Clipped

Petal stared at herself in the mirror. She looked odd, and out of place, as if she wasn't her real self. She wore a white dress that went just above her knees, fanning out like a flower at her hips. It was sleeveless, and she covered her arms with a black sweater, pressing hard on the parts of her skin that were covered in white scars. She held the black sweater sleeves with her fingertips so that they were covering half of her hand, too.

Her hair was short and styled upwards; she had dyed the sides of it a silvery color to match tonight's occasion. She had on black eyeliner, another thing she didn't wear much of. She liked makeup; it made her feel prettier. She just never had the time to do it, and she had shaky hands, so it never seemed to come out right anyway.

Freckles dotted her cheeks, which had grown purple from embarrassment. Hirokryte blood was purple rather than red, so her face didn't look too out of place. She looked herself up and down, making sure she looked alright for tonight's gala. It was her first time ever going to a dance, because Stefan had never let her go to one before. But she was at college now, and a large winter gala was tonight, and she'd been asked by her girlfriend to attend together.

Talim, her girlfriend, had a much better sense for social situations than Petal. Whenever they went out, they held hands and Petal would squeeze hers too hard, or walk too fast, or talk too little. Talim never minded, but Petal always thought about it for hours and hours afterwards. There was no antidote for anxiety, only temporary pills that would soon wear off and send her picking at her nails again and again.

She had painted them for tonight, though. They were black and shiny except for her ring fingers, which had a glittery silver coating them. Painting her nails stopped her from picking at them so much, so she thought it would be okay for one night.

She took a deep breath and walked out her dorm door, feeling funny as she paced the bland hallway down to the lobby, looking all dolled up in such a dreary world. Maybe other people liked feeling like this, but she didn't. She liked feeling pretty when Talim was next to her.

As she stepped outside in the brisk snowy air, she felt the chill of winter wrap around her legs. She adored winter, and didn't mind the cold, but it was a cruel reminder that her legs were showing, bare against the moonlight's nightly symphony. She rushed to the cafe she'd agreed to meet Talim in front of, the cafe where they first shared a long conversation. Petal loved that cafe.

She turned the corner, wrapping the sweater tighter around her body as she looked frantically for Talim. Like a cinematic masterpiece, she caught sight of her just as she was turning, and a hot wave of emotion befell Petal like a heart attack.

Talim looked ravishing-- no, ethereal, even. Her heart pounded in her throat, and she had to swallow it back down or else it might jump right out. Talim's dark skin and even darker curls seemed to glow in the frozen night, brightening her baby blue dress which had no sleeves. The top half was strapless, and the loose fabric fell around her ankles, where Talim could see she was wearing white heels, making her taller than Petal. She felt silly for choosing flats.

As she approached Talim, she noticed her makeup was done nicely too. There was silver glitter serving as her eyeshadow, and perfect makeup to frame her face in a luminescent light. She felt her face getting hot again.

"Hello, Talim," Petal said shyly, walking up to her. Talim turned and broke into a beautiful smile, relieving Petal of her stress.

"Hello, beautiful! You look so good!" Talim complimented, giving Petal a quick kiss. Petal was shy about pda, but she let this one slide.

"You look amazing," she said back, feeling the edges her nails but fighting the urge to pick at them.

"Let's go then, shall we, bird?" Talim looped her arm into Petal's, leading the way. Petal felt herself relax under the streetlights, feeling confident with her best friend at her side.