"Mamà. Jou can't be serious." Taz said in horror, gaping at the the frilly monstrosity her mother had laid out on her bed.
Her mother frowned at her slightly. "Tasmina, jour papà and I spent good money on dat dress. Jou are going to wear it, entender?"
Tasmina scowled at her mother. "Nùmero uno, he is not my papà. He is jour husband. Nùmero dos-" Tasmina raised her voice as her mother opened her mouth to interrupt. "Earth is in de middle of a war. Robots are attacking every day. What if I need to run?"
"Don't be ridicùlo." her mother said, obviously choosing to ignore Tasmina's first statement. "De Starship Rangers have everything under control. Today is jour birthday, mi hija! Jou are not allowed to worry about killer robots today!"
"Sì." Tasmina said grudgingly, glaring at the outfit laid out on the bed. "Just killer heels."
Her mother started fussing with the dress, straightening out all the creases and imperfections. Tasmina couldn't understand why her mother was making such a big deal out of her birthday. Sure, she was fifteen, and in her culture that made her a woman, but girls turned fifteen everyday all over the world. In Tasmina's opinion, her mother was completely overreacting to the fact that it was her Quinceañera.
Her mother opened her mouth to say something but before she could, a yell of "TAZ?" came from downstairs.
Her mother looked disgruntled, as she always did when someone called her daughter "Taz" instead of "Tasmina". Her expression of disgruntlement increased as Taz roared "SÌ?" at the top of her voice in answer.
"Tasmina! Dat is no way for a young lady to-" her mother hissed, but was cut off when Taz's bedroom door crashed open and her oldest stepbrother Rìco sauntered in, smiling happily.
He stopped dead when he saw the dress on the bed, and promptly began to howl with laughter. "Pedro! Ven aquì!" he roared over his shoulder, still laughing.
Taz's other stepbrother, Pedro, appeared at the door. Ríco and Pedro both looked extremely alike, with dark complexions (just like every other Mexican person in Mexico) and caramel coloured hair, slightly lighter than usual for a Hispanic person. The only extremely obvious difference between them was Rìco's "moustache", which were just little wispy hairs that had started forming on his upper lip. Rìco had turned eighteen two months ago, a fact that he was immensely proud of, and Pedro was turning seventeen in three months. Taz and Pedro had always got on with each other, standing up for each other whenever the other was going to get in trouble, but Ríco just got on Taz's nerves sometimes.
"¿Que?" Pedro asked, raising a dark eyebrow at the sight of his brother, who was still dissolved in laughter. Ríco just about managed to point at the dress on the bed. He was laughing so hard that he was no longer making any sound.
Pedro glanced at the bed, and his eyes widened when they laid sight on the dress. "Taz.. Are jou seriously going to wear dat?"
Taz glared at him. "Mamà is making me." she stated, crossing her arms over her chest and ignoring Ríco's snort of laughter.
Pedro turned to face his stepmother. "How is she supposed to walk?"
Taz's eyes grew huge as she turned to face her mother, not yet having considered this problem.
Her mother shot Pedro a venomous look before turning to face Taz. "Tasmina, you will be fine!" she said, smiling reassuringly.
"Until she puts dese on!" came Rìco's voice, and Taz turned to see him holding up a pair of strappy pink high heels.
Taz blanched, and her mother said "Get out" furiously, waving the two boys out and giving them each smacks upside the head.
"Mamà, I can't do dis." Taz said beginning to panic, watching as her mother closed the door behind her stepbrothers.
"You can, Tasmina." her mother replied, picking up the dress.
Taz's fists clenched slightly. She was beginning to get annoyed at her mother for repeatedly calling her by her full name.
Her annoyance disappeared in an instant when her mother began to advance on her with the dress held up, only to be replaced with panic. She began to back away, but only got a few steps away before she reached the wall. She shook her head desperately. "Por favor, Mamà?"
"Pleading will do no good, Tasmina. Jou will look beautiful tonight, when jou dance with jour future husband!" her mother said, pulling off Taz's plain top with a deft pull of her hands.
Taz felt herself blanch again at the thought of dancing with a future husband. Her mother was so sure that Taz was going to meet the man she would marry tonight. Her mother took Taz's momentary horror as an opportunity to pull the dress over Taz's head.
Taz shrieked slightly as her vision was obscured and she could see nothing but pink. But then it was over her head and on her body, and she looked down at herself in disgust. It was floor length and baby pink with no straps, tight and fitted from her chest to her waist, and below her waist it poofed out in frills and lace. "Mamà, I look ridicùlo!"
Her mother ignored her complaints and pulled her into the bathroom. She made a scowling Taz sit on the closed lid of the toilet as she opened her makeup bag. She turned around with a pair of tweezers and began the long, painful process of plucking her daughters eyebrows.
Taz yelped loudly each time her mother plucked a hair.
After almost forty five minutes of yelling and kicking and plucking, her mother deemed her eyebrows as "acceptable".
"Tasmina, what is that?" her mother asked suddenly. Taz looked down at where she was pointing and saw a huge purple bruise on her upper arm.
"A bruise." Taz said bluntly, earning herself a nasty look from her mother.
"How did jou get it?"
Taz scratched her neck absently, trying to remember. "It was either from falling out of de tree in de garden, or from a fight with Antonio Cortez." she said at last, shrugging her shoulders. "But don't worry. He came out way worse den me."
Her mother frowned disapprovingly. "After tonight, Tasmina, there will be no more of dis silly fighting or climbing trees! Entender?"
Taz said nothing, scowling at the bathroom wall.
Her mother then began the task of applying makeup to the extremely uncooperative teenager. After mascara, eyeliner, powder, eyeshadow and lipgloss had all been applied, Taz looked as though she was going to kill something.
Her mother noticed this and quickly assured her that she was almost done. She led Taz back into her bedroom and told her to sit on the bed as she began to do her hair.
Her hair didn't take as long as Taz had thought it would. Her mother simply swept her long, straight hair into a simple bun and added a little pink hairband.
"Are jou finished?" Taz asked, extremely irritated.
Her mother frowned at her slightly. "Tasmina, I expect jou to behave like a lady tonight."
Taz rolled her eyes and lay back on her bed, scowling at the fact her dress rustled loudly whenever she moved.
"I mean it. There will be chicos dere, and one of dem will be jour future husband-" Taz made a choking sound, but her mother ignored her and continued, "and not to mention de fact there will be Starship Rangers here-"
Taz flew into a sitting position. "¿Que? Starship Rangers?" she said, eyes wide.
"Sí," her mother answered smugly. "Jour papà-" Taz's teeth ground loudly together as she fought the urge to point out that he wasn't her papà, "invited dem to come tonight, and dey said dey would. Dey are de ones who have been guarding Mexico City from de robot attacks."
Taz frowned slightly. "Dey haven't been doing a very good job." she pointed out.
Her mother rolled her eyes at her. "I thought jou always wanted to meet a Starship Ranger?"
"I do!"
"Well why don't jou try dancing with one? He might end up as jour future husband." Her mother gave her a wink as she walked out the door, disappearing before Taz could throw anything at her.
*
Taz sighed in annoyance as she looked out the window at the crowd of people in her garden.
The garden had been transformed. There were twinkling fairy lights and banners everywhere, and the theme seemed to be pink.
Taz groaned and put her head in her hands. She didn't think she was going to be able to handle having to walk out there in front of all those people in the stupid pink dress she was wearing. Not to mention the fact that there were Starship Rangers out there...
Taz's gaze turned to the poster hanging over her bed. It had the Galactic League of Extraterrestrial Exploration's insignia on it, and the words "We're Here To Get The Job Done!" printed beneath it.
Taz sighed slightly. It had always been her ambition to be a Starship Ranger, but all under-seventeen year olds wishing to sign up needed a parent or guardians permission, and Taz knew her Mamà would never give her permission to join the G.L.E.E. She just wanted her to get a husband and raise kids. Taz scowled at the thought. Even though she hung out with boys more than she did girls, it didn't mean she LIKED them. She just found them more tolerable than girls her age.
A knock sounded from her door and she sighed slightly. "Entrar." she called wearily, turning to see Pedro smiling nervously in the doorway. "Wow." he grinned. "Jou look beautiful. Leo will be impressed."
Taz glared at him. "Shut up." she said.
He laughed and walked in, sitting on her bed and making himself comfortable.
Taz glanced out the window and saw that the crowd had gotten slightly bigger. Not a lot, but still bigger. She began wringing her hands together nervously. "I can't do dis." she muttered to herself, beginning to pace anxiously.
"Taz.. Relax" Pedro said soothingly. Taz shook her head, getting increasingly agitated. Pedro frowned slightly. "Leo is downstairs.. Will I get him to come up?"
Taz threw her arms up into the air in frustration. "Why de hell would I want Leo to see me like dis?" she growled, glaring at her dress.
"Leo's not going to care, Taz." Pedro insisted, but Taz ignored him and continued her pacing.
"It's true," came a voice from the doorway. "I'm not going to care."
Both Taz and Pedro whirled around to face the boy who was standing in the doorway. "Leo!" Taz cried, running forwards and throwing her arms around her best friends shoulders. Leo returned the hug, smiling widely. "Hey Tazzie. I thought jou didn't want to see me?"
Taz smacked his arm lightly. "Don't call me Tazzie."
Leo just laughed. "It's time to go downstairs," he said, smiling at her. She froze immediately and glanced out the window again at the crowd in her garden.
"No." she decided, shaking her head. "I'm not going."
Pedro and Leo shared a look, before they grabbed one of her arms each and towed her over to the door, with her struggling and cursing the whole way.
"Ready, mi hermana?" Pedro asked, grinning at Taz, before pushing the door open and leading the way down the stairs.
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I wrote this for my friend Emily, so I really wanna know if it's good or not!! Please give your opinions!!!