Page 29 of Tiebreaker

The girls sigh as the manager shoos them off to go fold jeans, and I silently curse as my information fountain turns off. I’ll have to do some snooping on the internet.

The manager comes around the rack of coats and spots me there, with a weird expression on my face.

“Can I help you,” she asks me, gesturing towards the sequined shirt.

I shake my head.

“No thank you,” I say, and continue back to the changing rooms.

There's an assistant waiting for me. She takes my bag.

“I’ll hang on to this,” she says.

I pause for a moment.

“Oh, okay,” I say, uncertain. She smiles.

“There's a locker right here, don’t worry.”

She grabs my bag and puts it into a drawer, locking it up and passing me a key on a bracelet.

“There you go, safe and sound,” she says, “let me know if you need any other sizes or styles. I'm happy to help you with your selection today.”

She blinks at me rapidly and I duck behind the curtain, looking at the dresses that Kai had picked out for me.

There's black, lace, and red silk. The colors shimmer in the bright lights of my change room. I glance at the girl in the mirror, her pupils blown out. Something about how they’ve done the mirrors in here makes me look like a model even if I’m not dressed like one.

I run my fingers over the red silk.

And it's the softest fabric I've ever felt. Too soft, almost, and delicate. My fingers are rough and they catch on the nap.

So black lace it is. Maybe.

I slip into it, leaving my jeans on the floor in a puddle. It slithers over my curves, swirly hem kissing at my knees.

I gulp as I look at myself in the mirror again. It looks… beautiful, even though I’m still me with hair thrown back in a ponytail, and in my socks. I look like a child playing dress up.

I feel utterly outclassed. Everett would laugh at me if he could see me.

A throat clearing makes me nearly jump out of my skin.

“Excuse me, but I brought you some shoes?” A girl says.

I poke my head out.

Kai is nowhere to be seen. But right in front of me is a helpful looking shopgirl with a pair of high-heels in her hands.

“It’ll make the dress look better,” she comments. “Better than flats anyway.” My face is blushing and I take them with a quiet thank-you, and duck back into my change room.

There's something magical about putting on a pair of high heels and a pretty dress after having had the most luxurious bubble bath of your life in the most expensive condo you've ever set foot in.

I feel a bit like a modern day princess, if I didn’t have the looming problems of Everett, Kai, and Vincent shadowing over me. With a sigh I tug my hair out of it’s ponytail and run my fingers through it, smoothing away any snarls.

“So how's it working out for you?” Kai asks on the other side of the curtain, making me jump.

I glance at myself in the mirror, and I stop short.

I look like somebody else entirely.

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