Born Too Late [Elvis Presley]

Chapter 1: Happy Birthday, Sweetheart

Memphis,
1st June, 1965

Penny Jones

Hit the Road Jack by Ray Charles plays from downstairs, the sound of hundreds of people chatting making the song sound even more muffled from my bedroom. I stare at my reflection in the mirror of my vanity, feeling nervous about how people will respond to my new look. I look different. I look older.

I decided to tease my honey blonde hair, which is blown out in loose, bouncy waves, making it appear much more volumized than usual. A section of the hair around my face is pulled back and tied with a white ribbon at the back of my head, but my short curtain bangs frame my face - which has some makeup on it - very nicely. I've never worn makeup before, but the natural makeup on my face accentuates my tanned complexion, making me appear more glowy than usual. My eyes are lined with some black eyeliner, the small wings at the outer corners of my brown eyes making them appear larger, as well as the mascara coated on my top and bottom lashes, giving them a fuller and longer look. My full lips are painted a glossy, pinky-nude.

I figured since it's my 18th birthday and I'm officially a woman, I should go all out, so when my father took me shopping for an outfit, I chose an off-white, long sleeve bodycon dress. The fabric hugs my figure and leaves my tanned thighs on full show. I've never worn anything so revealing before. I paired the dress with a pair of white heeled boots which cover about half of my calves. The heels make my usual 5'5 frame now stand a much taller 5'9.

I've never been this done-up before, but I feel pretty. I feel like myself, which would come to a shock to anyone who knows me, because for my entire life, I've been quiet little Penny, the 'good girl'. I've never really felt like that role suited me much, so I decided I would take full advantage of my first day as an adult, starting with altering my appearance to how I want to look, not how others want me to look. I spray myself with some perfume and take another quick glance in the mirror before I make my way out of my bedroom and downstairs into the birthday party my father threw me. He throws me one every year.

I'm an only child and my mother died from cancer when I was five, so my father has only ever had me to look after, which is probably why he has always spoiled me rotten. The man doesn't have a bad bone in his body, I'm very lucky to have a father like him. Although it came as a shock to him when I showed him the outfit I wanted to wear tonight, he bought me it, along with all of the makeup on my face. He said, "be who you want to be, Penny. Not who other people want you to be."

"There she is!" I hear my father say as I walk into the kitchen. I turn my gaze to my left, a grin taking over my face when I spot my father. There's a wide smile on his face too, causing wrinkles to form at the corners of his brown eyes. However, that smile is wiped off my face just as quickly as it appeared when I notice who my father is standing next to.