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“What the hell’s a Zarginda?”
Maybe she should’ve auditioned. Maybe now she’d be stuck with a character she didn’t want to play because Luke and his weird freshmen friends were angry she didn’t audition. Maybe-
“It’s the female lead.”
And immediately, Emaline’s stress faded. No matter who the character was, as long as she was the lead, she was content.
“Oh, yeah? What’s she wear?”
“Well, Kate, my girlfriend, is actually in charge of costumes.”
The ham-fisted nod to his relationship with the sophomore did not go unnoticed by Emaline. His broadcast of his love on the morning announcements was shocking and cringe-worthy, but even more shocking was Kate’s accepting answer. Funny, the actress had thought that day, I thought she was lesbian.
Regardless, Luke’s choice to put his girlfriend at the helm of costuming was a foolish decision, and Emaline scoffed without hesitation. Swerving on her heel, she searched down the younger girl.
“Your boyfriend says you’re doing costumes for the movie.”
Judging by Kate’s stammering, Luke’s decision was a surprise to both girls. The drama queen had to admit, the nervousness was almost adorable. What wasn’t adorable was her fashion sense. Emaline couldn’t let the girl who dressed solely in t-shirts and flannels dictate her movie wardrobe.
“What are you doing right now?”
--
Thumbing through one bland article of clothing after another, Emaline hunted through the thrifted goods. Amidst the garish fabrics that looked suited only for her mother, the teen occasionally happened to find clothes more her style, which she would then pass to Kate, and before she knew it, had accumulated a pile so high the sophomore almost disappeared behind it. But one glimmering dress stood out from the rest.
“Maybe the aliens could go to a disco night…and I wear this?”
She spun around, glistening silver fabric falling over her body, eyes sparkling just as much as the material draped across her.
“We should probably wait to see what the script says.”
Not one to take no for an answer, Emaline throws the garment into Kate’s arms, insisting that she’ll try it on anyway.
“Now that you have a boyfriend, I’m assuming a new wardrobe is on the agenda?”
“Why?”
Oh Kate. Sweet, beautiful Kate. Lean, pretty, and cool Kate. Kind, shy, creative, gorgeous–
Emaline busies herself with the rack of clothes, burying her train of thought in fabric.
“Think of it this way – last week you were just Principal Messner’s kid, completely undateable. And now that you’re with Luke, I bet all the guys in school are like ‘Maybe I could hit that. Maybe I should.”
The younger bites her lip, evidently uncomfortable. Sighing, the elder pulls a dress from the rack, tossing it onto the mountainous pile atop Kate’s arms. She struts into the changing room, only to turn and see Kate is exactly where she was before.
“Are you coming in?”
--
While Emaline shamelessly stripped off her clothes, she observed Kate crossing her arms across her chest and looking anywhere except at the actress, likely out of fear of an encore performance of the locker room display.
“Um, so, how should I dress then?”
“Your appearance tells the world who you are and what you want. Speaking for myself, the goal is boners.”
“Gross.”
Emaline held back laughter. Kate’s lesbianism was showing.
“If I can make a guy hard just by looking at me, that’s power. I win.”
But after recent events, she couldn’t help but wonder if attention from guys was all she needed. Though it mortified Kate, her stares in the locker room were oddly validating. Empowering. Stirring, even.
“Well, maybe I don’t need guys getting boners about me just to be happy.”
The sophomore’s purity was almost adorable. She focused her attention back to her reflection and away from the girl beside her. The dress was nice, but it just didn’t fit the way it should.
“Ugh, I hate having big boobs, everything just falls off of me.”
Kate’s timely glance didn’t go unnoticed, and the way it made Emaline feel only proved her prior theory. Fuck. The elder turned, eyed the girl next to her, and offered the garment.
“You have no tits, it’ll look great on you.”
And she was right. The lanky teen looked stunning, shimmering silver fabric perfectly draping along her frame. Emaline could barely tear her eyes away. She tried to tell herself it was only the allure of the material, but deep down, she had a sinking feeling that wasn’t the full story.
--
The pair purchased their clothes, an ordeal that began with Emaline practically begging Kate to buy the silver dress and ended with a grudging Kate lumbering to the register, slapping the money down, and silently praying that the cashier wouldn’t make any comments on her purchase. Of course, the actress behind her had an armful of clothing, gleefully plopping the garments on the counter as soon as Kate was handed her receipt.
“Nothing like retail therapy, hmm?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Aw, come on! I’m sure everyone at school will swoon when they see you in that dress!”
“Yeah, right!”
“Wanna bet?”
The challenge stopped the sophomore in her tracks, which brought a smirk to the older girl’s face.
“What’s at stake?”
Tapping a finger to her chin, Emaline was momentarily entranced in thought, but not for long.
“If you have the balls to wear this dress to school within a month, I’ll let you dress me up according to your style. If not, then…”
She trailed off, partially for dramatic effect, partially because she hadn’t thought it out that far yet.
“Then what?”
“You’ll have to wait and see. But believe me, it’ll be much easier for you to comply.”
And with that, Emaline bounded off, punctuating her haughty statement with a wink, leaving Kate to ponder her options.