Temporary Fix

CHAPTER ONE

RONNIE

      The crowd was silent. I couldn't see any of  their faces because of the circular light beaming down on me. The room was a cool temperature because of the fall air, but the light made a thin shield of sweat form on me.

      I held my pose in the center stage—stomach tucked, feet pointed, hands open.

      Just keep dancing.

A soft melody hummed, it moved slow, fluid, like my movements. As it picked up and slowed down I followed. My eyes found comfort in being shut as a sense of freedom overcame me.

I had performed over hundreds of times, I had lost count. There was a sudden drop in my chest before the curtain opened, before the show started. No matter how many times I had done it, no matter how many curtains had opened and closed, there was always going to be a part of me—even if it was so small that it was barely noticeable—that held the thought "what if I mess up?" But, then her voice always fell through.

Just keep dancing.

Once I took the center of the stage, once that light shined on me, once the music began—the nervousness fell away. I was home.

      Three loud bangs struck me out of my fantasy— violently. Instead of being infront of a audience made up in thousands, I was in my messy dorm room.

My eyes darted across the room towards the clock that Auntie Vee insisted that I have.

7:06. Shit.

I looked around my room at the scattered clothes. There was no point in tearing the room apart if I wasn't going to find anything. Nothing that I had was going to be adequate enough for the Vander's anyways. My wardrobe consisted of faded jeans, sweat pants, overused graphic tees, and things not necessarily appropriate for the event at hand.

Three consecutive bangs on the other side of the door made me flinch, "Ronnie!" Karlie's banging continued, "you're going to be late!"

      I stepped slowly and methodically around my room knowing that underneath the clothes could've been anything that would be less than kind to step on, and I really was trying to avoid thirty seconds of agony—or thirty more seconds of Karlie banging on my door. This is exactly why my fellow neighboring dormers looked at me strange.

When I swung open the door I found Karlie with a red dress and a pair of her red bottoms in hand. I gripped her face as I kissed her cheek, "See this is why Mother God created best friends." I screeched as I grabbed the dress and shoes.

After I stripped down to my underwear and bra, I held the red fabric in my hand. A white price tag flung out from the top. "You haven't even wore this yet." I was stuck in place as my lips tugged downward. It was like a sacred rule, we could wear each other's clothes, but only if the  other had wore it before.

      Karlie blew out a breathe as she maneuvered her way through the jungle of my clothes. "That's because it's wasn't mine to wear. I bought it for you." She shrugged.

I eyed the tag again. $34.99, good that was something that I could pay back.

"This is why Mother God created best friends." We both said at the same time. We busted out laughing as I hit Karlies shoulder for mocking me. Although Karlie got the size that I usually wore, it was a struggle getting it on.  I shimmed a bit to get the dress over my hips. I always felt that my body wasn't that proportional and when the dress fit snugly on my behind and loosely on my chest, that fed into my negative opinion of myself.