"We're all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness - and call it love - true love." (Robert Fulghum)
Moving...
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"Are you ready?" I ask, hoping to hurry her up at least.
I hear no sound, and the fitting room curtain doesn't budge. I tap my foot, checking my watch. We've been at the mall for two hours, and Harlyn still hasn't found anything to her liking. Considering she doesn't want to leave without her hands full of bags, I have a feeling it'll be a while before we leave the premises.
Raine is much more decisive when it comes to clothes and doesn't feel the urge to buy something new for every occasion that arises, so she didn't need to accompany us, and I think she would have preferred to avoid spending hours after Harlyn. Unfortunately, it's just me and the blonde, so every time I'm left alone, I drain my phone's battery, cursing myself for being so weak when it comes to Harlyn's requests.
"How do I look?"
I snap out of my reverie, watching the blonde as she showcases her princess-like dress, much more suitable for a banquet than a birthday at a club.
"I'm not sure if you've got the occasion right," I say, not wanting to upset her, but she just laughs.
"I'm not trying it on just for Hale's day," she assures me, pulling the curtain back into place.
I really wonder how I'll feel tomorrow. We have to be in front of the club at 10 p.m., and from what Zayden says, Hale has no plans to leave until the next morning. Conveniently, his birthday falls the day after tomorrow, so we won't be wishing him "happy birthday" until after midnight, when I suspect the cake will arrive. If I didn't know that Zayden has a friend at the same club, I would have wondered how the owners agreed to rent the entire club to someone who isn't even of legal age.
"What are you wearing tomorrow?" she asks from the other side.
I shrug out of habit, but then I realize she can't see me.
"I'll make do with what's in my closet."
As soon as I finish the sentence, Harlyn dramatically pulls the curtain, looking at me with annoyance, as if I've offended her.
"But it's our first club outing together!" she says, offended.
I cross my arms.
"We all need to look really sexy and have fun!" she adds when she sees that I'm not saying anything.
I don't necessarily consider myself attractive or sexy, and I'm not sure if it's the right time to look that way. Raine and I are sixteen, and Harlyn is fifteen. I think we're still too young for that. In books and TV shows, I always see adults or parents telling teenagers that they have their whole lives ahead of them and shouldn't rush to grow up, and that statement brings me comfort because, among most people, I'm not very drawn to the idea of becoming an adult and all that it entails. It seems to me that, in addition to the maturity gained over the years, it brings more complications and disadvantages, such as the weight of supporting yourself, a false sense of independence, legal responsibilities for your actions, and the expectations of others.
