The saleswoman emerged from the back empty-handed, and Jennie didn't fail to notice the brief look of annoyance on her face before she composed her features again into a condescending smile. "Ah, I see you've found a few items to your taste..." she said, holding out a hand to take the hangers from Jennie.
"Yes, I'd like to try these on please." Jennie replied.
"Of course."
The saleswoman looked down at the dresses that Jennie had gathered and began to hang them up one by one in the dressing room. She emerged a moment later, carrying one dress back out with her - a simply cut sequinned tank dress in iridescent fuchsia.
Jennie looked at her questioningly. "Is there a problem?" she asked.
"This is from our current runway collection," the woman replied. "I believe you may find the ready-to-wear items you selected to be closer to your price range."
"Oh, I see." Jennie said, raising her eyebrows. "That's very helpful of you. Especially since I don't recall mentioning my price range."
"Of course, you're more than welcome to try it on." The dress was duly returned to the dressing room. "Please let me know if I can be of any further assistance."
"Out of my price range..." Jennie muttered to herself as soon as the woman was out of earshot. Would it be ridiculous to buy that dress just to teach that girl a lesson? Jennie slipped it on over her head and emerged from the dressing room to examine herself in the three-way mirror, turning this way and that as the light reflected off the shimmery fabric.
The dress had looked simple to the point of shapelessness on the hanger, but it transformed when she put it on. The smooth fabric flowed over her figure like liquid silk, skimming past her flaws and accentuating her curves. A perfect fit. Simple, yet interesting. Effortless. Youthful. Sophisticated.
Nailed it, Jennie thought with a smile. Let the paparazzi take her picture now. This outfit wouldn't look out of place next to Lisa, whether Lisa was dressed up in a tux or her usual t-shirt and jeans. In fact, Jennie could just picture herself now with Lisa's arm around her waist and one of Lisa's black leather jackets thrown over her shoulders to ward off the evening chill. Let anyone try to say she and Lisa were 'just friends' after that picture got printed in US Weekly.
The saleswoman was approaching her again now, holding a hanger with a different dress - also a deep pink, but decidedly more dowdy. "That's a lovely colour on you," she said, pleasantly enough. "Perhaps you'd like to try this one?"
"Actually, no." Jennie replied. "This one is perfect. I'll take it."
"I'm sorry?"
"I would like to purchase this dress." Jennie said, enunciating carefully. "It is for sale, isn't it?"
"Yes, of course." The saleswoman cast an anxious look over her shoulder toward the cash register. "Perhaps I should just look up the price for you in the book before you make your final decision." she said.
"Don't be silly." Jennie replied, watching with satisfaction as the saleswoman's lips formed themselves into an 'O' of surprise. "Just be a good girl and wrap it up, please."
Jennie was standing at the register a few moments later, watching as the woman carefully folded her new dress and wrapped it in tissue paper.
"Your total comes to $14,348 dollars." the woman stated matter-of-factly. "And how will you be paying for this today?"
Jennie felt her stomach lurch as she struggled to take in the words. Had she heard that right? Fourteen thousand? For a tank dress? It was obscene. Beyond obscene. She couldn't go through with it. What would Lisa think? Then again, Lisa probably wouldn't blink an eye. Welcome to life in the VIP section, right? And anyway, far preferable to raise Lisa's eyebrows a little than to face the embarrassment of slinking out of this store empty-handed.
"Credit." Jennie said with a smile, pulling out Lisa's card and handing it over.
On a whim, Jennie slipped her phone out of her purse, selecting Jisoo's name from her contact list. She began typing out a text while the shop girl turned her back to ring up the purchase.
Jennie: Just bought a $14K dress. Charged to Lisa :)
She broke out in laughter when she saw her friend's response a moment later.
Jisoo: Nice. Hope it fits you better than the bath towel...
She was still chuckling at her phone when she became aware of a man in a well-tailored black suit who had come up to stand behind her. "Excuse me," he said, tapping Jennie on the shoulder. Jennie turned towards him, lifting her eyebrows in question.
"Could you please come with me, ma'am?"
"I'm sorry?"
She almost would have taken him for the store manager, if not for the badge he wore, inconspicuously pinned to his lapel: 'SECURITY.'
"Is there a problem?" she asked, looking up at him. He reached out and gripped her firmly by the upper arm, and Jennie had to walk briskly to keep up as he began marching her toward an unmarked door at the back of the store.
She turned her head to look back over her shoulder at the shop girl, still standing behind the register with Lisa's credit card in one hand and a pair of scissors in the other. She shot Jennie one last patronising smile as she lifted the scissors and carefully snipped the credit card in half.
