Remember When...

Chapter III

I nodded, understanding. “Sometimes, even I feel that way. However, I just remind myself to relax and to not think about anything else except to swim. Then it becomes liberating, natural, serene. I just feel . . . free; like I can do anything.” I turned to him and smiled. “You’ll feel that way too by the end of the summer, I promise.”

He blinked for a second, then gave me a huge grin. “You really know exactly what to say. And I’m sure I will feel that way too.”

***

The weekend before my birthday, the group of us, – Leo, Nate, Ariel, and I – went to the mall in the nearest big city.

Out here, there wasn't much to do – the few clothing stores we had were only the swimsuit shop on the board walk and the independent seamstress. And, of course, the shops in the university area, but I felt almost unworthy to step foot in there. All the perfectly poised, ethereal college beauties would surely shoot icy daggers from their eyes at me, and I would never be able to venture there again.

I told Ariel my theory, but she just giggled.

“Oh, you big worrywart. The only reason I don’t go there is because this mall has better stores,” she said, prancing into Forever 21.

When the boys went upstairs to the guys’ section, we looked around for the perfect dresses to wear on Friday. I picked up a turquoise, one-shoulder number and handed it to Ariel.

“This would look perfect on you, especially since it’s short.”

She beamed. “Yeah, and the flittery-ness of it all would make it look like I have curves.” She frowned at her petite, skinny figure.

I rolled my eyes. “Please, hun. You can wear anything like a model.”

She playfully stuck her tongue out at me. “Whatever. I found something for you too.”

She pulled out a sexy, red dress that a girl – no . . . woman – would probably wear to a club; something I would never wear in my life. It had a sheer, black mesh panel over a sweetheart neckline, followed by a peplum waist. To top it all off, the whole thing looked tight, tight, tight!

I burst into laughter. “Ha ha, no. I’m sorry but there is no way in hell I am wearing that. It would look much better on you.”

We were best friends; we could take criticism like that from each other.

She begged, “Come on, please? It would look so nice with your curves!” She was like a little girl, jumping and pleading. “Just humour me, pretty please?”

I sighed, then smiled. “Alright, alright.”

She pushed us off into the change rooms. She was of course, the first one out.

“Hurry up!” she whisper-shouted.

“Okay, one sec’.” I slipped out and the door clicked shut behind me.

Ariel looked like a gorgeous mermaid, and the dress cascaded on her, like beautiful ocean waves. She squealed when she saw me.

“Eep! You look so good!” She fussed around with my hair and the dress. “This dress makes your boobs look really good. I don’t understand why you don’t wear stuff like this more often.”

She turned me around to look in the mirror. As predicted, it was tight, but in a good way. It clung to my curves in all the right places, which was surprising, since it was hard to find clothes that fit my 34Ds without completely suffocating them.

I blushed with embarrassment. “I don’t know, Ariel. It’s not really my style . . .”

“Oh, pish-posh. This is your seventeenth birthday! You are growing into a woman! Live a little!”