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19

EVIE

Tulle was never my friend. I had grown a distinct hatred towards the fabric long ago. It was a dislike that I wasn’t sure how I developed, but a dislike nevertheless. I found the fabric to be itchy and overly flamboyant, that could easily turned a sophisticated twenty-something woman into a young seven year old girl. It was scratchy and uncomfortable. Sure it looked pretty on little girls and flower girls the same... but for me, it was my last choice. 

I had explained this to Presley many times - when we were kids all the way to right now. Either she didn’t hear me, or she did and chose to ignore it. Presley was always that girl that favoured her own choices over the ones of others. That was the only selfish quality that she possessed. I never held it over her... but I was beginning to rethink my decision as we stood in the middle of my bedroom, surrounded by twenty tulle dresses in every colour imaginable. 

“It’s your birthday! It’s a party and what screams party more than tulle,” had been her reasoning for the flux of dresses. 

“I look like I’m going to my senior prom,” I reason with her, as I stand in front of my mirror, holding the pink fabric in my hands. Needless to say, the dress was pretty. The sweetheart neckline accentuated my bust in the most flattering of ways. The bodice was lined with little crystals and jewels, and the cut hit just above my knee. The colour was a soft pink, almost rose like colour. I hated to admit that I did find the dress pretty, I wasn’t going to be my first pick for my twentieth birthday celebration. 

“You look gorgeous,” she compliments, while pulling my hair back into a high ponytail. “Strapless suits you well.” 

I take another look at my reflection. My skin was pale; my summertime tan long gone.  My collarbones protruded a bit, giving an allure of femininity. There were still dark circles under my eyes. I had tried my best to cover them up with concealer before Presley came over, but was unable to fully get rid of them. 

The last two hours had consisted of trying on too many dresses. My once tidy bedroom was gone. Instead, I was left with a tornado disaster zone. The bed was covered with dresses and skirts. A pile of heels had grown near my closet, creating a safety issue. It was safe to say that my bedroom had quickly become a fire hazard. 

“You do know that I already have a dress picked out for tonight right?” I tell her. I felt ridiculous admitting that I had already chosen my dress prior to her arrival since I had spent a solid two hours trying on her picks. Again, I was too good of a friend. Always unable to say no to one of them, scared that I would hurt their feelings. I knew that I needed to grow a backbone. Being nice was a good thing but sometimes I needed to speak up my mind. Or else if I didn’t, I will be trying on tulle dresses for half of an afternoon. 

“What?” She drops her hands to her sides, eyes growing wide. “What dress?” 

I walk over to my closet, almost tripping over a shoe. I pull out the small dress. It was light pink with a v-shape neckline and a ruffled skirt with white polkadots. The hem had a high-low effect, showing off my legs. I thought it was cute when I saw it in a store window. What sealed the deal was when I read the price tag, and read that it was in my size and also on sale. As a broke college student, there was nothing I liked more than reading the word ‘sale’. 

“Cute,” Presley compliments, grabbing it out of my hands. “I like the colour.” 

“I know that it’s a bit long for a club, but I couldn’t not buy it. It’s a pretty dress.” 

Presley shakes her head slowly, “No Eve, it’s cute. Go put it on! I want to see it on you.” 

I slip Presley’s dress off first. Letting it pool at my feet, I step out of it and unzip my own. The  spaghetti straps sit on my shoulders and the ruffled skirt falls down to the floor. The dress zips up nicely, leaving a little bit of room to breathe. I had noticed that my size was becoming a bit big. Some of my clothes becoming looser than normal. I had realized that I was beginning to lose a bit of weight - a result from all the running I had been doing, but I didn’t notice it until my clothes started giving me breathing room.