As I sat, dumbfounded and confused, the girl hovering over me became very frustrated as the seconds ticked by.
Cordelia groaned, "get a wiggle on! It's time to go!"
A wiggle on? What does that even mean? I stared blankly back at her, "What?"
Cordelia looked at me franticly, "you know, get going?" Her expression changed from frantic to irritated when she looked down at my clothes. "We have to find something for you to wear! You can't go there looking like a wet blanket."
"Excuse me?" I asked. "What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" the green dress I had worn to school that morning was still on me.
Cordelia didn't reply, she just turned on her heel and walked to a white wardrobe in the corner. "Now let me see.."
She began throwing handfuls of dresses on the bed. Beads and fabrics constantly smacked me until I jumped off the bed and stood next to her. "I may have something that will fit you, but you're such a tiny thing! Maybe some heels will help? Either way, none of my clothes will fit like a glove."
"Why does it matter if I look good?" I asked her, crossing my arms. Why would my appearance matter anyway?
"How else will we meet swell guys?!" Cordelia exclaimed. "That's the whole point of going to Gatsby's party!"
My brain was completely in denial at this point. This whole situation defies any kind of logic. I should be in the hospital right now.
Take deep breaths Alice, everything she's saying is just a part some weird dream... Yeah, just an extremely realistic dream.
While I was deep in thought, I didn't notice Cornelia toss me a dress. It landed in my lap and nearly blinded me. The room's lights seemed to cling to each bead, redirecting the light directly into my eyes.
The dress itself was beautiful! Back home, girls would pay a fortune for a dress like this.
"Well," Cornelia said, growing impatient. "Are you going to go put it on or just stare at it?"
Honestly, I could have stared at this champagne dress all day, but I didn't want to suffer Cornelia's wrath, so I went and changed. I fully expected to be weighed down and uncomfortable by the dress because of all the small orb-like beads attached to it, but instead, I felt light and elegant as I twirled in front of the bathroom's full length mirror.
When I emerged from the restroom, Cordelia was waiting with small jar-like objects in her hand. "Now, lets get you face dolled up. It will only take a moment then we can leave."
The balms and powders were reminiscent of makeup from home, but the packaging was atrocious!
Typically, I strayed away from wearing makeup. Don't get me wrong, makeup is a beautiful way to express yourself... I just happen to be horrible at applying it.
I opened my mouth to protest, but saw the look Cordelia gave me so I clamped it shut. Her arm reached out, with what appeared to be eyeshadow in her hand. "So I think a shimmery gold would be best don't you?" She asked. I nodded, if I had to choose a color, I probably would have chose the same.
"There!" She said after a torturous ten minutes of putting on what felt like layers upon layers of makeup. "Now, we can head out."
A pit formed in my stomach, "you mean to Gatsby's?"
"Of course!" Cordelia said, her voice bubbling with excitement. "His parties are legendary. I've only been to a few before, but I can honestly say they were the best parties I've ever been to."
Cordelia shuffled to the mirror, touching up her own makeup.
"Have you ever met him?" I asked.
Cordelia shook her head. "No, I never have." She swiveled, leaning in close to me, as if she was about to tell a secret. "You know his workers even say that they haven't really met him."
So Gatsby is just like he is in the book! I wonder if he's met Nick yet...
No! This is all just a dream! There is no Nick or Cordelia or Gatsby. Any minute now I'll wake up in the hospital with a bad migraine or something.
My eyes shifted back to Cordelia, she certainly looked real.
Cordelia grabbed my wrist and pulled me toward the door, "come on, it's time to go."
We ran through what looked to be a small living room and a kitchen before making it outside.
An old car was parked in the front of Cordelia's home. It was very small compared to cars I'm used to, but I managed to climb in it without too much difficulty. Cordelia started up the car, "alright, hold on."
"Hold on? Wha-", before I could finish a coherent sentence, the car sputtered to life. I immediately understood why she said hold on. The car vibrated. Badly. It felt like my insides were gradually shimmying up my body as each second passed.
If we had brought a bottle of milk with us, it would have probably have turned in to heavy cream in a matter of minutes.
Twenty torturous minutes of driving in the car, we sped by the place I had been looking for since we started the trip.
There, beside the road, was the infamous service station that Myrtle lived in. She must hate staying here in the Valley of Ashes with her husband while the apartment Tom got for her is sitting vacant, only miles away.
Even though Myrtle was cheating on her husband, I could never grow to hate her. She was just another victim of the Buchanan's selfishness.
"Doesn't this all seem so depressing?" Cordelia mused aloud. "All the wealth surrounding this place and it still looks like a trash heap."
I nodded, "the one thing I've learned from wealthy people is that they don't give," I said as I leaned into the window. "They only take."
Cordelia drove in silence for a few minutes. I could tell she was deep in thought. The silence felt like an invisible weight, urging us both to say something to fill the void.
Cordelia finally spoke up, "not all of them are like that."
I laughed bitterly, "I'll believe that when they prove me wrong."
"Well, prepare to be proven wrong tonight," Cordelia replied merrily, as if the serious conversation we had a few seconds ago never happened. "Because Gatsby gives his guests the best food and drinks this city has to offer."
She took a turn to the left. Gradually, as we drove on, the ashes turned into lush grass and trash heaps were replaced by ginormous mansions.
Expensive cars clogged the narrow streets, abandoned by their owners who had left for the party.
After a few minutes of maneuvering, Cordelia gave up on trying to get through the blocked road and exited her car like the drivers in the cars in front of us had. "It's a little bit of a walk," Cordelia mused as she helped me climb out of the old car. "At least our dancing feet will be warmed up for the Charleston."
Right after she mentioned the word Charleston, Cordelia did a brief, exaggerated version of the energetic dance. I didn't know it was possible to exaggerate a dance like that, but somehow Cordelia managed to.
She seems so real! I honestly don't think my subconscious mind could ever come up with someone like this.
"Stop laughing! " Cordelia exclaimed. "I wasn't that bad of a dancer!"
Was I laughing?
Instantly, I closed my mouth and followed Cordelia as she walked toward Gatsby's house.
It took a couple of minutes of walking for us to arrive, but when we did I was stunned into silence.
My wildest imagination couldn't have prepared me for the grandness of Gatsby's mansion. His home towered over the mansions around his. Each little detail was littered with his input. How he put all this together I don't know, but it feels almost too polished to me.
The closer we got, the more intimidated I became. How does Gatsby tolerate living here, in this mansion, all alone?
Cordelia sighed wistfully, "a girl could get used to a palace like this." We both walked up the grand stairs that led to the front door. Men in nice suits held open the front doors for the throngs of party guests filing in.
As we passed through the large door, one of the workers did a double take. "Excuse me, Miss, but would you ladies follow me? I'd like to escort you to the exclusive section of the party," he said, his gaze not leaving mine.
Before I could graciously decline, Cordelia nodded her head rapidly. "Thank you Sir!" she gushed as we walked up the wide staircase. "Now do you see why I wanted you to dress up?" Cordelia whispered to me.
I nodded, even though something about this seemed a little off.
There were tons of pretty girls out there, so why pick us?
After following the worker for a few minutes, he opened the door to a pastel tea room and closed the door behind him. "If you don't mind, I need to make a call," he said as he headed toward a telephone by the huge windows. "A server will be here momentarily with some small appetizers for you."
Cordelia plopped down on one of the white chairs, completely trusting this guy. "Where is everyone?" I asked her as she admired the intricate silverware. Cordelia silently shrugged.
"You're not a little suspicious of this?" I questioned, trying to keep my voice low so the worker wouldn't hear.
Cordelia looked at me like I was crazy, "of course not!"
"I think it's her boss... Yeah I brought them here," the worker murmured into the phone. I leaned toward him to hear the full conversation. "No sir I-" he was interrupted by who ever he was talking to. "Flowers? There aren't an-". Again, he was interrupted by the person on the other line. "Yes sir I'll get it as soon as possible," he hung up the phone and approached us. "Are you ladies comfortable? "
"Yes!" Cordelia said in a chipper tone. "We are honored that you invited us here."
The worker smiled, "it was my pleasure. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be back momentarily."
He walked out, but almost instantly poked his head back in the room. "Please, stay here. A sever will arrive any minute," he said as he left the room.
Once the door clicked shut, I turned to Cordelia, "we need to leave."
"Why? Didn't you hear him say a server was coming?" She asked.
"Yes, but did you hear him say 'I think it's her'? He was probably talking about one of us."
Cordelia laughed and waved me off, "you're too paranoid. Just because someone's nice doesn't mean there's an ulterior motive."
I sighed, giving up on trying to convince Cordelia of my suspicions.
We sat in silence for a few minutes. the silence was abruptly shattered when all of a sudden, twelve people burst through the door. Each person was carrying a huge vase filled with light yellow flowers.
"What's all this?" I asked as Cordelia squealed with joy.
"Isn't it obvious?" she said as she smelled a flower. "A rich man has taken notice of us and brought in these flowers to win both of us over."
I thought back to what the worker said about flowers. Maybe Cordelia was right.
Another man walked in, but instead of flowers, he carried two trays full of food.
"Ooh!" Cordelia said joyously. "Is that caviar?!"
This was ridiculous! Surely someone was playing a prank on us. Poor Cordelia! She seemed so happy in this masquerade... I don't have the heart to tell her it's probably all just a big joke.
Wait... Why am I even worrying about this?
All of this is just a dream anyway. I might as well enjoy this hallucination while it lasts.
"Yes, as a matter of fact it is," the server said. "Would you care for some?" He extended his arm so the section of the tray that had caviar resting on it was extremely close to Cordelia.
She quickly plucked a small serving from the tray and inhaled it. "This is delicious!" she struggled to say as she continued chewing her mouthful of food.
"You have to try this," she said, holding out a serving to me.
I shook my head, "no thanks. I don't like fish."
Cordelia gasped, "but, it's caviar!"
"No matter how expensive it is, I bet fish eggs still taste like fish," I stated, my tone matter of fact.
"No wonder you're so thin!" Cordelia said as if she'd solved a murder case. "You don't eat any of the good stuff."
I shrugged, "I don't see it that way, but whatever helps you sleep at night."
"What does my sleeping habits have to do with your diet?" She asked, her tone filled with confusion.
All eyes in the room gazed curiously at me as if they also had no idea what I was talking about.
"It's an expression, " I explained after a few moments of silence. None of the spectators budged from there positions looking at me. "It means I'm just going to let you think whatever gives you satisfaction."
"Ohh," Cordelia said. "I see. You know, you talk very odd... Where are you from?"
I laughed, "you wouldn't believe me if I told you."
Before Cordelia could reply, all but two of the workers exited the room. I could tell that something was about to happen. The room's intensity had multiplied ten fold. Even chatty Cordelia knew to remain silent.
One of the two workers held out his arm to Cordelia. "Excuse me Miss, my employer has requested for me to give you an escorted tour through the grounds."
She seemed completely shocked at first. "Your employer?" Before the worker could answer, Cordelia ran to the door. "Come on then! Let's go!" She opened the door and waited for the worker to follow.
Once he made it to her, she pulled him out of the room. As the door closed, I could distinctly hear her voice. "Come on slowpoke! I want to see the whole house before twelve!"
Her hyper antics seemed to baffle the one remaining worker. His eyes where still transfixed on the door, as if Cordelia would return any moment.
Just after the thought of Cordelia returning came to my mind, there was a knock at the door.
The man sprung into action and walked to the double doors, each of his hands gripping a handle. "Mr. Gatsby is here to see you now," he said as he opened the doors.
Okay, the second chapter is finally up! I hope you guys enjoy! Please vote and comment.