Saving Jay Gatsby

Party at Mr. Gatsby's

As I sat, dumbfounded and confused, the girl hovering over me became very frustrated as the seconds ticked by.

Cordelia groaned, "get a wiggle on! It's time to go!"

A wiggle on? What does that even mean? I stared blankly back at her, "What?"

Cordelia looked at me franticly, "you know, get going?" Her expression changed from frantic to irritated when she looked down at my clothes. "We have to find something for you to wear! You can't go there looking like a wet blanket."

"Excuse me?" I asked. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" the green dress I had worn to school that morning was still on me.

Cordelia didn't reply, she just turned on her heel and walked to a white wardrobe in the corner. "Now let me see.." 

She began throwing handfuls of dresses on the bed. Beads and fabrics constantly smacked me until I jumped off the bed and stood next to her. "I may have something that will fit you, but you're such a tiny thing! Maybe some heels will help? Either way, none of my clothes will fit like a glove."

"Why does it matter if I look good?" I asked her, crossing my arms. Why would my appearance matter anyway? 

"How else will we meet swell guys?!" Cordelia exclaimed. "That's the whole point of going to Gatsby's party!"

My brain was completely in denial at this point. This whole situation defies any kind of logic. I should be in the hospital right now.

Take deep breaths Alice, everything she's saying is just a part some weird dream... Yeah, just an extremely realistic dream.

While I was deep in thought, I didn't notice Cornelia toss me a dress. It landed in my lap and nearly blinded me. The room's lights seemed to cling to each bead, redirecting the light directly into my eyes. 

The dress itself was beautiful! Back home, girls would pay a fortune for a dress like this. 

"Well," Cornelia said, growing impatient. "Are you going to go put it on or just stare at it?"

Honestly, I could have stared at this champagne dress all day, but I didn't want to suffer Cornelia's wrath, so I went and changed. I fully expected to be weighed down and uncomfortable by the dress because of all the small orb-like beads attached to it, but instead, I felt light and elegant as I twirled in front of the bathroom's full length mirror.

When I emerged from the restroom, Cordelia was waiting with small jar-like objects in her hand. "Now, lets get you face dolled up. It will only take a moment then we can leave."

The balms and powders were reminiscent of makeup from home, but the packaging was atrocious!

Typically, I strayed away from wearing makeup. Don't get me wrong, makeup is a beautiful way to express yourself... I just happen to be horrible at applying it. 

I opened my mouth to protest, but saw the look Cordelia gave me so I clamped it shut. Her arm reached out, with what appeared to be eyeshadow in her hand. "So I think a shimmery gold would be best don't you?" She asked. I nodded, if I had to choose a color, I probably would have chose the same.

"There!" She said after a torturous ten minutes of putting on what felt like layers upon layers of makeup. "Now, we can head out."

A pit formed in my stomach, "you mean to Gatsby's?"

"Of course!" Cordelia said, her voice bubbling with excitement. "His parties are legendary. I've only been to a few before, but I can honestly say they were the best parties I've ever been to."