growing in love - jj maybank

Ch 16. Special Bonus 1.

Dani looked in the mirror, lifting her fingers to the slight remnants of yellow, black, and purple that dotted her cheek. For the most part, the bruise was healed, at least enough that when the small girl brushed her fingers along the skin she didn't wince. 

Dani moved her fingers from her cheek to a stray strand of hair that wouldn't cooperate. Dani blew a frustrated breath through closed lips, vibrating them slightly. She twirled the brunette strand along her finger, pushing it back toward her hairline. 

"Come on," Dani whispered to herself, frowning at her appearance. 

The problem was not the bruise, in fact, Dani had done a wonderful job of color-correcting her face, effectively hiding the bruise from eyes that weren't searching too hard. She could have her parents to thank for that special skill. It didn't really matter though, JJ Maybank knew exactly where yellow blended into splotchy purple on the girl's face, and even though the bruise was basically invisible now, he would inevitably lift a careful hand to Dani's cheek and draw in a sharp breath at the sight.  

The problem was not even her hair, which refused to lay prettily against her forehead, with volume but not too much. 

No, the problem was the A-line dress Dani plucked from her closet minutes before. The dress itself was pretty, a nice dark shade of crimson that drew observers to the dark of Dani's hair and eyes, but at the present moment, Dani felt as if she looked like walking beet juice. The skirt jutted out too much, making her legs downright disappear, the deep V accentuated the fact that the girl had no boobs to fill out the top, and the thick waistband gave Dani no shape, completely eliminating her waist. 

Dani sighed, taking a step back and falling on her bed dramatically. 

A slight knock at Dani's door, drew the girl's eyes to a tall, pretty blonde smiling knowingly at Dani's small form. "Trouble?"

"Sarah, unless you've somehow brought me an outfit that not only makes me look fucking hot but also isn't too expensive-looking, in an effort to not emasculate my boyfriend, please leave." 

"Ouch." Sarah tilted her head slightly, still standing in the doorway. She lifted a hand to her chest, feigning hurt. 

"I'm sorry. That was rude. I'm stressed."

Sarah shot Dani a knowing look, stalking toward the small girl and plopping down on the bed beside Dani's outstretched form. The blonde reached beside her, placing a small bag on Dani's lap. "I thought you may have a fashion problem. And don't worry, this is actually a Kie special, no Cameron money spent." 

Dani shot up, practically knocking the bag to the ground from her movement. She pulled out a single dress, navy blue fabric so dark it was practically black. It wasn't satin or lace or silk, just a simple polyester blend. Two spaghetti straps held up the front, weaving behind to an open, strappy back. Dani could tell just by looking at it that the dress would hug her form, not too tight, but definitely enough to accentuate her curves. The dress by itself wasn't special, something you could pick up at any store in the mall, but it was exactly the thing Dani was looking for. 

The small girl tilted her head, taking in Sarah's gleaming smile. "How did you know?"

"I have my ways." Sarah chuckled, shaking her head. "Dani, we've been best friends for years, you think I wouldn't anticipate you having an absolute crisis? You need me, as a friend and as someone who's been on real dates before." 

Dani scoffed, standing slowly and laying the dress carefully on the bed. "I've been on dates before." 

"You've been in one relationship, and that simply doesn't count because, ew."