Page 19 of The Sky Between Us

“Let’s pick out your outfit,” I said with a small smile. “Can I braid your hair?

She gaped at me for a second, her brown eyes wide and full of appreciation, before a squeal escaped her and she hugged me. Her arms circled my neck and she hung onto me for a few long seconds. “Thank you.”

“No problem at all,” I hugged her back before gently pushing her away. “What do you think about a waterfall braid? It will give something extra to your hair and you can still keep it down. You said Elliot loved your hair…”

Sarah’s cheeks flushed. “Yes, that’s right. I’m going to wear my new mini dress.”

She bounced over to her wardrobe and pulled out an embellished cami mini dress with faux fur hem. It was black with floral details. Sarah placed it in front of her and posed by the mirror. “It’s pretty, right?”

Blinking sheepishly, I wasn’t usually the one being left speechless but this dress was something completely different that I’d wear, but I was sure Sarah could pull it off.

“It will make you stand out,” I nodded supportively, as I tried to be nicer. She needed my help, not my judgement.

Sarah pulled out some black lace underwear with black super high heels that had cute ribbons as straps around the ankles.

“And I have a dress for you.”

Lifting my eyes to the ceiling I prayed to God for some mercy. I couldn’t pull off any fancy attention seeking dress. I wanted to blend in, disappear. I didn’t need the attention. Not even for one night.

Sarah looked around in her wardrobe and pulled out a white spaghetti strap dress which was almost as short as a shirt. I blinked up at her in complete shock, while Sarah’s face lit up with a huge smile.

“It’s slinky, open back, with this super cute knot detail at the back and plunge neckline…” she rambled about the dress in words I didn’t understand. All I saw was the low cut back, the length of the dress and how skin tight it seemed. Plus, it was white. Who in their right mind would wear white to a party?

Apparently, me.

“It’s nice,” I said with a sigh. “But I don’t think it’s for me.”

“It’s more than nice, Hazel,” she mocked me. “Just try it on, please!” she fluttered her eyelashes. “You will love it. White looks nice on you; you even have that white workout set you wear when we go to yoga.”

I would rather wear my white leggings to the party than that dress. But I was trying to be a better friend, so I took it from her hand and turned my back to Sarah. I undressed. My jeans and oversized sweater fell to the floor and I pulled the dress up on my body. It fit like a glove, tight on my body, hugging my curves. It actually made it seem like I had more hips and butt than usual. Turning to look at my exposed back, I quickly unclipped my bra and threw it on the floor.

“Shit, you look hot!” Sarah squealed. “You need to stay in this, just change your panties because black is a bit revealing.”

“Funny,” I muttered embarrassed. “I’ll wear it, okay? Let me do my makeup while you dress and then I’ll braid your hair.”

Sarah blinked at me, and her lips curled into a small but genuine smile. “I really appreciate this Hazel. You are such a good friend, even when you’re a bitch.”

I laughed a little. “Thanks, I guess.”

As Sarah left the room to take a shower, I changed my panties to high-waisted white lace thongs. Adjusting my dress, I glanced at myself in the mirror. The dress barely hit under my butt and this length was something I used to wear when I was fifteen, not when I was twenty-one. It seemed like such a juvenile dress, even though I was still a college kid. I was supposed to wear things like this, put on excessive amounts of makeup and get drunk at parties. Yet, I never did those things. The past three years I did my best to blend into the background and avoid any attention. No parties, no drinking, and definitely no hooking up. I couldn’t risk slipping up. That was, until I took that stupid Starbucks job and met Aiden freaking Hitchings. One look at me with those baby blue eyes, and all my walls kept crumbling down. I did my best to push him away, despite his best effort to break me down and get through to me. But we both lost. Because he turned around and did what I wanted him to do; go back to ignoring me. Yet now I wanted him to see me… I needed him to notice me. And I was going through a lot of trouble to get there. Trouble that started with this dress. Why couldn’t my mind just be happy with the fact that he finally backed off? Why did I have to keep replaying our kiss in my mind? I could feel his lips on mine, his firm hold on my hips, his tongue meeting mine. Tiny goosebumps rose on my arms and I shivered.

“Focus, Hazel,” I muttered to myself. “You need to do your hair and make-up.”

Flipping my make-up bag upside down, I allowed all the items to fall out and I started applying a thick layer of foundation onto my pale face. Foundation was my cover; it was like wearing a mask. Anything was possible as long as I had a thick layer of makeup separating the real me from the world.

By the time I finished my make-up, the curling iron warmed up enough for me to use it. My hair was usually half straight, half wavy, something completely crazy and useless. I usually straightened it out and let it fall like a curtain, but tonight I needed a change. The movement seemed foreign despite me doing it every morning when I was a teenager. Since I was wearing a tiny dress, it was only fair I wore my hair as I used to. In curls.

“Holy shit!” Sarah exclaimed from the door when she walked in with her feather dress on.

“I should say that to you,” I looked her up and down in the mirror, as I let my last curl fall.

“You look extremely hot,” she muttered a bit in shock, and to my surprise, it hurt. Just because I suddenly had a bit more makeup, not just foundation and mascara, and my hair was nice, it didn’t mean I usually looked like hell. I forgot how people are still judged based on looks. “Not that you looked bad before, just I haven’t seen you like this dolled up before.”

Well, that was the point of my hiding. But it looked like hiding was over.

Standing up, I walked barefoot to her wardrobe and took out a pair of silver heels.

“Since you hurt my feelings, I’m stealing your shoes.”

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