About You Now

The Friends

"Oh my," worded Nikki, drawing attention to Brie exiting the changing room, dressed in a lilac toole gown with leaf and floral embroidery. "You look stunning," she complimented, starting a chorus of similar compliments from the other ladies present. Even the assistant helping them threw a compliment or two in. The only one who didn't was Serenity, who offered quiet remarks and ugly comments, all while she continued to search for her perfect dress. Brie could only grin widely; she felt beautiful, looked perfect, and found her dress. The first of the group to do so. Now, all she needed was to find out her mystery prom date; then, everything would be set for the prom.

"Nikki, how about this one?" said AJ, holding up a burgundy dress with lace detailing. Although simple in style, it matched what Nikki had mentioned she was looking for. At the same time, Nikki held up a sparkling silver dress with a sheer cape and pointed at AJ as she smiled widely. Identical chuckles escaped both women as they swapped the dresses they'd found before heading off to the changing rooms together. Rhea, by now, had music playing through her phone as she, Echo, Cross, and Summer searched the racks closest to the changing rooms, the darker colors and often the ones people avoided for one reason or another.

"Bex," called Echo, a bright smile on her lips as she walked over to the Irish lass. The two hadn't spent time together outside group settings since the drama started. "What kind of dress are you looking for?" she asked in an attempt to mend what had long since been broken between them. However, the gothic teen hadn't said it aloud; she did miss Becky, the jokes they shared, and the fun they used to have before everything blew up and the drama got in the way.

"Green, I'm not sure about the style, though," replied the fiery redhead, reaching to pull Echo into a hug when the gothic teen was close enough. No words had to be spoken between them. They both missed each other. "Black and sparkly for you, right?" she added, displaying how much she knew the other teen. All who knew Echo knew she wouldn't go far from her dark colors; however, that wouldn't stop her experimenting with different styles.

"Ugh!" muttered Serenity from a few racks in front of the group of girls near the darker-colored dresses. Becky joined the girls after being prompted by Echo. Summer had collectively nicknamed the smaller group the Darkling girls, much to the amusement of Maryse and Carmella nearby. "Are there other dress shops round here?" she asked, scrunching up her face when looking around the store again. Nothing there was what she was looking for. She already knew what she wanted, either a white or pink gown, which made her feel like the queen she already knew she was.

"There's a couple of others in the mall," replied Brie, her smile unmoved even when she spoke to someone she wasn't fond of. "We already plan on going to them, especially Dark Enchantments," she added, hearing Rhea comment, thank god in the background, clearly displaying she'd not found anything to her liking. Maryse commented she wanted to nosey through the dresses there, even more so when she'd gotten some bits and pieces from there before, despite the target audience for the store being those of gothic or darker styles.

"We aren't going to Dark Enchantments; that store's for creeps," voiced Serenity, her demanding tone indicating that she expected every one of the girls to follow her lead, including on the dresses they eventually chose. After all, she had a few dresses for each in mind and having them pick from them. After all, Serenity didn't want them to outshine her at prom; she wanted them to blend into the shadows and hide away if needed.

"Guess we're going without you then," called AJ as she stepped up on the podium before the mirrors near the changing rooms. A bright smile graced her lips. Although the dress was tight fitting, it was stunningly beautiful, and the cape gave it that extra flair. Nikki followed her shortly after, wafting the skirts of her dress and twirling shortly after.