by Kasi Blake
It was such a long drive to town that Bay-Lee fell asleep in the back of Van’s limo. She might have been able to stay awake if the other girl had talked to her during the ride, but Keisha was on her phone the whole time, texting.
When Keisha said they were going shopping, Bay-Lee expected to go to one of those chain stores that sell food, household items, and anything else a person might need. She thought they would make a single stop, shop for an hour at the most, and return to the school. She couldn’t have been more wrong. Keisha treated shopping like an Olympic event.
Their first stop was a line of small boutiques sandwiched between a jewelry store and an outdoor cafe on a quaint cobblestone street. Expensive clothing hung in the floor-to-ceiling windows. Bay-Lee broke out in a cold sweat as Keisha pushed the door open. A tiny bell jangled above their heads. Bay-Lee tried to back out, but Keisha pushed her across the beige carpet.
Perfume teased Bay-Lee’s nose. The place even smelled expensive. She scratched her arm just above the elbow, certain she was having an allergic reaction. She wrinkled her nose and tried not to breathe too deeply. An inner voice warned her to be careful. She didn’t belong here, and the saleslady was bound to notice.
There was a white television hanging near the ceiling and it was turned on, the volume low. What drew her attention to it was a familiar face. It seemed Tyler Beck was going to haunt her forever. She stopped to stare at the screen for a moment, recognizing the music video from her days hanging out with Chloe. It was the Gold-digger video.
The video began with a girl slapping Tyler across the face. Bay-Lee envied her. It was set up to look like Bad-Rock was rehearsing in a basement apartment. After striking him the blonde got into an old fashioned elevator, pulled the gate shut, and slowly disappeared from view. Tyler (Nick) yelled, “Why are you doing this to me? Come on. You’re killing me!”
The music began to play.
While Tyler sang about lost love, a pair of sexy red heels passed by the street level window. His beautiful voice caressed each word. Bay-Lee wondered two things. How had she missed out on discovering the talented rock singer when she’d been combing the country with her uncle, and was she ever going to escape the wide shadow cast by Tyler Beck?
It seemed like he was everywhere, haunting her. His husky voice sang to her.
Wasting all my money.
Wasting all my time.
Her hands are in my pockets.
I’m losing more than just my mind.
If I don’t give her what she wants,
If I don’t give her what she needs,
She walks out—temporarily.
“Get over here and help me out,” Keisha demanded. She pulled a few blouses off a rack and held them against her own body. “What sort of stuff do you like, New-girl?”
“My name is not New-girl.”
“O-kay.” Keisha made a face as if to say she didn’t care what Bay-Lee’s name was. “What’s your style?”
Bay-Lee sighed. “I don’t have a style. People dress me like I’m a doll, remember?”
Keisha’s eyes lit up. “Awesome! You are one lucky girl. If I wasn’t a hunter, I’d be a personal stylist to the stars. Leave it to me. I will pick the perfect wardrobe for you.”
Bay-Lee held one of Keisha’s choices, a beige mini-dress, in front of her body and eyed it with disapproval. “Oh, I don’t do dresses, especially not one this short.”
“You have to be able to fight, don’t you? Here’s a lesson I bet Van Helsing has never taught you. A girl can look feminine and still be a great hunter. You need to avoid long dresses and skin-tight jeans. Wear pants with material that stretches and short skirts that free your legs to kick.” Keisha winked. “You know I know what I’m talking about.”
When Keisha pushed her into a dressing room, Bay-Lee reluctantly tried on the dress. It seemed like she was trapped in the tiny room forever. As soon as she finished with one batch, Keisha tossed a few more outfits over the low-hanging door.
She hated to admit it, but after a while she began to enjoy herself. Wasn’t this every girl’s dream? She tried on beautiful clothes, modeled them, and bought everything that looked good on her without even glancing at the price tags.
They went to three more boutiques. After the third one, Keisha pulled a silver bracelet from her pocket and dangled it in front of Bay-Lee’s face. “By the way, do you want this back?”
Bay-Lee gasped. She checked her wrist and found it bare. “How did you…give me that.”
“I am an expert pick-pocket. Didn’t I tell you?”
“It wasn’t in my pocket.”
Keisha laughed as if she was dealing with a small child. “I can remove anything off anyone at any time without them feeling a thing. It’s a gift. Maybe someday I’ll teach you how to do it. Trust me when I say it can come in handy during a fight.”
