Becoming Us || l.h

Chapter 12

Blake and I stand silently in front of my mom, letting her lecture us. 

"-as my children, you should be setting an example for the rest of the tour and that means being at dinner as I request! You both gave the message a thumbs up yet neither of you were there last night! Where were you?" She demands, giving both of us a glare. "I took Dylan out for dinner to get us away from the tour for a little bit. Why is that such a crime to let us breathe away from stress for a little bit?" 

My mom's jaw tenses and I brace for the next outburst but it never comes. "You could have at least told me you weren't coming." She says more calmly, my heart still racing. "Next time, let me know. Now, both of you have fittings for what you'll be wearing for the People's Choice Awards next week." She says, ushering us toward the door. I follow Blake downstairs, getting in the waiting car to take us wherever the fitting is. The car ride is silent, my mom sitting up front. 

We pull up in front of a small shop, all of us going in. "You must be the Ryan's." The lady behind the counter smiles at us, a door off to the right of her open showing more rooms. "Yes we are, Blake is here to make sure his suit still fits and we are making sure Dylan's dress fits properly since she's rather small for her age." My mom says, my stomach plummeting. I plaster on a smile, trying to ignore my mom. The lady nods, giving me a short glance before going back through the door. "Alright, in the first room I have Blake, the second will be Dylan. Go ahead and try on the dress and suit and I'll do any altering if need be." She pops back out moments later, giving us a smile.

I go back in the second room, stripping my sweatshirt and t-shirt, peeling off my leggings. I pull the black dress off the hanger, feeling the fabric before poking my feet through the top and pulling it up, zipping up the back. I quickly pull off my bra, realizing this dress didn't need it. I stare at myself in the mirror, staring at the dress and how it just ghosted around my body. Not fully fitting, it hung loosely around my body, the top gaping awkwardly. I swallowed the lump in my throat, stepping out of the room. 

The lady ushers me over to a three-way mirror, up onto the platform. She first pins the straps back so the top of the dress fit the way it should, then took in the back, pinning it. "How tall are the heels you'll be wearing be?" I look to my mom, unsure. "Pretty tall." She says, not looking up from her phone. The lady nods, smiling. "Then, with your height and the heels, I won't need to shorten the dress so a pretty easy alteration." She says, giving me a smile. "I give her a short smile, stepping down from the platform and going back to my dressing room, taking off the dress carefully and getting dressed again.

I come out and she's tugging and positioning Blake's suit, smiling. "Looks good, no alterations needed." My mom smiles, looking up. "Wonderful, when will Dylan's dress be ready?" "I can have her come back in tomorrow to make sure the alterations work and then she can bring it back with her." "Perfect." My mom smiles, pulling out her checkbook, writing out a check for the lady. We leave, the car ride silent once again.

---

I pull on the heel, standing and looking in the mirror. My dark hair was in loose curls around my face, a dark smokey eye accenting my eyes. The dress hung much better after the alterations, not loose on my body anymore. I let out a sigh, heading downstairs of my brother's house. The house was pretty silent, my heels clicking loudly on the floor. 

I come around the corner into the kitchen, my brother eating an early dinner of tacos. I make myself some tacos as well, carefully eating so I don't smudge my makeup or ruin my dress. "You've been quiet all week, what's up?" Blake asks with a full mouth, grossing me out. "You're disgusting," I mutter, putting my taco down. "It's what mom said... about my size," I say quietly, staring at my food that no longer looked appetizing. "Dylan, you and I both know she doesn't think before she speaks, I'm not giving her excuses or that what she said was okay because it wasn't, but she is one person who you should always ignore when it comes to comments like that." I let out a sigh, pushing my plate away from me.