Peace in a Storm

39 - Audrey

"Audrey, stay still," Cat scolded. She tried for the fifth time to apply pencil eyeliner around the bottom of my eyes.

Instinctively, I moved back again. "You're going to poke me in the eye!" I exclaimed.

Cat rolled her eyes. "I am not. Chill out and trust me. I'm almost finished."

I sighed. I tried not to flinch away at the sting of the sharp liner as it brushed against the bottom of my eyeball.

We were in my room, preparing for Senior Prom. I was sitting in my desk chair with Cat hovering over me, a variety of makeup tools hooked between her fingers like Wolverine's claws.

Earlier, Cat straightened and curled my hair into soft waves. She pulled them up into a classic yet curly updo with a few tendrils framing my round face.

"See, was that so hard?" Cat asked after she'd finished.

"Yes."

Cat rolled her eyes. She fiddled with her large makeup bag, retrieving a scarlet red lipstick.

I raised an eyebrow at the bold color.

"Trust me," Cat said, leaning forward to press the wax stick against my lips. She smiled when she finished, examining the finished product. "You look gorgeous."

"Can I look now?"

"No; we promised you wouldn't look until after you were dressed."

I groaned. Nauseous butterflies flew around my stomach at the thought of staring at my reflection after Cat had finished my "ultimate prom makeover". I didn't doubt my friend did a great job with my hair and makeup, but Cat couldn't fix the mess my scars made over my skin. Although I was making strides with wearing short sleeves more often and even stepped out to Junior Prom in a sleeveless gown, the sight of my scars never failed to summon the dark thoughts looming at the surface of my consciousness. I just had to endure the silent battle of shooing them away.

Cat lifted my dress off of my bed and helped me slip into it. The gown was an A-line gown with a low cut halter top. The top of the gown was covered in black sparkling fabric that hugged my breasts and hips. At my hips, the skirt flared out, flowing around my legs as the black gradually turned into a sparkling red, creating a dramatic ombre effect.

I held tightly onto Cat's hand as she helped me step into a pair of her sparkling black stilettos. "Can I look now?"

"You need perfume first," Cat quickly replied.

I closed my eyes as my friend spritzed a new bottle of Ariana Grande's latest perfume around my body. The soft vanilla fumes wafted through my nose.

"Okay, now you can look." She grabbed my hand and tugged me towards the door-length mirror she let me borrow.

At first glance, my scars were the first thing to catch my eye. They wrapped around

my arms and chest like dark vines, contrasting drastically against the glittering sparkles on the dress. Tears brimmed her eyes as the clouds in her mind pushed forward, whispering all of the cruel words my mother used to tell me.

Ugly.

Worthless.

Hideous.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and pushed the mean words away. I replaced them with affirmations like beautiful, worthy, and loved.

When I opened my eyes to give my reflection another chance, I ignored my scars. I focused on the neutral bronze eyeshadow that emphasized my green eyes, the sharp winged eyeliner drawing attention to their wide shape, the dramatic effect of the fake eyelashes Cat glued onto my eyelids, and my plump lips frosted in red. I admired my curls, pinned articulately around my temples with a few stray curls framing my round cheeks, coming together in a bouquet of curls in the back of my head. I nearly smiled at the elegance of the dress, projecting an air of royalty upon my body.