TANGLED PLANS

9

Shopping with a teenaged guy going around and saying that I would look good in something was very weird. And it made my cheeks heat up. It's not that the clothes he was looking at weren't pretty, just that he was the one talking about them.

Every item of clothing that he says looks good on me, he takes and places in the cart. The cart is full once we move to the dressing rooms in the back of the shop. I didn't even know if half of these would fit me. Max stops at the clothing rooms and offers me a huge smile. "I'll be standing out here. Try it on and come back to show me."

I grab a few of the clothing items and give him a side glance. "I'm not showing you," I say in what I hoped was a perfect sentence without stuttering. I couldn't promise that there were awkward pauses in that one sentence alone.

Max gives me a wide grin and says, "You'll need my opinions."

"I don't," I say to him, and then fall short when I remember why he was here. He was here to give me his opinions on how these clothes would look on me. I sigh reluctantly and go into the first room by the cart. I close the door behind me and take off my hoodie as I put on the plain black top.

It's tighter than I thought, but as I pull it down, I find that it fits perfectly. Once I have the sleeves down as well, I look at myself in the mirror. I liked how it looked on me and think that it's a safe top.

"Done, Dais?" Max's voice comes from behind the door, and I almost jump in shock at it. I forgot that he was out there. I reluctantly open the door and find Max looking down at his phone. Once I clear my throat to gather his attention, he turns his phone off and looks up at me. His eyes scan my top for a second before he nods and says, "I don't know."

I keep my hand on the doorknob behind me and say, "What do you mean?"

Max cocks his head to the side and gives me a slow smile. "It's a nice top, but not what we are looking for."

"What are we looking for?" I ask him quietly, and he looks down at the cart. I hear him shuffling a few items before he holds out some tops toward me. I take it from him, and he smiles down at me. "These are more flattering tops."

I turn back to the dressing room and walk in with a frown on my face. I didn't know what I was looking for in a top. I take the most safe-looking top and slip it on over myself. Looking at myself in the mirror, I find that the top is a blue one with a neck that goes all the way straight and is also a long sleeve. I liked this top better than the other one. I run my fingers over the neckline and smile at myself.

"I like this one," I say to Max when I open the door again. Max looks up at me and then at my shirt before nodding. "Not bad," he comments, and then places a finger up and gestures to the door. "Go on and put another one up."

I nod and close the door behind me. I pick up a yellow top and slip off my other one. The top seems to be thin, and when I go to put it on, it is harder than I thought it would be. I'm fighting for my life as I try to get it over my arms and come up short. My arms hurt as I try to get it on. I let out a sigh as I shouted, "This one is hard to put on!"

"What?" Max shouts back after a second, and I shout the phrase again. I'm flaying my arms around as I head over to the door and say, "It's not going over my arms."

"Do you need my help?" Max asks, and I think about it. I actually didn't know how I was going to get out of this situation. I use my arm in the best way I can and open the door to the dressing room. "I'd like the help," I admit to Max, who looks at my arms as I sigh in exasperation.

"What did you get yourself into, Daisy?" he murmurs as he takes a step forward and walks into the dressing room. I hold up my arms and say, "It's hard to pull it down." I hear his shuffling once he gets behind me, and a moment later I feel him tugging on the neckline. I start to pull at the arms again, but I hear him say, "One second, sweetheart. I think I see a zipper."