Solo

Chapter Eight: Eugene

Casey and I woke up early. We wanted to be at Valley River Center in Eugene when it opened. Mom had already cooked up a road-ready breakfast for us by the time we came downstairs.

"Eliana, do you have your card?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's in my handbag."

"Try not to spend more than three hundred, okay?"

"I don't think I'm going to get a three hundred dollar dress."

"Well, you'll need accessories, shoes, maybe a matching handbag. Who knows? You might find some summer clothes, too."

"Okay, I get it." I rolled my eyes at Casey. "Ready?"

When we were on the road, Casey started flipping through my CDs. "I can't believe your parents let you have a card."

"Well, it's a debit card linked to my mom's bank account; it just has my name on it."

"They must really trust you."

"I don't use it often; mostly for things like this or for an emergency. I know if I get out of control, it's gone."

"You're lucky, my parent's make me baby-sit my cousins and help around the farm for an allowance."

"I help around the house, but I don't get an allowance. They give me money when I need something. I baby-sat when I lived in California. I have some money in savings, but my mom hardly ever makes me spend it."

"I plan to get a real job this summer, hopefully at the supermarket," said Casey.

"I've been thinking about getting a summer job, too, but since I'm taking a trip to California this summer, I'm still undecided."

"Well, you better figure it out soon, there aren't many jobs in Myrtle Creek, and everyone starts looking the last month of school. If you're serious about it, be prepared to jump fast."

"That's good to know."

We sang along through the entire CD. It made the drive seem faster. There weren't many cars on the road and I assumed it was because most people slept late on Saturdays.

"I think we drove here in record time," Casey joked.

We entered the mall parking lot and were shocked by all the cars. It looked like everyone within a hundred mile radius had had the same idea. We had to stay focused on our mission. Prom was only a few weeks away and there was no time to dawdle. Our plan was to go to every store, try on our favorites, and put the best ones on hold.

The first department store was packed with girls looking for dresses. The store looked like a tornado had hit formal wear. Casey and I looked at each other horrified. I loved to shop, but this was insane. We figured we'd start by finding dresses still available in our size.

The dressing rooms were even worse. The line was so long, I asked Casey if she cared if we shared a room. She quickly nodded in agreement. We waited patiently for one of the larger rooms to become available. When we snagged it, we changed from dress to dress like we were in some kind of marathon. We didn't say much other than the occasional, "that's looks nice," or "I like that one," or "no way."

Casey was lucky enough to find two dresses for her "possible" list and put them on hold. She was a perfect size six. I didn't have any luck. Every cute size four dress had already been snagged. I could get into some size twos but I looked way too trashy, and I swam in size six.

We moved on to the next store with the same dilemma. In fact, all the stores were the same. We repeated our method of trying on dresses in every store. By two o'clock, we had covered most of the mall. Casey had eight possible dresses, and I had two.