Serena POV

Shopping, one of the girls best day outs.

As it happened, we found the perfect dress in the very first shop we walked into. Shop isn't exactly the correct term; it was a small boutique located in a busy street, one of the high end fashion ones that Dawn frequents. Expensive.

The dress was on a mannequin right in front of me, in all its gorgeous pink glory with a perfect knot near to the
Left-side hip. I stared at it for a long second, my heart thumping with longing, but I knew I couldn't have it. The dresses on the mannequins were the most expensive of them all. Still, I could just look, couldn't I? And look I did as May and Dawn walked off to look around, a saleslady descending on Dawn immediately. The floaty dress was practically inviting me to try it on and I steadfastly ignored it, moving away to look through dresses on the rack. A dress that gorgeous has to be expensive. And I was in no position to even look at it, even though my gaze kept going back to it while I rifled through the cheaper dresses, gulping at the prices. Who spends 500 note on a dress? The more expensive ones didn't even have price tags and I shuddered to think how pricey they were.

I scanned around the busy boutique shop which was very packed with lots of aged womens, most were searching through dresses while some went to the till for payment on what they've picked.

To find a dress that suited just right for me. I finally picked out a light blue dress, the cheapest one on the metal rack, and soon found Dawn by the shoes, who was gazing at a silver diamond 3-inch heel.

"Okay, I'm going to try this one on," I told her, holding it up for her to examine.

Dawn glanced at it and pursed her rose pink lips. "Hmmm. I don't know," she said slowly, placing her fore-finger on chin. "It's too simple."

"Simple's good," I sharply protested.

"I just want you to wear something amazing-," Dawn started, fingering the material of the blue dress. She wasn't sold on it.

"Ooh, try this one on!" May exclaimed across, walking towards us with a dress in her arms.

I groaned as Dawn pounced on it, standing beside May with her sapphire eyes gleaming. "Look at this, it's gorgeous!"

As luck would have it, May had refined in on the beautiful pink dress which was the one that I was staring at it before, also gotten a saleslady to take it off the mannequin and was now handing it to me, not knowing that I wanted nothing to do with it.

"Nice choice, May babe!" Dawn cooed, patting May's free shoulder with a cheerful smile plastered on her make-up face as I reluctantly took the dress. It even felt amazing, soft, light-weighted and- perfect.

"It's pink," I objected, trying to pretend as though I didn't want it, even though I did want it, and badly. "People wear dresses in conservative colors at gala's." I looked at Dawn for backup. "Right?"

"But it's so pretty," May exclaimed in pleadness, her bronze eyes shining.

"And you can wear whatever color you want, especially since we need you to stand out. Pink is the perfect color. Go try it on," Dawn said. Not helpful.

Leaning forward, Whispering so that the saleslady couldn't hear nearby, I said, "It's too expensive."

Shaking her head imperviously, Dawn said, "Just go try it on."

"Yeah, I saw you looking at it when we walked in," sneaky May added. Crap. Diplomatically, she continued, "Try both of them on and we'll choose."

Groaning, I turned around and headed into the un-used changing room after closing the door behind when entering, I was excited to try on the beautiful pink dress but sad because I knew there was no way I couldn't afford it.

I looked for a tag before I tried it on. None.

When I wore it completely. It was a perfect fit, the bottom of the dress reached down to my knees. As I looked at myself in the mirror which was stuck to the wall, I found myself hoping that the girls wouldn't like the way it looked on me. Even though it looked pretty nice, I had to admit. It wasn't heavy or even tight, just perfect size.

Taking a deep breath, I stepped outside of the changing room to face the music. Please hate it, please hate it, please hate it.

Dawn swung her hands up to her gaped mouth, apparently shell shocked. The various ladies who were shopping stopped in their tracks to look at me with surprise expression and let out some squeals. May gasped in astonishment.

"This is it," she exclaimed, clasping her bare hands in front of her like a fairy princess. She had a big smile on her face. "No question about it. This is the dress."

"Wowcher, you look great," Dawn gushed, circling me around like an errant fly. "It's so simple yet elegant!" She said and finished examining me as she stood right beside May.

"I thought you were against simple?" I couldn't help saying. They weren't supposed to like it at all! No fair.

"I'll make an exception with this one," Dawn pointed.

Eager to get involved, the saleslady said, "It goes so well with your skin, too. You look beautiful."

I turned to her and smiled sickly at her. "Thank you."

"We're taking it. That's it," May decided, folding both her arms against her chest with a accomplish look.

I stared wildly at her. "But- I haven't even tried the other one yet!" I protested.

"You don't have to. This one just screams 'Serena'." May turned to the saleslady. "How much is it?"

"2000 note," she replied calmly, while my blood ran cold. 2000 note? For a dress to be worn by little old me? No, no, no, no.

I held up the other cheap dress resting from the white table. "I'm taking this one," I announced, as May, Dawn and the saleslady stared at me in surprise. "This one- it's too expensive." I ran my hand over the soft fabric wistfully. "And it's too pink."

"There's no such thing as too pink, Serena," Dawn retorted by placing a hand on her hips, rolled her eyes. 

May turned to the listening saleslady again. "Excuse us for a moment." She said calmly and walk towards me with Dawn.

The girls pulled me into the changing room, closing the door shut and pushed me onto the seat.

"Serena, read my lips," Dawn said, a stern look on her pretty face. "You're wearing. That. Dress. to the gala."

May nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it looks perfect on you! It's like the ultimate dress! You're not going to find another dress like this anywhere."

I hardly my mouth. "May-," I started.

Wagging her finger in my face, Dawn snapped, "No excuses, You look fantastic in that dress and I swear-."

"Don, it's not about the dress," I cut in, trying to make them understand. "I love the dress. Love it!"

May frowned, tugging on her earlobe. "So- what's the problem?" she asked, clueless.

With a short sign. I stood up from my seat and started pacing in the small room while Dawn and May stared at me like I had gone loco.

"The price is the problem," I said in a small voice, loud enough for my friends to hear.

Dawn snorted derisively. "That's okay, I'll put it on my card. Don't worry about it. Now, are we done here?"

I turned to her, shaking my head and spread my arms wide open. "Dawn, don't you get it? I won't be able to pay you back. That's why I don't want anything to do with this dress." I pointed.

May looked shocked. "But-," she started, reaching out to touch my arm.

"No." I shook my head sternly. "I can't- I'm not taking this dress."

"Serena, how long have we been friends?" Dawn immediately asked me with a serious look on her face.

"Since the 8th grade," I answered, confused at the sudden shift.

"And how many times have you been there for us when we needed you?" Dawn continued.

"Um-," I said slowly. Was that a rhetorical question or was I actually supposed to know the answer?

"You've comforted Dawn through all her breakups," May spoke.

Dawn nodded in responce. "You listen when May rants about Drew. Like, really listen, not fade in and out like I do."

"And you help Dawn with her homework when she doesn't understand it," May said.

I bit my wet lip. "What's your point?"

May gently puts her hand on my shoulder In comfort. "You're pretty much always there for us. And you have some nerve thinking that after all you do for us, we'd even let you think about paying for the dress."

Nodding in agreement, Dawn repeated, "Some nerve."

I glanced at both girls as tears sprang into my eyes unbidden. "I – I don't know what to say," I whispered, my lip trembling. Couldn't find any words to continue.

A compassionate smile on her face, Dawn hugged me in her care arms, gently pressing me against her body. Placing my head on her free shoulder as she Speaks out in my ear. "Don't you dare cry. You'll make me cry too, and I can't afford to mess up my makeup."

I sniffled, a small smile crawled on my face as I hugged her back. "I'll try not to."

"So it's settled," May said, hugging me on the other side. "We'll buy you the dress, and if you ever think about paying us back we'll excommunicate you."

I couldn't believe what was happening. My friends were willing to pay for a 2000 note dress for me. Do they know how much this means to me?

"Thank you, guys," I sniffed, blinking back the tears and soon departed the group hug. "You're the-."

"Best, yeah, we know that." Dawn had a pleased as punch smile on her face.

I smiled back. "And you're full of yourselves," I joked.

"We love you, Serena," May said sincerely. "And we want Ash to love you too, which is why you're going to rock this dress to the hilt."

I smiled down at the gorgeous pink dress, unable to believe that I owned something so beautiful.

"He's going to have a seizure when he sees you in it," Dawn giggled.

I snorted teasingly. "Now you're just exaggerating."