love story | seaycee au (ON HOLD)

3

Kaycee's mother was many things, it seemed. Borderline crazy, extremely protective, very desperate to get Kaycee out of her house and into the arms of any man she could find, among many, many others...

But something she could never seem to be was late, and as she ran around the house the day of the ball, Kaycee was clearly able to see why.

It must have been a miracle that their dresses arrived on time. Either that, or magic, which Kaycee was slowly beginning to believe in based on the absurd amount of things happening in her life at once. But her mother assured her that it was no miracle- that, ever since Devon had dropped the bomb on her in the first place, she'd been racing around to plan everything out. From their dresses, to their hairstyles, to even what horses would be pulling their carriages.

Kaycee believes her mother told her this information to seem like a hero. So that she would have no choice but to say, "Wow, mother, I cannot believe I ever disobeyed you. Clearly you are a genius who is excellent at everything." But in reality, this only made Kaycee picture her as more of a madwoman.

What else was she to think? For the past couple of days, all she talked about was the ball, and how each of them had to be dressed incredibly nicely or it would look bad upon her. Kaycee didn't doubt that, but part of her wished she would care less over the opinions of others, and more over the feelings of her children.

Nonetheless, she went along with it. She went along with every painstaking detail. And as she stood, with her mother and Kylie pulling the strings of her corset ever tighter, the waves of regret began to wash over her.

She grit her teeth as the two yanked, but eventually, a person's pain tolerance can only extend so high. With a yelp, she swats their hands away, shaking her head furiously. "I- don't see- why this- damned thing- needs to be so- tight," she manages to get out between shallow breaths. It felt as if her lungs were being squeezed and pushed so much that they were rubbing together, her ribs seconds away from shattering.

Her mother, being the charming woman she is, barks out a laugh. "Ha! If you had only prepared yourself like your sisters, this process wouldn't have been so bad!"

"What would be your idea of preparation, mother? Suffocating myself? Stabbing at my rib cage every night until I no longer feel pain?" Kaycee responds sarcastically, getting a little more used to the feeling of the corset. That doesn't mean she liked it, though.

Her mother's only response was to yank on one of the corset strings, Kaycee's breath (and, quite possibly her soul) exiting her body. No, no, she definitely didn't like it.

Eventually, Kaycee is in her ball gown, walking carefully down the stairs. Given the time constraints, she expected the dress to be a lot less extravagant, but somehow her mother had still managed to pull it off. It was a dark, rich, sea blue, Kaycee's favorite color, and puffed out at the bottom beautifully.

She doubted her mother remembered her favorite color, though. She must've just taken a wild guess.

As time went on, Kaycee slowly adapted to her lack of lung room, and by the time all of her family was downstairs in their attire, she felt almost normal. Kylie walked up to her with a spring in her step, seeming much too happy considering the circumstances. "Kaycee, wipe that frown from your face. It makes you look weird."

"I would hate to do that!" Kaycee retorts, putting on the fakest smile she can muster. Kylie glares at her, smacking her arm.

"Don't get smart with me. I'm not mother."

Regretfully, her face returns to its frown. "Sorry. This whole day is just... not what I wanted. I know exactly how this will go, and I don't look forward to it one bit."