Meet You At Home

Everchanging

"So, Reyah," Dr. Kelly starts,

"The accident happened on the night of prom."

She looks at me when she says the word "accident."

What a funny word: accident. It's like when you're a kid and you make a small mistake, and your parents teach you the difference between doing something on purpose, and doing something by accident. But this wasn't a childish mistake. Or was it? We were only kids. We didn't know there was life beyond high school, life beyond Topia.

"What was going on in your life the week of prom?"

The week of prom. I had no idea at the beginning of that week just how much my life was about to change. The Saturday before, my biggest concern was whether or not Nolan would ever ask me to prom. It makes me laugh out loud now to think of that. Wouldn't it be nice if that was the only type of thing you had to worry about? A high school prom? What dress you would wear? Who would be kissing you at the end of the night? Not, who would you be losing at the end of the night. Who will be smiling at you for the last time, without you knowing it was the last time?

I woke up that Saturday to the melody of my phone. I was the type of teenager who changed their ring tone every other week, usually to whatever was my latest favourite song. I can't remember all the different ring tones I had throughout those years, but I remember exactly what ring tone I had that week. A twinkling sound that would rise and fall. I remember hearing it the night of the accident, I remember jumping every time I heard it afterwards; anxious with what news it represented.

Seeing Nolan's name appear on my phone screen, makes me instantly and effortlessly smile.

Where are you?? He sent at 10:12 am.

And then at 10:16, It's after 10, you're missing all the good cartoons!!

Crap. I had forgotten to let Nolan know I had to cancel on our Saturday morning plans.

I'm so sorry, I totally forgot!! I can't make cartoons this time.

He responds immediately,

It's tradition!!

I know :( But I promised Parker we could shop for prom dresses today.

Fine. But you owe me.

I can imagine him pouting on his couch, in his pajamas with a bowl of cereal cupped in his hands. He still acted like a 5-year-old; and I enabled it.

...

Parker comes out in the fifth dress I've seen her in today.

"What do you think?" She says examining herself in the mirror, looking anything but pleased.

"It's very... pink." I offer with a shrug.

She sighs. Nothing really satisfied Parker unless it had just a little bit of sexiness. She didn't dress overly promiscuous or anything, not like the girls in our year that would be going to prom in a small band of tight clothing that started just at their nipples, and ended just past their panty line. Basically, like they put a strip of tape on. Parker had a rule: legs, or boobs. It couldn't be both. She always wore something very classy, like a high neckline but it would show off her legs, or her back, it had to have that little something.

She appears again in a strapless gown, fitted to her body and ending just above her ankles. She's mostly covered with a modest hemline, not much exposed other than her bare shoulders. I know the moment I see it: this dress is her.

"Parker..." I begin, a little breathless at the sight of her.

"I know." She finishes.

I join her in the mirror, and together we ogle the deep burgundy fabric clinging to her body.