Crash Into Me | ✓

seventeen

"Will you hold still please?"

Nikki had been fussing with my thick mess of hair for over an hour. She bit down on her lip in concentration, desperate to lay down every strand of hair perfectly.

My sister took a step back and surveyed her work. She had tied half of my hair back, but let the remainder of it cascade in loose waves around my face. After fighting with her about caking a layer of unnecessary makeup on my face, we eventually compromised and settled on a thin layer of dewy, sheer foundation and a coat of mascara. That was all I could handle without feeling like the skin on my face was suffocating.

"You glow," Nikki said with a squeal. She paused and gave me a sly grin. "The kind of glow that a person only gets after a spectacular night with another individual that they have so desperately yearned for."

She put the back of her hand to her forehead for dramatic effect.

I groaned. "It's not like that."

"Not yet." Her grin widened as she flicked a piece of blonde hair over her shoulder. Nikki had reverted back to "normal" wig colors, mostly because the pink and red and lavender wigs she had clashed with the emerald green and gold organza dress she had picked out for that night. It crinkled and sparkled as she spun around her room, dogging piles of clutter. After gathering her gold foiled clutch, and shoes to match, she approached me slowly and brushed a lock of hair off my shoulder.

"You're beautiful, you know that right?" she muttered.

I sighed, which earned me a shove from my sister.

"Stop that," Nikki snapped. "Don't fight me on this one. You are beautiful. Not just because you're pretty without even trying, which I'm kind of jealous of." She paused and twisted another lock of my hair into a ringlet. "But because you're strong and independent, and selfless. You take care of me and Mom even though you don't really have to. You're a good person, Nat."

I inhaled sharply and ran my hands down the dress even though there were no crinkles or wrinkles to smooth down.

"Well, thank you." I gave her a half smile. "For saying that, and for helping me get ready. Seriously, I don't know what I would do without you."

"You'd probably have no fashion sense." Nikki shrugged. Before I could rebuff her comment, she pulled me into a tight hug, the smell of vanilla and lavender wafting off of her skin. She held on a little longer than normal hugs, almost as if we were saying some kind of dreaded goodbye instead of just I'll see you in 15 minutes.

"Anyway," she let go of me and exhaled heavily. "I'll see you over there. After your knight in shining armor has whisked you out of your tower with a pumpkin carriage awaiting you."

Nikki flipped her hair one last time and giggled as she skipped away. When I was sure she was gone, I turned back to her mirror, speckled with mascara and glitter, and gave myself one last inspection. The black spaghetti-strap dress I had picked was modest enough in length, hitting just below my knees, but clung to my body in a way that completely exposed my curves in a way that I wasn't normally comfortable with. But tonight I banished those thoughts.

My phone buzzed on Nikki's desk.

BROOKLYN: I'm outside.

I felt my chest tighten as I teetered down the stairs in silver stilettos that definitely weren't mine. I couldn't pinpoint the emotion that was swirling around my insides. It wasn't like I hadn't been out with Brooklyn a dozen times before, and it wasn't like we hadn't done a whole mess of things you don't do with someone who is just your friend.