First Time Ever

First Party

Chapter-7

First Party

“Come-on India,” Lita pulled on my arm.

“Lita I can't,” I pulled back, my arm hurt because of the tug of war it had been going through for past twenty minutes.

She made puppy dog face, “Please.”

“Don’t try that with me,” I made my own puppy dog face.

“You’re so stubborn!” finally letting go of my arm, she stomped her heel on the floor.

“Yes. Thank you,” I tried to shake some sense back into my abused arm.

“Won’t you even do it for me?” she tried again.

‘Ain’t working,’ I wanted to say but then decided against it, she was the only person I went along with, nicely. And all she was just asking me to wear a dress, I could do that much for her.

“Fine,” finally I gave in.

“Yeah!” she hugged me, “You’re the best.”

“Whatever,” I muttered under my breath. She wanted me to wear the wretched dress for Brandon’s surprise birthday party tomorrow. She insisted that everybody should look their best, apparently my usual clothes were ‘nowhere near best’ as she stated.

The girl practically turned into birthday party planner overnight. She was handling caterers, decorators and baker all at once, wanting everything to be perfect. She wished to make it the best birthday ever for Brandon as it was his first birthday since they started dating.

Me, on the other hand had been caught in the middle of it all because, well she couldn’t ask Rose for help and amidst all this mess she was adamant that I wear a dress.

When I told her I don’t have any as I don’t wear dresses, she shoved one of hers in my face demanding me to try it on.

I shoved it back at her saying that I don’t wear dresses!

She gave me a ‘You’ve got to be kidding me’ look that I returned with ‘No, I am not!’

“But why?” she had asked.

In answer I pulled up my jeans a bit and she was like, “O my God India! When was the last time you went to a parlor?”

I was expecting that reaction, I mean what else to expect when you practically had forest growing on your legs!

“Never,” I told her shyly.

Her mouth hung open, “No way in hell!”

Shrugging my shoulders I walked out thinking she had given up on me.

Man was I wrong!

“But I still have the same legs!” why can’t she just let me be? I thought she gave up trying to get me into the dress but she showed up again with the same demand.

“Well I’ll make them sexy!” she made a face and I literally spit out the milk I was drinking.

“I am not shaving them,” I had read in all kinds of novels that girls usually shaved themselves, while the prospect was painless but I still wouldn’t think of doing anything like that.

“Oh! No baby those lush bushes will need uprooting, lopping will not do.”

“Waxing?” even the thought made me cringe. This was going to hurt like hell.

“Yes and with that we will be using some modern technology. It’ll be over before you even know it.”

“Modern technology? I did not like that look plastered on her face.

“Oh yes, ever heard of epilators?” was it my imagination or her voice really sounded evil?

“No,” I replied, gulping.

“You liar!” I screeched, caressing my assaulted legs, they were red, blistered, swollen and had small cuts all over.

It hurt like hell.

“What?” she gave me an innocent face, “I said it’ll be over soon not that it won’t hurt.”

“I am not wearing that dress,” climbing into the bed I turned away from her, my legs on fire.

“Really? After going through all this?”

Okay she was right, what was the whole point of cleaning my legs?

“I hate you,” I muttered into my pillow.

She only laughed in return.

“Still hate you.”

“Oh India I’ll make you look irresistible,” she promised before turning off the lights.

Next day was a blur, I barely noticed what was going on around me. First I had to attend college, finish up my report and then go to the baker’s shop to check on the cake, then I was supposed to meet Lita at the local club to set things up with the D.j.

‘Talk about a party’ I thought picking up pace, I was already fifteen minutes late and she would kill me if I reached her any later than that.

“Sorry,” huffing I walked up to a fuming Lita.

“You better be,” she hissed, “We’ve got to hit the parlor after this and there is no time!”

“Parlor?” now why would we go there?

“Yup dumbo. We need to look sexy remember, just getting rid of some hairs won’t make you look sexy.”

I merely nodded, not understanding what she meant.

“Now don’t just stand there, let’s get going. We’re girls on mission!”

This girl was mad, officially! Half of the people I was living with were lunatics. Maybe they thought the same abut me.

“I thought you said we were running short on time?” pouting I tried to zip up the blue dress she has ‘so graciously’ given me.

“Yes I did,” she was sitting in front of huge dressing mirror applying God knew what with a brush on her face.

“Then how did we afford to spent three hours getting facial, hair styling, massage, spa and whatever the else of it was.”

She just gave me a crooked smile in the mirror, “India when a girl wants to look pretty then the entire universe waits for her, its just a party.’

“Right,” I mocked still struggling with the zip. How on earth did girls manage to zip up a dress? I mean I can barely bring the zip up to my lower back.

“Lita I still don’t think its a good idea,” finally I gave up. I hate zippers from now on, especially the ones on the back of a dress.

“The party?” she turned around, halfway applying red lipstick to so with her cherry red dress, she looked perfect. I mean people always looked perfect here, she just looked extra perfect tonight and that slit in her dress did wonders.

“No this dress,” I gestured towards myself.

“God India," putting the lipstick down, she marched over to me, turning me around and zipped up the dress, “there now.”

“Thanks,” I said shyly, really when was the last time I needed someone to help me into clothes? Never!

“Wow,” she inspected me like I was a painting on display, "look at you India, am jealous.”

“Really” I looked down at myself but saw nothing special, she must have been joking. She, the beautiful exotic Spanish chick, jealous of me?

“You’re impossible, come have a look,’ she was about to push me towards the mirror when there was a knock on the door and then we heard Keith say that Brandon was coming.

“Let’s go,” she dashed to the mirror, finished with the lipstick and then we were out the door and hiding behind the same sofa I’ve spent my first night on. There were more people than I expected hiding behind various pieces of furniture.

“He’s coming, he’s coming,” she hushed gently squeezing my arm, that day I realized she really liked Brandon.

Holding my breath, I waited for the doors to open. On the first click of the locks were undone we were on our feet and screaming at the top of our lungs, “Happy Birthday Brandon.” And the entire house was lit up.

The only person that we found was a very surprised looking Peter standing in the doorway.

“What the hell!’ marching over to him, Lita demanded. He was about to answer when Brandon walked in carrying shopping bags.

“Happy birthday Brandon,” I squeaked waving the blue balloons she had made me hold. Lita noticed him then and joined with a, “Surprise baby!” and a kiss.

He chuckled loudly, “I love it princess.” It made me smile, so our efforts really didn’t go to waste, he appreciated her hard work and it was worth it in the end.

Before that day I never really believed in love but in that moment, seeing the two of them in each other’s arms and looking like they were all alone in that room full of people, I realized that love did exist and that felling left me with butterflies fluttering in my stomach.

It was the first time that I felt maybe my love was out there somewhere waiting to happen.