Everyone thinks they know the whole story even when they had no part in it.
This year, Lillian Rose is driven to prove her ex boyfriend's hands aren't wrapped around her throat anymore. She's digging up parts of herself she's long forgotten about...
my second update all year... sorry folks. more notes at the end. chapter's long, take as an apology (i beg). also haven't read this one for a year, edits don't exist <3
technically the dress isn't modest but we'll pretend off the shoulders and elbows and knees showing is for the sake of lilli !
btw the only school dance ive been to is a sixth grade halloween dance. take this as you will 😭 somewhere on pinterest is lilli's dress, ill post on instagram ksjs
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
“I feel like I’m ten.” I spin in slow motions, watching the pink frills expand. “This isn’t a homecoming dress.”
“It’s still cute,” Stella steps beside me into the mirror. “Comfort tops how good it looks.” The light pink off-the-shoulders dress has two frilled layers at chest length, and reaches to my mid-thigh. It’s modest, and comfortable, though I can’t help but wonder if it’s Homecoming worthy. Usually there’s a theme, though this year the only theme the student council announced was ‘yourself’. Either they were really lazy or really corny.
Stella’s nude silk dress compliments everything about her, from her curves to her confidence. Brown curls lower down to her ribs, gold jewelry wrapped around her neck and wrists. Hoops hang from her ears and barely brush her shoulders.
The four of us skipped the pep-rally, hanging out on the front lawn of the school. It was easy to sneak out, and though we could’ve gone home seeing it was supposed to last the rest of the afternoon, the day was nice enough just to lay in under the sun.
Homecoming starts at 7, leaving us with thirty minutes to get to school. We’re just about ready, though I’m contemplating changing. “Your dress doesn’t have to be fancy,” Stella sighs, “the dress screams you. It’s pink and white; All you need to do is rock it.”
“It’s just so…modest. It’s basically a summer dress.”
“Modest doesn’t mean it’s bad,” my best friend places her hands on my shoulders, resting her chin atop her fingers. “You don’t need revealing clothes to feel good about yourself.”
“Yeah, but before I could wear one just fine and now-”
“Stop,” she shushes me. I look down. “And before, you still didn’t feel comfortable in them. You only pushed yourself because you wanted to prove yourself. You have nothing to prove, not to yourself. You don’t need anyone’s approval. You never did.”
I stare at the dress one more time. I don’t feel the need to cover my chest in more jewelry aside from the necklace I’m wearing. My dress isn’t too short, and nothing will show. The cycling shorts underneath hide everything even if the ends are lifted. The frills aren’t too poofy, they’re natural. “Okay,” I nod. “We got this.”
“You got this,” Stella reaffirms, smiling into the mirror. Her makeup consisted of gold eyeshadow and false lashes, a nude lipstick blending into her lips. My eyelids are coated in a dust of pink, mascara thickening my lashes.
