𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫

𝟐 - 𝐒𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐃𝐚𝐲

Waking up in the same position I fell asleep, I realized I overslept. I go to reach for my alarm clock to check the time, but I notice now that there's another person in my bed.

I pull back the blanket to reveal my little sister Serenity curled up next to me. I shake her awake. "Serenity Ruby Clarke, get up!" I yell, shaking the girl. Startling and falling off the side of the bed. My sister looks up at me from her spot on the floor and asks with a grin, enunciating my full name as I did hers. "Saliyah Everly Clarke, why would you do that?" She rolls her eyes when she realizes that I'm laughing.

"Because we're gonna be late." I glance at the clock and notice the time: 8:47.

"Can't we just stay home today? Sevyn and Savon already left so we can have a sister day," My sister says finally getting off the floor, I think about this for a minute and ultimately decide it's time for me and my sister to have a day to ourselves. It's been way too long since we had one of these anyway.

"Mall?"

"Mall."

Serenity smiles and goes to her room (Where she should've been from the start.) to get ready for our day. I get in the shower and as I'm doing my makeup, I get a text from Serenity asking me If I want to match today. Obviously, I say yes and she sends me two photos of the outfits she has in mind. A black dress with a black denim jacket that I bought her on a trip a couple of weeks ago and a plaid skirt with a white top. We decide on the dresses and I put the dress on. As I stand in the mirror, I feel a wave of self-consciousness wash over her. The fitted dress that she had been so excited to wear for her sister now seemed like a cruel joke. Her reflection showed every inch of her body, including the parts she hated the most - her cellulite.

I let out a sigh and turned to the side, trying to find a more flattering angle. But no matter how I posed, the parts of my body I hated most were still there, mocking her. It seemed to be the only thing I could focus on, overshadowing the rest of her body.

I've always struggled with body image issues, constantly comparing myself to the unrealistic standards set by society. I knew it wasn't healthy but it's so hard not to get sucked into what was considered pretty. No matter how much I exercised or watched what I ate, my cellulite never seemed to go away. And now, as I stood in this dress, I felt exposed and vulnerable.

My mind was flooded with negative thoughts, telling me she wasn't good enough, that I didn't deserve to wear such a beautiful dress. I was about to take it off and put on something more comfortable when I heard a knock at my room door.

Saliyah, are you ready yet?' Serenity called from the other side.

I took a deep breath and tried to push away my insecurities. I didn't want to ruin Serenity's and I's day out because of her own issues. I quickly put on a smile and opened the door.

'You look amazing!' Serenity exclaimed, her eyes widening in admiration.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I looked at myself in the mirror again and saw the same reflection as before - my cellulite still present. But Serenity's words had sparked something in me, a glimmer of confidence that she hadn't felt in a long time.

As we walked to the car, I couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious. I was constantly adjusting my dress, trying to cover up her cellulite. I take a deep breath and head downstairs to grab some lunch.

I decide that I don't want to wear sneakers in my car so I run back upstairs to grab my Crocs, only needing my black and yellow Jordan 4s for actually walking in the mall. After we grab our purses and everything we need, we get in my car. As we pull into the mall parking lot my phone dings with a text from an unknown number.