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Thankfully, the medium fit. It was a little snug around my hips, but as long as I didn’t eat for the rest of the day, it would be perfect. I purchased the tight, strapless dress, and then headed to the lingerie department.
I had promised East a present.
God, I prayed he was good-looking and not one of those guys covered in face tattoos with long, slimy hair. I only hoped I was making the right decision by meeting him tonight.
After picking a matching, strapless red lace bra and thong, I left the store, cheeks flaming the entire walk to my car.
I skipped lunch, only drinking a bottle of water to fill my growling stomach. I’d been battling my weight for as long as I could remember and skipping meals helped. It was a better alternative to eating and then throwing up after.
Stopping at the campus gym, I ran on the treadmill for thirty minutes before rushing back to the dorm. Kennedy was now washing her face of the insane makeup look, chatting away to her boyfriend on the phone about their evening plans when I entered the small space.
She didn’t acknowledge me when I dumped my bags on the bed and slid into our bathroom. The best part of not dating was the lack of shaving I had to do for the last few years. Spending a long time under the hot spray of the low-pressure shower head, I scrubbed my skin with my favorite vanilla body wash and shaved everywhere.
Thirty minutes later, Kennedy was banging on the door. “Hurry up, Harley! I need to do your makeup. I have plans later with Aaron,” she hollered through the door.
Drying off, I brushed my teeth, applied my moisturizer, and put in one blue contact, hiding my one green eye.
I’d spent the majority of my childhood being told I was special to have two different colored eyes. But at the start of middle school, that turned into bullying, and by high school, I begged my parents to hide my birth defect.
There was no way I was letting East in on all my secrets just yet. For all I knew, he’d lied about his or hadn’t told me the worst ones, and tonight, I wanted to be normal. I wanted to be pretty like all the other women in the bar. I didn’t want to stand out for being different.
Emerging from the bathroom, I saw Kennedy had already laid out all her products on the small desk area we shared. “What are you wearing tonight?” she asked, putting her phone down and standing from her bed.
I showed her the red dress and then darted back into the bathroom to change into the matching lingerie and dress. After twisting my hair on the top of my head with a claw clip I exited and sat down at the desk, where Kennedy spent the next hour transforming me into someone pretty.
“Well, fuck, you look good, if I do say so myself,” she commented after taking my dark hair out of the clip and straightening it. She moved a few strands over my shoulders, sprayed something on my face, and then started snapping pictures with her phone.
I hadn’t seen my face yet and prayed she hadn’t turned this random act of kindness into a tragedy.
“Okay, go look.” I stood, pulling down the dress as it rode up my legs, and slowly walked into the bathroom, terrified.
Flipping the light on, Kennedy stood behind me, arms crossed over her chest, nodding impatiently for me to look in the mirror.
Holding my breath, I turned to look at my reflection and gasped.
I had never looked this beautiful in my life. She’d enhanced all my features, hid my god-awful freckles, and made my eyes and lips look bewitching.
“Kennedy, wow, thank you,” I whispered, blinking slowly. The fake lashes she’d glued on fluttered across the top of my eyelids, making my eyes appear bigger and more alluring.
“Of course. It was fun. I never get to practice on anyone that isn’t me.” She shrugged and exited the bathroom. Stealing another long glance in the mirror, I sprayed some perfume on and found her cleaning up the desk when I exited.
Wrapping my arms around her, she stiffened, but I was so overcome with emotion, I didn’t care for once.
“Kennedy really, this is a dream. I’ve never looked like this before.” She blushed, a hint of a smile tugging at her lips.
“You are beautiful without makeup, Harley.” She hugged me back and then looked over at my pile of shoes in the corner of the room. “Did you buy shoes to wear tonight?”
Shit. I had forgotten.
She must have seen the panic in my eyes because she quickly rushed over to her side and pulled out a pair of black stilettos.
“Try these.”
I never wanted this version of Kennedy to leave. This was someone I could be friends with. This was someone who cared if I looked good for a date and not the girl who spilled all my secrets.
Slipping the heels on, they were a little tight, but she assured me they would loosen the more I walked, and then she was pushing me out of the dorm and promising to catch up tomorrow.
In my car, I nervously drummed my fingers on the steering wheel, following the GPS to the bar downtown.
