by Laura Burton
“Nope.” They both grinned, their nearly identical grins uncanny.
“We’re just going to the mall, right?”
“What do you think, Hollywood?” Mia grinned. “Should we spill the whole plan?”
“It’s up to you.” He laughed.
“Then you know enough. For now.” Mia laughed.
Nervous knots formed in my belly. An evening in the mall with these two was bound to be trouble.
“Just because I have no idea what we’re doing at the mall, don’t think I’ll forget about this Hollywood business, honey,” I joked, trying to ease some of the tension.
“Oh, I’m counting on you to remember.” Shane laughed. “But for now, you have other things to worry about.”
I was afraid he might be right.
-Chapter 6-
“You’re sure a candy-red tank top and skinny jeans are going to get Chris to notice me?” I questioned uncertainly from the dressing room as I tried on what felt like the hundredth outfit in the last hour. Mia was relentless. Shane wasn’t much better. For a guy, he seemed to have strong opinions on styles and colors and what would and wouldn’t work for my body shape. I had always been one of those girls that bought clothes based on how they fit and felt when I wore them, much to my mother’s dismay. Mia wasn’t one of those girls. And Shane wasn’t, either. After all of his opinions, I was leaning more toward him being a girl. Sure, comfort fit into the equation, but sadly, only at the very end of the decision-making. If the style was hot, the color complemented my complexion, and the cut suited my curves, there was no way they were letting me leave it behind. That explained the ten bags that Shane was already holding, and the fifteen stores we’d already been to. I had never shopped this hard in my life. And it seemed like these two were just getting started.
“If you have to ask me that question, you’re worse off than I thought.” Mia huffed through the curtain. “Let’s have a look, Abs.”
I stared at myself long and hard in the mirror, not sure I recognized myself in such a bright color and wearing skintight jeans, revealing the curves I had. Not that I was ashamed of my body or anything; I just didn’t know how to put it out there and feel confident about myself.
“Today, Abs.” Shane’s foot drummed a staccato beat outside the dressing room, one that almost matched the hammering of my nervous heartbeat.
I took a deep breath and opened the curtain. Mia was the first to respond, squealing in that high-pitched tone I’d come to recognize as her excited you-need-to-buy-this reaction. I turned to Shane, and his brows pulled together. His eyes ran over me, from my face all the way down to my bare feet and back up at a slow pace, almost pausing on those curves I felt so unsure of, causing my heart rate to pick up even more. When he looked up at me again, he mumbled, “Looks good. You should get it, if you like it.” Without another word, he spun on his heel and walked out of the store, taking my other purchases with him.
What was that all about?
“I’m guessing by your little outburst there, I’m buying this, too.” I stated the obvious, not even bothering to pose the question. Judging by Mia’s reaction, there really was no room for debate, no matter what Shane might be thinking.
What was he thinking?
“Of course you are. I can’t believe this outfit isn’t making you jump up and down with excitement,” Mia shrieked, doing her best not to do just that.
I got back into the fitting room and slithered out of the jeans and top. Thank heavens Mom had put extra cash into my account when I told her I was going shopping. She’d been so excited I was going shopping for a new look, she didn’t even ask any questions. At this rate, Mia might end up going through the whole amount.
“So, how did you and Shane hook up?”
Mia’s question halted my movements
“Um. Have you not been paying attention? He and I did not hook up.” My whole body warmed up, red blooming on my chest to match the tank top I’d just taken off.
“Are you sure?”
I pulled the curtain halfway open, draping it over all the important stuff and making sure I didn’t flash the old grandpa who appeared to be shopping with his granddaughter. “Do I strike you as the girl that would hook up with a guy and forget? You know, unless roofies were involved. Trust me, I don’t think Shane needs any help with the ladies.”
My words registered too late, and I spoke before thinking. I pulled the curtain closed, hiding my embarrassment behind the thick, black fabric of the fitting room curtain. Mia barked out a laugh so loud it felt like the sound resonated inside the tiny stall and reverberated inside my chest.
“Oh, I think you and I are going to get along just fine.” I could still hear the smile in her voice.
Feeling more confident with the curtain separating us, I couldn’t resist voicing the one question that kept swirling in my mind. “Why’d you think Shane and I had hooked up?”
No answer came. I popped my head out of the stall to make sure Mia was still there; I wasn’t about to have a conversation with some random passerby. Mia stood there, her eyes trained directly on me, a wicked grin on her face that reminded me of Shane.
“Shane’s strange reaction earlier.”
So I wasn’t the only one to notice?
“And that.” Her index finger came up and pointed directly at my face. “That is the face of someone hiding a secret.”
I cleared my face of any signs of emotion and replied, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I bet you don’t.” And with that, she spun on her heel and walked out to the cash register. I guess that was my cue to hurry up and join her.
I wasn’t sure what she was talking about. I wasn’t interested in Shane. And I was sure he didn’t like me like that. I wasn’t even sure he liked me at all. I probably was one of those fun experiments for him. Whatever Mia was suggesting made no sense at all. And yet, there was this slight tingle in my belly as her words sunk in.
Still, it didn’t matter.
I loved Chris.
Right?
After a bite to eat at the food court, I was ready to head home. How much more shopping could we possibly still do?
“So,” Mia spoke in between slurping the last of her Diet Coke. “I wanted to take Abs to a few more stops. Places I think she’d feel more comfortable with just me.”
My heart started pounding. She wasn’t going to make me go to Victoria’s Secret and pick out bras with her, was she? Underwear was where I drew the line.
“Now would be a good time to go run those errands for Mom and meet us when you’re done, Hollywood,” Mia continued, unaware of my little internal meltdown.
“Sure. Text me when you’re done.” Shane collected my bags and got up. I reached out to stop him, my fingers tingling again as our skin connected.
“Um…” I started. “I can carry them.”
Shane gave me a bright smile. “It’s fine. I’ll run to the car. Drop them in the trunk. No problem.”
“Let’s go.” Mia got up, unaware of whatever I was experiencing as my hand lingered on Shane’s arm.
I hopped up and took a big sip of my drink before dropping it in the same trash can Mia had just dropped our empty salad bowls in.
“Care to tell me where we’re going?” I picked up my pace to match Mia’s determined step.
“You’ll figure it out when we get there.” Mia kept her eyes facing forward. I had no choice but to match my step with hers. At the speed we were going, there wasn’t really much option for conversation.
Mia halted without warning, pulling on my arm to stop me. She spun me to face her, holding me by the shoulders in a tight grip.
“Okay, Abs. I don’t want you to freak out. Shane asked me to help, because I’m good at these type of things. And you wanted to change your looks. Stand out a bit more. So you have to trust me on this one. I promise, this is going to be something good. Maybe something outside of your comfort zone, but something good.”
My hands began
to moisten. As I gazed into Mia’s face, her bright smile and raised brows reassured me, but only slightly. She hadn’t let me down so far. “Okay.” I dragged out each letter, still feeling nervous knots in my belly.
“Let’s go.” She spun me so fast, I almost lost my balance. It kept me from seeing where we were headed. The moment we walked in, I figured out what she had in mind.
“How can I help you?” the female shop clerk greeted us as we walked in.
“My friend Abs is the one that needs help.” Mia almost pushed me into the woman’s arms.
-Chapter 7-
All the way back to Shane’s place, I kept blinking, my eyes trying to adjust. For as long as I could remember, I’d worn glasses. All day, every day. Contacts weren’t something I’d ever considered. Poking my eyes each day and popping lenses in them seemed like a form of modern torture I wasn’t willing to conform to.
“You look stunning.” Mia stuck her head between the two headrests, scooting forward from her seat in the back. “Stop blinking. It makes you look weird. Like you’ve got something in your eye.” Mia sure had a way with words.
“Well, duh.” I almost hit my palm on my forehead.
Next to me, Shane snickered, hiding it with a cough. I caught his shining eyes and wide grin through the corner of my eye. He gave me a knowing smile, and I felt my lips curve. Smiling didn’t come naturally to me, but being around Mia, and Shane especially, made it easy. Natural.
Shane was good-looking, no doubt about that. But like this, the relaxed version of him where he let me see another side of him, there was no denying his spontaneous smile had the power to turn even my insides to mush. My eyes dropped down to his lips, and I was caught off guard when my breath hitched in my chest.
“That’s much better.” Mia interrupted my thoughts. I shook my head and averted my gaze, but not before I caught Mia eyeing me through the mirror of the sun visor. She gave me a knowing grin, her eyes and head tilting toward her brother and her eyebrows waggling up and down while her grin doubled in size.
I just rolled my eyes and snapped the visor shut. Mia’s antics were proving to be tiring. Or maybe it was the three hours of endless shopping. I wasn’t sure.
We made it to Shane’s house much faster than the drive over to the mall. When we got there, Mia tugged on my hand and dragged me up to her room. I didn’t even have a choice in the matter.
“You have the outfits, you have the contacts. Now it’s time to work on your hair and makeup.” After checking what my budget was, Mia had insisted I get a ton of stuff at the mall. I guessed now was the time to try it all on. Or, at least, some of it.
One hour later and what felt like endless strokes of makeup brushes and tugging and backcombing on my hair, Mia spun me around in the chair. I sat there and stared at the mirror, not sure who I was seeing in the reflection. The color of my eyes and hair were familiar, the shape of my face and the curve of my cheekbones still the same. But all of that was dusted in layers of sparkly powder and shimmery glosses that seemed to accentuate my face in a way I’d never thought was even possible. Somehow, she’d managed to make me look…normal. No, that wasn’t the right word. I looked pretty. I’d never felt pretty. I’d always been the smart girl. The one with glasses that was brainy. Mia had taken one trip to the mall, and an hour’s worth of primping, and shattered that misconception. I wasn’t sure if I should hop up out of my seat and wrap my arms around her or reach for one of the wipes and take it all off and braid my hair. I wasn’t used to looking like this. Pretty. Noticeable. I was used to blending into the masses. My sharp mind was what made me stand out, in the right place and at the right time. When I chose to. I’d never used my looks to stand out, or thought that they were even good enough to use.
“Okay. I can see you’re freaking out. I might have gotten a little carried away with the highlighter and the eyeshadow. And maybe with the curls in your hair. But Abs, you’re gorgeous. Why on earth have you never taken a little time to accentuate all you have to work with? Your brain isn’t the only feature you have.”
“Um…” I looked up from the mirror into Mia’s grinning face, and words escaped me. That didn’t usually happen to me. But right now, I had nothing to say. I never would have thought contacts and some makeup would have made such a difference. I guess my mom had been right all along. I never had listened to her.
“All right. I’m going to get that outfit that had Shane gawking at you. You can get that on before he takes you out on your date tonight.” Mia ran out of the room.
“Hang on. What are you talking about? What date?” I sputtered. I contemplated running after her, but I had no idea where she went. And I wasn’t sure I was ready for anyone to see me like this.
“Here.” Mia busted through the door and threw a bag at me. I reached out in time to catch it.
“I’ll put the other bags over here.” She motioned to the corner where she deposited the bags. “Shane left them out in the hall. Now, get dressed. He’s waiting.”
“Why am I getting dressed up?” I checked my phone. “At ten at night? Aren’t we done?” I questioned.
“No. Hurry up. You can use my bathroom.” Mia tapped her foot on the floor and moved her hands in a get-ready-soon gesture.
I was too tired to protest. I walked into the bathroom and closed the door. The big mirror over the sink mocked me as I stared at my new self. Forcing myself to look away, I pulled my plain navy shirt and jean shorts off and switched it out for the new outfit in the bag. The moment I put the candy-red tank top on, the olive tone of my skin seemed to glow. And Mia had managed to find a lip gloss that matched the shade of red perfectly. When I slipped on the jeans, I stared at my navy Converse. Somehow, my usual choice of shoes didn’t seem to mesh right with the feel of the outfit.
Mia knocked on the door and busted in without waiting for my consent. “Here.” She handed me a pair of flat, beaded sandals. The reds and blues of the beading worked perfectly with the jeans and the red of my tank top. And she had added a long necklace to the pile.
“When did we…” I started, but Mia held her hand up.
“The time you took to change.” She shook her head. “I could have doubled your purchases. Consider it a gift. Now go. Shane is waiting downstairs.”
“I don’t understand. We were supposed to go shopping. We went. Why is he waiting downstairs?”
“I don’t know. Shopping was where I came in. The rest is your deal with Shane. Now go. He gets crabby when he has to wait too long.”
I eyed her for a minute longer, sensing much more than she was telling me by the sly grin on her face and that knowing look in her eyes, but Mia wasn’t going to give me more.
I walked down the stairs and saw Shane’s back to me as I came down the last step. I waited there a second, my hands growing clammy. Shane must have felt my eyes on him, because he looked over his shoulder and his phone went limp in his hand.
“Hi.” My voice trembled. I knew this wasn’t a date, no matter what Mia had suggested. But somehow the knots in my stomach had me convinced it was still…something.
Just not a date.
I kept chanting that to myself as I stepped off the last step.
“Wow, Abs. You look amazing.” Shane stood up and tucked his phone in his pocket. He walked up to me, and those knots started twisting and tugging, causing all kinds of havoc inside while on the outside I tried to remain calm and collected.
Shane reached out to tuck a stray curl behind my ear. When his finger connected with the skin on my cheekbone, goose bumps rose on the length of my arms. His fingertips lingered, and my pulse hammered in my chest. I was sure Shane would see it if his gaze dropped down, but his eyes stayed glued to my face. I couldn’t read his expression, but his eyebrows pulled together as he studied me. We stood there, the tension palpable as I waited, not sure what for.
“This outfit looks even better than it did in the store. With the hair, and makeup.” Shane’s voice had dropped to a whisper as he reached out and toy
ed with a curl.
The close proximity and the scent of Shane’s cologne was making my head swim. What was happening here? I was doing this for Chris, right?
“Do you think Chris will like it?” I mumbled, my head still a jumbled mess as I inhaled the scent of oranges and something else I couldn’t identify.
Shane’s head jerked back, and his hand dropped at the same time he stepped back. “If Chris doesn’t love it, he’s a moron.”
The speed at which he moved had my head tumbling and spinning even more.
“Let’s go.” Shane turned toward the front door and didn’t look back to see if I followed. I fell into step behind him, not sure what exactly was going on. When I got outside, Shane was waiting at the car, holding the door open for me.
Once inside, I buckled up. “Where are we going?” I questioned.
That easy grin appeared on Shane’s face, as if that tense moment two minutes ago hadn’t even happened. I decided to ignore whatever it was and smiled back. I’d have plenty of time tonight to figure out what that had been all about.
“We can’t get you all dressed up like that and not go out. We’re going on a date.”
The words weren’t any different than what Mia had said, but coming from Shane’s lips, they sounded different. It made my breath catch in my throat.
“What kind of date?” I tried for casual, but who was I kidding? I was totally freaking out.
“You’ll see.” Shane laughed, seemingly aware of what he was doing to me and definitely enjoying it.
Apparently, the way to get Chris to notice me not only involved changing the way I looked but going on a date with Shane, the hottest guy on campus.
-Chapter 8-
“You know, when you said ‘date,’ this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.” I glanced around the diner, and my eyes landed back on Shane.
Shane leaned in close. “What did you have in mind?” His voice sounded sultry and sent my temperature climbing a few degrees, but the gleam in his eyes hinted at the typical playfulness I was used to with Shane. That tone, and his lips so close to me, had me reaching out to my chocolate shake and taking a big sip before offering a proper response.
