Fake It 'Til You Make It

|27| Bonding

Melanie grinned, holding up the lipstick to her plump lips in the mirror. Her eyebrows scrunched together, scrutinizing the pale red against her lips. Then, she slightly turned to me. "What do you think, Ads? Does this lipstick go with my complexion?"

I smiled at her nickname. "I think you could go for a brighter red. It'd go better with your tan skin."

She nodded, thanked me for my advice, and went to find a brighter color. For a woman of her thirties, Melanie was very good with makeup. Unlike my mother, she knew what makeup was in and what would look the best. Well, actually, my mother barely wore any makeup, and couldn't understand my love for it. But, then again, Melanie felt more like a mom than my birth mother ever did. Melanie choose to bring me shopping. She choose to be nice to me. She didn't have to, but she did, and it made my heart feel a little less shattered in the mother department.

I walked around the makeup shop, my eyes lingering on the various lipstick shades lined up in a row. There were pinks, blues, purples, reds, blacks, almost any color you could imagine. My fingers grazed a nude pink. I picked it up, examining the tube of liquid lipstick. Then, I took it over to one of the many mirrors in the store, set it on the counter, and opened the tester. From a container I plucked a disposable applicator, and dipped it into the lipstick. The lipstick smoothly clung to the applicator, and I carefully applied it. It went on smooth and dried swiftly. I smiled, puckered my lips, and did a few poses. The color went amazing with my skin, and it felt hydrating on my lips.

"That looks great on you!" Melanie chirped, walking up behind me.

I smiled at her in the mirror, grabbed the tester, and prepared to put it back. Melanie followed me as I set it back in it's previous place. To my surprise, she picked up one of the boxed lipsticks of the same color and handed it to me.

She chuckled as I held it in my hands with wide eyes. "What, you think I'd take you out shopping and just buy stuff for myself?"

I shrugged. "You didn't have to buy me anything." And, she didn't. "Thank you."

She shook her head. "It's 'shopping', not 'looking'. I don't mind, honestly. I have plenty of money that I don't really know what to do with. The least I could do is use it to make someone happy."

"Just like when I first got to the house and found that makeup on the vanity," I smiled. I wrapped my arms around her thin frame, and I felt her own arms go around me. After a moment, I pulled away, and I couldn't help but smile at the nice woman that was my stepmother.

People looked our way. Some even smiled, pausing in their shopping to look.

Melanie was smiling also, and I noticed she had applied a brighter red to her lips. "Do you like this color?"

I nodded. "It looks great on you!"

"I think it does, too."

We went to pay for the lipsticks, deciding to check out other shops. Melanie's heels clicked against the tile, sundress swishing against her knees. In all honesty, she looked like a model in her twenties, even though she was older. She was stunning. Not only stunning, but extremely nice and considerate of others. I felt like there were so many people that could learn from her.

I clutched the plastic bag as we exited the makeup store. It was nice to bond with Melanie, to have a break from all the drama plaguing my life. People walked by, a lot of them. Most were dressed lavishly, as if wearing their wealth on their sleeves. Shops were all around, as were small kiosks littered around. I saw a few children rushing about, laughing and smiling. There were teenagers milling about, laughing together as tons of shopping bags hung off their arms. There was even a huge fountain in the middle of the mall. In the middle of it was a statue of a mermaid. Water sprayed out and up from the tip of her intricate tale, and some more from the palms of each of her upturned palms. Her smile was contagious to the few children tossing pennies into the water below. The mermaid and the walls containing the water were all made of sleek marble, shining under the sun peering through glass in the ceiling.

Suddenly, Melanie grabbed my arm and dragged me into a huge clothing shop. Racks and shelves stood all around, full of more clothes than I could count. My step mother offered me a grin. "We'll buy whatever you like! No limits!" And then she was gone, rifling through clothes that caught her eye. Left alone at the entrance to this store, I took this as a chance to look around. A few simple dresses caught my eye, as well as some jeans and t-shirts. I went for clothes that looked comfortable, yet fashionable. And, soon enough, I was clutching around seven articles of clothing and rushing off to find a dressing room.

I tried on various articles of clothing. One simply, flowy dress was my favorite. It glittered blue, perfect for any random parties I'd be dragged to. A pair of shorts didn't fit, and a few t-shirts did. A pair of jeans fit, but I didn't like them. And, my last pair of jeans and shorts fit. I smiled, twirling in the floor to top-of-the-stall mirror. My waves whacked me in the face and I let out a laugh, smiling at my reflection. Then, I changed back into my regular outfit, preparing to grab a few more outfits. That was surprisingly fun.

Of course, as soon as I stepped out of my stall and handed my unwanted clothes to an employee, two girls rushed in, giggling. They stopped short at the sight of me, both of their eyes narrowing. I simply rolled my eyes at Lexus and Cara. They weren't not going to ruin my day of shopping and bonding with Melanie. Lexus opened her mouth to talk, but I was gone before she could. Not today, jerks. Not today.

After we checked out, both of our arm heavy with bags, we headed towards the food court. It was on the top most level of the mall, the third floor. Why they put it there was a mystery, but I hopped onto the escalator nonetheless. The whole way there, my stomach begged for food. I distracted myself from my hunger by talking to Melanie. We talked about frivolous things, and even about my siblings. I laughed as Melanie told me funny stories and about them as children. Turned out, the three of them managed to set the bathtub on fire. I laughed so hard that tears started to leak from my eyes, and that's when I spotted the huge food court.

The food court had mini levels of it's own, with two levels overlooking the main one. Tables were scattered about, and the mixture of food smells caused my mouth to water. Wordlessly, we made our way through the crowd of people hungry for food on a Saturday afternoon. Finally, we settled in front of a Chinese place. I guess we were both in the mood for it. Surprisingly, we both ordered orange chicken after waiting in line, Melanie offering the older woman behind the counter her credit card.

"Will that be all?" She asked in an Australian accent.

We both nodded, having already requested fountain drinks.

The lady placed two plastic cups on the glass counter. They were both medium. Melanie and I each grabbed one, filling up our drinks while they make our food.

"This place is amazing! I know the owner, and they make their food fresh," Melanie told me, filling up her cup with ice and water.

"Water?" I asked with a laugh, filling my own cup with lemonade. Asher's nickname for me came to mind and I shook my head, my cheeks burning a bit.

"I like water," she answered, placing a lid on her cup and shoving a straw through the hole.

I followed suit, and take a sip of my lemonade. Perfect. With that, we waited with the rest of the crowd around us.

I was happy. I was okay. And, maybe I had a mom that cared about me after all.

____

I don't know how I feel about this chapter. Thoughts? At least Ada bonded with Melanie, but I did feel like it was a bit boring.

-Sarah