Inviting the Virgin: Dealing With the Aftermath (Old Version)

Eighteen :Surprises Part One:

"Ouch," I shouted loudly as my hand automatically reached up to protect my hair from being ripped out of my skull. Stella snapped her comb against my hand causing it to retreat as she hissed at me. My hands gripped the arms of the chair.

"Stop being a baby." The comb swatted me again, this time on the temple, nearly missing my eye.

"Stop pulling than," I retorted gritting my teeth together in pain as Stella tried to braid my hair like hers. She was growing irritated with my hair. With such short strands they were sticking out of the braid.

"You should fire your hairdresser," She said matter-of-factly twisting, yanking, pulling and pinning pieces.

I scoffed at her. By the snide expression I witnessed through the mirror, I didn't need to remind her who the last one to cut my hair was. My bathroom wreck was growing on me. It wasn't even that bad. Or so I thought until I saw her horrified expression.

"Leave her alone, Stella," Margaret shushed from over my shoulder.

Margaret was leaning across a vanity putting on mascara. Her mouth was gaping open. She fluttered her lashed coating them with more makeup than she was already wearing. Margaret looked gorgeous in her short peach bridesmaids dress.

I sat in same peach puff of a dress. It was much too large for me. One of Margaret's aunts –who looked more like an uncle- had spent the first fifteen minutes of my arrival pinning and throwing several stiches to keep it from falling off. Stella basically had me in a half nelson to get the dress zipped up before I tried to escape once again. It hurt to exhale in it.

Turning my head I gave her a thankful smile. She was snarky like Zack with just a touch of kindness. A kindness I knew Zack had but just never showed.

"Never." Stella tied an elastic, placed a couple more bobby-pins and hair spraying the crap out of me hair. It felt stiff. My head was heavier than ever before.

"Really?" Margaret scoffed, "Are you ever not going to be a bitch?" her words were filled with laughter instead of spite; which, made me consider the fact that Stella hadn't just changed with me.

"I told you already." Stella placed both her hands on my shoulders forcing myself to look at the mirror, "today is your only free pass." Both of us smiled at each other.

Oh the sisterly bonding. I recalled the terrible times when Anna and I didn't get along well. Both of us had gotten a couple good shots in during our puberty years when my father would hide for a week.

"But you're still not being very nice to Eden," Margaret pointed out. She reminded me of a school teacher scolding a child for teasing another child.

I was used to Stella pulling on my pigtails on the playground.