Soul exchange

Three ~ Better overdressed than under.

"Happy Birthday, Bitch!" Selene screamed, throwing a handful of balloons and confetti at Nyx's bed and handing over a poorly wrapped gift. Nyx blinked sleep from her eyes and took the box with shaky hands.

"Christ, Selene. What time is it?"

"Seven!" She jumped on the spot with an expectant grin. Her eyes flitted between Nyx's flushed face and the gift until the anticipation became too much. "It's a dress for tonight!" 

Nyx finally grinned and rolled herself out of bed to hug her best friend. "Thank you, Selene."

"Don't thank me, open it!"

"Dear God," Nyx moaned, tearing the paper off the partially squashed box. It looked fancy, and her heart rate sped up. She opened the lid and gasped.

Steel-blue ruching, a sweetheart neckline and billowy long sleeves were what she noticed first. The dress complemented her fiery hair and slate eyes perfectly. If Selene hadn't gone into nursing, she would have made an excellent stylist.

"It's gorgeous! You really shouldn't have! How much was this?"

"Don't ask me that, you ding dong. Get ready. This is only the first part of your gift." The last words came out in a tight squeak as a barrage of gift cards were thrown on her duvet. "Mani-Pedi, hair and makeup. Restaurant tonight; after that, we're hitting the hottest club in town."

"You are so lame!"

"What? That's what they're calling it. It's new! Demonology or something."

Nyx let the excitement take hold of her as she padded to the bathroom. "Alright, well, I'm gonna go shower."

"Be quick. Your manicure appointment is at eleven."

She looked over at her bedroom clock and scoffed, "That's hours away."

Selene sighed and ran from the room, shouting something about getting breakfast ready.

After a decent shower and change, Nyx swigged back Selene's famous smoothie, and they headed for their appointment.

Nyx settled for white coffin-shaped acrylics with black marble as the feature on her ring finger. Selene mulled over fourteen shades of blue before picking a matte navy and stiletto shape.

"You're gonna poke someone's eye out with those," Nyx said after spying Selene's nails carved in sharpened points.

"That's the plan!" she quipped.

The day simultaneously dragged and zoomed past before Nyx noticed her hunger. "Do you have any snacks in your bag today?" she asked as they sat in the hair salon, waiting for the bleach to process.

 Selene rummaged around, but she could only offer a few squashed energy bars and a bag of pretzels from the bottom of her handbag. Nyx sighed and picked at the crumbling bar before settling on the crushed pretzel dust. 

By the time they finished, Nyx's stomach felt hollow while the rest of her looked primped within an inch of her life. The dress hugged every dip and curve of her body, and her makeup accented every feature on her face.

"Woah, you're so hot. If I wasn't straight-"

"Selene, stop. You're gonna make me blush."

The pair hit the town and caught every eye they passed, regardless of gender. The attention went straight to Selene's head while Nyx increased her pace and avoided eye contact. They entered the restaurant and sat in a corner with intimate lighting and lush furniture.  

"What are you gonna get?" Nyx asked, eyeing the restaurant's very expensive menu she picked up from the table. Eternity. It appeared an apt name considering it felt like they weren't going to eat for eternity. All the other patrons were well-dressed, with pinched faces as if they looked down on the world.