This Summer

Chapter 8

The ride here wasn't long considering the mall was only two miles away from the mansion. After lunch at the mall's food court, the four of us walked around and stopped by a few places. Hannah thought it would be a great idea for Claire and I to shop on our own for a while without her and my mom around us.

My mom wasn't so quick to say yes but gave me a glare before handing me her credit card. I have never asked her for it and was a little confused when she handed it to me. She told me to buy one thing as a gift from her and I'm not one to argue so I took that card with a smile and a thank you, doubting I'll actually use it.

Now, Claire and I are at a spacious boutique with endless racks of gorgeous dresses. I didn't want to buy a dress but Claire desperately wanted one or to at least try one.

"So? How do I look?" Claire exits out the fitting room in red heels twirling in a sleeveless, short, red sweetheart neckline body con wrap dress.

I was always a little jealous of Claire. Since I was a little girl I've wanted blonde hair and she's got that naturally. I've always wanted a lighter eye color, and she has the bluest ones anyone could ever find.

"You look amazing!" I tell her, because she really does. There's not a single thing she can't pull off.

"Yay! Now all I need is a place to wear it." Smiling she runs back into the fitting room and comes back out holding a black dress over her arm. "Oh you have to try this on!"

"What? No, I already told you I bought everything I needed." Claire is dangerously close to being a shopaholic. Everything that catches her eye, sale or not, she would buy it without hesitating. She has me to stop her from doing that, but sometimes she has me buying things I never would on my own.

"You see that's the problem. The word, needed. Sometimes you got to spend some cash on things you want not need. And everyone needs a little black dress in their closet." She says this while dangling the dress teasingly in front of me.

It wouldn't hurt to try on, "Fine. I'll see if it fits." She claps and her smile takes over her entire face as I take the black dress from her hands and enter the fitting room with a loud sigh.

I shut the door behind me and begin changing out of my clothes. "You know you still have a lot of explaining to do." I hear her shoes begin to click against the laminated marble floor.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I'm one hundred percent sure she is talking about Matthew.

"When did we start keeping things from each other? Especially about boys. Jade, we told each other everything...since we were twelve. About our crushes, our enemies, our lives... our firsts, and now you don't tell me anything." My heart aches when I hear her slow pace stop, realizing everything I've been keeping from her and how oblivious I was to how she was feeling.

"Claire I'm sorry. I've just been overwhelmed, I think. We can talk about it before dinner, okay?"

"Okay, but promise me, no more secrets."

I hesitate as unsureness creeps through me but I shrug it off. "Promise."

"Oh! Almost forgot. Put on these shoes!" She slides a pair of black heels under the door.

I roll my eyes as I pull the dress over my head.

I stare at the mirror in front of me and see the silky material stop around six or seven inches above my knees. It's a backless halter dress with a gap shrinking as it reaches the braided clasp across my waist and it's just beautiful. I quickly strap on the heels slightly struggling with the clasp.