Bailey
The next morning my mom announced that she was getting married in a few months, just in time for my sixteenth birthday. She sat googling dresses while I made myself a coffee and a bagel and she called her friend Kim.
I ignored her as I sat sipping on my coffee and wondering how much my life was going to change, now that my mom was to be married. I hated change; I hated the unknown and my anxiety was already heightened because I’d only met Shawn once.
My mom didn’t care and later that day she dragged me shopping with her, Cate, and Kim for bridesmaid dresses, chatting excitedly about the wedding. I wasn’t able to be excited about it since it would mean meeting new people and changing my life, so I spent my time staring morosely at dresses.
Cate tried to involve me, but my mom mostly ignored me as she spent her time trying on dress after dress, and Kim tried on the bridesmaid dresses while Cate fed me chocolate and sent me for food to give me a break. I walked around the mall, staring dejectedly into shops when an older boy began following me. He was tall with shaggy brown hair, ice-cold blue eyes, and a sneer that could curdle dairy.
I rushed back to the Bridal Rooms, and Cate asked me what was wrong. I just shrugged at her and glanced over my shoulder constantly. Eventually, my mom settled on a fishtail cream lace dress. It was stunning and she looked gorgeous. She met my eye in the mirror and I smiled giving her a thumbs-up.
She’d chosen pale gold for her bridesmaids and made me try on a dress. I’d had a growth spurt recently and I needed to go underwear shopping because my bras were getting a little tight, but the dress fit like a dream, and out of my dark baggy clothes, I could almost pass for pretty. The gold flecks in my blue eyes came out with the color of the dress and my blonde hair curled over my shoulder. The dress also brought out the color of my creamy skin and accentuated my shape, giving me breasts where I had little and sliming my curvaceous waist.
I walked out and twirled as I reached the platform, giggling at my mom’s awestruck face. She smiled up at me and I glanced around, seeing the shaggy boy from earlier and to my complete horror Cooper, the idiot from the day before who’d tripped me up.
To the left of both boys stood Shawn, who smiled genially at me, ignoring the boys at his side. Cooper watched me with hatred on every plane on his gorgeous face. His brown hair was the same shade as his dad’s and his eyes the same brown, but they were unusual with flecks of green. I’d noticed that the day before when he’d stared at me from across the room.
“Bailey, you look stunning. You have to get her that dress,” he said, turning to my mom, and as soon as he’d turned away both boys narrowed their eyes at me.
Cooper glared at me, then spun away asking the attendant where the bathroom was.
“Just through there, hon,” she muttered, smiling at him, and he turned walking towards the fitting rooms. He had to pass me as I stood on the footstool letting the girl fiddle around my feet and measure the dress. She pinned up parts and stuck a few pins under my arms and at my back, before she stepped back and paused, taking me in.
Cooper then passed by me, and whispered into my ear,
“I have to go vomit!”
I shivered at his proximity but glanced at him as his figure retreated, and I suddenly felt very self-conscious as I stood in the dress that I’d originally found gorgeous, but was now finding fault in.
“That’s you now, honey. You’re all done now. You can go get changed. Be careful of the pins though.”
I nodded slowly at the woman and began walking slowly back to my dressing room. As I reached the doors and pushed them open, Cooper was standing on the other side. His back was to me and he was talking on his cell.
“Yeah, man, sorry. My dad’s making me stay to meet my new stepsister…”
He spat the word stepsister with so much venom that I shuddered and brushed past him. His whole body stiffened as I moved by him and he grabbed my arm, making me wince. His touch caused electricity to rush up my arm and when I glanced back at him, he dropped my arm, glaring at me.
I could feel his stare as I made my way back to the dressing rooms.
When I got back into the room, I saw to my horror that my bra was missing from my clothes, as was my cell. I checked under the bench that I was sure I’d left them on, scanned the floor, and began to hyperventilate since they were gone.
My mom would have a fit because I’d only gotten that cell a few weeks previously. I paced around the room and decided to quickly get dressed and go check the car, but I was sure I’d had it on me when we’d come into the mall.
I dressed as best I could and walked out to meet my mom and everyone else. My arms were wrapped around my chest as I tried to hide the fact, I didn’t have a bra on. I felt exposed and self-conscious and desperate to get home.
Kim’s gray eyes narrowed in disgust at me as I approached which made me feel even worse. I wished she’d get over it already. Kyle and I had been kids and had fallen out. It was no big deal, but she still hated me. I usually didn’t care, but I was already feeling vulnerable since I was walking about with no bra on and was worrying about my cell.
Cate smiled at me and pulled me into her arms, giving me a small hug. She didn’t know it, but I desperately needed the hug and as she released me Shawn turned towards me smiling and gesturing to Cooper and the other boy.
“Sorry for intruding, Henrietta, but I felt it was time the boys and Bailey met.”
He stepped towards me and my eyes widened in horror as I saw my bra poking out of Cooper’s pocket over his shoulder.
“Bailey, this is Zane, my eldest son, and this is Cooper, who’s just a year older than you.” His tone when he spoke of Zane was completely different from the pride in his voice when he spoke of Cooper. I nodded politely at both of them. Zane looked a few years older than us and as I gave him a once-over, he seemed completely disinterested in me.
Zane was gorgeous, with smokey green eyes, his father’s tall build, and the same copper-colored brown hair as his father and brother. He had eyelashes to die for but dressed in loose black clothes, he was anything but sexy, although somehow, he pulled it off. His hair was buzz cut, and he had a hoop earring in one ear.
My mom prodded me hard in the side, so I stretched my hand out and shook Zane’s hand, followed by Cooper’s. He shook it for a second, but kept the mask of indifference on his face, squeezing too hard as my mom turned to his father.
“I’m so glad you came today. It’s so lovely to have everyone together.” Her voice was light and eager, but as she spoke Zane rolled his eyes with obvious disdain. He was clearly as thrilled about our parents hooking up as I was. Shawn spoke up, breaking Cooper’s death stare at me.
“Let’s all go for dinner.” I groaned internally and rolled my eyes. Zane turned to his father and spoke in a bored tone.
“Sorry, Dad, I gotta bounce. Have fun though.” He turned and left without waiting to be dismissed. We all left the dress shop and the adults walked just ahead of Cooper and me. As Cooper walked beside me, pushing me into everything and everyone he could. We walked by Pete and his gang of sycophants and they all catcalled and made pig noises.
Cooper had stopped shoving me and when I glanced at my side he was gone. I looked ahead and saw him walking faster, catching up with his dad and my mom. The thought left me bereft. I was alone, truly alone because my mom didn’t even look back to check if I was okay. She’d been so cold to me since Louis had died, but it was getting worse as I got older.