Seen

Two

"This one?" I asked, holding against me a deep purple dress and turning to get my sister's opinion.

"Nah." Tiffany replied distractedly, fingering a sparkling black mini dress which showed more than enough cleavage.

That is not happening.

I have not got the figure for that.

I dragged my sister away from the mini dress by the arm into the formal section. It's safe here, amongst the knee length or longer dresses with sleeves to stop you from getting pneumonia. 

You see, this is why I don't go to stores like this. I'm too insecure. To be honest, the only time I don't feel insecure is when Tiff or my mum is with me. With them I am safe. With them, I'm not invisible.

"Ooh, good idea." Tiffany said, "We've got to prepare you for formal events at your posh school."

"It's not a posh school."

"Um, yeah it is. Let me remind you that I've been there. They wear uniforms and the architecture is gorgeous. It's a posh school."

I rolled my eyes, sighing. 

"We've got to hit the stationery store next, mum said to prepare for tomorrow." I hastily changed the subject.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," Tiffany replied, positioning a vibrant yellow dress in front of my face then shaking her head, practically throwing the dress back onto the rail. "We'll get right on that... after we've bought you some clothes and makeup."

Tiffany must be seeing something in my totally not over the top reaction of stomping my foot on the floor and humphing because she's looking at me like I'm an alien

" What? Liss, how do you expect to maintain this new face if you don't have the proper resources? Actually don't answer that, do you even know how to use an eyelash curler? Or a normal curler for that matter? Ugh! We've got work to do!"

"I guess."

"Thank you, we need to prioritise, Liss. You already have a box full of school supplies at home. Now you need a box full of beauty supplies! Ooh, and I need that dress!"

I laughed as my sister rushed to a rail full of dresses behind me, grabbing a beautiful dress that I knew would look fabulous on her. Everything does. 

Mum had left about an hour ago, leaving us with her credit card.

Her last words to us were, "Don't spend too much. It would be great to be able to pay this month's bills and maybe do a week's worth of shopping with whatever amount you leave on there!" She had turned to me and hugged me, wishing me a happy birthday and begging me not to let my insane sister into Chanel.

"Tiff," I called, "What about this?"

Tiffany took a quick glance over her shoulder.

"No."

"This?"

"Nuh-uh." 

"What about this one?"

Tiffany didn't even say anything this time. She just stared at me with one eyebrow raised for a painfully long second.

"I'll take that as a no then," I muttered. "Should I just wait and let you do the shopping for a while, Tiff?"

"That would be very beneficial, yeah."

"Okay then."

I took this opportunity to take a look at the store I had willingly followed Tiffany into. I hadn't had the chance to stop and read the name based on interior design only it seemed to be a pretty nice place. It has a modern, white ceiling with grey marble flooring. The walls are white accented with gold and there is a large crystal chandelier overhead bringing light into the centre of the room like a spotlight. The room is nicely decorated - most of it is the products that are being sold but there are some nice pictures and chairs to sit down when your sister tires you out with her constant 'hate it's and 'why? Just why?'s. 

I set my eyes on a chair on the other side of the store, near to the exit. As you can probably tell, I don't go into stores like this often. 

I started to make my way through the store, glancing dismissively at some dresses hanging from railings and jewellery positioned in glass cases. 

I was just about to take a seat when a certain mannequin caught my eye. Right in the corner of the room.

I turned, my jaw dropping.

"Tiff?" I called out behind me, not noticing whether or not my sister had heard me, let alone acknowledged that I was still there. "Tiffany?"

"I'm coming, Liss."

It took her a minute to reach me and she held at least three different coloured dressed over her arm. She placed them all on the chair I had originally been planning to sit on.

"I brought you a few options... Anyway, I thought you were letting me handle the shopping aspect of this shopping trip from now on? What is i- Oh my."

I nodded slowly in agreement. 

"Liss," Tiffany gasped out, "forget the ones I picked out, you need to try that dress on."

No disagreement there then.

"Excuse me!" Tiffany said, breaking my trance to ask a shop attendant to find the dress in my size. 

"Go wait in the changing room." Tiffany said, pushing me in the vague direction of the changing room as I silently fell back into reality. 

_*_

"Oh, Liss."

"I love it, Tiffany. I love this dress."

"You look beautiful."

I ran my fingers blissfully over the smooth material of the gown.

"Should I get it?"

"Yes, yes. Definitely, yes. One hundred times, yes!"

"Okay then, I'll take that as a yes." I smiled, laughing along with my sister.

"Oh, and by the way, I found the perfect shoes and bag to go with it."

My smile grew even bigger as I saw what my sister had discovered on her quick trip around the store while I was getting changed.

"Could you pay for it all while I get changed? I'll hand it out to you." I said, unzipping the back after Tiffany had left the room.

"Of course." she shouted back.

I handed her the dress and got changed back into my jeans and T-shirt, not bothering to check myself in the mirror. I don't like to look in mirrors, they make me feel self-conscious. Before today, I knew what I would see, a plain girl wearing plain clothes who nobody truly saw.

Well, Liss, in that dress everyone will see you.

That's the first confident thing I have said in a very long time.

And I don't know how to feel about it.

_*_

I walked out the store arm in arm with Tiffany, smiling and laughing as she tugged me impatiently towards a makeup store nearby.

"Mum's going to kill us." I said, suddenly growing serious.

"She can't," My light-hearted sister replied. "It's your birthday."

I rolled my eyes.

It won't be tomorrow and there's always then. Oh, never mind. That's my first day of school.

"Okay." Tiffany said, pulling me towards the doors to the make up store, "we go in here then we go to your stationary store and you can torture me all you want with your 'should I get the binder and the pens or the notebook, binder and pens?', my last gift to you."

"Aw, how considerate of you." I laughed. "Seriously though, Tiff, thank you for today, it's been great."

"No problemo, hermana." She said, wrapping an arm around my shoulder, giving me a one-armed hug. "Other than this being your birthday, this is our last day of the holidays together and then it's off to school with you. I wanted to make it count."

I love my sister.

"Now in we go!"

Great.