The Bad Boy Effect

Chapter 21: P.S. You're Still A Shitty Liar

"Oh my gosh this is going to be so much fun!" Meagan chirps as we enter the store. It's been two weeks since Arran has asked me to prom with him. I haven't really seen him since the day he asked. He had to go out of town with his dad the next morning because of a major meeting, and he is suppose to be coming back tonight. I grin stupidly. He's been sending the cutests texts to me from the time I wake up to the time I go to bed.

We've been having at least two to three hour calls everyday and he definitely doesn't let me think that he's forgotten me. Little does he know that Cole and I are going to the airport to meet him once he lands. It's been a full two weeks without me seeing him. Needless to say, I've been going insane. I'm not as hurt as I was now that I know the full story of what happened that night. Although I would be lying if I said the image of Kallie grinding on him doesn't haunt me.

Meagan opens the door and I walk in. dozens upon dozens of dresses stand around me, and I'm both excited and dreading it. I hate having to try on the clothes when I'm clothes shopping. Like I'm already so comfortable, why do I have to change?

Meagan takes me over to the section labeled 'PROM'. We walk over to find her dress first. She looks over at the black prom dresses and her eyes widen as they lock onto one in the center. It has one strap that goes over the right shoulder and I must say it's stunning. The top part is trimmed with a sparkly silver, but everything below is a sparkly black. Just one look at her eyes shows that she is in love.

"I'm going to try this on," she says as she grabs one that's identical to the mannequin. She takes the dress off the rack and walks into the changing room. I sit down in the chair and tap my foot as I wait for her to come out.

My phone buzzes and I see a text from Arran.

Arran: Boarding the plane now. I should be there around nine. Maybe I'll stop by afterwards.

I smile.

Me: What flight are you?

Another buzz.

Arran: 278. Why?

Me: Just curious.

Arran: Gotta go. Taking off soon. I'll be thinking of you. P.S. You're still a shitty liar.

His last comment makes me laugh a little. So much for a surprise. But I had to know. I look up to see Meagan walk out of the room. She looks in front of the mirror and let me tell you, she looks drop dead gorgeous.

Meagan isn't a fat girl like I used to be, but she isn't skinny either. She has all the right curves in all the right places, and this dress really makes them stand out. They also make her hazel eyes pop and as she smiles, I can tell she's getting it.

"Do you think Tony will like it?" she asks. I nod my head.

"He's going to love it."

"I know I do." she grins. She frowns.

"What is it?"

"I don't know if I can afford it."

"How much is it?" I ask.

"It's $24,000." She sighs. "Dad only gave me $15,000."

I grin. "Don't worry. I can cover the rest of yours and mine."

Her face lights up. "Oh thank you, thank you, thank you, Emma!" she grins as she hugs me.

"You're welcome. Do you have shoes to match it?" I ask.

"Yeah, I have some at home." she smiles. "Now let's find yours!"

She walks back into the changing room and soon is back out with her dress on the hanger. She smiles at me and I grin back. This is more fun than I thought it would be.

We walk over to a section that I would not have picked. It's a section labeled 'MERMAID'. We look in all the colors, but I just shake my head. I really don't see any point in this. I'm probably not going to find a dress anytime soon. I sigh and just as I'm about to give up, Meagan squeaks.

"Emma, it's perfect!" she grins. I look over at where she's pointing and I tilt my head a little.

It's a navy blue mermaid dress. It's strapless at the top with a sweetheart neckline. It's slim at the top, but as it goes down, it fans out a little and there are a few ruffles at the bottom. It's like a layered ruffle sort of. It's very pretty, but I don't know if I'd be able to pull it off.

"I don't know Meagan..." I say wearily.

"Come on, Emma. You don't have anything to lose."

I sigh. "Okay."

Meagan walks over, picks my size, and hands it back to me. I take it over to the dressing room and lock the door behind me. There are three mirrors in a row; a mirror that is tilted on the left, a center mirror, and a mirror that is tilted on the right so that you have a 180 degree view. I sigh and shakily set the dress down. I pull my black sweater off and avoid my reflection. I take my leggings off along with my shoes.

I mentioned previously that I have a problem when it comes to my weight. Well I have a problem with my self body image too. I guess all the years of bullying did more emotional damage than I previously thought. I can't look at my reflection because all I see is the old me. My skin isn't saggy, my boobs aren't wrinkly or anything. I'm sure my body looks like a normal teenage girl body to other people; but it looks like I've never lost any weight to me.

I notice all my flaws. Some tiny freckles here and there, the old worn stretch marks that are almost completely faded, and of course I notice all of the scars. Both accidentally prone and ones that weren't so accidental. I seem to criticize myself more than I should, but when you're bullied about your weight for five years, it really makes its mark on you.

I take a deep breath in and continue with the task at hand. I slide the mermaid dress on, knowing that it won't fit. I mean with all of my curves, I wouldn't blame it. But shock hits me like a train when I realize that I am able to slide it on easier than I thought I would.

I look in the mirror and stare at my reflection. I think I notice something for the first time. The sweetheart neckline shows that I have somewhat of a collarbone. Like you can actually see a faint outline of it. And where I thought my skin would stick out a little, it doesn't. The fabric is nice and smooth and the dress seems to hug me in all the right places. I actually look... pretty.

The sweetheart neckline does show some cleavage, I'm not going to lie, but I don't mind it. I feel confident in this dress for some reason. I stare at myself, not used to this feeling. I smile a little and I'm not afraid of my reflection. In fact, I just want to stare at it; savor this feeling while I can. It's a nice feeling.

"Emma, are you dead?" I hear Meagan ask.

"No, I'm coming." I laugh. I open the door and step out for Meagan to see.

She gapes at me. "Damn, girl. Someone call 9-1-1 because you are on fire!" she shrieks. I roll my eyes.

"Thanks Meags."

She looks at the price tag. "And it's a cheap find! Only 10,600." she says, nodding in approval. I laugh.

"So is this the one?" she asks. I nod my head.

"I think so."

"Perfect! And I have the perfect shoes for you!"

"Meagan, no offense but your feet are like twice the size of mine."

"Okay you got me." she giggles. "My mom has the perfect shoes for you."

I laugh. "Good to know. Can I get out of this dress now?" I ask.

"Sure thing. The store is going to close soon anyway. Let's get our dresses and get out of here."

A/N: Hello again! I know, I know. I'm on a roll tonight! I'm sorry, but I'm seriously in love with the story. I have so many ideas, and I know I'm nowhere near finishing it right now. I don't know if it's going a bit fast for you guys. I hope not. I think it's going at a good pace. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, loves <3 Until the next chapter :)