The Things We Do (Under Editing)

In the Eye of the Beholder

The day of the gala, my friends planned to lay siege to my room until I let them take charge of getting me ready. I decided they weren't worth fighting and surrendered quickly. It wasn't like I had any idea how to prepare for something like this.

After receiving my slightly reluctant permission, Kacie proceeded to completely strip my legs of any trace of hair while Mel spent over an hour doing my nails.

How anyone thinks this sort of thing is relaxing was beyond me. Personally, I felt like I'd just been scrubbed with sandpaper, which the bottoms of my feet had been.

While they worked, Kacie took advantage of the fact that she had me trapped to complain.

"I can't believe you refuse over and over to go to parties with Mel and me, but now you're going with someone else!"

Mel reached over to smack her and I rolled my eyes.

"Once again, I'm doing this as payment for my tutoring. Besides, this is very different from a college party."

"I know! I still don't think it's fair, though!"

"Look," I told her, "Maybe if you bought me ridiculously nice clothes to wear to parties, I'd be more willing to go."

She huffed in response. "You don't let me buy you expensive things!"

I stole my hand back from Mel to hold up a finger to Kacie. "Correction: I don't let you buy me gifts... I always accept bribes."

"Wow." Mel snorted. "You'd make an absolutely terrible cop." She grabbed my hand again.

"Oh, baby. There are a lot of reasons I'd make a terrible cop. Like a lot. I could give you a list."

"It requires talking to people," Kacie started.

"You're supposed to follow rules," Mel added.

"The uniform would not be a very good look for you." Kacie again.

I rolled my eyes. "Thanks, guys."

Eventually they set me free to get dressed, and I returned in an outfit compiled of other people's decisions. In addition to the dress from Elliot, Mel had lent me golden stilettos so tall that I was a little worried for my safety, and Kacie had provided some matching jewelry.

I felt like a Barbie doll.

The girls then sat me back down and stationed themselves on either side of me, Mel to do my hair and Kacie to do my makeup.

How do people do this regularly? Did it take them this long to get ready every time they went to a party or were they purposefully torturing me? I decided that I had better look like a goddess walking the earth when they were done or I was never letting them anywhere near me with makeup ever again.

When they finally proclaimed themselves finished and placed me in front of my mirror so I could get the full effect, I froze.

The crimson of the dress was matched by my nail polish and lipstick. Red covered me like it had stained my skin. I could only see it as blood, drenching my body.

Panic rose in my chest and I tore my eyes away from my reflection. I could survive so long as I avoided looking at myself.

"I could survive". That was my motto wasn't it? Survival was all that mattered.

A false smile rose instinctually in the presence of Mel and Kacie's excitement. Both were extremely pleased with their work and I tried my best to act as if I loved it as well. They were worth the effort.

A knock at the door drew all our attention and the girls both squealed before shushing each other.

It was time for the next stage of this performance.

As I headed for the entrance, Kacie lamented that we didn't have a grand staircase so that I could have a dramatic slow-motion entrance, to which I reminded her that it is incredibly difficult to successfully walk in slow motion. She had tried the first time someone picked her up for a date and nearly ended up falling down her stairs.

I shooed them from the room, but they lurked in the doorway to Kacie's room, out of view of anyone out in the hall. Their heads were still visible from the corner of my eye, so I had to try and ignore their gleeful faces as I opened the door to find Elliot waiting with his hands behind his back.

He raised his eyebrows when he saw me and looked me over. I responded by doing the same.

His black suit was perfectly tailored and I think he'd gotten a haircut. While the hair on the sides of his head was always short, it looked like it had been evened out, and the longer hair on top was parted and combed.

I tilted my head. "Am I going to find out later down the line that you're secretly Batman?"

The corner of his lip turned up ever so slightly. "I promise I don't parade in a bat costume that looks nothing like an actual bat." He assured me. "Besides, capes aren't really my thing."

"Shame. A cape would go well with your suit."

Mel and Kacie were practically vibrating and I turned my head so that I couldn't see them.

"Shall we go?"

Elliot nodded and offered his arm to lead me away.