A Certain Metamorphosis || Rosalie Hale

Chapter 35 - With End Credits

"Alice, no. It's just gr... It's not a big deal. There's no need to make a big fuss over it." Lily desperately wanted that to be the case.

"Of course there is! It's yours and Bella's first."

And only, Lily thought to herself. She took another second to try to push back down her emotions. "Right. Well, I think it's too much. I'm not sitting still for that."

"Please?"

"No."

"Fine." Alice conceded. "How about I straighten your hair and just two braids to get your hair out of your face."

Lily looked at her eager sister and felt herself caving. "Fine." She sighed dramatically even as a smile started to grace her face. This was familiar.

She took a seat as Alice started her preparations. It was easy to relax with them and forget what all today held. She made a game out of pulling faces with Jasper in the mirror. They would both just laugh when Alice reprimanded them. It was also nice to hear Jasper joking around. It was really nice to hear Lily so at ease. The three fell into an easy banter.

Things took a turn for the worst when it was time for makeup. Alice was too focused to make any sort of jokes. Lily had to keep her eyes closed most of the time. It was hard to fight demons in the dark. She started wringing her hands in her lap. She tried to soothe herself. It was easier said than done. Finally, Alice finished with her eyes and she was released from the dark prison.

She watched in the mirror as Jasper leaned on the wall of the bathroom. He was obviously amused at the situation. He winked and Lily soon felt her nerves instantly settle and her fear being replaced with contentment. She shook her head no. She didn't want to stop having to fight against her feelings. It was human to feel this way. It was a testament to how much she cared. The feelings would help cement these moments in her memory. Life was messy. She knew that better now than ever before. Good always comes with the bad. Her life for the past few years, minus a few moments, had been really good. It was okay if things were going to be bad for a while. Hurt was an unavoidable part of life. It was worth it. Every part of it was worth it.

"And done!" Alice pulled back and clapped once as she viewed the results. "Here let me grab your dress."

Before Lily could even voice any sort of protest, Alice had already reappeared in her room with the dress behind her.

"Alice, I can just wear jeans."

Alice looked horrified. "You are not wearing jeans to graduation."

"Emmett did!"

"Jasper and Rosalie didn't. You should never take your fashion advice from that man. Bella and I will be in dresses too. Edward is wearing dress pants."

"Wait, is he really?" Lily chuckled a little. It was a little-known fact that Edward loathed dressing up. He liked to be proper, but he tended to avoid formal events. She figured he would refuse to wear anything besides the black jeans he wore religiously.

"Yes, and he didn't even put up this much of a fight."

"I'm going to be cold."

"No, you won't. The dress has sleeves."

Alice took the time to hang the dress so Lily could get a proper look at it. She could admit it was a nice dress. It was pretty simple. It wasn't loud or flashy.

"I don't know. I kind of just want to be casual."

"You might as well give up. I've already seen that you'll cave." Alice smirks.

"I can't tell if you're lying to me or not."

"And you're not going to figure it out now. Come on, stop killing time. Put the dress on."