Reprise

Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

'Mum bought me a dress,' Ainsley says when she drags me into her bedroom. I've always liked Ainsley's bedroom, even though it's so incredibly different from my own. Her bedspread is white and plain, and the only thing on her bedside table is a single white flower in a glass jar and a burning vanilla candle. Everything in her room is very minimal and plain, much like Ainsley's own fashion sense, so when she presents the vibrant fuchsia dress to me I'm surprised.

'Your mum bought that for you?' I say, surprised. I take the pink dress from her and examine it in the full-length mirror that is propped up against a plain white wall, next to Ainsley's closed curtains.

'Have you tried it on?' I ask her. I look at her expression in the mirror. As always, she looks meek and timid, and gives me a frightened shake of her head as response.

'Okay, you have to try it on,' I say, spinning around and pulling the dress off its hanger. 'Come on, quick!'

'Can you wait outside?' Ainsley asks weakly as I hand her the dress. I stare at her for a second, not letting go of my grip on the pink fabric, and then I shrug, and head back into the hall and close the door behind me. Ainsley and I have known each other since we were born. We've had baths together, we've shared lollipops and we've compared breast sizes, and she had never asked me to wait outside while she changed. I wonder if this is an extension of her nervousness to date Jareth, or if it's something else.

After a minute, I knock on the door and call into her, asking how it's going.

'Uh, well not really,' Ainsley replies from within.

I twist the door handle and walk into the room, catching her unzipping the dress. 'No come on Ains, let me see it on,' I say.

She rolls her eyes. 'It's just not me,' she says. 'It's too bright. I always wear black. That's just my thing, you know? I just like the sophistication of black.'

'You can be sophisticated in this,' I say. 'It may be bright but it's undeniably fashionable. Jareth will think you look great.'

The dress does make her waist look incredibly small, I notice. It is detailed at the shoulders, creating an hourglass figure out of Ainsley's usual pencil slim figure. She runs her hands down along her hips, then says, 'I just don't feel comfortable in it. It's not me.'

'Well here's the thing, Ains,' I say. 'It's your birthday, and you're at your own house, so you can do whatever you want. My suggestion is that you wear this dress, because it makes you look hot and everyone will know you're the birthday girl. But if you don't want to, that's fine. And if you wear it and you decide you want to change, then you can just run up here and change. But it's totally up to you.'

Ainsley sighs. 'Yeah, I guess you're right. Okay, I'll wear it now, and if I freak out before everyone gets here I can just change into something easier.'

'Good,' I say. 'Let's go and see what the boys are up to.'

I'm already wearing a coral bodycon dress and strappy heels, and as we descend the stairs I notice the boys look up and watch us. I feel as if we're debutants, except this time it's Ainsley getting the attention, instead of me. I try not to be a little jealous.

'Ainsley Adeline Shepherd,' Julian exclaims, coming towards us with a deliberate slowclap and a wicked grin on his face.

'Oh stop it,' Ainsley says, her cheeks colouring to match her dress.

'Fucking hell girl, you clean up good hey?' Julian says. 'Oi, dude, Leo! Come check out your sister, hey?'

Watson shoots me a look that says, "This is your doing, isn't it?" I give him a smug smile.