutiques."
"Well now I'm excited," I say, giggling. I'm not usually a super girly girl, but I love a good sparkly dress once in a while.
When we enter the story, a young woman, a little older than us, greets Taylor by name. When she spots me, she quickly says, "Oh, hi! I'm Madison!"
"I'm Layla," I tell her.
"So, what are we looking for today?" Madison asks. "Taylor, I've got some new stuff in in red, I know you look great in that color." She starts rifling through a rack and pulling out a few pieces in bright red chiffon. Then she turns to me and says, "and just so you know, I also do custom dresses, if you're interested." She whispers conspiratorially, "and I'm *really* hoping to sell one more custom piece so I can afford a new sewing machine before homecoming season starts!"
Taylor starts picking through the dresses Madison pulled out for her. "Well, we're actually looking for a homecoming dress. I know it's early, but I don't want to feel rushed."
"Oh, perfect!" Madison squeals. "You're my favorite kind of customer." She starts walking deeper into the store, pulling out some other options for Taylor to try. "Usually, this time of year, I can only sell the more basic dresses to wedding guests, but you know how I like a good flounce to my skirts."
Madison hands Taylor a stack of red to deep pink dresses then turns to me. "So, what colors do you prefer? I feel like a dark green would really bring out your eyes, but a pink or purple tone would compliment your complexion."
"Oh," I say. "I guess I don't really have much of a preference."
"How exciting! That means you get to try them all!" She pulls out a few options, handing them to me. "So, fit and flare is really popular right now, but I really prefer the empire waist. The skirts are more fun, but you can try both."
Taylor walks out of the dressing room in a sparkly red dress, with a tulle skirt twice as wide as she is. "What do you think?"
"You look amazing!" I tell her. And she really does. The dress is a huge change from the athleisure i usually see her in, but she makes the switch seamlessly.
I assume she's done shopping, but she says, "Hmmm...I'm not sure. Is it too glittery? Is it glittery enough? I'm going to try another one." Taylor disappears back into the dressing room.
"Go try one of these on." Madison encourages me. "Just pick any one as a starting off point."
I carry my arm load of dresses into a dressing room, and drop them unceremoniously on the seat. Madison gave me a huge variety of colors to pick from. I sift through it, but I keep coming back to this one purple chiffon dress. It's floor length with an ombre shift from dark purple to magenta. There are little stars stitched in gold beading into the bodice. I quickly put it on, and twirl in the mirror.
I love it.
I walk out of the dressing room looking for Taylor. When she spots me, she squeals. "Ohhhh, you look like a princess!" She's now wearing a hot pink, and skin tight dress that's barely half way to her knees.
"Oh, I don't know," I hedge. "I'm not wearing the right bra for it."
"Don't you dare sell yourself short," Madison interrupts. "You look ah-mazing." After a second, she adds, "but you do need a strapless with this dress." Madison walks over and gestures for me to turn around. She stops me when I'm facing away from them. "We might need to shorten the bodice a little here," she mutters. She pulls some pins out of her pocket and starts making adjustments.
I hear a chime when someone enters the store.
“I’ll be with you in a second!” Madison calls over her shoulder.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Taylor turn towards the door and freeze.
Taylor’s eyes grow wide and she stutters. “A-Alisha, hi!”
- Writer
