Who We Weren't

The Store

Grace was going to be thirteen and to her that was very important because that meant she was going to be a teenager. Grace had made many plans on what she would do as a teenager and the first of those plans began when she turned thirteen and so that meant she would have a lot of work to do in terms of getting things ready. Grace was explaining all of the Elisha on one mildly dreary february afternoon before the arrival of her birthday. Proudly, Grace displayed the detailed plan she'd curated in order to have the most picture perfect teenager years imaginable.

"As you can see," Grace said proudly displaying her ornately decorated seven year plan which laid out milestones for each year. "I have planned out the perfect schedule to make sure that in the next seven years I do all of the most important teenage things." she announced. Elisha chuckled at this as she read over some of the listed items.

"You've really got every movie cliche of all time on this list huh?" she asked. Grace ignored the hint of sarcasm in her friend's voice and reaffirmed her commitment to achieving the goals that she'd laid out for her teenage years.

"If I follow what I wrote for this list I will have the most perfect experience ever and that all starts with a perfect thirteenth birthday party." she said "It will be extravagant, magnificent, and another synonym I can't think of right now." she concluded. Elisha gave her an overall supportive but tired gaze and reassured her that her part would be great. Grace already knew that it would be because she'd planned it and Grace was very good at planning things to be perfect. This year to celebrate her time would be split into two.

First dinner with her parents as always but, to celebrate her officially being a teenager her parents had rented out one of those huge ballrooms and she'd be having her official party there. Unlike previous years Grace had invited not just her dance group but her entire class as well. In her mind's eye she had a picture of herself in a gorgeous dress descending some stairs to an adoring group of friends and peers as she rang in the beginning of the next stage of her life. She lived for it, the idea of that moment, of showing everyone a perfect version of herself.

And so to achieve that moment of true beauty and perfection Grace would first have to acquire the things that she needed and she needed a dress. Grace already had many nice dresses in her closet and anyone of them would work but her mother had insisted she get a new one for the party and Grace wasn't going to say no to new clothes. What she would say no to however was shopping with her mother. Grace loved her mom very much and she of course knew her mom loved her. But shopping with her was absolutely exhausting and she refused to do it.

"Can't you just drop me off at the mall and come get me when I'm done?" she begged. Her mother laughed at this.

"That is how kids get kidnapped Grace." she said. Grace mumbled under her breath about being almost thirteen but knew better than to mention that complaint out loud lest she be treated to a speech about how many girls went missing every year and were never found. Rather, Grace went for a different approach in terms of making this particular shopping trip at the very least bearable.

"Can I invite Simon along then?" she asked. Her mother looked at her curiously.

"I highly doubt he'd want to go dress shopping." her mother said and Grace had to hold back laughter because her and Simon did everything together. Simon could ask if she wanted to go riffle through the trash and as long as her parents agreed she'd be over there. The feeling was mutual on his end as well but rather than say that she asked a different question.

"Can I call and check just in case?" she asked and her mother sighed and nodded so Grace called to see if Simon would want to join them dress shopping later that day and just as she knew he would Simon agreed. Grace was of the opinion that boring thighs were much more interesting when you brought along someone else so she had a habit of dragging Simon along on her most boring endeavors. Not that he ever seemed to mind of course.