All the Wrong Reasons

Surprises....

Chapter 9: Surprises...

The dress fitting went as well as could be expected. Jennifer apparently turned up fifteen minutes late, with a face like thunder, towing Ruby. Ruby was the only one who seemed pleased by the idea of being a bridesmaid. She was the one who was the most a peace with our parents’ breakup. Maybe she realized it was “for the best”. Ruby was wise beyond her years. I arrived ten minutes after them to find Nikki and Jennifer sitting in stony silence, both fixated on a different part of the wall. Dad was there as well, standing next to Nikki with his hand on her shoulder, silently showing his support. Nikki looked like she was already regretting asking us to be bridesmaids. Typical Nikki. She had probably thought this was an excellent way to win Jennifer and me over, to ease the tension between her and us. I suppose she meant well, but she was lacking in tact.

 The dress shop was incredibly smart, with a plush, luxurious interior. There were racks and racks of beautiful white dresses. The walls were painted a lovely pale pink. The shop assistants were tastefully and smartly dressed. In my jeans, frayed at the knees and the cuffs, and a faded shirt that had once belonged to my father, I stuck out like a sore thumb.

“Annabeth, really!” Jennifer reprimanded me as I entered the fitting area. Nikki just eyed me with pity in her eyes. ‘Did you go to school dressed like that?”

I looked down at myself. I had pulled on the first clothes that came to hand this morning. It hadn’t seemed like a big deal at the time, but now I could see myself as if through Jennifer’s eyes, and I had to admit it wasn’t a pretty picture. It wasn’t just the grungy clothes; it was the “I don’t care” untidy ponytail and the complete lack of makeup. She probably thought I was letting the family down.

“Yes” I said, giving her a sullen glance, challenging her to respond.

“You need more clothes” she muttered, before standing up “Let’s get this over with”

Jennifer was not a happy bridesmaid. I knew this because I had overheard several telephone conservations between her and Dad, flaming arguments during which she had tried every argument possible to try to convince him to release her from this hateful task. However, Dad, who was just as mulish as his daughter, had stuck to his guns and put his foot down.

Nikki stood up and signalled to one of the smart shop assistants, and she immediately glided over bearing several dress bags.

“I’ll let you girls get down to it” Dad said. ‘I’ll see you later.” He kissed Nikki and took a couple of steps towards the door. He stopped and turned back to me. He offered me his credit card.

“Why don’t you go shopping afterwards, get yourself some new things?” he said.

My lip curled, disgusted. I was going to refuse flatly, but Jennifer leant over and snatched it.

“Thanks Dad” she said brightly. “I’ll make sure Annabeth is properly kitted out”  

That’ll be a joy, I thought before I retreated into one of the curtained off cubicles to get changed. I shed the unattractive outer layers to reveal my equally unattractive underwear before opening the dress bag. It wasn’t as bad as I had feared. Despite what I had said to wind up Jennifer, Nikki had not chosen puce as her colour scheme. The dress was in fact a very pretty bluish purple. It had a rounded neckline and a full skirt, ending just below the knee. The sleeves were short and frilly, there were frills along the edge of the skirt as well and a wide sash circled the waist. It would look adorable on Nikki three little nieces, who were also bridesmaids, and on Ruby, but not so much on Jennifer and me. Oh well, it couldn’t be helped, could it? The whole wedding was a farce anyway.