The Reason Why — Chapter Seven
Everyone has one
The next two days whizzed by. I didn’t see a lot of Hunter, and there was no real conversation with him like we had when he took me back home. Joshua hardly left my side, which was okay since he kept me company, but I felt he was having feelings for me that I wasn’t sure I could reciprocate.
“Any idea what you’re wearing tonight?” Crystal sat down on my bed as I looked through the closet.
Although Crystal had bought me some new outfits, I was still limited in the apparel department.
“I have no idea.” I went through the line of hanging clothes once more but didn’t see anything that would be appropriate for Hunter’s concert tonight.
I’d never been to see a live band play, and I could only imagine the outfits that the other girls my age would be wearing. The ones that I’d seen in the stores and in pictures that Crystal had taken from Hunter’s past concerts, the girls looked as though they were almost naked except for covering their nipples and crotch area.
Crystal stood and walked over to me. She glanced at the basic clothes that were there, then took my hand and led me away. “Stay right here.” She left the room without explaining what she was going to do.
I was seriously thinking hard about canceling going tonight. I’d promised Joshua once again over breakfast that I was going, but not having the right outfit and the fact that I would only know three people there sort of put a damper on my mood.
Just when I was going to find Crystal and tell her I was staying in this evening, she came back into my room carrying a brightly colored bag with the words ‘Rave’ written on it.
“I got this." Crystal waved the bag towards me. "On my way back from work yesterday.” She reached into the bag and pulled out something that was folded up into a square, but I could see that it was black and shiny. “I bought it for you in case you couldn’t decide what to wear tonight.”
I took what Crystal was offering and held it upright so that it could be seen fully. The silky black dress flowed down, and when I held it up to my body, it came to my mid-thigh. It had spaghetti straps, a low-cut V-neckline, which had a cut piece of lace sewn in between so that it held together, and a bodice that looked like it would be a tight fit.
“Thank you.” No one had ever given me something so delicate-looking. Most of what I normally wore consisted of jersey-material shorts or yoga pants with a matching shirt or basic jeans and t-shirts.
My momma used to get clothes either from a donation or from the local thrift store down the street when there was money left over, which wasn’t very often.
“Go try it on.” Crystal looked excited to see how it fit. She had bought me clothes when I first moved here, but buying a dress was something completely different from just buying the basic one-size-fits almost everyone type of clothing that I usually wore.
The dress was one size smaller than the usual size five that I normally wear, and I was hoping I’d be able to squeeze into it.
“Um, okay.” I walked down to the bathroom to see if this itsy, bitsy little dress was gonna fit.
I checked the hallway to make sure that Hunter or Joshua hadn’t snuck in since I’d gone and changed in the bathroom. The hallway carpet felt soft as I tiptoed down to my room. Crystal was all wide-eyed when I walked in and spun around for her to see how the dress looked.
“Oh. My. God!” Crystal squealed and jumped up and down like a middle-aged girl. “You look amazing.” She took hold of my arms and spun me around three more times.
The dress had a snug but not clingy fit. My boob size seemed to have increased two sizes and looked more like a double D instead of the normal C that I was. My legs looked long and lean with just the right amount of skin showing—enough to make guys take notice but not so much that there wasn’t room for imagination.
“You are going to rock tonight.” Crystal brushed a piece of lint off my dress and smoothed the material with her hand once again for good measure. “I have the shoes and accessories whenever it’s time to get ready. Do you like it?”
I confirmed with a nod and spun around once again.
A car door slamming made us both scramble.
“You better get changed, so you can shock the hell out of them later.” Crystal rushed out of the room to intercede with whoever had gotten home, allowing me to scurry back to the bathroom and change before anyone else saw the dress.
Dinner was early that evening since Hunter had to be at the club before six. Chicken wings and fries were delivered around four from the local ‘Wings and More’ restaurant.
The only ones who seemed to have an appetite were Joshua and Crystal. Hunter claimed he hardly ever ate before a concert, especially one this big, and I didn’t think I’d be able to get a bite down without wanting to throw up because of nervousness. I knew there was nothing to really be anxious about, it was just a concert. But no matter how hard I tried to convince myself of that, my stomach still played on the merry-go-round full throttle, making me extremely nauseated.
“Alabama, are you almost ready?” Joshua already told me that the club was going to be packed. He said he wasn’t too worried about seating since the lacrosse team had their own table reserved and the band was part of the family, but he didn’t want to get stuck in traffic.
Crystal opened my bedroom door and stuck her head out. “Almost.” She hissed at him, which made him cringe away. It was so like a guy to think that it takes a girl ten minutes to get ready like it does them. She shut the door and turned around to face me once again.
I gazed at myself in the mirror. My hair, which I naturally always pulled into a tight ponytail, was now flowing down over my shoulders. The back hit just below my shoulders, which was a good length for the dress. The back was cut open and exposed, clearing my entire back down to the small curve that was right above my butt.
Crystal had styled my hair in such a way that the natural highlights circled around my face, making it seem as if it were glowing. The lighter pieces of my dark brown hair had been curled and laid in waves, making the overall picture of my hair seem fuller.
The dress and low-heeled shoes matched with each being a midnight black. The stockings were a shade lighter and had hints of silver sparkle scattered throughout. The accessories were just a basic silver necklace and earrings that matched the markings in the nylons.
It was like a complete transformation from what everyone was used to seeing me in.
“Are you ready?” Crystal saw the nervousness etched on my face.
Was I nervous about going out in public without knowing too many people, or could it be that I was anxious to see what a certain guy would think about my appearance? The only problem was that I couldn’t tell if it was Joshua or Hunter that I wanted to shock with my transformation. Joshua was the stable, always there for me guy, and Hunter was the one who left me breathless.
I let out the huge breath that I’d been holding in.
Crystal had the door a little ajar, and I could see Joshua’s feet standing down a little way in the hallway. I nodded yes and walked out of my bedroom with Crystal in tow.
Joshua took small steps towards me, like he was moving in slow motion. His eyes were fixed on mine, and the sparkle that was normally in his eyes shined brighter than it ever did before. His mouth hung slightly open, as if he were in shock at what he was seeing. He gently picked up my hand and kissed it softly.
I felt my face get hot and knew I was probably as red as an apple from all this attention.
He kept hold of my hand with his own and stood beside me like he was my guardian for the night.
“Does this look all right?” I was almost positive that he approved of my new look for the night, but he still hadn’t said a word.
He let out a light chuckle as a big grin spread across his face. “All right?” Joshua laughs louder now. “Alabama…” He lifted our hands and kissed mine once again. "You look far from all right. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone look as beautiful as you do now.”
The heating of my face now felt like fire. No one had ever said I was pretty, let alone beautiful, except for Hunter, but that could’ve been said just out of being nice. “Thank you. It was all your mom’s work.” I looked over at Crystal.
She seemed to be beaming with happiness and pride. "Oh, honey, it’s not me that made you look like that. You are a natural beauty.” Crystal glanced upwards at the clock above us. “We’d better get going so we can beat the mad crowd coming in right before the band starts.” She had gotten herself ready before she helped me. She slipped on her comfy flats, which went well with her tight-fitting jeans, and grabbed both sets of their car keys off the holder. “Catch.” She tossed Joshua his, and he caught them high in the air with his open hand. “I’ll meet you two there.” She left the two of us alone and walked out to her own car.
Joshua lightly touched the soft curls that circled around my face. It seemed he didn’t want to mess anything up, so he kept one hand in mine and the other at his side.
My dark brown eyes were highlighted with just a bit of mascara, and my lips were covered in a deep dark red that made them look twice as plump. That was about it for the extent of my makeup.
Crystal had told me that there was no need to go overboard since my natural beauty shined through. I laughed at her at the time when she’d made that comment. But now that I see how Joshua reacted, a small part of me wonders if I am pretty, even just a little bit.
“Guess we better go.” He motioned to the front door that his mom had left just slightly open.
I smiled and nodded my head.
He kept my hand in his as we both walked out to his waiting vehicle.
When we arrived, the club was more than packed, it was overflowing. There were people waiting outside in line in hopes that they would be able to get inside before the band started to play. We had our ‘special’ tickets and sailed right to the front of the line. I guess when your son and brother are in the band, then you don’t have to wait in lines to go to any show.
There were girls galore inside the club when we got in. If you took the material from all their clothing, you might get one complete outfit. There was nothing on top of nothing in what they wore. Most had everything hanging out, or at least appeared to burst at the seams if they breathed out deeply too many times.
I didn’t see Hunter anywhere but reckoned he was probably getting ready for his big show.
Joshua volunteered to get us all drinks. Mine, of course, was plain soda.
Crystal showed me where we would be able to sit and watch from a close spot. I stood with my arms crossed over my chest, waiting for Joshua to return, which could be a long time since the line at the bar was about fifteen deep.
I could see behind the stage a bit and saw Hunter’s drummer thrusting his hips in a sexual manner at someone he was talking to. He turned around ever so slightly, and I saw it was Hunter behind him, and they were both looking this way. I ducked behind one of the bigger guys that were standing by our table. I didn’t want him to think I was spying on them talking about whatever girl was obviously the lucky one for the night.
I kept hidden until Crystal came back from the restroom and Joshua returned with everyone’s drinks. Crystal took hold of my hand and pulled me over to where there weren’t so many people just hanging around. There was a better view of the backstage area from this vantage point, and I could clearly see that Hunter was watching the crowd, especially our little section.
Before either one of us had the chance to look away, or in my case, hide, our eyes met. I gave him a small wave as he did the same.
Joshua was now beside me, and he nudged me with his elbow.
I looked between him and Hunter and could see fire coming out of both their eyes. It seemed both were pissed at each other because my attention was divided between the two.
No, this couldn’t really be true, though. They just didn’t get along well, that’s all.
“It’s almost time!” the drummer yelled over to everyone who was in hearing range.
Hunter walked towards the back for one last meeting before they hit the stage to a sold-out crowd.
