I'll Take You to Neverland

Chapter 5: Last Day

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I climb out of the window, seeing that this us the best way to avoid Oscar. He isn't a horrible person, as far as I know, but something gives me the feeling that when he suggested using other forms of payment he wasn't talking about extra help in his office.

I've been avoiding him, his comb-over, his greasy face, his cheesy smile and the way he calls me darlin'. Nothing about him seems friendly, but then again, nothing about any other guys that I know seems friendly either.

My father left me, of course my mother did too, but I always wanted to be a daddy's-girl kind of girl. My older brother, Chris, who abandoned me and lied to me so that he could be adopted before me. Then Garret, a boy who I thought I could trust with not only my life, but my love as well, who turned around and crushed that feeling within a short time.

I could go on forever, listing off people I don't trust, but I clear my mind, not wanting to waste my last hours thinking about them.

Instead I focus on walking, keeping my eyes trained on the tattered shoes that hardly protect my feet as I step on rocks and rough concrete.

I round each corner more quickly than the last, eager to go shopping for the first time since I was a little girl.

I make it to the thrift shop in about a half an hour, my hands are already freezing from the cool morning air and my hair has managed to tangle itself up again.

I walk in, ignoring the people at the counter and walking down the aisles, instantly searching for something to wear.

I start off looking through pants, hoping to be warm on my last day, but everything is still too expensive to be able to afford the rest of the outfit, so I look through the shorts.

I sort though piles, digging down in the racks of clothes yet finding nothing. No skirts, no shirts, no shorts, shoes, socks, anything.

I suppose that I could choose any of the things that I see, and on a regular occasion if I had any money just lying around I would grab whatever I could to wear. But today is a  special occasion- no matter how depressing that occasion may be- and I want to feel like it as well as looking like it.

I walk to the very back where I find that the entire back wall is covered by dresses. And there I see it, hanging in the corner, second to the right. My heart stops and I feel a smile creep across my face, something I haven't felt for a long time.

I pull it off of the rack, glancing at the front and back, blinking my eyes and running my hands along the smooth fabric. I'm not so sure why something like this would and up here or how, but as I look around for the dressing rooms I find myself not really caring.

I find the rooms, shedding my clothes the instant I shut the door. Despite the 'washing' that I gave them over night, I can still feel the dust and grime from everything that they've been through, and taking them off gives me a sense of relief

I slide the new dress up over my hips and with a bit of difficulty am able to zip it up in the back. When I'm done I finally take a step backwards and look at myself in the mirror.

The dress is navy blue and has to be the prettiest thing I've ever worn, it hugs my waist, skims down just above my knees, and the sleeves go to my elbows. It dips in the back, and is lined with white lace at the bottom and along the neck line.

I've never been a big person on fashion but I swear that at this moment, with a little bit of makeup and maybe brushed hair, I could easily be on the cover of a magazine. The fabric alone makes me feel as if I'm living life like a model on one.