queen on her own color ♡ JFK

p.1 brief shining moment

What was the point in dressing up if she was going to be in the backstage behind the theater curtain the whole time? No, she only needed a plain dress like every other day. Her mom would just have to put up with her choice of wardrobe.

The checkered grey and blue dress laid stretched out across the bed so it at least wouldn't get creased.

Her hairstyle was a little more worked on, but the hair straightener barely held up against her hair. After trying out different ways to style it, she'd finally managed to make two ponytails as neatly as they would allow themselves to be and decided she'd wear it like that to the event.

It didn't matter how important the event was-she was not important at all. She would only be there to help with the illumination, sound, and making sure it all went to plan. If anything, she should be dressed in all black, to stand out even less.

In any case, since her mother insisted on trying on what she was going to wear tomorrow, she threw on the dress over the white blouse that she was already wearing. Christina looked in the mirror. It was... Appropriate. That was all.

"Oh, what a shame your father is going to miss it," her mom said with an air of sadness as she laced two white ribbons around each ponytail. She took a step back to check how it all looked overall.

Christina scowled, both at the ribbons in her hair and at her mother's statement. "Really? Don't you know him at all?"

"I mean the performances. He does like Bobby Darin and Ella Fitzgerald."

The young girl scoffed. "That's at least one Fitzgerald he likes."

"Ha-ha" Her mom laughed sarcastically. She approached her daughter once more to pat down the dress for it to lay properly on Christina's figure. "It's a nice dress, but the one your father got you would look so much better for tomorrow."

"Dad said to reserve it for a special occasion for me. Tomorrow's got nothing to do with me. Remember, it's just another day of work for us."

"What do you mean it's got nothing to do with you? It's your birthday!" Her mom gesticulated with exaggeration, baffled by the statement.

Ah, true. Christina remembered. Yet, she shrugged it off.

"Big deal."

"It is a big deal- you're turning eighteen!"

The famous scowl returned. "Mention it one more time and you can forget about me doing the dishes for a month."

"You're no fun."

"And you're too naive. It's hard to believe you're the mom and I'm the daughter. It should be the other way round."

The woman held her head between her hands. "It gives me a headache just to think about you bossing me around even more."

Christina went back to her room after rolling her eyes. She hung the checkered dress in the closet and changed into an even plainer dress before taking a seat on the bed. She reached inside the nightstand's bottom cupboard for the money she'd been holding on to, but it wasn't enough. On top of the nightstand, a small piggy bank was turned on its side. It made no rattling at all when it was shaken. It was empty again.

In search for any lost or discarded penny she could find, Christina looked in every crevice around the house. She only needed a few more. There were a couple in between the cushions on the couch, and another few between the bent wooden planks on the floor.

Should be enough.

Christina set out on her mission. Without saying goodbye, or tying her left shoe, but still with ribbons in her hair, she marched out the door.