girl sat at the counter, chatting on the phone. The lights gleamed off her lip piercings. I didn ’t want to go near her but Beth gave me a shove.
‘ Don’t be a chicken. She’s just a shop assistant.’
I tried to get the girl ’s attention but she picked at her nails and wouldn’t look up at me. I waited for a pause in her conversation but she didn’t seem to draw breathe. I coughed but that did nothing. I moved around to get in her line of vision. Finally, I had to say something.
‘ Excuse me, could I please try –’
‘ Sure, hon.’ She twitched her head toward the back of the shop without looking up.
I walked into a change room, trying to close the curtain behind me but, when I pulled one end, it gaped at the other. In the end, I gave up and, squeezing myself into the covered corner, quickly pulled off my jeans. I didn ’t even have to look in the mirror to know the skirt wasn’t me. It wasn’t a skirt. It was a belt. An itty-bitty belt. I put my jeans back on and walked out.
Beth and Imogen had settled into chairs outside the change room, both sitting with their arms folded, facing in opposite directions. Beth looked up and frowned.
‘What’s wrong? Was it the wrong size? Want me to get another one?’
I held the skirt towards her. ‘It showed my knees. No one’s seen my knees since Grade Ten swimming class.’
‘ Maybe it’s time they did,’ said Beth and she grabbed me by the shoulders and marched me back into the change room. I put the skirt back on. If only it wasn’t so short. I poked my head around the curtain, trying to find Beth. She just waved at me to come out.
I shook my head.
‘Come on, Juliette,’ Beth called. She walked in and pulled the curtain away, exposing me to the store.
Imogen wolf-whistled.
Beth looked me up and down. ‘Where’ve you been hiding those legs?’
‘ Stop making fun of me, you two.’ I tried to wrestle the curtain out of Beth’s hands. I wanted to cover myself before anyone else saw.
‘ We aren’t making fun. You look great in that skirt. Doesn’t she look great, Imogen?’
Imogen nodded. ‘Now we need some sexy stockings to go with it.’
‘ And some cute tops.’
‘ And some kick-arse boots.’
Beth wandered off to find a top and I trotted behind her, tugging at the hem of the skirt. I almost fainted when I saw the price tag. It cost more money than I spent on clothes in a year. Maybe five years. Mum ’d have a fit if she found out; and so would Craig.
‘ That looks fab, babe,’ the shop assistant called out, still not looking up.
‘ Maybe we could find something a bit more practical. At K-Mart or somewhere.’
Beth choked. ‘K-Mart? You aren’t ever going to find anything like that at K-Mart. Don’t tell me… you’ve maxed out your credit card, haven’t you?’
I shook my head. I didn ’t even have a credit card. ‘It’s just that I don’t see the point...’ My fingers ran over the leather. It was so soft. And Craig had just spent all that money on his new games console.
Beth put her arm around me. ‘Trust me, honey, you’ll soon see the point. Remember, you’re a bad girl now. Who knows when you’ll need to look slutty? I mean, sexy. Now I bet you have never splurged on really good underwear either.’
She was right. I had never splurged on anything; and the gleam in her eyes was scaring me a little but deep down inside a little voice was saying that this was really fun.
***
By the time we got back to Beth ’s, all I wanted to do was nap. I would just flop on the couch with a cup of tea as soon as we got the bags unloaded. Beth and Imogen had been at each other all the way home. They were still going as we got in the lift.
‘ You could’ve at least tried the halter top,’ said Beth.
‘ I told you. The only things that ever fit me in those places are the accessories. And even the sunglasses were a bit tight.’
‘ For Christ sake, Imogen. It was a halter top. What’s not to fit?’
Beth opened
‘ Don’t be a chicken. She’s just a shop assistant.’
I tried to get the girl ’s attention but she picked at her nails and wouldn’t look up at me. I waited for a pause in her conversation but she didn’t seem to draw breathe. I coughed but that did nothing. I moved around to get in her line of vision. Finally, I had to say something.
‘ Excuse me, could I please try –’
‘ Sure, hon.’ She twitched her head toward the back of the shop without looking up.
I walked into a change room, trying to close the curtain behind me but, when I pulled one end, it gaped at the other. In the end, I gave up and, squeezing myself into the covered corner, quickly pulled off my jeans. I didn ’t even have to look in the mirror to know the skirt wasn’t me. It wasn’t a skirt. It was a belt. An itty-bitty belt. I put my jeans back on and walked out.
Beth and Imogen had settled into chairs outside the change room, both sitting with their arms folded, facing in opposite directions. Beth looked up and frowned.
‘What’s wrong? Was it the wrong size? Want me to get another one?’
I held the skirt towards her. ‘It showed my knees. No one’s seen my knees since Grade Ten swimming class.’
‘ Maybe it’s time they did,’ said Beth and she grabbed me by the shoulders and marched me back into the change room. I put the skirt back on. If only it wasn’t so short. I poked my head around the curtain, trying to find Beth. She just waved at me to come out.
I shook my head.
‘Come on, Juliette,’ Beth called. She walked in and pulled the curtain away, exposing me to the store.
Imogen wolf-whistled.
Beth looked me up and down. ‘Where’ve you been hiding those legs?’
‘ Stop making fun of me, you two.’ I tried to wrestle the curtain out of Beth’s hands. I wanted to cover myself before anyone else saw.
‘ We aren’t making fun. You look great in that skirt. Doesn’t she look great, Imogen?’
Imogen nodded. ‘Now we need some sexy stockings to go with it.’
‘ And some cute tops.’
‘ And some kick-arse boots.’
Beth wandered off to find a top and I trotted behind her, tugging at the hem of the skirt. I almost fainted when I saw the price tag. It cost more money than I spent on clothes in a year. Maybe five years. Mum ’d have a fit if she found out; and so would Craig.
‘ That looks fab, babe,’ the shop assistant called out, still not looking up.
‘ Maybe we could find something a bit more practical. At K-Mart or somewhere.’
Beth choked. ‘K-Mart? You aren’t ever going to find anything like that at K-Mart. Don’t tell me… you’ve maxed out your credit card, haven’t you?’
I shook my head. I didn ’t even have a credit card. ‘It’s just that I don’t see the point...’ My fingers ran over the leather. It was so soft. And Craig had just spent all that money on his new games console.
Beth put her arm around me. ‘Trust me, honey, you’ll soon see the point. Remember, you’re a bad girl now. Who knows when you’ll need to look slutty? I mean, sexy. Now I bet you have never splurged on really good underwear either.’
She was right. I had never splurged on anything; and the gleam in her eyes was scaring me a little but deep down inside a little voice was saying that this was really fun.
***
By the time we got back to Beth ’s, all I wanted to do was nap. I would just flop on the couch with a cup of tea as soon as we got the bags unloaded. Beth and Imogen had been at each other all the way home. They were still going as we got in the lift.
‘ You could’ve at least tried the halter top,’ said Beth.
‘ I told you. The only things that ever fit me in those places are the accessories. And even the sunglasses were a bit tight.’
‘ For Christ sake, Imogen. It was a halter top. What’s not to fit?’
Beth opened
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