Ignite

Chapter 30

That afternoon, when the school bell rings, I catch a bus into Paddington with Emmy and Aleisha.

The first few shops we go to are miles out of my price range — Sass & Bide, Camilla and Marc, Dion Lee. Everything inside sparkles with glamour, the fabric crisp and spotless, the floor white and shinning.

They were the kind of stores I'd never visited before because they never survived in country towns. I find myself imagining the dirt splattered farmers and tradies from back home trying to walk into one of these places, imagining the chaos it'd send the shop assistants into.

But despite the unnatural perfection of these stores, I enjoy walking around, running my hands across soft fabric and watching Emmy and Aleisha select outfits.

Emmy finds a gorgeous, floor-length gown and Aleisha picks out a silver cocktail dress that makes her legs look like two multi-coloured skyscrapers. But to my surprise, neither of them buys the dresses. Instead, they tell the store assistants they'll consider and come back.

After the third or fourth time they do this, I realise this must be how people shop here, which I find somewhat confusing, after growing up with a 'if it fits, you buy it' mentality.

After the fifth store we come across a boutique op shop, with sequinned dresses and meshed gowns on display in the windows. Aleisha and Emmy turn and grin at me.

"Do you want to have a look?"

I wrinkle my nose, eyeing the elaborate and itchy looking outfits.

"I don't know if it's really my style."

Emmy ignores this and grabs my arm, pulling me into the store.

"You won't until you try something on," she says. "Besides, there's nothing more fun than putting on weird outfits."

"See!" I whisper-yell. The store assistant looks over and smiles at us, and I manage a strained one back. "You just called them weird. Let's leave."

The store smells musty, the lights dimmed in a way that I sense is supposed to be alluring.

"No," Emmy says stubbornly. She's already pulling things off the shelves and handing them to me, piling dress after dress into my arms until I can't see past them. "You never know what you'll find in these places. Now, go try those on."

I'm about to protest again when I meet Aleisha's eyes. She raises an eyebrow and I sigh.

"Fine."

Aleisha bustles me into a change room and then sits outside on a bright purple puff stool. I close the door and eye the items Emmy has picked out, my heart sinking.

"Promise you won't take any photos?" I call out.

"Of course not," Aleisha says. "Everything looks wonderful on you, anyway. Now, just try them on."