Love Arrows

Victim N°1

“Why so surprised?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Because you always say boys are stupid.”

“Well they are stupid, Amie, but Will is making me.” I said with a smile.

“And you’re going dressed like that?”

I laughed at that.

“Why? Don’t you like how I’m dressed?” I asked while twirling like a ballerina.

“Ehm… honestly? Not really.”

Amie got up from the bed and marched over to our shared closet. She opened and started looking around in it. For a few minutes I just looked at her while she rummaged through my clothes. I smiled at the scene. Sometimes she would pick up a piece of clothing, stare at it for a while, shake her head and then throw it on the ground. Slowly a pile of clothing settled next to her as she kept on discarding them.

All of a sudden she turned around with a green dress in her hands. She held it out to me with a proud smile on her face, happy to have chosen the perfect piece. My heart dropped.

There was a reason that that dress had been stuffed in the back of my closet. I had bought it with Nicky a few months ago, and the first time I had worn it, my mom had taken one look at me, and said: “Take that dress off! You remind me to much of you’re dad in it.” Then she returned back to her bottle of wine. I had run up to our room and stuffed it in the closet so I wouldn’t see it again.

When it came to my mom, I didn’t argue. I always nodded my head, and just did what she said. I had seen how violent she could get when under the influence of alcohol, and I didn’t want her to take her anger out on Amie.

Amie noticed my distressed face and asked disappointedly: “Don’t you like it? I think it’s very pretty.”

I shook my head.

“No, it’s not that Amie. You’ve got good taste. That dress just brings back bad memories.”

“So wear it tonight, so you can replace those bad memories with good ones.” She said matter of factly.

Wow! Her childish logic actually made sense.

“You’re right!” I said. “This dress is beautiful and I have no reason not to wear it.” I slipped it on and turned around to face the mirror we had in our room. The light green fabric was a good match for my eyes. The dress wasn’t very fancy, but more of a summer dress, which was perfect for a first date.

Amie clapped her hands in delight and came to give me a huge hug.

“You look beautiful, Lena.” She complimented me as she gazed up at me.

“I can’t be more beautiful then you though.” I answered as I picked her up, and threw her on the bed. We started having a tickle fight, which I was winning seeing how I’m not ticklish at all. Then before I knew it, the bell rang.

I looked up in alarm at the clock. 8.00 p.m. It was Charlie coming to pick me up! I jumped off of Amie and started rushing while Amie giggled from the bed. I grabbed a white cardigan, and some white flats, while I stuffed my keys and phone in a small white shoulder bag.

“Jack is looking after you tonight, so if there’s anything you need, go to him, or just call me if it’s urgent.” I said to Amie.

“Okay, Lena! I hope you have fun with the stupid boy.”

It was only when she was out of hearing that I muttered, “I hope so to.”

I ran down the stairs and flung open the front door. Charlie was standing there with a surprised look on his face. Only then did I realize that I probably looked like a lunatic.