Winter Black

Alexa

"Oh my god!" Aunt Sheri was gushing, clapping her hands together in a very annoyingly girly display, she pointed to a sparkly pink dress, "this," she drawled, "would look simply adorable on you." She held it against my body, it took everything I had not to scrunch my nose up in disgust.
"Sheri," I said taking the pink monstrosity from her, and putting it back on its hook, "In case you haven't realized I detest the colour pink." I gestured to my outfit consisting of a tight black turtleneck, knee length black skirt and black and purple tights, finally my skull decorated high tops. As my gaze shifted to a perfect floor length black dress with a neckline to die for.
"Oh no."Sheri flatlined, quickly trying to distract me with a pale blue dress that stopped about mid-thigh. I wrinkled my nose to express disdain. I found myself unable to resist the allure of the gorgeous gothic dress, fingers sailing over the silky beautiful materials, I pulled it too me. "Sheri, please, I neeeed it!"
Sheri sighed, taking off her oversized pink diva shades, "why can't you like things normal girls do?" She snapped, "I've tried my best. I really have but you insist on all this black and death and bullcrap."
"What do you want from me?" I asked, letting the dress shift out of my fingers, "to be just like you?" Referring to her own outfit of white cut off shorts, pink tank top, hoop earrings and white flip-flops.
"It would be an improvement from this whole goth emo thing you've got going on." She stated, looking me straight in the eyes, "you look like a freak. A complete freak. You think I like all the looks I get? The whispered comments about me being a bad parent?"
"There's nothing wrong with me being this way!" My voice was getting quickly quieter and quieter as it tended to when I was upset.
"Look," Sheri huffed, "let's not do this here." She picked the pink dress back up, "we'll buy the dress and go home."
I nodded mutely, unable to figure any argument that would allow me to leave with the dress of my choice. I sulked as Sheri bought the disgustingly pink thing along with a red heart shaped stone on a glittering golden chain, presumably to replace the rat skull necklace that current resided around my pale neck.
In the car I said nothing, folding my hands in my lap and staring at my black nails decorated with different anime characters.
"From now on," Sheri began, and I knew where this was going, "you're going to be more girly. We're going shopping right now, you're going to a new school and this is the perfect opportunity to reinvent yourself."
"I don't want to reinvent myself..." I mumbled, "I like myself."
"This isn't up for debate."
"Mom never would have made me change."
"Well mom isn't here is she?" Sheri screamed, pounding on the steering wheel, "she's out whoring herself to every Tom, Dick and Harry for a quick buck to buy her fuckin drugs with." She glared straight ahead, "I always told my brother not to get involved with that bitch."
"Don't talk about my mother that way!" I almost whispered, I was the opposite of most people my voice getting steadily lower the angrier I got, "besides, my father wasn't a saint. I'm case you've forgotten he was the one that nearly drowned me and my sister when we were babies!"
"Only because your slut mother was out getting high for three weeks and he was stressed out."
"You don't try and drown your kids because you're stressed." I counter, rage making me shake and tears threatened to spill over.
"Stop crying," Sheri barked, turning into the mall parking lot, "where going in."