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CHAPTER SIXTEEN Exit, Stage Left
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IT ONLY TOOK CECELIA HALF an hour to get ready for Homecoming. Even then, most of the time was spent in the shower, standing under the hot water and letting it steam onto her skin. When she exited, the only makeup she put on was the faintest hint of blush and mascara, which took under five minutes. Her hair—fine and straight as it was—wasn't difficult to wrangle into a braid, either. This meant that all that was left was stepping into her dress and fastening flats onto her feet.
Unfortunately, the dress—beautiful as it was, with a silky pink skirt and a sparkling silver top—was a real pain in the ass to get into. Cecelia was just zipping up the back, letting it glide over her scarred skin, when it jammed beneath her shoulder blades. She yanked at it, frustrated, but it refused to move.
With a curse, she twisted, attempting to somehow get a better grip on the zipper, but it alluded her. When she realized she was resembling a dog attempting to chase its own tail, she relented, letting go and crossing her arms. To her misfortune, she wouldn't be able to do this alone.
"Need some help?" a voice blurted from the doorway. Cecelia jumped and whirled around. There, leaning against the frame, a smirk on her face, was Eva.
Cecelia put a hand to her heart. "Creator, give a girl a warning next time," she said. "When did you get so sneaky?"
"Since I started watching Game of Thrones behind Mom and Dad's backs," Eva responded. She put a finger to her lips. "Don't tell them that, though."
Cecelia rolled her eyes. "Really? Game of Thrones?"
"Mom and Dad say I can't start watching it until I'm sixteen. Even you're not old enough, Cecelia."
"I will be in less than a year."
Eva gestured to her sister's dress. "Do you need help or not?"
"Yeah," Cecelia admitted. "Come on, help your favourite sister out."
"What?" Eva glanced around the room theatrically. "Who? Tara's not here."
Cecelia lunged forward, and Eva backed up with a shriek. Cecelia swiped a pillow off Eva's bed and hurled it right at her sister, trusting her aim to do its job. It did. The pillow collided right with Eva's face, and the girl beneath it let out an oof!
"My bad," Cecelia said dryly. Eva caught the pillow in her hand and narrowed her eyes.
"I guess you don't need my help, then."
"Okay, okay, fine. Get your ass over here. Don't hit me with a pillow, though, you'll mess up my makeup. I spent at least five minutes on it."
