Newbie

37: Princess

I stood in front of the mirror, my fingers trembling slightly as I adjusted my dress. It was the same green dress that I fell in love with while shopping with Cleo, but every insecure thought was running through my mind, and not even a barricade could stop it. My hair was slick and straight thanks to my mom flat ironing every piece with the focus of a neurosurgeon. Mom was incredibly eager to do my makeup this morning. The Rowans are not the most creative people, but Mom honestly did a great job. She had been researching inspiration ideas on Pinterest ever since I bought my dress. She had a vision, and I was her canvas.

"Skylar, are you ready yet?" she yelled so I could hear her up the stairs.

"Almost," I called.

Physically, I had been ready for about twenty minutes. Mentally, I don't know if I would ever be. It didn't help that Luca was standoffish this morning. Cleo had woken me up around nine this morning, saying she was leaving if I wanted a ride home. When I told Luca that I was getting a ride from Cleo, he said nothing. His eyes usually  gave away how he was feeling but his face was so unreadable, and if it wasn't so irrational, I would think that he looked disappointed. He eventually nodded before laying back on the couch. Cleo had seen the interaction and just shrugged, although Luca could have been on fire and she would have only shrugged.

I had texted Luca this afternoon confirming that he was picking me up at seven, and all he responded was a simple "yes." Needless to say it wasn't the best confidence booster for a girl going to a school dance where she didn't feel like she belonged. I honestly felt like I was one of those goldfish people win and was suddenly being released into the Atlantic Ocean.

"Skylar! Hurry up!" Mom yelled again

"I'm coming!" I called back, glancing at the clock. My stomach churned. Luca was picking me up in less than ten minutes.

I was going to throw up all over my pretty dress.

"Don't forget the shoes," Mom yelled. Again. "The gold shoes!"

I glanced at the pair of strappy heels I had sitting on the floor next to me. I was not looking forward to walking in those things. I'd worn them for a total of five minutes last week, and let's just say it wasn't pretty. My foot was almost at 100% but there were moments I still felt unstable.

However, the shoes were pretty, and Marlee had reassured time that everyone took their shoes off at the dance. The school provides socks to combat the war against women's feet from heels. 

I threw the shoes on, applied one last coat of lip gloss, and made my way downstairs.

"You look beautiful, darling!" she smiled "Absolutely! You look beautiful. Like a princess."

"I feel more like an awkward frog," I mumbled, tugging at the dress's waistband.

I don't know why I said that.

"Don't worry. You're going to have a great time." She gave me a knowing smile. "It's normal to be nervous. Just remember to have fun. It's only a high school dance."

"Yeah, easier said than done," I muttered under my breath.

But before she could answer, I heard a high-pitched voice from downstairs.

"I'm ready!" Penelope's voice echoed through the hallway.

Of course, Penelope. My five-year-old cousin. She was practically a walking ball of energy, and for some reason, she had taken it upon herself to be my unofficial dance advisor tonight.

I heard her little footsteps thumping up the stairs before she appeared in the doorway, wearing a Cinderella dress with her hair pulled into a sloppy bun. Little Nelly had wanted to dress up like me and had picked her a dress and heels- which were loud plastic shoes with very little heel on them. I thought she was adorable.