Dying to Live

Chapter 12

  ⏳ ZOE, April 

 

"I have absolutely nothing to wear!" said every girl ever on the afternoon leading up to a first date with somebody new.

I huffed and sat down heavily on my bed. My hair was still up in a messy topknot and I was wearing nothing but my most expensive lacy black bra and a pair of matching panties. I went to get my nails done earlier. They looked amazing.

So why did I feel like such crap?

"What about that black dress you wore at Stephanie's wedding?" my sister replied, her disembodied voice coming from somewhere next to me.

"I ripped it during the reception, remember?" I glared at my reflection in the full length mirror. I hated the amount of pressure I'd put on myself for this date to go perfectly. It was just drinks with some guy, it's not like I was going to marry him or anything. "And it's too formal anyway."

"I probably have something if you have time to come over. I can do your hair and makeup," Skye suggested.

I picked up my phone from the bed and crossed over to the bathroom. I placed my sister down on the counter and undid the knot on top of my head. My damp hair fell like crazy, tumbling rings of fire over my breasts. It made me think of the drawing that was now hanging in my bedroom and I quickly tore my gaze away.

"OK, sure, yeah, I like that idea," I said.

I wasn't the dressy type of girl. I felt overwhelmed just walking into my sister's bedroom and seeing all of the makeup she had spread out on her vanity for me. I didn't like sitting still for hours on end while somebody else fussed with my hair. I didn't like getting waxed, tweezed or plucked. If I could've pulled it off without society scrutinizing me, I would've pulled my hair up in a ponytail and gone to the bar in jeans and a sweatshirt.

But alas, society was a cold, hard, judgmental bitch.

At least my sister always knew how to make me feel better. While she labored over my hair, trying to create something nice out of the mess, she assured me that I was doing the right thing. Trevor seemed like a nice guy and he was attractive to boot, which didn't hurt.

"Plus," Skye was keen to remind me, "Trevor is uncomplicated." Uncomplicated was exactly what I needed right now. I was going out for a drink with a really nice, uncomplicated guy and everything was going to be just fine.

"So what exactly do you wear for drinks?" I inquired once my face was on and I didn't have a single hair out of place.

"Oh you'll love it," Skye beamed at me and opened the double doors to her closet. I hopped up onto her bed and watched as she pulled out a strapless, teal-colored dress. I remembered seeing photos on Instagram of her wearing that very same sexy little number. She looked positively smokin', and I felt a smile tugging at my lips. Yeah, that was totally the dress.

Skye was a little taller and skinnier than me, but our body disproportions weren't noticeable enough for the dress to look like it didn't belong. I stared at our reflections in her giant mirror. I was dressed to the nines. My lips were bright red and my eyes looked bigger and greener thanks to Skye's smoky eye-shadow and thick, fake lashes. She was in a pair of sweatpants and a white tank top. Some honey-colored strands had fallen free from her braid. In that moment, she looked more like me than me.

"You need heels!" Skye gasped suddenly and began going through all of the shoes she had on a long white shelf at the bottom of her closet. We had the same size feet, which made it easier to find something nice. The problem now would be to keep from falling on my face. I wasn't used to walking around with three extra inches added to my height.