Jiwa

Chapter Twenty-One

"I can't wait!" I said as I traipsed around the store.

"I know, right? I'm so glad the school didn't cancel the Holiday Dance, what with all that's going on," said Kelly, as she fingered the lace on a creamy blue dress.

It was the week of the Holiday Dance, just weeks away before some of the biggest holidays of the year. Kelly, Devi, and I had gone into the city to prepare for the dance - getting dresses and planning for the evening.

"So, since no one has a date, we're going as a group, right?" said Devi, holding a red and gold dress against herself.

I nodded, as I held up a leafy green dress with red gauze around the top. None of us were in a relationship; Kellys' old girlfriend had dumped her just before the start of the school year, and Devi hadn't had a boyfriend since Zach had broken up with her six months ago.

"Ooh, what about this one?" said Devi excitedly. Kelly gasped as I squealed with delight.

"Ohmigosh, Devi, it's perfect!" I said. The dress Devi had selected was a deep crimson velvet, with a tight-fitting strapless top and a poofy skirt, adorned with deeper shades of crimson lace. A bright scarlet ribbon was attached to bind the top to the skirt, and a folded ribbon was at the top of the bodice. Devi folded it around to show us that the back had an elaborate lacey design, of flowers and birds and rabbits.

"You...you need to try that on. That is the perfect dress for you, Devs!" exclaimed Kelly. I nodded my agreement.

Devi smiled nervously and clutched the dress, threading her way through the clothing racks to the fitting rooms in the back of the store.

Kelly and I kept browsing, but I nearly dropped the dress I was holding when I heard Kelly squeak.

In her hands was a deep green dress. It had only one over-the-shoulder strap of closely-woven green gauze. The dress was gathered tightly around the knees, then ballooned beautifully out around the ankles. The whole dress was layers of satin, gauze, and lace in varying shades of green.

I gasped. "Kelly - that is an amazing dress! That looks incredible!" Kelly grinned at me, then down at the dress.

"You think?" she asked, although I could tell by her voice she agreed. I nodded, and she shrugged happily. "Well, I'll be back," she said, heading to the fitting rooms.

I was fingering another dress, this one black with silver trim when I heard Devi behind me.

"Hey, Fee. Whaddya think?" I turned around slowly and gaped. Devi looked amazing in that red dress.

"Devi...ohmigod, you look like a goddess! Tha dress...that lace...that look...Devi, that is perfect, ohmigod-"

"Ok, ok," she said, giggling. "I get it, I look okay-"

"No!" I jumped in, my smile growing wider by the second. "You look. So. Amazing. Don't talk yourself down Devs!" I gently wrapped my arms around her shoulders, giving her a little squeeze.

"Hey, girls," said a familiar voice. I turned around and nearly died when I saw Kelly.

"Girl! Kells! I just-" I stammered. Devi laughed and high-fived Kelly.

"You look incredible, Kelly!' Devi gushed. Kelly blushed and clutched the skirt, sighing and giggling at all the praise.

While Kelly and Devi went to pay for their dresses, I walked deeper into the store, racks of gorgeous evening wear enveloping me. I sighed contentedly as I gazed at the abundance of satin and silk.

I was pulling aside a skirt when I saw it, strapped to a mannequin. I gasped and dashed through the racks of dresses to get a closer look.

It was gorgeous, with a gathered black bodice and a shimmering black skirt. Gray satin peeked out from underneath the darker fabric. Small jewels, rhinestones, and lace flowers dotted the top of the dress. Two thick straps dotted with gauzy flowers completed the top, complemented by the lacy ribbon bunched at the waistline of the dress. I gasped again as I ran my hand in the smooth satin skirt, and the gorgeous black bodice. I gently lifted the dress from the mannequin and rushed to the fitting rooms. I struggled out of my tee-shirt and jeans and gently pulled on the gorgeous dress. I swirled around in the mirror, grinning at how amazing the dress was.

When I had put my normal clothes back on, and I had wrapped the dress in the thick white canvas, I approached the counter, counting out wangs in my palm. But as soon as I set the dress down, the lady behind the register looked up at me and beamed.

"Fiona, is it?" I cocked my head and nodded. The lady smiled. "Fiona, your friends told me that you only need to pay half-price for the dress; they covered you the other half."

My jaw dropped. "They what!? But why-? How could they-" The lady hushed and held up her hand. I sighed and deposited only 150 wang instead of the full price of 300.

As I went to grab my things to leave, the shopkeeper said, "Wait, Fiona! I've got one more thing for you!"

Curious, I stopped and waited as the lady rummaged around at the back. She reemerged with a black velvet case. She opened it and sifted through several multicolored envelopes until she found it. She held up a thin black chain, adorned with a silver and white pendant, shaped like a fairy. She handed it to me, saying, "It goes with your dress. Happy dancing, sweetheart."

My heart was too full for words, so I nodded and felt a tear slip down my cheek as I put the necklace in the canvas and exited the shop, to find that Devi and Kelly were waiting excitedly outside.

"So, Fee," squealed Kelly, "What'd ya think?" she gestured to my parcel.

To my surprise, I felt myself tearing up. I smiled and took a deep breath.

"You guys...oh, you guys," I choked out, holding my arms up for a hug. Devi and Kelly smiled lovingly and hugged me.

"We wanted to give you something to apologize for the incident with Dan," said Devi. "And we knew you would get mad if we bought the whole thing for you since you had been saving up for a while." I nodded.

"Oh, you guys," I said again, tears rolling down my cheeks. Kelly threw her arms around me as Devi grabbed my dress, and we walked towards the schools' portal, laughing and giggling about the dance.

Devi's dress:

Kelly's dress:

Fiona's dress: