Chasing a New Sunrise

Chapter 26

I stare wide eyed at myself in the mirror on the back of the bathroom door. Shae did what no salon could accomplish in just forty five minutes. My hair swoops behind me pulling into a loose braid with curls flowing from the bottom pieces of my hair in a way that it's never curled before. My makeup is so natural it hardly looks like I have any on, but it makes my eyes pop in a way that accents the greenish/brown.

"So," she says, dragging out the word. "What do you think?"

"I'm thinking maybe you should change your major from Psychology to Cosmetology. Your talent astounds me, truly. I need to document this look, just in case you ever change your mind."

Her hands sit delicately against the bare skin of my shoulder. I stare back at her in the mirror and give a smile.

"You think? It's always been a hobby of mine. I've wanted to be one of those makeup and hair gurus on YouTube, but I didn't think I was good enough."

"Oh my god Shae."

I lift my phone from the sink and take a bathroom selfie of the two of us. One with Shae standing with her hands on my shoulder, the next she's got her chin propped up on my left side, and a third at a different angle.

"I'm saving this, just in case you start that channel," I tell her.

"You think I should?"

I've never seen Shae so unsure. Ever since I met her she acts like nothing in the word can bring her down, and now here she is vulnerable and nervous about doing something she loves that's out of her comfort zone.

"I think you'd be amazing at it. I can help you edit the footage, we can do it together."

"You'd do that for me?"

Shae looks at me through the mirror and I nod.

"You're my best friend here and I'd love to help."

She wraps her arms around me from behind, her hands gently lay flat on my stomach. Behind us my red dress sits waiting for me to slip into it.

"Levi is going to crap his pants when he sees you," she laughs.

Levi. It's the first time I've thought of him since Shae started to do my makeup at hair. I hate that way my heart squeezes in my chest at the mention of his name. I want to grab at my chest to make the pain go away, but I don't want to give away anything. My drama can wait till later, for now I'm going to show off the beautiful work that Shae did on me and have some fun. It is my senior year after all.

Shae leaves me to get dressed and check to see if the boys have arrived. Jackie's been sitting in the living room with mom this whole time. It's nice to see mom getting along with my friends again.

I slip on the short red dress and take another look inside the mirror. I've honestly never felt so beautiful before in my entire life. This is what I wanted senior year to be all about. I wanted to dance all night with my friends and feel beautiful. I just wish my heart wasn't shattered in the process. I can pretend all I want, but I know at the end of the night one of the best things that's happened since moving here is going to come to an end, although I think I could be friends with him. Maybe that's life telling me that I was never truly never falling for Levi, maybe he was just the first relationship where I've felt like he could be someone I would fall for.

There's a soft knock at the bathroom door.

"Be right out."

I take a deep breath in, keeping my arms tight at the side. Then I relax my entire body and breathe out. I do it again five more times before I have the courage to open the door. Standing there in awe is Levi and the look on his face says it all. There's a mix of guilt, but there's also this intense feeling of love and admiration that I've never felt from anyone before. Lawrence has never looked at me the way Levi is at this moment.