The Timekeeper

Chapter Twenty

"Just try it on!" Claire yelled from behind the curtain.

"Claire, I've told you already, I'm not going!"

The curtain drew back then, and Claire became visible. The dress she wore was a stunning red, though the main focus of the dress was it's extremely low V-neck. She pulled it off though, just like the other five or so she had tried on.

"What do you guys think of this one?" she asked, twirling in front of Alex and I.

"Baby, you look perfect," Alex smiled.

"You're really no help at all, you know that, right?" she grinned, before leaning over to kiss him. I rolled my eyes, before getting up from the sofa, which sat facing the change rooms, and began walking around the shop. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but it gave me something else to do, rather than sit there and watch Claire and her soul mate make out.

She had dragged me here after school today, even though I told her there was no chance I was going to this stupid dance. The 'Annual Soul Mate Gala' was on Friday night, two days from now, where people of all ages would bring along their soul mate and dance and drink and party until the sun began to rise. If circumstances were different, I'm sure I would be beyond excited for the dance, but why bother if your soul mate wasn't even talking to you?

I sighed, turning back towards Claire and Alex, who had, thankfully, stopped kissing. Claire glanced over to me, before picking up the dress she had placed on the sofa and shoving it towards me.

"Just try the darn thing on, please?" she groaned.

"Fine, but I'm still not going." I grabbed the dress off her and hopped into the change room adjacent from the one Claire had been using. The dress was a muted yellow colour, a colour I would've never pictured myself in. When I pulled it on, it finished around my mid thigh. It only had one strap, thick and draping over my left shoulder. Once the zip on the side was done up, I allowed myself to take in my appearance. The dress fit me perfectly, the colour, the size, everything. It was like the dress was made especially for me. It wasn't revealing like the dresses Claire had tried on, nor did it stick to my body like glue. It flowed outwards nicely, and for the slightest moment I imagined what it would look like as Jase spun me around on the dance floor.

I yanked the curtain open, shaking the thought out of my head. Stop thinking up scenarios you know aren't going to happen, I thought to myself. Claire looked up as I walked out of the change room, her small smile turning into a wide grin.

"I knew it would be perfect for you," she said triumphantly.

"It doesn't matter, Claire. Because I'm not going to be wearing it," I sighed. I felt like a broken record, one that Claire refused to listen to.

"Why? Did you find one you like more?" She raised her eyebrow.

"Have you not heard what I've been saying for the past hour? I'm not going to the stupid dance!" I yelled, causing the few customers in the store to look my way. Claire fell silent; I had never yelled at her like that before, and already I felt horrible for it.

"Look, Claire. I know you're trying to be positive about this whole situation, but it's not helping. If anything, it's just making things worse."

It was hard telling Claire what had happened, what I had done. I wasn't sure how she was going to react, or if she would even want to speak to me after I told her, but she hadn't really said much when I did finish telling her. It might've been because we were at school at the time, and she didn't want to cause a scene by slapping me on the face or screaming at me.

She got off the sofa then, grabbing my arm and dragging me into the change room I had just come out of. I raised my eyebrow as she pulled the beige curtain shut behind her. She still wore the last dress she had tried on, the bulky tag sticking out from under her arm. She took a short glance at her appearance in the full-length mirror, admiring her slender frame in the dress, before turning her attention towards me.