Chapter Fifteen: The Dress

I stood at the top of the stairs and subjected myself to one of my mother's inspections to see if I was up to her standards. I had my head down, not really listening to what she was complaining about when the first knock on the door came.

My night of torment had come, I thought begrudgingly.

"Well, don't just stand there! Go greet your guest!" Mother snapped, storming to her bedroom to do whatever it was she would do to make herself fashionably late.

I knew once she was certain that the room was filled enough, then she would make a "grand" entrance down the stairwell as if she was the queen of the castle. Which, in her eyes, I knew she was.

I sighed in defeat and slowly made my way down the stairs to the door, wanting to snap at the person on the other side to hold their damned horses.

The door opened to show Molly and her stepbrother, Scott. She squealed happily and wrapped her arms around me.

"Happy Birthday!" she cried, blowing out my eardrums.

I winced and pulled away, rubbing the affected areas. "Thank you, Mol."

She giggled and apologized. "Sorry! I'm just excited that I didn't miss it by much!"

I opened my mouth to remind her that it was several months ago when she wiped a box out from behind her back. It was a large package with a giant purple bow wrapped around it. Purple... one of my favorite colors, and Molly knew that.

"You have to open it right now!" she said excitedly.

"But..."

"No, buts," Scott said behind her with an affectionate little grin towards Molly. "You know how stubborn she is. Just do it, or she'll never leave us alone."

Molly turned and stuck her tongue out at him. I expected Scott to do it back to her like he used to, but instead, he raised an eyebrow at her almost warningly. She flushed and looked down, suddenly becoming more subdued than I had ever seen her in my life. I watched them closely with a sense that something had changed. But, the moment passed so suddenly that I couldn't grasp what had.

"Please open it," Molly pleaded. "I'll die if I have to wait another moment."

I sighed and relented. Molly's puppy dog face was perfectly executed and could get her out of anything, even a speeding ticket. I know. I've watched it happen.

"Alright, only because I don't want to watch my best friend die," I told her.

She giggled and thrust the perfectly wrapped package into my hands. I began to slowly and neatly pull the wrapping away, deeming it too beautiful to tear.

"Oh, for heaven's sake!!!" She shouted and stepped up, ripping the paper to pieces and jerking the lid off.

The most beautiful dark purple dress I had ever seen sat in a gorgeous delicate pink lace bed staring up at me. The tiny thin straps held little jewels at the bottom where they attached to the bodice, and the front had gorgeous black laces that tied the bust together. Gently I picked up the piece and let it fall open. The bodice stopped high up the waist, and two sheer pieces of fabric fell apart to expose a full skirt underneath it.

The dress was exquisite, absolutely exquisite.

"Oh my gosh," I breathed, running my hand down the skirt, feeling how light and smooth it was like it was made out of a cloud.

I pinned Molly with a look of disbelief. "Why?"

Molly raised an eyebrow and let her gaze travel down the dress I had on in obvious disgust.

"Because it's your Nineteenth birthday party. A girl should feel amazing and beautiful on the day she celebrates joining the adult world," Molly said.

"But my birthday was 4 months ago," I reminded her holding the dress to my chest, irrationally fearful that someone would take it from her.

"All the more reason for you to wear it! Tonight you need to feel like a woman! Not... whatever it is your mother had made you," Molly explained, waving a hand at my outfit.

I looked down at the raunchy red and black dress, and I had to admit... I would do anything to wear the outfit Molly had given me.

Suddenly, Molly grabbed my arm and dragged me up the stairs towards my room.

"Scott, please watch the door," she shouted over her shoulder.

I looked back for help but saw Scott doing a snappy salute and giving me a wink that clearly stated I was on my own.

Once we got to my room, Molly had no problem pulling me out of the gauche confection that my mother picked out and into the silk dream that she gave me. She spent several moments getting the ties perfect before pronouncing me good enough.

"Wait," she suddenly said and attacked my hair.

She jerked out every bobby pin and barrette that the hairdresser had painstakingly put in my hair until it fell down my shoulders in a curly wave. Then she rearranged it until it fell softly down over one shoulder.

"Jewelry... gone," she ordered as she dug into her purse and pulled out a little box with a set of diamond drops.

"Those are real, aren't they?" I asked rhetorically.

"Of course. 16th birthday present from my Dad," she answered, putting them in my ears. "Lost the necklace in France, but the earrings will do. Now... to take off some of that god-awful makeup."

She sat me in a chair and quickly raced through, redoing my face.

I didn't know how long we were up there, but I knew it had to be a while when voices drifted up from the living room saying the party was in full swing. I heard my Mothers bedroom door open and knew she was getting ready for her grand entrance.

"Oh! I have to get down there!" I exclaimed in panic.

"Give me one more minute," Molly insisted.

"Hurry!! Mother will be pissed that I am not down greeting her guest!"

"Oh pooh! Scott is down there. He'll make sure everyone is happy," Molly brushed off my concern. "Now, stay still while I finish up your eyes unless you wanna be poked and go blind."

I stilled immediately, knowing it was not too pleasant when you got an eyeliner pencil in the eye.

Molly stepped back and looked me over once more. "There! Done!"

She spun me to face my mirror, and the girl that stared back at me was not me. The dress hugged my curves in all the right places and then flared down. The old-fashioned ties in the front, Molly had left open a bit to give a hint of the cleavage I had in abundance. I reached up to pull them a bit tighter, but Molly stopped me.

"You need to not be afraid of your sexuality. Show it off with confidence!" Molly ordered me, her eyes twinkling happily. "You look gorgeous! Flawlessly sexy and womanly!"

I flushed in embarrassment and looked around the room for something, anything, to put over the opened ties.

"No!" Molly shouted, blocking my view. "You will go down there, and you will show off your new dress with that brilliant smile on your face."

She shoved me towards the door and pushed me out of it, ignoring all of my protests. My knees trembled as I came to the top of the stairs, making me hesitate to descend them, fearful that I would fall if I tried. Molly came up behind me and wrapped her arm through my own, lending me her full support.

"You are a beautiful, sexy, confident woman now. Let's show the world," she whispered in my ear.

I smiled at her gratefully, wishing I really felt the way she insisted I looked.