"My boobs are ready to fall out of this thing." a childish whine left me as I stared at my reflection in the mirror, meeting my stepmother's amused emerald eyes.
The dress made me feel incredibly vulnerable; I hated it. It hugged every little curve and forced my bra and breasts to a point that they looked ready to pop like a soda cap from the tight royal blue dress. My hair, a normally bone straight mess I had in a ponytail on most occasions, had been curled at the tips.
I looked disgustingly like a barbie doll that would be bought from Wal-Mart and Aliyah refused to agree. She was set on trying to boost my self confidence, which was still almost nonexistent.
"You're so beautiful." she touched my cheek with the back of her hand, one of her swollen knuckles pushing in my flushed cheek.
I wanted to agree with her, and maybe there was a small part in the back of my mind that did, but the last thing I wanted was to be wearing a tight dress and heels on a Saturday night when I could be doing better things like binging the Fast and The Furious series with my brothers.
I knew the opposite would happen as soon as I stepped into the foyer. My brothers would all be scattered in their usual spots in the living room, doing one of two things. Watching TV or playing video games. I desperately hoped it wasn't the latter so I wouldn't have to suffer and watch while waiting for Toby.
Tobias, who would be dressed in a royal blue tux with an obnoxious red tie he had gotten to piss off his parents. Toby, who I would be spending the entire night with in a dress I was ready to pop out of.
"Let's go wait for Prince Charming down stairs." Aliyah wiggled her eyebrows suggestively as she took my hand. Wrapping her own securely around it, she dragged me down the steps until I nearly tripped over my heel and fell face first into a stair. I muttered bitterly under my breath as I tried to keep my white-blonde ringlets from falling into my eyes and causing even more of a problem.
Griffin was walking backwards out of the kitchen with a granola bar in his right hand when we stopped on the last step. His head whipped in our direction at the sound of my staggered footsteps.
The half of bar he had left remained halfway to his open mouth as he let his eyes freely roam my figure. I fought the urge to unstrap one of my uncomfortable heels and chuck it at him until he stopped staring.
Eventually he shut his mouth and nodded, "You look great."
"You better stop staring at me." I huffed.
"Why? You look beautiful."
"I look like a blueberry, my underwear is too tight, and I can't feel my feet." I grumbled, "I don't feel beautiful."
Griffin chuckled, "Then why are you wearing it in the first place?"
"Tobias' relatives got a reservation at a five star restaurant and his mother won't allow him to be seen with me in anything but a dress. She's wonderful." My stepmom and Griffin were clearly amused by my sarcasm.
"How's your back?" He diverted the subject after a few minutes of silence.
"It's still sore." I could feel Aliyah's hand fall against the bandage on my spine, her fingers trailing until they reached the second one on my shoulder blade.
"We'll see you later." Aliyah kissed my forehead before backing down the hall, "Remember to make sure Tobias has you home by twelve. Have a great night, sweetheart."
*
I had never felt more uncomfortable in my own skin then I did when Toby slipped his hand from the small of my back to introduce me to the two women crowded outside the stunning authentic Chinese restaurant.
They eyed me as if I were a piece of furniture rather than a human being.
"Aunt Lili, Aunt Missy, this is Alexis. Alexis, these are my aunts." Toby stretched his hand out in a gesture, lips curving into a forced smile. I bowed my head slightly, my hands too shaky to offer up a wave.
The taller of the two women stepped forward, "It's nice to finally meet you, Alexis. Tobias has spoke of you quite often."
I looked back and forth between the two Singaporean women before turning to Toby with a forced smile, "You talk about me?"
"A lot." Lili responded with a kind smile.
"Good things, I hope." I laughed nervously, wiping my sweaty palm against Toby's tux. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer, the smile on his face not meeting his eyes.
"Of course." He smiled, "Do you think I'm some sort of monster or something, Lex?"
The two beautiful women laughed, waving us in after them. I was relieved to have Toby's guidance as we maneuvered around in the crowded building. There was hardly any space between tables, and the same there was, people were lingering in and talking.
I spotted Toby's parents a mile away, much do to the fact that the waiters had pushed two tables together to fit the large family. It helped that they seemed to be in the midst of a fight, waving their hands frantically around in front of them.
We had approached the table when Mr. Fisher suddenly decided it would be a wonderful time to stand up and greet me himself; possibly a distraction from his wife.
"Alexis, it's so nice to see you again!" He pulled me into a hug, his hand resting a little above my bandage.
Mr. Fisher had always had this way of making me feel as if I were another child to him. He always had a warm, comforting smile when I was around, and made sure to scold me just as he does with Toby. When he'd mutter in Spanish under his breath, it was a sure way of knowing he was irritated with someone. As he pulled away and sat back in his seat, I could see his lips moving in distaste of whatever Mrs. Fisher had been at his throat for.
"Toby!" a pint sized pixie threw her arms around Toby's legs when he reached to pull my chair out for me. I smiled, my hand falling over my chest at the adorable sight. She couldn't be much older than five, and had eyes that in the right lighting, I was sure looked like his.
"Hey there, Muni." He ruffled the little girls thick, dark hair.
"Did you bring my present?" she crossed her small arms over her chest and pursed her lips. He pried my seat from where it seemed to be glued to the ground.
"I did, but I have to help my girlfriend before I can give it to you." he explained slowly. I waved him off and sat down beside his empty seat.
"No, you go ahead, Toby." He gave me a thankful look before picking up who I could only guess was his cousin. I stared after him until he had carried her out the front doors, feeling as if every pair of eyes had fallen on me.
Mrs. Fisher clicked her tongue against her teeth, "What happened to your back, dear?"
"Donated blood." I answered, shifting my body toward her. She stared at me skeptically, but didn't push on the topic any further.
"How did you and our lovely boy meet?" Tobias' Aunt Lili asked, setting her fork and spoon on a separate napkin so they wouldn't be near the knife.
"I actually met him through my older brother. I fell on the swing set outside my house and he helped me up." I smiled as the fuzzy memory resurfaced, "He's a really great guy. You all did a wonderful job with him."
They all laughed and a few of his relatives even reached and patted my hand. By the time Toby got back, he looked as if he'd walked through a car wash blow dryer. He threw himself into the seat, unaware that he was currently the center of topic and attention.
"What'd I miss?" he glanced around the table sheepishly, "Hope it wasn't anything too important."
I was starting to lean back in my seat when Mrs. Fisher turned to me with a smile that could be mistake for a grimace.
"Has my son told you about his plans for August?" she arched an eyebrow. I saw a muscle in Toby's jaw twitch as he glared dangerously across the table at his mother.
"Mom, leave it alone." he warned. She flashed him a dark look.
"What? What are your plans, Toby?" I laid a hand on his forearm, chapped lips parted.
His mother jumped back in before he could open his mouth, "He's going back to Singapore with his Aunt to study the language."
Instead of freaking out as I supposed she thought I'd do, I pushed away from the table and excused myself. I sent a quick look over my shoulder on my way to the bathroom to find Mr. Fisher shaking his head at his wife, anger evident in his eyes. I waited until I knew I was alone in the girls bathroom to unstrap my heels and slide down the wall, refusing to let any more tears escape.
When I went back out there, I'd have to face Toby and his family all over again. Now with the knowledge that this was one of last few times I'd be eating dinner out with him again; knowing that he could have told me at any time and he hadn't in fear I'd have a some sort of breakdown.
What he didn't understand was I had reached my breaking point a long time ago; there wasn't anything that could affect me as much anymore. At least that's what I try to force myself to believe.
***AN***
A filler chapter, I know. I PROMISE that the next chapter will definitely be more eventful and there WILL be a double update. Exciting, right?
Hope you guys enjoyed!
Let me know what you guys thought! I'd love to hear it!
~ChasingMadness24