bare [h.s.]

Party

is this excruciatingly long?
enjoy anyway xx

........

"You look stunning," Ally gapes, shivering out on the porch in a skirt that rides high
along her thighs.
I glance down at my getup:
jeans that seem glued to my legs,
a flashy blouse my mother picked out mere minutes before,
and an abundance of makeup.

"Ditto," I smile, slipping on a pair
of flats that lay beside the entrance. I pause,
palms pressed against the
door for support, and
silently nod to myself.
I adjust the top to cover any
showing cleavage and
bruises that may peek out
from behind my strategically
placed hair.

"Harry is going to flip out
when he sees you," she winks
just as my father appears in the
doorway.

"Who's this Harry fellow?" my father teases, pulling a jacket from its hook on the wall and placing it in my grip.
I shrug it on carefully,
eyeing Ally as she shifts back
and forth between legs.

"Harriet, I mean," Ally grins
evenly as her gaze doesn't falter underneath my father's. "Because this party absolutely does not have the male species present."

"Right," my father rolls his eyes, biting at the inside of his cheek.
"Don't get too close to any boys tonight," he lowers his eyes at me,
"Please."

I frown down at my feet, the black shoes already clenched around my toes. But the pain of the material wrapped tightly around them couldn't compare to the awful feeling that grows in the pit of my stomach.
Ally clears her throat,
reaching out for my hand.

"You don't have to tell me twice,"
she says jokingly, my father laughing in response.
My eyes dart to hers,
sending a flash of gratitude
her way.
The clicking of footsteps along the
wooden floor sounds as my mother
rests a dainty hand against her husband's shoulder,
coming to watch me leave.

"Let them be young for one night,
Eric. We were wild at heart once,"
she kisses his cheek tenderly,
her expression soft as she
nods us off.

I take Ally's hand in mine and
quickly drag her through the concrete path that leads to her car.
I study my parents closely
as they wave and mouth
'I love you's' when I step
into the vehicle.

"Hey," Ally says suddenly, turning
the key to bring the engine to life. "Are you okay?"
I shake my head without looking at her, running my fingers against the leather seat.

"He was just being a dad," she assures me, "It's not a big deal."
I bite my lip, my heart beginning to pound loudly in my chest.

"Ally," I say repeatedly, staring out the windshield. She backs out of the driveway, peering over at me briefly with a bewildered look.

"What's wrong?" She furrows her brows as we turn a corner, and
I touch my collarbone with trembling fingers.
I wait until my house is no
longer visible before showing her.
My eyelids flutter shut and few,
uneasy breaths pass my lips.
I gently move strands of hair from
my neck, revealing discolored
hues that are painted firmly against the skin.

"Oh my god," she whispers into
the air. "W-who did this to you?"

I blink my eyes open,
refusing to let tears ruin the makeup that took too long to
make me look somewhat beautiful.
I did it for Harry, though.
I sat for hours covering my
features with powders, colors;
only to be beautiful for him.

"I think you know," I mumble,
tugging my hair back into place.
My fingers comb through the strands, glancing down often to ensure the marks of black
and blue are hidden well from
wandering eyes.
She sits still behind the wheel,
gripping tightly around it
while focusing her eyes
on the road.