“Fox Evans,” I stated.
“One of the hottest boys in school,” Lily clarified, “White blonde, spikey hair that kinda falls into his eyes. And those eyes! They’re like leaf-green but sprinkled with yellow; gorgeous things, you’d never shut up about them if you met him. He runs track, plays guitar, use to play girls, and fixes up cars.”
“Oh damn, girl,” Val, Lily’s stylist commented. “Sounds dreamy.”
“Damn indeed,” Greg agreed. “So you’ve changed this bad boy’s heart, I presume? Fairytale romance?”
I blushed, covering my face. Lily filled them in.
“So, he’s what, like your official boyfriend now, right?” Greg continued. “How exciting; first love.”
“Well, not exactly,” I shrugged.
“Not exactly?” Val questioned.
“Explain,” Greg demanded.
“We haven’t really brought up the whole label ordeal yet,” I explained, “which I’m totally okay with… he’s not really the type to have ‘girlfriends’, so I’m not going to push anything on him… because I’m not really the type to have ‘boyfriends’, either.” It was a choppy explanation, but it was the truth. I never really paid attention to the idea of being Fox’s official girlfriend. That kind of title came with specific obligations that I wasn’t sure I could fulfill as fast as most girls these days did.
“Honey,” Greg stated. “You seem like an amazing girl for not pushing commitment on this guy; he loves you for that, I’m sure. But if you’re serious about him, don’t extend the leash too far. ‘Cause from what it sounds like, he doesn’t even know he’s got one on. There’s nothing worse than a dog that goes to chase a squirrel and realizes that he’s tied up after a ten foot leap. He will flip. Literally. And pursue that squirrel any damn way.”
My eyes bulged at the analogy. Who’s this squirrel Fox could possibly want?
“Greg, don’t freak her out,” Lily told him. “She’s taking things slow. They both are. Very, very slow. Dating’s a whole new ballpark for them.”
“I’m sensing a baseball reference,” Greg announced, grinning slyly. Val smirked and continued with Lily’s foils. “One thing you never underestimate is a baseball game. You may think you’ll only make it to first base; you may undervalue your swing and settle for second plate… but honey you’re surely mistaken if you hit a homer and don’t run all the way home.”
I narrowed my eyes when deciphering exactly what Greg was getting at. Val and Lily chuckled and started their own conversation as I sat in thought.
“Let’s get you to a dryer, my little leaguer,” Greg joked, sitting me down in a leather chair and placing the dryer over my head. Lily joined me pretty quickly.
“Little leaguer,” she laughed. “Oh, Greg is awesome, isn’t he?”
“Yeah,” I nodded, still thinking of what he’d said.
“Hey,” Lily said soothingly. “Don’t freak out. He’s not trying to assume anything or scare you, Em. He’s just saying that you can’t rule anything out – it’s prom night with a guy you’re falling for. You’re gonna look completely out-of-this-world gorgeous and you’re going to smell nice and be all soft and shimmery and he’s gonna be looking equivalently sexy and smell just as amazing to you… you can’t tell me you won’t want to jump his bones. And think about certain things and certain situations and,” she cleared her throat, “sensations.”
“Oh God,” I groaned, burying my head in a Vogue magazine. “Lily, I am so not prepared for this.”
“There’s no real way to prepare for it, Em, it’s not like a test,” she laughed. “It just happens; if you’re in the moment and you think it feels right then it happens. And it’s indescribable.”
“Are you going to do it with Nick?” I asked, lifting my head. It was her turn to be uncomfortable.
“Um,” she paused. “I’m not sure. I don’t want to plan anything, but I’m definitely not against it. I haven’t been with him, like that, in over a year. I miss being that completely open with someone,” she said honestly.
I stared at her for a moment. “Does it hurt? Like a lot?”
She burst out laughing.
“I’m serious, Lily! I’m trying to confide in my best friend,” I whined.
She stopped laughing, but kept a smile on her face. “I just can’t believe you’re going to lose it to Fox. Holy shit. Wow. I would never have guessed that you two would get so wrapped up in each other…” She started nodding. “Yeah, it hurts. But if you love him there won’t be a single moment where you’ll regret your choice, or find the pain unbearable. Because it gets so much better so quickly.”
I shook my head, feeling my hands get sweaty. “I just can’t get what Greg said out of my head about the label. What if Fox doesn’t want to be tied down, especially to little virgin me?”
“Emery Price,” Lily snapped. “Do you think Fox has other women lined up?” I shook my head honestly. “Do you think he’d go through all this trouble of spending time with you and making you happy and making out with you to just drop you for some girl that will spread her legs anytime, anywhere?” I shook my head again. “Doesn’t it seem like he’s already your boyfriend? He’s playing the part pretty well?” I nodded after some thought. “He acts like it, right? Same with me and Nick – I haven’t outright asked him to call me his ‘girlfriend’ or change his Facebook status… but we’re together.” She had a point.
“Let’s wash those locks and cut ‘em up,” Val said, helping us up.
After a few quick snips and some blow-drying, Greg turned the chair to let me look at myself. Lily and I both gasped, then looked at each other, then gasped some more.
“Oh my God, Em,” she gushed flirtatiously, “you look so pretty. That inner goddess is mighty fine.”
“Your inner goddess is pretty gorgeous herself,” I said, admiring her sharp-angled cut and dark tone before looking in the mirror once more. My hair seemed to have more volume. I was almost scared to touch it, thinking it was just a mirage. My face definitely opened up more with the layers around my face. He’d kept my hair the same length, just added layers, so it still fell and met my chest.
“I love it, Greg, thanks so much,” I grinned, hugging him.
“My pleasure, doll,” he laughed modestly. “Doesn’t take much to bring out the goddess.”
“That Wolf guy is going to pounce on you, girl,” Val added confidently.
Fox, actually. “You think?” I laughed.
“She hopes,” Lily joked.
We paid for our cuts and moved upstairs to the other half of the salon for what I assumed was manicures.
“Monique!” Lily exclaimed, hugging a skinny little woman when we came to a door down a mysterious hallway.
“Lily, darling! Welcome back,” she said, “And this must be Emery. You always have such gorgeous friends.”
I didn’t really know what to say, so I just smiled and greeted her.
“So, let’s get started,” Monique said. “Emery, would you like to go first?”
“Yeah, I actually have to use the restroom, I’ll be right back,” Lily said, pushing me into the room before heading back down the hall.
What the hell is going on?
“Alright, honey, I’d like you lie back on this bed and make yourself comfortable. And you’re going to need to remove your pants. I’m assuming this is your first time?” Monique asked in a soothing voice, turning some calming music on.
Seriously, what the eff? My first time? Doing what exactly?
“Uh, yeah,” I managed. “I’m sorry; Lily failed to inform me of this part of the day. What’s happening here?” I laughed sheepishly.
Monique chuckled lightly, “Oh goodness, my bad, honey. Lily scheduled waxes for both of you.”
“She wh–”
“Back!” Lily smiled, squeezing into the room and taking a seat by the bed. “How’s it going?”
“Well, it isn’t yet,” Monique giggled. “Your friend here’s got a bit of a fright.”
“She’ll be fine,” Lily nodded, turning to me. “It’s not that bad. We’re gonna be so silky smooth after, like the day we were born. And we’ll stay that way for weeks, Em.”
I shook my head. “The things I do for you.”
“You mean for Fox,” she winked, holding my hand as I lay back, in my underwear I might add.
Why is all of this relating back to Fox and sex? I try on a dress; he’s supposed to want to rip it off me. I get my hair done; he’s supposed to want to jump me and pull on it. I get a wax; he’s going to want to run his hands up and down the smooth skin. Why get my nails done? How is that going to benefit my night full of R-rated action? Better back clawing, perhaps?
Monique smeared a hot honey-substance onto my legs before applying a strip of paper to it and ripping it off. That wasn’t too bad, actually. I survived that.
I survived eyebrows – those I’d gotten waxed before.
I survived armpits, which tickled like crazy.
“Now for the Brazilian,” Monique started, telling Lily to turn away.
“What?” I asked. “Monique…” I freaked out as the woman neared my underwear with the hot wax. I was prepared to kick her in the face.
“Relax, honey, it’s not that bad, I promise,” Monique said soothingly. “And there’s no need to be embarrassed, we’re all women here, we’ve all got the same lady parts. Plus I’ve seen hundreds of these things, yours is no different.”
I braced myself for hell.
***
Because I wasn’t sure about my black dress yet, I got a simple French manicure and pedicure. Lily got the same because she didn’t want to be too “matchy matchy”.
“I can sit back and relax now, right?” I asked skeptically in my leather chair as a woman massaged my feet. “No more surprises involving hot wax and molestation?”
Lily smirked. “You’re in the clear. Don’t you feel so much better now, though? You can’t tell me you don’t feel relieved that you don’t have to worry about maintenance for a while now that we got it all over with.”
“For a while,” I muttered. “In a couple weeks we gotta fix our nails, and go back for waxes, and get our hair touched-up because our roots are going to show. Being a woman is so hard.”
“Stop whining,” she smiled.
“Why are you so happy, huh?” I laughed, nudging her and almost ruining her manicure.
She shrugged, biting her lip shyly. “I guess I’m just excited to see the look on Nick’s face when he sees me… I know he’s going to love how I look and compliment me like crazy, and I know I’m going to look amazing, all conceitedness aside,” she laughed. “But the look on his face is all I’m looking forward to; it’s going to tell me exactly what he’s thinking about me and how he feels. Aren’t you dying to see Fox’s reaction?”
“Yeah,” I said instantly, nodding.
I just wasn’t sure about the black dress.
***
At the daycare the next day, I was getting tons of compliments on my new cut and color, as well as on my manicure. I felt all dolled up and prom wasn’t until next Saturday. It was definitely a nice feeling, though, getting recognition like that on a few minor changes.
Holly certainly approved of my nails. She tried coloring her own with marker to make them “perty” like mine.
Millicent came to pick her daughter up, which was a shocker. I hadn’t seen her in quite a while.
“Hekki, Emery, is it?” she greeted, taking her daughter’s hand and extending her other hand for me to shake.
“Right, hi, how are you?” I returned. She seemed to be getting her act together; she was on time to pick up Holly.
“I’m pretty good, and yourself?”
“A bit stressed,” I admitted.
“Oh,” she said, her eyebrows knitting, “Is Holly giving you trouble?”
“Oh, no!” I chuckled, “Definitely not, it’s just that prom’s in a week and I’m not really set on a dress, is all. No, Holly’s a doll, I’ve never had trouble with her.”
Millicent seemed reassured, a smile returning to her face when she heard her daughter was an angel. “Prom,” she nodded. “I remember how hectic that was. Just imagine fashion week, it’s like a hundred proms in one. Who’s your date?”
I blushed. “Your step-son, actually.”
“Oh wow,” she grinned, “Really? That’s fantastic; I applaud his newfound taste, then. What’s the issue with the dress?”
“It’s a gorgeous black dress; really simple color but the cut is just the opposite; very revealing, actually. I’m just not the type of girl to have that much skin showing, you know? I don’t mind stepping out of the comfort zone, but this gown is a total border-hopper.”
She smiled knowingly. “I know exactly what you mean. If you’re not set on it by now, you won’t be ever. The last thing you need is an uncomfortable dress on the one night you’re supposed to let go and have a blast.”
“Exactly,” I sighed. “So I guess I’m screwed.”
“Emmy skewed,” Holly repeated, smiling up at me. She scrunched her nose and flashed her teeth.
“Oh, no, Holly,” I apologized embarrassingly, “I’m sorry, Milli–”
“She’s attempted worse, Emery, it’s quite alright. How would you like to play a little game of Cinderella?” she suggested suddenly. By her tone and the mischievous grin on her face I could tell she was scheming.
***
“Just call me Fairy Godmother,” Millicent exclaimed, applauding with Holly as I modeled a dress she had saved in her storage room. It was one she had just sent out to her European buyers; she’d kept a few extras, thankfully.
To say it was gorgeous was an understatement.
I felt like an angel, and looked like a true goddess. Greg would’ve loved it.
The strapless, pearl-white gown was soft as a cloud against my skin. It slipped around my body and flowed with every move I made. It held tightly to my body until the end of my waist where it tumbled down to the floor in a cascade of milky silk. There was a slit on my right side that reached mid-thigh and would expose my leg if I allowed it to. This level of sexiness I could handle, definitely. The sheer beauty and elegance of the dress filled me with a sense of utter confidence. I was neighboring conceit.
“Millicent… I – I don’t know what to say right now,” I admitted, staring at the gorgeous girl in the mirror before me.
“Say thank you, and promise you won’t break my Fox’s heart,” she smiled, standing by the mirror and admiring the sight herself.
“Thank you so much,” I laughed, hugging her. She returned the quick gesture and refused every price I began offering.
“You’ve been so great with Holly, and with Fox,” she said gratefully, “you’ve already paid for this dress a dozen times over, honey.”
“I really appreciate this,” I said again, unable to express my full gratitude.
“Have fun, Cinderella. It’s gonna be a night to remember.”
I gulped. Maybe it will be a night to remember.
I wasn’t about to make any promises to myself that I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep. Like Greg had said, baseball is pretty unpredictable.
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