In Charlie's Arms

20 • Dresses

Even though the Fall Ball was a little less than a month away, Krista couldn't help but drag Seraphina into the dress boutique at the mall the following day after work.

"I feel like I should do a plum, or maybe black . . ." Krista thought aloud, holding two dresses up against her skin for Sera to see.

"Plum?" Sera guessed, not necessarily thinking one looked better than the other.

Krista titled her head, looking at the color intensely. "Yeah, definitely the plum. I'm going with a plum dress, then."

"What should I do? Or should I just stick with the dress I wore to the last ball? You know, the—"

"Nasty purple one that you wore to prom and to the last two Fall Balls? Yeah, I remember," Krista finished. "Ser, you've worn that for like every occasion that calls for a floor-length dress. Get something different."

"Why? It's still in style, it's simple, and it has pockets!" Sera explained, getting defensive. She loved that dress, and especially loved the idea of reusing it instead of stressing out about buying more dresses. "And wearing the same dress is cheaper, too. Plus, I doubt anyone will remember me wearing it."

"I will," Krista deadpanned. "And I'll hate it as much as the last two times I saw it."

"Is it that ugly?" Sera asked. She thought it looked nice. It was modest with a square neckline and an a-line silhouette that fit just right.

"No, just too overused. You need something different. I mean, you got that dress in the prom section like four years ago. I think it's time that grown up Sera gets herself something fit for a woman, not a girl."

Sera could see some wisdom to her friend's words, but knew that she wouldn't be buying any new dresses anytime soon. She hated shopping and trying on clothes, always having a problem with anything she tried on.

"Something like this," Krista said, plucking a form-fitting red dress from the rack.

Sera instantly shook her head. "No, I hate anything tight."

"Aw, come on. You haven't even tried it on."

"I don't have to—I don't do tight."

"Well you should, it'll look good on you," Krista claimed, shoving the dress towards Sera. Sera took it from her and swiftly set it back on the rack.

"Not happening. I'm sticking with old reliable," she said, referring to her purple dress.

Krista sighed, rolling her eyes and moving towards another rack of dresses. "Well, since you don't want anything, go look for anything plum in my size."

Sera did as she was told, going through and selecting any plum dresses that she thought Krista would approve of and draping them over her forearm as she moved off to another rack.

"—no, Matty, I said red. I'm not doing burgundy."

Sera stopped dead in her tracks as a familiar voice sounded off to her right. She slowly turned her head, fearful of making any sudden movements.

Sure enough, she spotted Matt's head peaking out over a rack of dresses and Tessa's high-pitched voice seeping into the air.

She quickly ducked behind a rack and hurried towards Krista, who was at the front of the store. "Tessa and Matt are here," she yelled in a hushed whisper as she neared her friend.

Krista immediately looked up from the price tag she was eyeing, sweeping her gaze across the room until she found the pair heading towards the dressing rooms.