I anxiously rubbed my arm as I sat in between Mallory and Zara. The girls and I were on our way to the Queens Center to find me a birthday outfit. The silence was so awkward and thick, it was louder than the trains against the tracks.

How were they supposed to find me an outfit when they didn't even talk to me? Let alone each other.

Sucking in a nervous breath, I look to my left at Mallory. The absent-minded expression on her face showed that she was elsewhere in her thoughts. To my right, Zara was chewing on her thumbnail as she played a game of UNO on her phone.

Lastly, beside her was Elizabeth. The Spanish beauty was roughly chewing on a stick of Blue Five Colbat gum as she assessed her desperate need for a manicure.

Was it going to be this quiet all day? It wouldn't make it if it was.

I cleared my throat, getting Mallory's attention. "So, you said you had a gig. What do you do?"

"That's a good question," Liz perks up, intrigued.

Zara put her phone away, equally curious as well.

"Wait," I scoffed. "You mean to me that you've been livin' together all this time. And you don't even know what each other does for a livin'?"

The girls look at me as if I'm the crazy one. I just couldn't understand how they could live under the same roof and not even know basic facts about one another.

"Anyway," Mallory sighs, "I'm a DJ."

"Oh, that's really cool," complimented Zara.

I look at the redhead, "what about you?"

"Oh, I do hair. I work in a salon," Zara gushed passionately.

The three of us look at Elizabeth for her answer.

"Oh, I'm a stripper," she shrugged.

Having not expected her answer, Zara, Mallory, and I exchanged a look.

I wasn't sure about them, but I had never met a stripper. Stripping wasn't necessarily a thing in my rural town. At least not that I had heard of.

"Dios mio, I wish you guys could see your faces," laughed Elizabeth. "I'm just kidding. I'm a dancer. I perform with this group at a really fancy restaurant."

"What kind of dances do you do?" Mallory asked.

"Depends on the theme, really. Salsa, Cha-Cha, Contemporary, Swing, the list goes on."

"Hm," Zara nods before putting her gaze on me like Liz and Mallory. "What do you do? Other than school, I mean?"

"I'm an artist," I said proudly. "Painting, drawing - you name it. I'm into photography too. Of course, I haven't been doing much of either since the gen eds have been kicking my butt. Did you guys go to college?"

"Hell no," Mallory scoffed. "Couldn't bear the thought."

"I went to cosmetology school," answered Zara.

"Julliard," said Elizabeth.

From there, a conversation ensued between us. All the girls had grown up in New York, so they were used to the busy culture, unlike me. They gave me tips on how to stay safe and get around easily.

Even more, where to shop for food and clothes so I wouldn't wear my wallet thin.

Surprisingly though, they asked me about my life at home. What it was like living in such a rural-family-oriented place. They were fascinated and surprised by where and how I was raised. And the good things that I had to say about it.

At the time, I hadn't realized how outdated, boring, and stereotyped people from rural places were. We were known for our hospitality and family-oriented-life style. But we weren't considered very fashionable or generally cool.

It was even worse when people heard our accent. We were immediately labeled illiterate, unsophisticated, and a country bumpkin.

I wasn't upset as someone else might have been about how people labeled me just because of where I came from. If people wanted to judge me before figuring out who I was, it was fine with me.

My job was to do as I was raised, prove them wrong.

I might have been a farm girl from a rural town, but I was a good, intelligent, talented person who had a lot to offer. I refused to accept the vanity culture that I would soon realize was the norm in New York.

If I have to be honest, I was quite nervous about shopping. As I mentioned before, I was bigger than many other girls I'd seen walking around my campus. Weight was never a concern for me, but my new home had definetly made me hone in on it.

The second we started looking around our first store, the girls noticed my hesitance.

"What's wrong?" Mallory asked.

"Say what you want about my overalls," I chuckled nervously. "But they're comfortable, and they hide a lot of what I didn't know I was kind of insecure about until I got here."

"What do you mean?" Zara squinted.

"Look at me, and look at you."

They look at each other confused.

"Size-wise, I don't think I can pull off what you guys wear."

"Oh, girl," Mallory chuckled. "You don't have to worry, it's 2020, thick is in."

"You do know people are paying big bucks to get your shape, right?" Liz asked me. "The problem isn't your weight. Its what you wear. These overalls don't compliment you at all."

"She's right," Zara agreed. "You're gorgeous. Nice skin, hips, busty, natural lips, you've got it all."

"Really?" I was more relieved to hear that I was just in desperate need of an outfit change rather than a face implant.

"Yeah, really," Mallory agreed. "Look, forget what people say. If your overalls make you comfortable, wear them all you want. For us, it's just your birthday, and every girl deserves to feel glamorous on their birthday."

"That being said, do you trust us?" Zara asked.

I gulped, finding myself nervous under their intense gaze.

Considering I was the one who knew nothing about fashion or clubwear, I didn't have much choice but to trust them. With no friends, these girls were my only hope for now.

"Yeah," I nodded. "I trust you."

"Great!" clapped Zara. She hooks her arm with mine.

Elizabeth did the same on my other side. "First rule," she said, "clearance is your best friend. Fashion doesn't have to be expensive and don't let anybody tell you otherwise."

"Fashion on a budget," I nodded. "Got it."

I have to admit, shopping with them was the most fun I had since moving to New York. As they worked together to pick the best outfit for me, I started to see their individual personalities.

Mallory, the oldest in the household, was very much more serious, logical, and reasonable. She had a tough demeanor that made it hard to see if she really liked you or not. Every now and again, she might smile or chuckle, but ninety-five percent of the time, she had her resting bitch face on.

She also took tasks very seriously. While Zara and Elizabeth cracked jokes most of the time, Mallory stayed focused and concentrated.

Then there was Zara; she was the youngest before I moved in.

She was bubblier than every. Zara exuded positivity, kindness, was almost kidlike and very talkative. Made sense since she worked in a hair salon.

Lastly was Elizabeth. Sweet but very feisty. If you couldn't take her sarcasm, you couldn't handle being her friend. With her dark humor and playful Spanish banter, she was a good time. Her and Zara together was a party that you were not prepared for.

It wasn't long before I had enough options to try on.

While shopping was fun, it was not easy. I learned that just because something looked good on a hanger didn't mean it looked good on you.

By the third dress, I was ready to call it a day. But the girls encouraged me that if we didn't give up, I'd find something.

While Zara and Liz went to look for more options, Mallory stayed in the dressing room with me.

"So, you said you're hating your job as a kennel attendant?" she asked as I was taking off yet another failed dress.

"I don't hate it," I answered. "I just underestimated how stressful havin' a job would be with school, you know?"

"Well, you said you were pretty close with your family, wouldn't they help out? It's only your first year."

"You're right, they would help me. They have the money to support me, I just don't want to be that privileged kid, you know? I wanted to take the burden off of them."

"You should never be looked at as a burden to your family, especially not your parents. If they're willing to help, you should take it. Not everybody has a family like that."

It was hard to determine the tone of Mallory's voice as she spoke. Even harder to assess her emotions when I couldn't see her face.

She didn't seem sad or bitter, even, just honest and matter-of-fact.

Her words gave a glimpse of what her upbringing could have possibly been like, nothing like mine. Her words gave an answer to why she might have had such a hard exterior.

Finally, Zara and Liz returned with more dresses.

I thought all hope was gone until I tried on the fourth dress.

My eyes were almost out of my head as I stared at my reflection. I had never seen myself so . . . sexy in my life. I had never worn something so tight and complimenting to the figure I was unaware I really had.

"Everything alright in there?" Zara knocked.

Sucking in a hopeful breath, I opened the door and shyly stepped out of the dressing room.

"So, what do you guys think?"

"Yep," Mallory nodded proudly, "that's the dress."

"Damn, girl," Zara shook her head.

"What?" I rubbed my arm, anxiously.

"Que?" scoffed Liz. "You look hot!"

I was smiling so hard that I covered my face with my hands.

"And she knows it!" squeaked Zara, making me laugh. "You go, girl! Go look in the mirror."

When I looked into that mirror again, my heart felt like it stopped. Suddenly, I had curves in places I never even noticed. That I always hid behind baggy t-shirts and jean overalls.

Not to say that I didn't like my baggy t-shirt and overalls.

I just happen to also love my curvaceousness too.

I had only been hanging out with these girls for a few hours, and they were already helping me discover parts of myself that I hadn't even known.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

After shopping, the girls took me to Shake Shack. To say the least, I hope Shake Shack somehow makes it to my neck in the woods back home someday. Their Pumpkin Spice milkshake was amazing, and I couldn't get enough of the fries.

"So," asked Zara sitting beside me. "You got a boyfriend?"

"Ooo, good question," Liz sat back in her seat with her legs spread apart.

"No," I couldn't help but feel embarrassed. "I don't. I've never had a boyfriend before."

"Really?" Zara surprised. "What about those country boys in your hometown? How haven't you snagged one?"

"Well, culturally, ya go grow up, you get married, buy some land, and have kids. Ya know, be a housewife. And here's nothin' wrong with that. But I'm just so young, I want to see the world. I wanted to come to New York."

"My kind of girl," winked Liz.

"And, there aren't many guys who have caught my eye at home, you know? No one's given me butterflies or made my palms sweaty. Like in the movies."

"Well, if its butterflies and sweaty palms you're looking for, steer clear," Mallory advises.

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.

"Like you said, girl, you're young. Even worse now, you're in New York. Big City with a lot of scumbags as much as there are good people. A girl as young as you don't deserve to have your heartbroken. Don't let those butterflies and sweaty palms prevent you from seeing what you need to."

I took her words to heart more than I thought. I grew up in a home with mostly boys. I was taught that I was worth it and that I should be wary of boys who might not have my best interest mind.

But I wasn't at home anymore. I didn't have my brothers to protect me. Or even my parents.

Every young kid thinks they have a handle over their life until they leave the nest, and the world proves them wrong.

"So, what about you three?" I asked.

"Boyfriend? Hell no," Mallory shook her head and sipped from her soda. "Too busy for that."

"I have a potential suiter," shrugged Liz. "More like he's pursuing me, but that's just details and a conversation for another time. Zara?"

"Yes," the redhead gushed. "I have a boyfriend. His name is Daniel, we're very much in love."

"Okay, Ms. 'We're very much in love,'" Liz and Mallory mocked a perky Zara together.

I laughed, watching Zara blush so hard.

"How long have you been dating?" Mallory asked.

"For almost a month now."

"And you're already in love?" I asked, surprised.

Zara sighs happily, "trust me when you know, you know," she shrugs.

I look at Mallory and Liz, who shrugged.

What could we say to that?

****

Sorry, its taken so long to update in this book. I'll have more soon. I hoped you enjoyed it! Do you have a favorite in the friend group yet?