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Bailey's POV:
"I need money." I blatantly say to my parents as they sit in their room each on their phone. "For what?" Mom asks, "For a prom dress, I'm going." I tell them. I want to get something good, beautiful, something that matches the theme. I don't know what the theme is.
"Senior prom already that must be nice, I remember my prom night, my buddies and I rented suits then ended up wearing jeans." Dad chuckles and mom gives him a 'what the fuck' look. Did he really wear jeans.
"Jesus Daniel, really that's stupid I can't believe that's what you wore even the nerds at my school dressed like princes." I watch her stand up reaching for their bags and she pulls out both of their wallets.
"Woah, woah- Woah how much are you giving her?" Dad shot up his eyes widening as mom stacks 20s in my hand. I've even lost track of the amount I'm holding.
"Daniel, I'm not letting our daughter go to prom in jeans unlike you, shit, what's wrong with you?" She rolls her eyes putting the wallets away, "Go find something nice don't listen to your dad. Also there's a package in your room for you from Aunt Jacky and I." She motions to my room as she gets back on the bed.
"How much do you plan on spending?" Dad asks and I shrug my shoulders, "Give it a rest now, I don't want to hear anything else from you. Is someone picking you up?" Mom asks and I nod. "Yeah, Skylar's actually waiting outside." I tell them and Dad's eyes widen.
"Jesus Bailey why didn't you invite her in?" He asks peaking through the blinds, "I did, she said she'll just wait so I'll be going now." I tell them leaving the room going into mine. A small brown box sat on my bed and I opened it up seeing a note inside.
Happy Birthday my favorite niece, I know I know it's late but this needed planning and I think it'll be a great addition to your room and it's actually your moms idea to get you this so we pitched in there's something else too I just didn't tell her because you know how she is with military clothes, I love you.
I smiled at the note, I look inside seeing a folded pride flag making my heart swell. I unfolded it and laid it on my bed feeling my cheeks hurt from smiling. I can't wait to put it up. I don't need to hide anymore.
I looked back in the box seeing an Army shirt and I pick it up seeing Aunt Jacky's beach volleyball team's crest on the front and I turn it around seeing my first and last name with her number on it. I do a little dance before ripping my shirt off putting on this new one.
I take a quick glance in the mirror before taking a picture and sending it to her then I finally leave my house seeing Skylar playing hopscotch, only with no hopscotch. She's so cute. "I'm here." I get her attention and she instantly smiles walking back to her bike.
"Nice shirt." She looks at it, "Thank you, it's Aunt Jacky's present for my birthday and my mom me got something too." I mention getting on and wrapping my arms around her. Mmm strong torso.
"Really? What did she get?" She asks reving the bike, "A pride flag." I say and she looks over her shoulder, "That's something, something good." She lets out a soft smile that slowly turns into a smirk. "Does that mean we still have to be quiet when we have sex in your room?" She asks in all seriousness.
"Oh my, yes are you kidding? I won't have them hear me." I pull my head away seeing her smirk through the helmet's visor. "Just drive Skylar." I lightly push her head away feeling her chuckle.
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"Wait so what color theme goes with?- I mean I know they said Beauty and the Beast but I think it means more of a haunted forest like the beginning scene in the animation." Carmen says from the stall next to me as I attempt to fit dress number three.
"I have no clue and you're probably right but if it's a forest then browns, beige maybe red for the theme but if it's Beauty and the Beast then probably blue and gold." I try to make sense of it, I know our student council can be confusing when they explain things.
"I guess but I think I like this one but it doesn't match I'm going to find a different color." I hear her voice fade and her shadow disappears, "Skylar, what do you plan on wearing?" I ask from the other side. "I don't know yet, I'm waiting for you to choose then I'll pick something." She says.
"We're gonna match?" I ask slowly getting excited. "Mhm, why not? I think we'll look fucking hot together so." I see her feet appear under the slightly elevated door. "You're right, we'll most definitely look hot." I smile to myself. "Also are you almost done, you've been in there for almost ten minutes." I hear her whine.
"You are impatient you know that?" I shake my head pulling the dress straps over my shoulders, "I know but you're taking forever we've been in this store for two hours now." She continues to whine.
"Okay okay I'm done with this dress, how do I look?" I step of the dressing room walking towards the large mirror and I watch Skylar step up behind me, "I like this one." She smiles and I turn around to look that the back but then I see my stretch marks across my shoulders.
"What's wrong?" Skylar asks me and I shake my head, "It's nothing, I just don't like this that's all, seems a bit overdoing it for a prom. Wedding sure but prom no." I lie, I do like it a lot. I just feel exposed.
"Is it really the reason, or is it this?" She rubs her thumb on my skin and I can feel the cracks underneath. "It's that, I just don't like it and they never go away. They're not pretty or anything, they're actually ugly and they're everywhere on me." I shrug her hand away.
"I don't think they're ugly." She wraps her arms around me and I just stare at our reflection feeling her warmth, "I know that it might seem like they are ugly but if anything they look like lightning bolts." She chuckles slightly into my neck. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?" I ask lifting her head up by her chin and she nods.
"Your body is strong, fast, beautiful and fuck it got you all the way to my house in the rain while it's dark so yeah they're lightning bolts and I don't know about you but I think they're fucking badass." She kisses my cheek hugging me tighter making me smile. "Lightning bolts?" I question while slightly turning my shoulder to get another look.
"Mhm, strong, fast and beautiful lightning bolts." She says once more, "Oh my fucking God, if you two don't get married I'm going to physically throw up you guys are so damn cute, now, let's get back to shopping I think I found the one for me." Carmen pops up in the mirror holding a sleeveless navy blue dress that reaches her ankles with little gold stars scattered all over the bottom half.
It suits her a lot, "Go try it on, I'm going to look one more time." I say and Carmen smiles at us before walking into the dressing room. Skylar lets go of me as I move towards the rack full of different dresses. "Shouldn't you be finding something?" I ask and Skylar places her chin on my shoulder.
"I should but like I said I'll wait for you." She says looking through with me. After moving from rack to rack I grabbed one last dress with sleeves that go to my elbows, it covers my shoulder with a length down to my ankles. It's not full of sparkles or sequences, a simple blue just like in the movie.
"I'm getting this one." I walk out of the room trying to zip the back. "Here." Skylar zips it up for me and she looks at me up and down, "So?" I ask as she grabs my hand spinning me around. "I love it." She smiles making me smile too. "I love it too." I get excited.
"Let me see, let me see!" Carmen walks over to me getting a look, "Oh we're going to look so good for prom." We hug each other celebrating, "Come on let's pay for these." We pull away walking back to our dressing rooms and Skylar follows me.
Carmen and I excitedly paid for our dresses and now it was Skylar's turn to pick out a suit so we walked into the only store in the mall that does suits. "You know, I think you're happier that you're with her." Carmen joins me on the bench by the cubicles for dressing rooms after looking at ties.
"I am, I feel freer and more comfortable with who I am, oh and guess what?" I turn to her and she puts her bag of cinnamon pretzels down. "Chicken butt." She laughs and I shake my head, "No no, my mom and my aunt, they got me a pride flag." I say and her jaw drops. "Damn Mrs. Skeels, she knows?" She asks and I nod.
"I ended up coming out on my birthday and she's okay with me." I lift my arms up and Carmen hugs me tightly. "I'm so proud, my best friend isn't going to a conversion camp." She sounds like she's going to cry. "Yes, I'm not going to one." I rub her back.
"She better not be going to a conversion camp otherwise I'd burn the entire building down." Skylar's voice startles us, "No she's right, I'd do the same thing." The guy that was taking Skylar's measurements joins in as Skylar steps out in a black suit with a blue tie that matches my dress.
"Maybe some gold cufflinks to go with, yeah?" She steps up on the little podium and the man goes off to get something. "What do you think?" She asks me and Carmen gives her a thumbs up. "We're going to look so good, you look fucking hot." I smirk seeing how the suit fits her nicely. And she has a tie, I love ties.
"Oh really? I should wear suits more often then." She gets down from the podium and I pull the tie out of her jacket tugging her towards me. I feel her hands grasp my waist with our faces close together. "I think you should." I whisper pressing our lips together feeling her smile.
"Golden cufflinks." I voice interrupts us and we both turn our heads to Skylar's dresser holding onto an open box with two circle pins, the color of a lightning bolt. "I'll take it."