Zed dropped us girls off just opposite the mall while he and Jesse drove round the corner to order lunch for us.

"Where do we start? I'm itching to find the perfect dress" Chloe gushes, clasping her hands together in excitement.

Sara giggles at Chloe and pulls us down the street full of little boutiques and dress shops.

"We're bound to find something special here. Come on, let's get going!" She says cheerfully as we make our way to the first shop we see.

Upon entering the first store, I instantly felt poor. The further I wandered around the store, the more I realised that we didn't fit in here at all. I swear we looked hideous.

"Welcome to Claudio's. First of all, congratulations! Who's the bride?" A tall, lanky woman with heels higher than my grades welcomes us, giving us her brightest, fakest smile.

"No one's getting married. Do you have any dresses suitable for prom?" I ask, hoping she'd say no so we can get the hell outta here. This place reeks of everything I can't afford.

"Why of course! I'm so sorry, I thought you were looking for a wedding dress. This way, follow me" the sales assistant says apologetically, leading us to a separate section from where we were browsing.

Chloe and Sara gasped when they saw the selection of dresses. There was only one rack but it looked like it held almost a hundred dresses.

"The pieces go from the lowest priced to the highest. So the further down the rack, the more it would cost. Let me know if you need any assistance" she explains, before disappearing to the other side of the store.

The three of us get started, pulling out whichever caught our eye first. Chloe looked like she was in heaven or living a dream. She was waltzing around the room with a sequined ball gown that looked brighter than my future.

"Hey idiot, you're gonna ruin the dress" I warn her, watching her pretend she's a princess.

"Don't ruin the moment, Rose" Chloe replies, spinning around me on her tippy toes.

"Don't forget, you don't have a prince yet" I remind her, laughing hysterically. Sara eventually joins in too, earning a bunch of curses from Chloe.

"I think I'm gonna go with this one" Sara says, holding up a silk dress. It's low back design making it look so elegant.

"That's beaut--"

"Oh, f--k me!" Sara blurts out, gasping as she held up the price tag.

Even though she pulled it out from the beginning of the rack, the tag read eight hundred and fifty dollars. She quickly shoved the dress back on the hanger and we exited the store.

《×》

After going in and out of all the stores in the street, we still had no luck. It was either nothing was to our liking or everything was overpriced. I was done for the day. All I wanted now was to go home and take a nap.

"Guys, look!" Sara exclaims, pointing to a little vintage store at the end of the street.

It's not the type of store that I would usually check out for dresses but hey, we were at the end of the street and I've actually lost all hope so into this store we go.

This little shop looked so old and dusty from the outside but upon entering, it was the total opposite. The floors were spotless and everything was arranged neatly. All that was missing were customers.

An elderly lady sat behind the counter with glasses almost bigger than her face. I said hello to her but I don't think she heard. We walked over to the clothing section and I immediately fell in love with the dresses. I knew for sure that I was going to find a dress here.

"Oh my gosh, would you look at that! This dress is almost identical to that ridiculously priced one we saw earlier!" Sara gushed, holding up another silk dress. What is it with this girl?

"Okay, but how much is it though?" I ask, casually browsing through the dresses.

"It's a hundred bucks" she squeals, jumping up and down with the dress in her hand.

"Rose!" Chloe squeals, covering her mouth with her hands.

I'm guessing she found a dress. Yay.

I walked over to her and saw her holding up a dress fit for a fairytale, just how she likes it.

"It's beautiful, Chloe" I tell her, holding the piece against her small frame.

She smiles the brightest smile ever and exhales loudly, taking the dress from my hands.

"It's the most magical-looking dress I've ever seen" she says, her eyes full of awe.

As she heads to the changing room to try it on I go through more racks, desperately looking for something nice.

Ten minutes later, the bell went off indicating that someone was entering the shop. I turned to see Zed and Jesse coming towards us. I rolled my eyes and went back to my search. I've decided that I won't leave until I find a dress. Dad will kill me if I return home empty handed.

"Found something to wear?" Jesse asks, coming to stand beside me.

I glance up at him and back down to the racks.

"Not yet" I tell him.

"Okay" He says, browsing through. "I'll help."

Although I doubt he'll be much help, I'll let him help anyway.

I managed to find two pretty dresses but one was too tight and the other too loose. Just as I was going to call it quits and suggest we leave, Jesse comes up to me with something in his hands. He smiles at me and places the dress in my hands, gesturing to the changing room.

I awkwardly take it and mutter a thank you before heading to try it on.

"Okay, this better fit. I'm tired!" I scold my reflection in the mirror as if it would make a difference.

The dress slipped on with ease and when I turned to see my reflection in the mirror, I couldn't believe it.

"Wow" I gulped, taking in my appearance. "I look like a girl."

Suddenly there was a knock on the door. I stepped out of the dress and fixed my hair quickly.

"Just a minute!" I called out.

"It's just me. Can I um, see how you look?" Jesse asks.

From the sound of his voice I could tell he was leaning against the wall, just outside the changing room.

"Um no, you can't. Sorry" I blurt out, instantly feeling shy.

I push open the door and walk past Jesse, making my way to the counter to pay for the dress.

"Did it fit?" Chloe asks with hopeful eyes. She's hungry, I just know it.

"Fit perfectly" I reply, giving her a thumbs up.

"Good, because I'm starving" she tells me, giggling.

《×》

Zed managed to get us a table at the pizzeria down the corner. It's a good thing he and Jesse placed our order over an hour ago, by the time we all climbed into a booth, the food was ready.

Two extra large pizzas graced our table making our mouthes watery. I couldn't wait to eat, my tummy was making whale sounds again.

"Dig in guys! I'm starving" Chloe tells us, taking a cheesy slice in her hand.

Lunch was great. The conversation kept flowing between all of us. Zed and Jesse insulting each other was the highlight though. Chloe looked like she was okay with Sara now. I'm so glad we were all here together. They were actually talking and laughing at each other's jokes. I'm thankful that Chloe gave Sara a chance. I know she cares about Zed, even though she doesn't like to show it.
The fact that she's giving this friendship a shot says alot.

About an hour later, the chatter died down as everyone was stuffed to the brim. Sara and Zed leaned back against the comfy leather backing of the booth, unable to eat any more.

"You guys up for dessert?" Jesse asks, getting ready to go order.

"Maybe later, I can't even move" Sara answers.

"Me too" Chloe says, still sipping on her coke though. This girl, I swear!

"Rose?" Jesse asks, raising his eyebrow at me.

"I'm good, thanks" I reply with a smile before looking down at my drink again.

We stayed silent for a few minutes before all eyes glued to the entrance. I looked at everyone with a confused look until I turned to see what they were gaping at.

Lyla.