I Left My Converse In His Car

| Ch. 14 | Dress |

"Too pink. Too frilly. Shows too much skin." I pause, sighing. "Ugh, why is this so complicated." I whine, leaning against Nathan dramatically.

"Don't be so dramatic." He whines back.

I roll my eyes as he wanders off deeper into the never ending boutique. Both of the tuxes have been found, excluding ties, and the dress is now the hardest part.

I've navigated myself away from the overly bright colors and near what I think I want. My parents told me that I could get away with a short dress for this event. Thankfully, because a long dress would've been terrible. I have a hard enough time walking, minus heels and a long, annoying skirt.

We'd been in this shop for a little over half an hour and I was still flipping through the endless racks of dresses. I stop short when I come across a red dress with an embellished bodice and a tulle skirt.

I jump when a hand grazes my side and turn my head to find Nathan standing behind me, staring not at me, but at the stunning dress in front of me.

"Whoa." He says quietly. I nod and take the dress off the rack. "I'm going to go try it on." I say nodding towards the dressing rooms.

Nathan follows me over to the dressing rooms and sits on a chair outside the one that I enter. I lock the door behind me and place the hanger on a hook on the wall. I stare at it for a while longer before I pull my t-shirt over my head.

After I undress, I unzip the the zipper and step into the dress. "Hey Nate?" I say quietly, trying not to disturb other people. "What's up Hars?" He asks.

I hold up the dress to my chest before I unlock the door and crack it open to peak out. "I need help with the zipper."

Nathan chuckles a bit, stepping into the dressing room and shutting the door behind him. A hand is placed on my hip and I hold my breath as the bodice tightens to fit my body. My eyes lock with Nathan's in the mirror and something flares up in my stomach for just a moment.

"Okay, get out." I say, opening the door with a smile.

"Wait wh—" He starts. "I'll be out in a few." I say.

I pull out a pair of gold heels from my bag, wondering at the same time how my mom knew to pack that exact pair. I slip them on, my height raising about six inches. I take my hair out of my ponytail, just for show and open the door.

I watch as Nathan's eyes snap up. His baby blues run over my body and come to rest on my face. "Five stars, cutie."

"Thank you." I say, spinning around slowly. "I'll go change, then we can find a tie and pay."

He shoots me a thumbs up, and watches me with a dazzling smile. I shut the door once again and sigh. Oh boy, what have I gotten myself into...
-
As I wake up, I hear the muffled sounds of voices coming from downstairs. I feel uncomfortable, empty you could say, this morning. Grasping onto what day it is, I bask in the warmth of my bed for a few moments longer before going to start my shower.

I let the mirror fog up and my music blast before I step into the warm shower. The empty feeling I woke up with hasn't gone away. The pattering of water on my back is relaxing, possibly too much. My chin quivers and I slap a hand over my mouth to stop the loud sobs.

I grab onto a shelf on the shower wall as the memories come flooding back to me. Tears roll down my face silently and I let them.

Four years ago today, Valley was picking me up from a basketball camp at the community college outside of town, as a caring older sister would do. She had her best friend, Sarah, with her so I just sat quietly in the backseat.

I remember the ride home being filled with laughter and obnoxiously loud singing. We were all having a good time, just a casual Saturday afternoon.

Valley was at home on break from Stanford as a sophomore in college. My fourteen year old self was ecstatic to have her older sister home. Little did I know that it would be her last visit.

The man ran a red light. Our car hit head on at about fifty miles per hour. Screaming, crying, an instant halt to our laughter. Valley was thrown through the windshield due to an ineffective air bag. Her friend Sarah, died a few minutes later.

I was left with a concussion and whiplash, along with a gash along my collar bone from the seatbelt. I was left with the scar, a dead sister, and the haunting memories of eyes wide open.

A loud knock on my bathroom door snaps me out of my head and back into reality. "Harley? It's mom, come down to breakfast when you're ready sweetheart." I hear over the water.

"Okay mom!" I shout back with a raspy voice. I turn off the water and wring out my hair before wrapping myself in a fluffy towel.

I dry off and wrap my hair in the towel before getting dressed. I put on a pair of athletic leggings with a sports bra and crew neck sweatshirt. After drying my hair a bit, I toss it into a messy bun, not really caring how it looks.

I leave my phone on the nightstand and head downstairs to a family breakfast.

The first thing that catches my eye is the empty chair at the end of the table, the one where she used to claim almost every morning. It's rare that anyone else sits there. I glance at my parents and brothers tear stained faces and choke back more of my own.

We all sit and eat in silence. It's how our family handles grief and pain. We stay quiet and deal with our demons on our own. Comfort is always offered, but words of wisdom for this topic most often come from a professional.

Collin locks eyes with me and visibly tears up immediately. He reaches across the table and squeezes my limp hand tightly. "I love you Collin." I say softly.

"I love you too baby sis." He murmurs.
-

Hello, hello! Yes, it's short but it's here (finally, I know)

Let me know your thoughts, this one was a bit difficult to write, that's for sure.

Look out for another chapter soon! ;)