Lizzie

Lilly pulls up outside; I see her applying lipstick or gloss as I look out my bedroom window. I slip into my black Vans, grab my sequined hippie purse and mobile and run down the stairs.

Mom is standing at the bottom. "Have a wonderful time, darling. We've increased your card limit in case you see something that you can't live without." She smiles. I hug her and give her a squeeze.

Funny, this morning at breakfast I wasn't looking forward to it so much, but now that Brandon has told me we're going as a couple, well, that simply changes everything.

Even if it's just for one night, I will be his date and what if we win Prom Queen and King? Oh my, that'd be amazing. Actually, I think Lilly and Denver will win, but Brandon is a favourite at school, and although Denver is hot-looking, Brandon wears the badge for hottest kid in school. He rocks.

"Thank you so much, Mom." I wave to her at the door, then make a dash to Lilly's car.

"Hey, girl. Excited?"

"Oh my god, so excited."

"Fantastic. I thought you weren't getting into it, to be honest, but you have this crazy ass smile going on. You wanna make sure you don't break that face of yours."

I gently slap her wrist as she slides the shift into reverse and pulls away from our house.

"Are we meeting Tammy or going to get her?" I ask Lilly and pick up her mobile to go through her playlists.

"Put on some Britney. I'm kinda digging her right now." I smile because it's not just right now, but always. Lilly is a huge Spears fan; I'm not going to lie, so am I. That woman has gone through so much, and I admire how strong and dignified she has been.

"She's going to meet us there. Just checking you still want to go to B Chic Fashions for the dress?"

"Absolutely." I am nodding enthusiastically. After a ton of research online, I found B Chic, and it's close about a ten-minute drive away in San Carlos. They stock all sorts of gowns for weddings, prom – you name it they've got it. They also do made-to-order designs, and I have a sketch of one of my ideas with me. I want it to be special, and I want Brandon to be in awe when he sees me. Even if it is just for the one night. That doesn't mean I can change how is heart and head feels about me just being his friend.

"Great. I'm excited for you, honey. Have you brought your design?"

I nod, "of course. I have a clear idea of what I'm looking for." We carry on driving, listening to Spears' album Blackout. I love the strength and power of her lyrics as I listen.

Fifteen minutes later we're pulling up outside a glitzy-looking shop front. There are floor-to-ceiling windows with stunning dress designs adorning models in the window. The sign is all diamante on a black board: B Chic Fashions.

Inside, a woman dressed in an elegant cream pantsuit, with long dark hair, greets us. "Good morning, ladies. How can I help you today?"

"Hi, I'm Lizzie. I rang ahead a few days ago to book to try some dresses and have brought a design with me."

"Oh, hey. Of course, for sure. I remember speaking to you. Well, I'm Alli. It's a real pleasure to meet you. Are you both looking for prom dresses?"

"Just Lizzie," Lilly says. She and Tammy have already bought their dresses; in fact, Lilly got hers at the beginning of the year. She is that excited about prom. Whereas I wasn't even considering going. If Brandon hadn't of suggested we go together, I'd probably be missing it, sitting at home snuggled in bed reading.

Alli leads the way past a gold reception desk; the carpets on the floor are plush white. How on earth do they keep these so damn clean? I want to slip my Vans off and let my feet absorb the softness.

"Lilly, Lizzie." We hear Tammy's voice behind us.

"You made it, finally," Lilly says, hugging Tammy, who then gives me a hug and kisses both my cheeks.

"Sorry, I was with Tobias last night." She speaks so quickly I have to ask.

"What did you just say? Tobias?" She flushes bright red.

"You and Tobias?" Lilly is shocked too.

"Don't make such a big deal out of it. Jeez-us guys. C'mon let's go look at dresses." Lilly winks at me as Tammy links arms with each of us on one side to the other. Wow. Tobias and Tammy. Finally. Hallelujah. I'm so happy they have got together; it's so friggin amazing.

Alli shows us the array of dresses, and there are literally hundreds hanging from the rails all colors: white, pink, baby blue, yellow, orange, red, browns, blacks then there are those that are mixed colors, and well, I feel like a kid in a candy shop. All of a sudden my firm ideas of what I want are right out the window.

Lilly gasps, and Tammy giggles.

"Well, let's go, girls."

"I will leave you, girls, to it; shout if you need anything. There's fresh water over there on the station and do help yourself to coffee or tea."

"Thank you, Alli," I say, and the girls giggle. In front of us are the changing rooms; large velvet drapes hang from brass poles and in front of those is one of those circular, all-round seats in white. It's sumptuous and truly I could spend hours just gazing, touching and feeling all the dresses. Good job; we've got the best part of four hours to make a decision.

I wanted to go for something that had a full skirt and have them tweak it so the skirt got pulled up on one side, with a fitted bodice and lace trim at the back. Only now, well, there is just way too much choice.

I slip a red fitted dress off a black velvet hanger and hold it up to me. "Wow, that's stunning," Lilly says

"Try it on." Tammy nods.

I never really considered red as my color but fuck it, what the hell? I want Brandon to be shocked; I want him to see me as a woman, not his kid best friend.

"Oh. My. Fucking. God." Tammy says, lifting her jaw off the ground. "You look like a wet dream. Hell, even I fancy you." She makes me giggle. I feel a bit embarrassed because I've never in my entire life worn anything quite so revealing. The body is fitted and pushes up my full breasts so they look as if they're going to spill over the top. Only it fits like a glove, like it was made especially for me. The skirt is straight and falls to my ankles with a split right up to the top of my thigh.

"That with killer heels, trust me, Lizzie, you are going to have the guys hovering around like bees to a honey pot," Lilly says. "You have to buy it."

"It's the only one I've tried, though, and it's nothing like my sketch."

"Yeah, but that is the dress of all dresses," Tammy says with her hands together at her lips.

"Brandon is going to get a hard-on just being next to you."

"Ugh. He's my bestie; don't say things like that." I place my hands on my hips.

"Get over it, girl. You want him so bad you told us." Well, I guess I should have kept that snippet of information to myself, right?

"Yeah, but he only sees me as his little kid friend, Lizziey-Baby." I furrow my brow.

"Trust me," says Lilly. "When he sees you in that dress, he is going to realize that his kid bestie is now a one-hundred per cent fuckable woman."