Must the Flowers Die

Chapter 7: Silk

Mia and Jessica flipped through the racks at the vintage store in Columbia. They had driven to the capital after school to spend the afternoon and to find a dress for the Homecoming dance. Mia hadn't realized that it was only two weeks away. Once again since agreeing to Alex's request, she regretted her decision.

It was a hot day, even by Carolina standards. The sun mixed with the humidity suffocated, and Mia found herself blissfully happy that she didn't have wushu practice on Mondays. Mr. Hong didn't believe in air conditioning and held practice in a field in the summer, so as not to stink up his studio. His exercises would have been absolutely punishing today.

"What exactly was the style in the 80s?" Jess asked, as she skeptically held out a bright green suit jacket with tassles.

"Ugly." Mia smirked. The theme for the Homecoming dance was Pretty in Pink. It seemed like most of the girls from school were taking it literally and wearing pink. Mia, however, was never one to forgo a costume party. She had suggested to the group to instead dress in 80s clothes, à la the classic eighties flick. Joe and Alex loved the idea. It meant that they didn't have to hire expensive, ill-fitted suits. Jess was less convinced.

"Think neon colors, big shoulder pads, huge hair." Mia continued.

"So why are we doing this again?" Jess grimaced and put back the green jacket.

"Because it's fun! And pink isn't our color. Trust me."

Just then, Mia spotted two articles of clothing that were pure perfection, right next to each other, as if fate had blessed her idea. One was a hot pink suit, tall and slender, and the other was a form fitting hot pink dress with huge shoulders. Huge. She involuntarily let out a tiny squeak and ran to the pieces.

"Here, try this on!" She held the dress up towards Jess. It looked like it could fit.

"I thought you said that pink wasn't our color?" Jess dubiously pursed her lip.

"Hot pink's different. It's deliciously camp. Trust me."

Mia dragged Jess to the dressing room. A few minutes later, they were parading in front of the three-paneled mirror at the store. Her suit was even more spectacular than she had initially believed. Two stripes of pink sequins ran parallel down the sides, and the lapels were satiny. Best of all, it was cheap. Jess's dress was also splendid. It was just the right amount of tight, and the large, poofy shoulders framed Jess's face dramatically. She looked punk and glamorous.

"What do you think?" She asked Jess.

Jess swayed back and forth, looking at herself in the mirror. Finally, reluctantly, she admitted, "It's not a total failure."

Fifteen minutes later, they were sitting in Starbucks. Mia was very satisfied with their purchases. Altogether, with accessories, the final price tag for the two of them together was $50 because both items had small tears. Mia would be able to fix them easily enough in minutes. Not bad for a day's work.

"Sometimes I don't know how you get your ideas." Jess said as she sipped her herbal tea. Mia was on her way to a healthy addiction to coffee, but Jessica refused to partake. Jess avoided substance dependence of any kind. That included alcohol, drugs (of course), coffee, and Tylenol.

Mia once again marveled at Jess's self-control and took a sip of her iced coffee. She frowned and put in two more packets of sugar. "I wish I can just claim credit, but the Met Gala Camp photos inspired me."

"What's that?" Jess pulled her hair down to inspect the curls.

Mia groaned. "Jess, I have told you about the Met Gala like five hundred times! You never listen to me."