To Know You

Chapter Seventeen

~Chapter Seventeen~

After spending the day at the mall, and bowling alley, the five of us return to my house where everyone had brought their party outfits the day before. The girls are all in my room getting ready, while Gavin gets ready in the guest bathroom on the upstairs floor, just down the hall from us.

"Now that I'm looking at the dress in this lighting, I'm not so sure about the colour," Penny remarks, flattening out her thigh length dark pink dress.

Lauren smirks at her as she fluffs up her afro, her eyes on her own deep purple dress. "Don't worry, Penn, it'll be dark," she chuckles and Penny gasps, hip-checking her and sending Lauren stumbling over her own feet.

Bailey pulls on her turquoise blue dress over her head, and it cascades down her toned, horseback riding champion body. "I think you look great in that colour. It's just dark enough to not wash out your skin tone."

"Thanks Bailey," Penny replies, smiling at her, then turns to scowl at Lauren. "See," she says, "at least someone here knows how to be nice."

Lauren rolls her eyes, "Oh, you know I'm only teasing you."

There's a loud bang on the door and I run to go see who it is. I open it up a crack, as I'm not dressed and only wear a sports bra and shorts. "What is it Gav?" I frown at the tall, Korean boy standing on the other side of the door.

He looks down at me and tries to push his way in, but I block the door with my foot. "Are you guys almost done? It's getting lonely out here," he whines.

I shake my head. "It would go a lot quicker if you quit interrupting."

He rolls his eyes. "Can I just come lay on your bed? I won't peek," he pouts, giving me the puppy dog eyes.

I sigh and open the door, knowing the rest of the girls are decent. "Fine, come in," I agree and he runs in, wearing his black suit that has the slightest tint of purple in it.

"Ladies, be aware, we have an intruder," I announce. Lauren and Penny both simultaneously poke their heads out of the bathroom to see, and when Penny realizes it's just Gav, she returns to looking at herself in the mirror.

Lauren, on the other hand, steps out of the bathroom altogether. "Wow, you look quite dapper," she smile as he adjusts the collar of his dress shirt that sits crooked underneath the suit jacket.

He smiles at her and bows, "Thank you m'lady."

Bailey snorts at the two of them and takes Lauren's place in front of the bathroom mirror, starting to put on her makeup. "Get a room, you two!" she shouts.

Lauren blushes instantly and Gavin brushes a hand through his hair uncomfortably.

I chuckle at the two of them and walk into my closet, shutting the door behind me.

The dress I got hangs up on a hook on the wall where I usually hang my bathrobe, but sacrificed this place for the sake of keeping my dress unwrinkled.

I take it off the hook, unzipping the back and, after removing the other clothes I wore and replacing them with the underclothes I need to wear, I step into the dress, pulling it over my waist and slipping my arms into the sleeves.

I don't zip it up, as I can't reach, and before exiting the closet, I toss my laundry into the laundry basket.

When I emerge, Lauren is the first to see me and she smiles widely at my dress. "Dang girl!"
she yells, and Gavin lets out a whistle.

I roll my eyes, "Oh, stop." I wave them off and turn to show my back to Lauren. "Can you zip me up?"

Lauren suddenly gasps and I look at her over my shoulder. "What?" I ask, suddenly worried that something is wrong with the dress.