Little Red's Café

EIGHT

I finally finish cleaning my room and putting everything back where it belongs. Just as I stand back and admire my work, there's a rhythmic knock at my front door followed by three rings of the door bell. Excitement creeps up into my chest and I basically hurtle myself down the steps. When I get to the door I swing it open and find Eve standing on the stoop. She is beaming at me her expression matching the same excitement that I feel. Her plump lips are pulled into a wide smile revealing her perfect white teeth. We squeal and embrace each other in a tight hug. She smells like coconuts and lavender, when we finially pull back I take her in. She is wearing a white cotton shirt that's tucked into a plum high waisted skirt with a bow at the top left of the skirt. She has on black flats that match the gigantic luggage sized purse on her shoulder. Her deep brown eyes drowning in the pool of all the other emotions she if keeping at bay. Her black hair curls past her high cheek bones falling in tight curls just under her soft jawline. Her hair is pulled into two space buns at the top of her head . She always does the simplest hairstyles. When I think back to when we were younger I think about how much she hated her hair. She use to tell me all time she wished she looked like me. Mom use to make us do positive affirmations when she would hear her talk like that. She said everyone is beautiful in their own way. I've always loved how her mocha brown skin complimented my fair skin tone. She has always been the ying to my yang in every way.
"Girl! Why do you look like you've been cleaning?" She says grimacing, pulling the corner of her mouth into a scowl as she tugs at the ends of my frazzled hair.
"Because I have." I say matter of factly, swatting her hand away.
Her eyes bulge, "Anny! Do you know what time it is?!" She says as panic forms in my chest. I lean back and glance at my clock in the entryway and see it's after four.
"OH SHIT! The party starts in..." I pause to calculate the time I had left.
"Less than an hour!" She finishes for me.
Panicking I run up the stairs with her in tow. When I miss a step and almost fall we both giggle the rest of the way.

Now in the shower I can hear her starting to rummage through my closet.
"Wow, this looks like a whole new closet. I can't believe you actually cleaned it!" There's a short pause then, "HEY! Is this my shirt!" Her voice is coming from somewhere in my room while I wash my face. I imagine her holding up her blue sequined shirt I had borrowed for a party a while ago, with her hand on her hip. I remember seeing it in the pile of nonescense earlier.
"Sorry!" I say through the my hands and soap.
"I've been looking for this since sophomore year!" There is a pause and we both erupt into laughter. When I finish washing my body I turn off the water and wrap my blue oversized towel around my body. Stepping out of my bathroom into the hallway I notice the steam radiating from my reddened skin.

"I swear you bathe in lava." Eve says from my doorway. I roll my eyes and follow her into the room where she has several outfits laid out on my bed. I examine them.

"I picked out the least sluttiest outfits, but the ones that accentuate your curves," she says moving her hands in an hourglass figure and wiggling her eyebrows.

I hold up a dress, ivory green in color. The lace sleeves start at the middle of my bicep and are long and belle out at my wrists. The waist is taken in by the corset attached to it just below my breast. The soft cotton fabric falls to the middle of my thigh and flutter out, like petals on a flower.

Aunt Ruth had bought this for me for my sweet sixteen. I had seen it in the window of a boutique in town and had wanted it. Mom told me that she had already bought me an outfit for my party but I felt like I needed this one. Aunt Ruth went in later that evening and purchased it. She surprised me with it the day of my party and I could tell mom was a little hurt I didn't wear the one she got me. That quickly changed when she saw it on me. The way the green compliments my almost porcelain complexion, red hair and green eyes, it will forever make it the perfect dress.