Page 16 of Devanté
“You seemed upset after dinner last month.”
“Because you always make things uncomfortable, Ma.” Even standing in my room without her eyes on me, my spine went straight and my shoulders drew back.
“I’m only trying to help. Sometimes help can feel uncomfortable.”
“Uh-huh…anyway, I wanted to know if you’d help me pick out a dress to wear. I have a thing tonight and I was told to look nice.” I flipped through the clothes in my closet and pulled out a black velvet dress then a mint green wrap dress. I laid both on the bed beside each other.
“Oh! Why didn’t I hear about this thing?” Mom asked. Her voice brightened and I could almost see her smile.
“It’s not important to me. I’m just trying to get a paid internship with Watson. It’s a marketing firm in LA.”
“Oh, and they want you to dress up for what? An interview or something?”
“No…it’s not that I just…need something nice to wear. Can I take some pictures and send them to you?”
“Of course, pumpkin! I’ll hang up now so you can send the pictures.”
I tried on the dresses and took pictures in each of them then sent them to Mom. I sat on the bed and nibbled on my lip until she called me with her undoubtedly scathing opinion. When the phone rang, I answered it, my shoulders already drawing close to my ears.
“So?” I asked hesitantly.
“Do you have on a girdle, Blake? That mint green just showed all the bumps and lumps. We can’t have that. Wear the black one. That way everyone can focus on how pretty your face is.”
“Pretty…face…” I said, trying to dislodge the dagger in my chest. I hated hearing that I had such a pretty face. It was like the rest of me was trash and shouldn’t be looked at.
“Yeah, so go with the black one but still wear a girdle because…” She inhaled sharply and pushed it out slow. “We don’t want any jiggle-jiggle.”
“Right. Of course.” I said through clenched teeth and a tight jaw. I rubbed my forehead and closed my eyes.
“Oh, and put on some makeup, Blake. Dress that face up. No red lips though. It’ll call too much attention to how round your face is. Go with something light and soft. Maybe a nice sheer berry. Something that works with that dark skin.”
Why the fuck did everything out of her mouth sound like an insult? I loved my deep brown skin but when Mom talked about it, I wanted to hide in a closet somewhere. I looked at the black dress on my bed and decided I would wear it. Not because Mom suggested it and not for the reasons she suggested it for but because I liked it.
I hurried off the phone and told Mom I’d let her know the outcome of tonight when I got back. Before I walked out of the door, I held my phone in my hand, wondering if I should call Devanté and ask him to meet me there for emotional support. For all I knew, he was already there with Gabi though.
What if he went through with it and he was her man? What would I even do about it? I was too scared to tell him I wanted him. I was too scared to say anything to him.
I pushed Devanté out of my mind and went to the east wing study hall. It was eerily quiet for there to be an event happening. Maybe it was a small gathering. I made my way down the hall and turned into the study hall.
When I walked in wearing my black velvet dress, I saw Gabi, Ali, and Kate immediately along with a bunch of people I didn’t know. Food lined a table along the back wall and the study hall tables that usually occupied the middle of the floor were pushed away leaving an open space. A circle of empty folding chairs sat there and I wondered what the hell was happening.
“Oh! She’s here!” Gabi rushed over to me with her friends in tow.
I looked around then leaned in and spoke. “What’s going on?” She ignored me and clapped her hands together over and over until all eyes were on her. Most faces wore smiles dying to turn into laughter. The walls seemed to shrink around my body and I felt sticky heat lacing my neck and inching up my face.
“Gabi, what the hell is going on? I thought this was going to be a club thing. Who are all these people?”
“Let’s get everyone gathered around. Mrs. Carter should be here in a minute.” Gabi grabbed a piece of cake from the table of food along the back wall and handed it to me on a plate with a fork.
“Mrs. Carter? The counselor?” I frowned, my face holding the weight of my confusion.
“Ah, Miss Remington,” Mrs. Carter rounded the corner with a polite smile on her face.
“Blakey, we’re all here because we care so much about you. We don’t want you to eat yourself into an early grave because let's be honest, you’re on your way. This is an intervention. If you get any bigger, I’m afraid you’ll keel over from a heart attack.” The faux sympathy in Gabi’s voice rang out like the distorted note of a warped bell. It was meant to be cheery but it was wrong.
My eyes narrowed to slits as I regarded her. “Is this a joke?” I seethed low enough so that only she could hear me.
“No, this is to help you.” She held up her phone and I heard the tiny beep indicating she was recording. My stomach dropped to my shoes. She was recording this fucked up joke.
