Beautiful

1. Reflections

Reflections

The steam rose from the glass shower and fogged the mirrors over the double vanity. The mist collapsed, creating tears that slid down the slippery mirrored surface. This was Tierra's place to retreat, her magical getaway that she used to relax and help her cope, when life dealt her those painful, low blows. She spent more time in her bathroom than any other room in her condo.

The past six months had been beyond crazy, to say the least. It'd been at least thirty days since she'd decided to drown her misery in the bottom of every bottle of Mascato that she could buy.

Now though, with the buzz finally wearing off and reality once again staring her in the face, she had nowhere else left to run. She had to woman up and face the music.

She allowed her body to go limp and slide down the glass tiles of her shower wall. To say that she was mentally exhausted was the understatement of the year. The water made its way through her naturally long, brownish blonde hair, reverting it back to its curly form. She breathed in, before exhaling heavily, forcing the water that'd settled upon her lips, to fly across the shower.

Tears, mixed with the shower's flow fell from her eyes with each blink, as she pulled her soaking wet hair back off from her face. She forced herself to stand up, slowly exhaled, as a vague smile spread across her face.

Tonight, was one of her closest friend's events, 'The White Ball'. The entire entertainment community would be in attendance. Her invite arrived in the mail over six months ago. She'd been looking forward to this event ever since then. She was excited and happy for Vince, when she'd received her invitation.

Yet now, she wasn't mentally ready to go out and face the press, her friends, or business peers that'd surely be in attendance. However, Vince had called and informed her that he wasn't about to allow her to sit this night out. He told her that he sent a limo to pick her up. She had better be ready. It was due to arrive at 9pm. It was now just about 7 o'clock.

She was stuck, and knew that she had to go.

"What am I going to do if he is there?" she mumbled aloud.

"I hate myself for the way that I treated him."

She turned the faucet off and stepped up out of the shower onto a plush, chocolate colored bath rug, which sat just outside of the shower stall. She reached for her oversized, leopard print bath towel, quickly dried her hair, and then wrapped her curvaceous body up into it.

Her body was trembling, as reached up and wiped the mirror with her right hand. The reflection of a woman in distress, stared back at her. She couldn't help but to stand still for a moment and take it all in. Warm tears began to flow down her cheeks, falling freely through the air and down into the sink basin below.

"I'm such a baby," she told herself, quickly wiping her face.

"How could I have been so stupid and so blind?... Why didn't I just listen?!"

One last look at her current state was all she allowed herself. The cold droplets of water beginning to fall from her curly locks down her back, snapped her out of her self-pity. She shivered and reached for a second towel to wrap up her hair in, and then walked out of the bathroom and entered her adjoined bedroom. She sat down on the corner of her bed, wrapping her arms around one of the mahogany posts of the bed.

She'd always wanted a canopy or four-post bed when she was a little girl, and now she had a huge one. It was the only other thing in her massive suite that she loved just as much as her Jacuzzi.

She scanned the barely lit room and peered at the two white garment bags that contained her two options of gowns for tonight's affair. One she'd purchased a few months prior on a shopping spree, and the other was a dress that she'd received as a gift.

She fell backwards onto her bed and released a loud, exasperated sigh, as her body became one with the leopard print styled comforter.

Six months ago, she would never have believed that today, on the evening of the city's biggest event, that she'd be this distraught. Furthermore, there is no way she ever would have believed, she'd treat her bestie the way that she did. Back then she was on top of the world, and her career was on a fast track to the top. She had great friends around her that she trusted and who genuinely loved her. Most importantly, all of her secrets were safely hidden inside of her mind.

Yet now... now everything had suddenly turned upside down.

She had no choice but to concede to the fact that she had to get ready. She knew if that limo returned to Vince without her inside, he would be banging on her door shortly afterwards. She rose from the bed, dragged her feet across the floor, like a child who doesn't want to go to school, and made her way over to her dresser, to grab her undergarments.

Then, she turned around to face the bed again. She still had a difficult decision to make...Which dress to wear?

It was Showtime.