SHIFTED.✔

34

I hurried to Maths. I was a good ten minutes late and knew Katie would grill me later as to why. I was desperate to run, what had just happened, by her, to see what she thought but the chance didn't come and it wasn't until after school that I told her.

"Oh my God, are you serious? He told you that." We were sitting in her lounge room about to watch a movie.

"Yeah and I'm not sure why. Maybe he just wanted to get it off his chest. He doesn't seem to have many friends."

Katie grinned mischievously. "Or maybe he wanted you to know the truth. You go girl!" She gave me a friendly shove.

I shook my head but a glimmer of hope was lighting up my brain. "I don't think so. He's never said more than ten words to me before. I think I happened to be in the right place. I think anyone who was around at the time would have done."

"Ah come on, Charlie. Why can't you say maybe this guy likes me instead of always being negative?" She put a handful of chips in her mouth.

I thought about this while she munched away and said, "If I look at it in the negative then it doesn't hurt so much when it doesn't work out the way I want it to and anything better than negative is a bonus."

"You're such a defeatist." She fiddled with the remote control then looked at me with her eyes wide. "Why don't you get your hair done and wear something real sexy on Friday. Knock his socks off."

"Friday?" I laughed. "I wonder if a school uniform can look any sexier than it already is. Maybe I could split the side of my skirt up to my waist."

"You imbecile!" Katie roared with laughter. "Friday's free dress day!"

"Oh, I forgot."

She grabbed the band at the back of my head and pulled it out of my hair. "If you wear your hair down and put on that floral dress of mine with the sweetheart neckline, I bet you'll make a few heads turn."

"No way, Katie. I'll wear jeans and a T-shirt."

Katie shook her head and headed towards her room. "Come with me, Chucky, Katie is going to dress you up."

I followed, and laughed as she dragged me along. "Katie I ain't doing this."

"Yes you are!" She spun around in the doorway of her room. Waited for me to enter then closed the door.

"You've got to stop being such a sook. You need to grow some balls woman!"

I couldn't help but laugh some more. "Yeah like growing balls is going to attract him."

Katie had her wardrobe door opened sliding coat hangers from one side to the other. "Not real balls idiot. You need to stop living in the past. Stop being that, I'm so ugly, I'm so fat chick. God, Charlie, you're a cute duckling to beautiful swan story. You just don't know it yet." Katie spun around holding up a dress in front of her. "It doesn't fit me anymore...tits got too big. I couldn't throw it out the materials so pretty." She was right it was pretty.

"I don't think it's going to fit me, Katie."

"Will you just try it on?" She paused, "I'll make you a deal, if it doesn't fit, you wear what you want, if it does, you have to wear this on Friday."

I grimaced and eyed the dress. I didn't think it would fit me so I agreed.

Katie grinned and jumped up and down still holding the dress. "I'm gonna win, I'm gonna win."

I laughed and held out my hand. "Give me the bloody dress you wanker!" I stripped off to my bra and knickers and slipped the dress over my head. The fabric was silky smooth. It felt nice against my skin.

Katie did up the zip. We both stared at my reflection in the mirror. After a minute she whispered, "I win."

"I can't wear this, Katie," I whispered back.

"We made a bet, I win." She held up her hand to stop my protest. "You look gorgeous. You'll knock his socks off. He'll be offering you a lift home this Friday afternoon, I'll bet."

"But, Katie?"

She held up her hand again. "You like this guy?"

I nodded.

She eyed me curiously. "Really, really like this guy?"

I nodded again, "Really, really."

"Then you'll wear the bloody dress. There's no argument, Charlie." She pointed at my reflection. "You can't deny you look fantastic."

I stared at my reflection. "But it's so dressy."

She sighed despairingly, "It's a summer dress, nothing fancy. It's because you never wear dresses except your school uniform. You really have to get over the tom boy thing."

I looked at her in defeat. She did have a point. I had agreed to the conditions before I tried on the dress. "All right, but if I end up looking like an idiot you are no longer my best friend. Got it."

She grinned and clapped her hands. "Got it."

Copyright © 2017 by Donna Fieldhouse. All rights reserved.

Oh Katie you're a schemer. Hope it works. ♥

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