Drowning | ✔

10

My eyes flutter open upon feeling someone gently shaking me.

Hovering over me is Holly with the widest smile ever on her face, peering down at me. "Hey there, beautiful! Guess what?"

I tilt my head at her sleepily, still groggy. 

"A certain someone wants to take you out today," she chirps, clapping her hands excitedly.

What?

She giggles seeing my confused look.

"Isaac came over early this morning, pounding on my window. He wants to take you out somewhere, but it's a surprise. We have to get you ready, though. He'll be here in an hour."

I glance over at my clock. 7:00 A.M.

Holly eagerly pulls me out of bed, dragging me around my room and into the bathroom where I shower and brush my teeth. Then, she pushes me down on the bed and goes over to my closet, shuffling through the clothes. I yawn as I watch her. However excited I am, I'm still extremely tired for some reason. 

Physically and mentally.

"He said something pretty so you must be going somewhere fancy, yeah? So, this dress might do it... no, no, no, this dress. Or, wait, this dress is nice, too..." Holly mutters to herself, slinging multiple dresses over her arm. Sometimes, she glances over her shoulder at me, looking me up and down then pulling something else out of my closet.

Finally, she comes over to me and lies a pile of clothes on the bed beside me.

"Alright, I have a lot of options here, and we have so little time so we must hurry!"

Holly ushers me through a plethora of clothing, flinging this and that on me, hemming and humming, muttering here and there. She twirls me around and pokes me multiple times, saying its 'too tight here' or 'too baggy there'. Honestly, I think I look fine in it all, but apparently, it doesn't meet the expectations she's holding me under.

After what seems like hours upon hours of dress-up, she finally picks something. It's a simple blue noodle-strap dress that stops just over the knees. It has dainty, little flowers painted on it and when I twirl for her, the skirt flies out around me. Holly pairs it with a set of light blue flats.

It's quite beautiful. 

After, Holly dolls me up, adding makeup yet making sure not to over-do it. That's something she always fears: over-doing makeup and looking slutty.

But, when she's done, it looks absolutely amazing.

Smiling at myself in the mirror, I hug her tightly and she hugs back.

"Gah, I'm so excited for you, hun! Dang, someday I want my Prince Charming to come for me and make me smile and laugh the way Isaac does for you. It's so romantic," Holly whispers, patting my cheeks.

I smile and shake my head. She's quite a character.

I'm not sure what Isaac has planned or that he is any kind of charming prince, but he does make me smile and laugh and, for now, that's enough. It feels good to have fun and forget the past for a while. 

I wait patiently in the living room until 8:00 strikes. A few minutes later and I hear the horn of a car outside the apartment. Holly frantically pushes me towards the door, waving me outside where I spot Isaac's car we took to the field and hills.

Isaac's sitting in the car, one hand on the steering wheel and the other lied lazily on the back of the passenger seat. He smiles when he sees me, waving.

"Have fun!"

I hug and say goodbye to Holly then hop into Isaac's car.

"My, you look mighty fancy, ma'am," Isaac teases.