Unpractised

7. Shopping

shopping

/ˈʃɒpɪŋ/

noun

the action or activity of buying goods from shops.

I am panicking. And I think I need to go dress shopping.

After some googling yesterday Ash found the place Aleric was planning on taking me to, turns out "the Dinner Delight" is a really fancy restaurant. It's supposed to be impossible to get a table there, especially with such short notice.

I guess money always finds a way, but this restaurant looks expensive enough as it is and I don't even want to begin to imagine, what all of this costs.

Normally I wouldn't mind splitting the bill on a first date, not that I have been on a first date before, but today I really hope he pays. The price of even one meal at the dinner delight seems to be about the same as my and Ash's part of rent.

So given the nature of the restaurant I am fairly sure I don't have a dress to fit the occasion, hence my need to go shopping today. I don't like that I am only going out to buy an outfit today. I usually need a few days, if not weeks of buffer to make sure I can prepare for every possibility. My mind will not stop overthinking.
What happens if I don't find anything to wear that I like? What if I do find something I like but he doesn't like it? What if my outfit isn't appropriate for the setting? What if I can't find anything that's even half affordable? Because I am sure the fancy-enough dresses are about as pricy as my meal tonight will be.

This whole thing is so far out of my comfort zone, not just am I going on my first date ever, with someone who is way out of my league, look wise but also financially and socially. But I also am not too thrilled to be surrounded by a crowd of people who will undoubtedly judge me for my mere existing in their oh so untouchable presence.

So far I've not made the most pleasant experiences with entitled people, who never had to work for what they had, because they either married rich or inherited all they have. And they now decided to give everyone who wasn't born with a silver spoon in their mouth dirty looks for just being.

Don't get me wrong, how someone makes their money is none of my business, as long as it's consensual and not hurting anyone. But mostly the people who didn't have to work for their shit or got spoiled from the first day they were put into this miserable world, are the ones least understanding of the people who cannot afford the luxuries that money may allow others to enjoy.

I am definitely drifting off here, the point is I'm equal parts excited and terrified to go out tonight.

I also have recently developed the tendency to cry when I'm under stress, which is not good. I really hate to cry in front of people and only very rarely do so. Ash kind of hates me for it, but a girl's gotta do, what a girl's gotta do.

"Alright, let's get going" Ash's call finally frees me from my overthinking and brings me back to the present.

As we arrive I am overwhelmed by the amount of people buzzing around us, which makes me grateful to have my best friend at my side. Without her I would've probably given up before I even properly got to start.

I usually do most of my shopping online, because I hate changing in stores and it's just less stressful for me in general. But Ash is an expert at the mall and knows where to go and exactly what to look for.

That's how we ended up in this cute, classy but still affordable shop, with me trying on my third outfit. The girl who worked there was super helpful and nice. Although she is has very obviously been flirting with Ash ever since we entered this shop, it's actually really sweet to watch.