Rules of Attraction

Chapter Five

Chapter Five:

“Stop moving, or you’ll get a pin in your butt!”

“Aunt Loraine, I’m tired of trying on this stuff.”

“But I’m making you into a beautiful butterfly, caterpillar!”

“I don’t want to be a butterfly; I’m fine being a caterpillar.”

Mallory swishes her hips, watching as the flowing skirt she’s clad in moves with her body.  “I never wear this stuff!”

“Now you do! You’re not going to be a tomboy anymore.”

“But-“

“No but’s Caterpillar, go change, we’re gonna go to lunch.”

“great!” Mallory jumps from the modeling podium, “This is fantastic! I can’t wait!”

After changing back into an oversized white shirt and baggy light blue jeans, Mallory pulls her long hair into a sloppy bun.  Aunt Loraine waits for her by the dressing rooms and the two head off to lunch.

They both get cinna-bon hot chocolate after eating.  “What possessed you to come visit me?”

“Did dad tell you about him and my mom?” Mallory responds, wiping a chocolate mustache from her upper lip.  When Loraine shakes her head ‘yes’ in response, Mallory continues.  “Well, Mom and Dad have been fighting a lot and I just couldn’t handle it.  Out of my two choices, this was the better.  Running away, I mean.”

“Do I want to know what your other choice was?”

“Actually there were three choices, running away and coming to Florida, moving out on my own, or the last and completely least choice, just ending everything.”

“Why would you want to choose the last one?”

“It was just an option.”

“But, Caterpillar, there’s no reason to select suicide as an answer to anything.”

“I know.”

“If you get home and you ever want to talk about anything with me, you call me.  As long as I know it’s you, I’ll answer right away.”

“Thanks Aunt Loraine.”

“No problem, sweetie.” Loraine stands and tosses out her hot chocolate, “now, let’s continue this scavenger hunt.  Next up, your hair.”

“But I like my hair.”

“Just think, maybe a change in your appearance will help you get a boyfriend back home, and maybe that’ll get you out of the house.”

Mallory throws away her cup too and joins her Aunt in the voyage to the salon. 

After a few pinches and a lot of waiting, Loraine’s stylist, Ren smiles and pulls out the last pin in Mallory’s hair.

“Oh my Darling! You look like a princess in a parade!” Mallory raises an eyebrow at Loraine’s stylist and lets out a small chuckle.

“I look like a what?”

“Caterpillar, you’re beautiful.”

Mallory is then turned around in a salon chair, as soon as she sees her new hair she gasps.  They had turned her blonde, but she still had some of her original brown hair peeking from underneath.  “What did you do?”

“Caterpillar, this is much more attractive than that rat’s nest you had on your noggin.”

*~*~*~*

Ross grabs an old journal from Mallory’s bookshelf.  He sits down at her window seat and begins to read, after a few minutes, he feels terrible.  A best friend should not be reading the other’s diary.  It had been around two days since Mallory had disappeared and Ross was just getting used to her not being around.  He had talked with her parents and they shared that she was supposed to return in six hours.

Ross had taken this into consideration when sneaking into her room.  He wanted to be here to surprise and comfort her.  He already knew that her parents were going to ground her for at least two weeks.  Because not only had she run away, she used her parent’s money without permission. 

Mallory’s bedroom door opens and Ross immediately stands, dropping the journal on the seat.  He watches as a blonde sets a suitcase on the bed.  She turns to the nightstand, her purple dress swishing along with the breeze in the room.

“Who are you?” He manages to squeak out.

The Blonde turns around a slyly grins, “hey Ross.”

“What the Fuck?”