Cuspian

Chapter 1 Kennedi

Chapter 1

Kennedi

“Okay Tiff, what does this dress say to you?”

I stepped out of the dressing room, adjusted the hem, and gave a quick model twirl. I was wearing a gold dress with a sweetheart neckline that shimmered when the light hit it from just the right angle. The dress was short, which was why I needed a second opinion.

Tiffani replied without looking. “Nothing, because dresses don’t talk to me. But if this one did, it would say, ‘Hurry up and buy me so Tiffani can talk to the cuties working at Slice of Life in the food court.’”

Her gaze was locked on her phone, and her shoulders were slumped forward in the faux leather chairs outside the dressing rooms. I wasn’t surprised by her lack of interest; when all the attention in the room wasn’t focused on her, she tended to zone out. I figured Tiffani had only agreed to help me to give the male population at the mall an opportunity to ogle her long, slim legs and her hair that had been dyed so many times her roots actually believed they were blonde. 

“A little help here.” I stretched the dress down, trying to get the silk material to touch the tip of my knee.

“Tiff?”

She looked up with a forced smile before her gaze fell back to her phone to click out a text message. I rolled my eyes. I shouldn’t have banished my twin brother, Kendal, to the food court while Tiffani and I shopped. At least he would have helped me. On second thought, Tiffani’s indifference was still better than Kendal’s suggestions. He had the fashion sense of a priest and one could argue the little white collar and floor-length black robes were more stylish than Kendal’s jeans and simple grey t-shirt. I doubted he was even going to the winter formal, which was only a month away.

Annoyed by Tiffani’s lack of help, I retreated back into the dressing room, slamming the door harder than I intended. In front of the mirror, I inspected the dress again. Its short length made the legs on my five-foot-seven body look longer than they actually were.

I pulled my hair up and off my shoulders, debating if I would look better with an updo or with my hair down in curls, when a sharp pain exploded behind my eyes. I reached out for the wall to steady myself as my vision blurred and dizziness set in. My stomach jumped in painful flops. The pain easily drowned out Tiffani’s voice as she called through the thin door.

“I’m going to meet Sara at Urban Outfitters. I want to show her these text messages Austin sent during lunch, and I’ll get her to take me home. Oh and you should totally buy that dress. It makes your legs look less stumpy.” She air-kissed a ‘muah’ at me, and I imagined her waving her manicured nails on the opposite side of the door.

“Text me laters, girlie.”

I opened my mouth to ask for help but slammed it shut as another wave of pain washed over me. It lasted for a moment and receded as the click of Tiffani’s heels faded, announcing her departure.

I eased down on the bench in the dressing room as the pain deepened. Vomit clawed at my throat. I couldn’t afford the dress, so I didn’t want to ruin it with the reappearance of my lunch. I muscled through getting undressed and re-dressed into my clothes, stumbling once against the door to retrieve my shoes before toeing them on. Exhausted, I leaned against the wall to collect enough air to slow my speeding heart.

With shaky hands, I gathered the dress and draped it on a hanger before placing it on a hook protruding from the top of the mirror. When I was done, I sank to the carpeted floor and curled my legs under me. My head lowered to the bench, and I covered my face with my hair in the hope that my long dark chocolate strands would block the intense lights of the dressing rooms. I was glad Kendal was somewhere in the mall so I didn’t have to drive home alone. There was no way I could manage it.