Irish Oxytocin

Shawn | 30

❁ Chapter 30 ❁

It's been one week since I said goodbye to the love of my life.
There was almost nothing to prove he actually existed, besides how heartbroken I was in his absence. "My Californian Muse" was the last any of us had ever heard from him.

Gran never reached out, and I don't blame her. I knew she didn't go with him, because one morning Daniel, Ella and I passed the house on the way to school and she was watering her garden on their front lawn. This meant he left her too, and I don't think she knew what to say to me as much as I didn't know what to say to her.

Today, the girls and I ditched school to find me a prom dress. Prom was in eighteen days, and life has been so busy I totally spaced out. While I no longer have a date, the group begged me to come anyway. Everyone was getting their college applications back and a lot of us were leaving after summer was over. These next couple of months were going to change our friendship dramatically.
While I had no motivation to go party, I remember how Dad used to talk about how excited he was to see me live the life he always wanted me to have.

I went through a major tomboy phase as a preteen, but Dad convinced me to at least wear a dress to Grad and Prom. I wasn't going to let him down, even if he wasn't here to watch me get my diploma.

"I don't even have a colour in mind," I protested as we walked into the fifth shop.

"This is impossible," I whined.
"Shut up and look around," Jamie scolded.
"You aren't missing prom night. I won't allow it no matter how sad you are."

I rolled my eyes as we approached the dresses.

"At least help me out here. There's so much to choose from. I'm so overwhelmed," I groaned, scanning through dresses.
"You've been overwhelmed for the last four hours. This wasn't going to be easy. We warned you last night."

Last night, we all slept over at Aaliyah's house for a girl's night in. Jamie argued that we haven't had girl time in forever, and none of us were going to argue when she's made up her mind.
Besides, Aaliyah was a major foodie. This meant I was going to live for whatever we'd order for the next twenty-four hours.

I was looking through more dresses with Ella as 'Liyah and Jamie sat down.
I must've looked like I was going crazy, because a lady came over and scared the absolute fuckery out of me.

"You look lost sweetheart. Do you need help?" She asked in a calm tone.
I jumped slightly and held my hand to my heart.
"God, please! My prom is in roughly two weeks and I have no idea what I want."

She nodded and started examining me.

"Can I style you?" She asked me.
"Hell yes, you can," I agreed with excitement.
"Thank god," Jamie groaned, lying down in the guest seat.

The woman rummaged through dresses, pulling out one every couple of minutes after I told her my size. She handed me one by one as I prepped for a long try-on haul.

"Okay, I grabbed a few that I think compliment your hair and skin tone," she told me, handing me one last dress.

I nodded and went to the changing room.

The first dress was a blue body-con with sparkles falling from my chest to about my knees. It was pretty, don't get me wrong. But it wasn't screaming at me, like the other thirty dresses I've tried today. I walked out of the dressing room anyway to show the girls.

"Wow," Aaliyah beamed
"Stunning," Ella smiled.
"No," Jamie protested, the only honest one.

I smiled and put my hands in the dresses pockets.