The Understanding (Bk 1 Otago Series)

Chapter 6- A Night Out

Cassies POV

"The green tights! !... No I am sure I have purple ones in here. .." Lara disappeared into the wardrobe again, her shapely backside sticking up in the air, she was digging through a mountain of clothes looking for something for me to wear to go out to a local bar for a drink.

I rolled my eyes, then rested back on the Queen size bed that Lara had placed bang in the middle of the bedroom. She shared the flat with two other professionals. Keith was an accountant, and very rarely at home, working long hours and 'playing' hard. Sue was a radiographer at the hospital and had her own interests. The apartment they shared was modern and right close to the CBD which suited Lara as she loved to go out to bars and clubs. Lara had left Nelson, about 8 hours away by road, to come to Dunedin to train as a teacher, but had stayed on when she got work here. She rarely went home, occasionally her sister or parents visited. But she called Dunedin home now, and I don't know what I'd do without her if she ever relocated.

I flopped back on her bed laying my arm across my eyes to rest. It had been a long stressful term at school. We had set up the netball teams, after seemingly endless trials and written class reports followed closely by parent interviews. Going to the gym after school seemed like a good idea to finish the week, until I left the Zumba class, and saw who was working out in the weights room. Now here we were now committed to a night out when all I felt like doing was grabbing a DVD and take aways at home. But in her gorgeous 'take charge 'cos this is good for you manner', Lara wouldn't hear of me backing out.

She had already dressed herself in a gorgeous black tunic top with white North American style theme on the front, tassles hanging down and sparkle surrounding the design, she had decided to finish it off with a pair of really loud coloured tights.

"I just can't believe how we just ran into them there. .. you know, who would have thought, and now we're going out for the night, with those gorgeous men, " Lara let out an excited squeal as she jumped on the bed beside me. her voice no longer muffled by all the clothes, and the volume of her excitement dialling up considerably.

I smiled under the crook of my arm, "Are you serious? Lara, I sometimes wonder what you were like at 16, cos at 24 you seem to still get such a buzz out of things like this. " 

Lara didn't take offense instead it seemed to fuel her energy and refocus her on the task at hand. "Right" she said, "on your feet, over to my wardrobe and get yourself ready. " She pushed me so I was forced to drop off the edge of the bed. I reluctantly clambered to my feet and made my way to the wardrobe. I was spoiled for choice as Lara had an extravagant wardrobe. Her mother had got into the way of sending clothes and vouchers for local stores when Lara was a student and had never got out of the habit. So they still came through regularly, Lara had tried to stop them but her mother enjoyed buying for her two Dunedin 'daughters'. she knew I tended to use Lara's wardrobe when we went out anywhere also when Lara thought any of my school outfits looked a bit tired she would make sure there were some new things hanging in my wardrobe before I could protest.

I could wander the whole mall still, not feeling any desire to enter a single shop. We had tried shopping on our last school break, and Lara is fiercely focused when it comes to a project like that. She had really amped her excited chatter and talked up the local stores, but I still felt so swamped with emotion, and finally couldn't help the tears, with a caring arm around me Lara had got coffee and we went home. Unlike Rachel, whose personality was way more laid back and accepting of my desire not to shop. Only this morning she had left some great casual outfits with Zach at the gym for me to try on or she could return for me, which reminded me I needed to put some money into Rachels account.

"So, spill, are you going to tell me about you and Max? " she lifted her eyebrows up and down with a wide smile. I laughed as I pulled out a little cute short dress and held it against me looking in the mirror. "You have got to be kidding. There is no Max and I, and seriously I grew past the kiss and tell years ago. I can tell you I think he is wildly attractive and just as hot dressed in his uniform or not. But what does that prove? Nothing. It just means I am observant. What my mind has to say, and whether we get on, means way more to me than how I physically react to the guy. "