Road Trip With the Enemy

Chapter Twenty-Two

I flip through the channels, feeling bored. I look up as the sound of footsteps enter the room. "Hey," Mom says.

I nod. "Hey," I say.

She sits beside me. "Something happened on your road trip, didn't it?" she asks.

I sigh, "We kissed."

Excitement flickers across Mom's eyes. "Really?"

"Mom, he told me to forget about it, and that we just need to be friends. So, you can forget about wedding plans and what not," I snap.

Mom bites her lip. "You are in love with him, aren't you? I can see it in your eyes every time you look at him."

"How can you see that? We just got back two days ago," I say.

Mom grins. "Because it's the same look that I give your father, and all you've been doing the past two days is mope," she says.

"Oh, does thou have any more wise words, Friar Laurnce?" I ask in a Shakespearean voice.

Mom rolls her eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Think what you want, but everyone can see that you're in love with him."

"Mom, I'm not in love with him," I lie. "Please just drop it."

Mom sighs, "Okay." A moment of silence past before Mom looks at me. "How about we go shopping for birthday stuff?"

"Mom, I don't think I want a birthday party," I sigh.

She frowns. "Come on. You have four days until your birthday. If you have one, I'll invite Claire and her family. I'll even pay for their plane ticket. Come on, Olivia! It'll be fun!"

"Just Claire and her family," I say.

"And maybe some of your relatives. I promise it won't be a lot. Please?" Mom begs.

I sigh, "Claire and her family, and some of our relatives. That's it."

"So, you'll have a birthday party?" she asks.

I frown. "I'll have a birthday party."

Mom squeals then stands up. Grabbing my hand, she says, "Karen, Lily, and Sadie, come on!  We are having a girl's day!"
*****
"No pink stuff, guys!" I exclaim. "I want baby blue and lavender," I tell them.

Lily frowns. "You have terrible color choices," she says.

"Thanks, Lily. I'll take that as a compliment," I say sarcastically.

She smiles. "Anytime," she says.

Mom nudges me. "Okay, baby blue and purple," she says.

I smile. "Good," I say as she grabs the baby blue and lavender napkins, plates, and cups.

Mom whispers in Karen's ear then Karen smiles. "Okay, Sadie and Lily, lets go get food and drinks and what not," Karen says.

Once they're out of sight, Mom loops her arm through mine. "Let's go dress shopping."

"Where at?" I ask.

Mom smiles. "The mall. We will come back for the girls."

"Oh, great," I say. Then, about fifteen minutes later, we find ourselves walking into the mall.

Mom eyes the dress shop. "There we go," she says.

"Mom, that's a prom dress shop," I say.

She grins. "We have to you looking stunning."

I raise an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

"Well, if you want to catch Ash-"

"Mom, I swear to God! I asked you to drop it," I say.

She smiles. "But I never said I would. I've already talked to Ka-"

"You told Karen!" I exclaim.

Mom laughs, "She already knew, Liv, so chill."

I groan, "I'm dreading this." Mom drags me into the store. She scans the racks for a dress. "Can I just go in a t-shirt and jeans?"

Mom glares at me. "No," she says.
"Mom, I didn't even want one in the first place," I say.

"One what?" she asks, scanning the rack.

I groan, "A birthday party!"

"Oh, don't be such a whinebag, Olivia. You're just gonna have to suck it up, buttercup, because you are not getting out of this party," Mom teases.

I flop onto a bench with a huff. I watch Mom as she scans the racks then a few minutes later, her eyes light up. She holds the dress up. "Oh, no."

Mom nods. "Oh, yes. Try it on," she commamds. She shoves the dress in my hands and shoves me into a dressing room. She props herself in front of the door, so I can't get out.

"We could wait until Claire got here," Mom says.

"No!" I say. The last thing I want to do is shop with Claire. She would have me in here a million times. I slip out if my jeans and t-shirt then slide the dress on, tying it behind my neck.

I take a look in the mirror. The dress is baby blue, sparkling, and reaches my knees. It proofs out at the bottom but not a huge poofy way. It snakes up to my neck where it is now tied in a bow.

I open the dressing room door, and Mom almost falls on me. I catch her then She spins around. "Tha-" the word dies on her lips.

"You like it?" I ask.

Mom smiles. "It's beautiful. Ooh, we should have all of the girls wear lavender dresses. You'll be the only one in blue."

"Wow, so, I'll stand out. Not my cup of tea. I'd rather have a casual birthday party. I think you are going a little overboard."

Mom laughs, "Too bad. Come on, let's pay for this and go get the girls. I'll get Claire a dress while we are here. What size is she?"

"An eight in women's," I reply, dreading the next few hours of dress shopping and probably a little more party planning.