Sophitz Forever

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Dress shopping. Oh, the horrors.

Sophie must've groaned at least 600 times already as she followed Biana and Linh around the stores. There were at least ninety different boutiques, each tailored for a specific style or size or design. Sophie hadn't found anything that she liked yet and she was bored out of her mind as she watched her friends squeal and laugh whenever they saw "the new perfect dress". Why did she agree to this? Why did she ever think to agree to this?

"My feet hurt," Sophie complained. That wasn't all that hurt. Her entire body was aching from trying stuff on, walking in heels, and running around the "mall" that was more of an empire of fashion.

"Stop complaining and just enjoy this for what this is!" Biana said, plastering on a smile. She still hadn't gained Tam's forgiveness, but she was working on it, along with Sophie and Linh's help and pleading.

"I can't! I hate dresses! I hate shopping! I hate THIS!" Sophie whined.

Biana ignored her, much to Sophie's annoyance. "Gosh, that dress is so pretty!" Biana squealed at a mannequin.

"She can't hear you," Sophie said, referring to the mannequin. Biana rolled her eyes.

"Duh, I know, but I wasn't talking to her..." Biana trailed off. "Fine. Let's go in here."

"Elaborate Elf?" Sophie asked.

"Ooh, I go here all the time!" Linh said. "They have the prettiest clothes for smaller people like me!" Linh was known for being rather slim and petite and she had a hard time finding clothes that fit her so far.

Sophie sighed and followed Linh and Biana into the store. The storefront was all colors, sparkles, glitter, beads, and just stuff, and Sophie was not feeling excited about this store.

"Oh my gosh. This store is so cool!" Biana said, fangirling. They walked through the aisles and aisles of dresses, skirts, blouses, scarves, sashes, belts, and jewelry. A lady came rushing over at the site of teenage girls, smiling widely and gesticulating all over the place.

"Good afternoon! I am Elda, your personal assistant of the day!" She took Biana's arm and started looking her over, measuring her, it seemed. "What is your goal today?"

Biana said, "To find a perfect dress for the dance!"

"Oh yes, the big gala dance! The ballroom dancing event that everyone has been talking about!" Elda said. Her voice was smooth and silky, and her hair was piled on top of her head. She was wearing a dark navy blue mini-dress that showed off her long legs. Sophie could never wear a dress like that without feeling uncomfortable. Hah, she couldn't even wear a cape without feeling uncomfortable. "We've never been so busy since that dance was announced. What kind of dresses are you looking for?"

Biana spoke up first as Linh walked around the store and Sophie stood off to the side. "I want something... mature. Long. Beautiful. No glitter, sparkles, or any of those childish things." Sophie rolled her eyes at Biana's aloofness but followed along.

Elda said, "Here at Elaborate Elf, we like to give many choices. There are the fitting rooms, so pick as many dresses as you want." Biana shrieked.

"This is so gorgeous!" It was a turquoise flowy gown with a dark blue sash to go along with it. There was a silver brocaded lace pattern down the front and the side, and small silver beads made up the hem. Biana seemed to have forgotten her no beads policy as she squealed and even Sophie had to admit it was a beautiful dress. It was definitely Biana's style.

"Feel free to try it on! We have that in many different styles, colors, and sizes." Elda walked around the racks. Biana grabbed the dress and walked into the fitting room. You could hear the fabric swishing...