Page 67 of The Marriage Narrative
“I don’t know. That’s kind of weird considering he gave me this for our anniversary.” She held the necklace by the pendant.
Lulie inspected it, raising an eyebrow. She turned back to the rack, flipping through the pants with more force than necessary. “Hold this.”
Zinnia fumbled with the shoved denim dress. “Uh, this seems a little…small.”
“Tight. Alfie stares at your ass almost as much as your face. It’s disgusting.” She pulled out another dress but handed it to Zinnia this time. “This one too. He’ll love them on you.”
Was that a weird thing for a sister to say? Picking out clothes that Jordan would like was…fine, but those comments seemed unnecessary.
Trying clothes on felt just as kindly hostile.
Lulie was firm and visibly irritated as she directed Zinnia to spin around, raise her arms, sit down, and strut in front of the trifold mirror.
But it was also kind of fun.
Before Zinnia knew it, she was giggling and dancing her way through the try-on extravaganza with Lulie’s impassioned directions:
“Beautiful,ugh,” she grunted and snapped her fingers. “Next!”
“Gorgeous. My god, you havelegs.”
“You’d be too powerful in this. Put it in the maybe pile.”
“The cut is strange, but the color is stunning. Bring me everything you have in her size in this exact shade of yellow,now!”
While wearing a sparkling suit-dress that made Zinnia feel a little like a fancy penguin (she loved it), Lulie said, “Mom, I can’t decide. What do you think?”
Amber, who hadn’t said anything in the past three hours, spared Zinnia the briefest of glances before resuming typing on her tablet. “Too formal. I told you I want simple. The clothes need to complement her face.Thaterases it.”
Lulie stood behind Zinnia watching her mom ignore them again. A hard, impenetrable look filled her eyes as she slipped on that rage-filled mask she wore far too often. Her neck flushed red as volatile emotions rolled through her. Like mother, like daughter. But then she mumbled, “She’s not eventrying,” to herself.
Zinnia accidentally caught her gaze in the mirror. Therehadto be something real to this. She knew how it felt to want something only to be told no, pick something else—at first. Her art “hobby” hadn’t been whittled down to nothing by the person who was supposed to support her the most.
At the end of the day, Zinnia’s parents believed in her and her talent. They’d helped her pay for art school. Amber had filed a damn trademark for her rejection catchphrase.
Acting grown didn’t make it true. Lulie was still a teenager. Zinnia had been just as wild at that age, albeit in a different way. She didn’t give up on herself back then and wouldn’t allow herself to give up on the twins now.
So, she smiled because she wanted to. “A high ponytail with this dress could be a look.”
“VeryAriana. I love it. You’ll need earrings.”
She almost laughed at Lulie’s monotone reaction, but they weren’t there yet. “I was thinking Janet Jackson circa herPoetic Justiceera.”
“When are you taking these braids out?” Lulie began fussing with them. “How do you feel about wigs?”
“I’m taking them out and putting them right back in. The only time my hair isn’t braided is when I’m on my way to get them done by someone else.”
“Why not experiment with different styles? We need to be innovative.”
“No.” She was willing to compromise today in all things except her hair. No one else got a say in the matter because she’d decided to keep that for herself, just like Jordan advised. Her hair was a part of her identity and too important a piece to give away.
Lulie crossed her arms and began tapping her chin. “I do know an amazing braider looking to make her mark. How do you feel about color? You could pull off being a blonde with the right shade.”
“Also no, but…” she trailed off, giving herself a moment to match Lulie’s contemplative energy. “I’d be into a nice brown. 1B/30?”
“Ooh, that could be sexyandvery relatable.” Her sudden grin was as unexpected as it was camera-ready. “I’ll give you that. Baby steps to blondeisthe better idea. We’ll launch it as a secret weapon in a few years when you’re fully established.”
“But I—”
