I woke the next morning with a smile on my face. A quick shower and I was dressed and ready to go in a teal tanktop, with a grey cardigan that nearly touched the floor, and some light blue jeans. Oakley was still asleep, but mom was in the living room reading the paper.
"Where's dad?" I asked, pulling down a bowl from the cupboard and filling it up with fruity pebbles.
Mom smiled at me, "He's over seeing some business, he'll be back in a few days, and then we have some sort of party to attend. It's formal so I think you and Oakley should go out in search of dresses today?"
I looked at her while grabbing the milk out of the fridge, "Formal?" I let the refrigerator door fall shut, and filled up my bowl before returning it to the fridge.
Mom nodded and sat back, "Yeah, it's in, oh, let me see.. three days?"
I sat down at the table and took a bite of my food, chewing slowly before replying, "Sure, I'll wait until she wakes up on her own before telling her, and then we can go see what we can find," I took another bite.
She gave a nod of acknowledgement, and turned back to her paper, sipping her tea happily. I focused on my breakfast, and as I was rinsing out my bowl to set it in the dishwasher, Oakley came down with her hair curly from the braid, and dressed in a cute skirt with a tanktop and some strappy sandals.
She made her way into the kitchen and got a bowl of coco pebbles, smiling at her mom as she sat down.
I informed her of the formal dance party thing in a few days, and that today we were to find some nice dresses to attend. Oakley looked happy at the idea.
"Wait, we've been here like two days, how are we already invited to some fancy-smancy party?" she said, waving her spoon around before dipping it back into her bowl and taking a big bite of cereal. She looked to her mother for the answer.
"It's just some people your father and I used to attend school with," she smiled and laughed, "A sort-of ruinion."
She flipped the page of the paper, winking at us over the top of it. This wasn't actually something that was a weird occurrence. Oakley and I had just never really been invited to one of the parties, or well, I hadn't. Oakley had attended a few, but always complained to me that they were dreadfully boring.
I wasn't sure if it was for my benefit, or because it was actually true. Either way I never really asked her about them, other than what she wore and what they served as food. She always showed me what she wore, and reassured me that the food, while it was heavenly, was by far the most interesting thing at the party. And after the first party, she always made sure to bring me back some kind of dessert.
One time I actually tried to save the dessert for a bad day, pick-me-up, but my sister, Marie, had found it and got into it. I never did bring any desserts home after that.
I finished putting my stuff in the dishwasher and walked into the living room, letting my mind settle on Marie, who had gotten the short end of the stick in the whole ordeal. She had not only lost her mother, but also her father. Dad went to jail, and her mom went to a mental institution, as she was deemed unfit for jail. If she was ever released from the mental institution, then she was to have ten years of jail time, not minusing any time she spent in the institution.
Marie had been put into foster care, a ward of the state. We didn't have any family, and Marie didn't have an Oakley on her side. Oakley's family's adoption of me had been really quick. I didn't actually go to any of the court dates, and neither did Maire. I was left out of all of it, and spared the fate of traveling from home to home, with uncertainties of how long I'd be staying.
I looked up over at my new mom, the one who actually acted like a mother, and she smiled at me.
"Alrighty my baby birds," I grinned, not having heard that term since I first came over wearing some worn out tennis shoes and a very thin, worn out t-shirt. She only ever used it when she was feeling super motherly, "I think I'll go soak in a bath, there's money to be used on those dresses in the cookie jar, and if you need anything, I'm a phone call away," she grinned warmly before walking towards her bathroom, giving my head a pat on the way over there.
Oakley rolled her eyes, "baby birds, my butt," she said, albeit cheerfully as she put her dishes in the dishwasher. She dried her hands on her shirt and looked over at me.
"Ready?"
I nodded, patting my pockets of my jeans before shaking my head, "I forgot my phone," I said, "I'll be right out!" I called while she walked out the door and I ran up the stairs.
I quickly found what I was looking for and shoved it into my pockets before running quietly down the stairs. Outside I jumped into the bronco, and buckled up. Oakley gave me a look of question, to which I nodded. She backed out of the driveway, and headed down the street, getting on the highway so we could get to the mall.
I flipped on the radio, and turned it up. It was set to some station that Oakley likes, which was fine because I was pulling out my phone, checking the screen like some obsessive teenager.. oh wait.
There were several good morning texts, and then an additional one from Sean.
Sean: Any grand plans for the day?
I bit my lip, typing up a quick reply before sending it off and dropping my phone into my lap.
Me: Dress shopping *sick emoji*
Sean: Don't like shopping? ;) Don't tell Gabriel, he'll find a way to see if it's true or not.
I wondered what he meant by that. Oakley switched lanes and I looked around, forgetting that I hadn't replied until the phone vibrated in my hands.
Sean: Wait, where are you shopping?
Me: Can't tell you, because then I'd have to kill you.
Sean: You'd have to find me first, and even then if you tried to kill me this location is a bad spot to try to do the deed ;)
I wasn't given a lot of time to think that over because Oakley asked which mall I wanted to go to, and then we were pulling into the parking lot, and parking. I shoved my phone back into my pocket, climbed out of the bronco, and met Oakley on her side of the truck. We walked up to the mall together, and found one of the maps near the entrance.
"Okay, so if we're here... then that..." Oakley's voice trailed off while she tried to figure out where we would go, and how we would navigate the place, and I let her.
I pulled out my phone, checking the screen, and feeling rude at the same time. I didn't want to ignore Oakley, but at the same time, these guys were growing on me.
Luke: Ugh. Will you tell North I should be allowed to eat chocolate for breakfast?
Me: Everyone should have that right!
North: Don't encourage him..
Sean: Pumpkin, do you think if I tried to put on a white doctors coat, people would believe I was a doctor?
Me: YOU CAN GET ARRESTED FOR THAT
Sean: Ooops.. *image of him in white doctor's coat*
I was getting ready to scold him when Oakley snapped her fingers in front of my face, I expected her to be mad but she was simply smiling.
"Come on, let's get this over with," she said, looping her arm in mine. We went up the escalator and into a cute little dress boutique where none of the dresses were approved of, by either of us... which was saying something for me.
On and on the day went, and we were no closer to finding a dress than when we started, until we walked into a boutique that was less fancy looking, and smelled like vanilla. We roamed around it for a little bit before Oakley gave a soft cry of delight. I made my way over to her side, about to ask what she was on about before I saw the twin, blue and pink gowns she had.
They were gorgeous, floor length, and really soft material.
"Are you sure dad would let us wear these? I mean, look at the .. neckline, if that's even what it's called?"
The dresses both had a black top, and then right under the boobs it had a jeweled part, before flowing into the actual color part of the dress. Oakley gave me a look.
"Sang, dad doesn't care, he is one of those guys who thinks that if you're confident in your body, confident enough to wear risque things, then you should wear them. He'd never tell us no to wearing something, unless it wasn't appropriate for the occasion, and this is just fine. You should see what some of the other girls I've seen have worn."
I nodded softly, wondering just how many teens would show up to a class reunion kind of party.
"Are they in budget?"
She checked the price tags before nodding happily, "With enough left over for shoes... so do you like it? Or should we keep looking?"
I worked my teeth over my lower lip, making her narrow her eyes at my bad habit.
"If they fit.."
She didn't even let me finish, just shoved the dress at me, and steered me towards the fitting rooms.