"And what are you doing?"
Martha quickly turned at the sound of August's voice. His brow was furrowed and he had a sneer on his face; she froze as she stood in front of her open closet, clutching a red dress in her hands.
"Uh... I was just looking for an outfit." She answered.
"For what?" August asked.
"The benefit. Johanna wanted me to be there tonight."
August paused, then glanced at the garment in his girlfriend's hands. After a moment, he snatched it and held it up to get a better look. It was garnet red with a flowery print, lacey accents at the sleeves, and a long flowing skirt. He then glanced over at her with a disappointed scowl. She nervously grimaced.
"You cannot wear this." He said, throwing the dress on the floor.
"Why not? I really like that one." Martha tried to argue.
"You need something classy and sophisticated, something that tells people you mean business. Something like..." He rummaged through the closet and pulled out a tight black cocktail dress with no sleeves; he also pulled out a pair of matching black sandals with buckles and high heels. "...this."
"You want me to wear that?" Martha's eyes widened in disgust; she absolutely hated that dress and she knew shoes like that would do nothing but give her blisters.
"Of course. I bought it for you and you haven't worn it yet."
"But... but this is a size three. I'm a size five. Will it even fit me?"
"Meh, we just need a little Crisco, a shoehorn, and some fishing line and we're good to go. You also need to do something with your hair and makeup."
"What's wrong with my hair?" She nervously grasped some of her hair in her hands.
"It's too bright and long. And your face is too boring, too average, too pale. What you need is mascara, eye liner, a dark lipstick, matching eye shadow, and a somewhat darker foundation and you'll be perfect."
Martha took a step back. 'I really don't like where this is going.'
"Don't you want to make a good impression on Johanna and her peers? She's expecting you to look your absolute best and you certainly don't want to tarnish Who Runway's reputation, do you?"
"No! No, of course not."
"Good." August shoved the dress and shoes into her hands. "Now get ready. Once you put on that dress, I'll do your makeup and hair for you. Got it?"
Martha sighed and headed to the bathroom. "Yes, August."
"That's a good girl." He smiled as the bathroom door shut; he grabbed a hairbrush and a pair of scissors.
At the benefit, Heather was looking everywhere for Martha, but she was nowhere to be found. Tapping her foot, she checked her wrist watch; it was almost 7:30.
"Ugh, what is keeping her?" Heather mumbled in irritation. "She should be here by now."
"Heather, where in the name of Seuss is Martha May?" Johanna asked. "She's late."
"I know, Johanna. I always knew she would be a screw up."
Heather folded her arms before heard someone approach; she looked and saw Martha May stumbling over to her and Johanna. She was wearing the black dress and heeled sandals along with some pantyhose, studded bracelets, and a large diamond necklace with her bright red hair pulled into a bun and bangs almost covering half of her eyes and her face looked almost unrecognizable; she had ash gray eye shadow, maroon lipstick, and foundation that almost made her look tan. Heather and Johanna stared at her with wide eyes, unable to find the words.
YOU ARE READING
Working in Fashion
General Fiction[The Grinch 2018] Martha May went to school to become a teacher and she thought that would become just that. But instead, she ended up getting a job at Who Runway Fashion Magazine... and she hated it.
