Dark Blue, like the Night Sky

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It was dark blue, like the night sky, covered in little diamonds that looked like stars raining down it and it was the perfect length. It was everything DaeRi wanted from a prom dress and it was way out of her price range.

“I could buy a car with that much money,” DaeRi said, frowning at herself in the mirror. The dress was gorgeous, she looked gorgeous in it. She needed it. But she also needed some money.

“Maybe if your mom saw you in it she would let you get it,” Tamarai offered.

“I’m not gonna guilt my mom into spending her life savings on a stupid dress,” DaeRi said.

“It’s not stupid, it’s your prom dress!” Tamarai said, “It’s the perfect prom dress, the one you’ve dreamed of since you were a kid, you need it.”

DaeRi sighed and shook her head, “It’s not gonna happen.”

Tamarai frowned.

“And don’t even think about being sneaky and buying it for me,” DaeRi said, “I don’t accept charity.”

Tamarai frowned some more, staying quiet. she wanted DaeRi to have this dress. DaeRi has been through so much this school year and she deserved to end it in a beautiful dress, the dress of her dreams.

She was gonna get this dress.

So while DaeRi was in the changing room changing back into her civilian clothes Tamarai told the shopkeeper to keep it on hold. Tamarai was gonna get that dress to DaeRi, she just had to find a loophole in her DaeRi’s demand of her to not buy it.

Later that day, after DaeRi tried on more dresses, each one of the paling in comparison to the perfect dress, and they had lunch at the vegan diner before DaeRi was called back home by her mother insisting she needed someone to to start dinner, Tamarai sat on her bed contemplating ways to get that dress for DaeRi.

“How’d shopping go earlier?” Harriette asked, joining Tamarai on her bed.

“Bad,” Tamarai sighed.

“How so?” Harriette asked.

“DaeRi found the perfect dress, but it was way expensive,” Tamarai said, “Well, for her.”

“Why’d she try it on then?” Harriette asked.

“I talked her into it, I knew it was perfect,” Tamarai said.

“Let me guess, you’re trying to think of ways to get enough money to buy the dress for her?” Harriette asked.

“Yes, but she said I couldn’t and that she didn’t take ‘charity’,” Tamarai frowned, “I didn’t know helping a friend was considered charity.”

Harriette shrugged, “poor people are weird.”

Tamarai sighed falling back onto the bed, “we could start a fund.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Harriette said, “That’s more like charity then just buying it.”

“You’re right,” Tamarai agreed, “so what do I do? She has to have that dress.”

“I think you should leave it, maybe she could try to earn the money herself,” Harriette said. “I mean, I guess it’s nice of you to want to get her the dress, but if she says she wants to get a dress herself than let her.”

Tamarai sighed, “you’re right. But if she doesn’t get it, what am I supposed to do? She can’t go to prom with out that dress.”

“Sorry to break it to you, but it’s just a dress,” Harriette said.

“You’ll understand when it’s your senior prom,” Tamarai said, “Then you’ll see how much a dress means.”

“Well, I’m gonna be able to afford whatever dress I want,” Harriette pointed out.

Tamarai sat up and frowned at Harriette, shaking her head.

“We’re so privileged.”

Harriette smiled and nodded, “Lucky us, now come and help me with my math homework.”

Tamarai sighed, “okay.”

----

A week later, after another unsuccessful shopping trip, DaeRi was feeling like giving up and just dealing with something not as great. But she didn’t want something not as great, she wanted the greatest. She thought she deserved great, at least.

She was walking home from school, walking because she was saving every cent towards her dress so the bus was out of the picture and no way was see being seen on a school bus. She was feeling hopeless, especially after her conversation with Tamarai and Harriette at lunch.

“Have you considered going to a thrift store?” Tamarai had asked.

DaeRi laughed, thinking she must be joking.

“Seriously,” Tamarai said, “Thrift stores can surprise you.”

“No way,” DaeRi said, “I am not showing up to prom in a thrifted dress, I would die.”

Tamarai wrinkled her nose and shared a look with Harriette.

“Just try it,” Harriette said, rolling her eyes, “stop being such a snob.”

“Then why don’t you go to prom wearing a thrifted dress?” DaeRi said.

“Because I don’t have to,” Harriette shrugged.

“Well, then, you don’t even understand,” DaeRi said, shaking her head. Sometimes it felt like she was the only person in this school without an abundance of money.

“Guys, please,” Tamarai said, “don’t fight. And just think about it DaeRi. You never know.”

“I do know, and I won’t,” DaeRi said, gathering her things quickly, “see you later.”

And with that she stormed away and now here she was walking home from school thinking over some new plans to get a good dress, a great dress. Something in her made her take a turn and head over to the strip mall, The Meadow Commons. The deli, a weird expensive boutique called Chic Finds, the only fast food place in Broad Meadows, a consignment shop, and a thrift store filled the commons.

“Well, maybe.” DaeRi said to herself. It wouldn’t hurt to look in a thrift store, she told herself. She looked around, hoping none of her peers were around to see her but all she saw was a couple of nerd outside of the deli. She didn’t care what the nerds thought, plus they weren't looking in her direction, so she quickly headed over to the thrift shop and paused because next door in the consignment shop was her dress.

“What?” she muttered, stepping up to the window. It was definitely her dress, the perfect midnight blue and the sprinkling of glitter cascading down dress, it was the dress. Or just a cheap knock off, but either way she needed it.

She hurried into the store and walked up to the cashier, who was reading a book with aliens on the cover and not paying attention at all.

“Uhm, excuse me?” DaeRi asked loudly to get the cashiers attention.

The cashier sighed loudly and put the book down, “yes?”

“How much is the dress in the window?”

“Hm, thirty dollars,” the cashier said, “you got that?”

“Th-thirty?” DaeRi stuttered in disbelief.

“Why, too cheap?” the cashier said “I can rais-”

“No,” DaeRi quickly interrupted, “That’s perfect.”

DaeRi quickly rummaged through her purse to find her wallet, praying she had at least thirty dollars on her. She almost cried with joy when she the money in her wallet amounted up to $33.

“Would you like to try it on first?” the cashier asked, giving Daeri a strange look.

“Oh, I guess so,” DaeRi said, laughing nervously. But now she was worried again, what if it didn’t fit? The cashier walked up to the window and took down the mannequin, struggling with it a bit.

“Hey, D, you need some help over there?” a voice called out from the back.

“I got it,” the cashier called back, shaking her head as if annoyed.

But the guy from the back came anyway, helping the cashier get the mannequin down and with getting the dress off.

“You have good eyes,” the guy said to DaeRi, “this dress is a good one, we just got it yesterday, couldn’t believe it was in such good condition. Basically brand new.”

“Oh,” DaeRi said, “that’s great.”

“Well, go on and try it on,” the guy said, “Hope it fits.”

DaeRi nodded and took the dress into the dressing rooms in the back of the store. It wasn’t long before she was grinning to herself in the mirror, the dress as snug as a glove on her. Like it was made for her. It was almost too perfect.

But there’s no such thing as too perfect.

After she got dressed back into her normal clothes, she hurried over back to the cashier, ehr money already out and ready. She wasn’t gonna give anyone enough time to raise the price, she needed this dress.

“How does it fit?” the guy asked, having replaced the old cashier.

“Amazing, perfect,” Daeri said, nervous that this guy would say a different price.

“Isn’t it amazing when that happens?” he laughed, “Place like this, consignment or thrift stores, they’re places of miracles. Miracle for the people who actually deserve them.”

Daeri nodded, thinking in her head that this guy was kind of insane.

“How much money do you have in your pocket?” he asked.

DaeRi frowned, what an odd question but she answered anyway, “thirty three dollars.”

He frowned, then nodded, “then that’ll be twenty dollars.”

“What?” DaeRi said, she couldn’t hide her surprise.

“People don’t come to shops like these to spend all their money,” he said, smiling warmly at DaeRi.

“Wow, uhm, thanks,” DaeRi said, still not quite believing but counting out twenty dollars and handing them over.

“Plus, we got that dress for free,” he said, taking the money and counting it, “Someone confused us for a thrift shop, another miracle I guess.”

DaeRi nodded as he bagged the dress into a dress bag and handed it over to her.

“I’m sure you’ll look gorgeous for your big night,” he said, “and have fun.”

“Thanks,” DaeRis said before hurrying out of the store. That whole experience was weird. She turned to head home and saw Bachelor, a popular guy on the football team who was best friends with the Prom king from last year. He was leaving the thrift store with a bag in his hand. That was a sight you don’t see often, popular people actually buying stuff from thrift store.

“Bachelor?” DaeRi said, smiling a bit.

“Oh, uh, hey,” Bachelor said, hiding the bag behind his bag.

DaeRi raised her eyebrows, “what are you up to?”

“Getting something... for... my mom.” he said slowly, looking around.

Daeri laughed, “sure.”

He frowned, “yeah, I am. What are you up to?”

He looked pointedly at the bag in DaeRi’s hand and back to the consignment shop.

“Oh,” DaeRi said, “I’m, uh, picking up something for... a friend.”

This time Bachelor laughed, “yeah, right. All your friends are too rich for consignment shops.”

“You don’t know all my friends,” DaeRi said.

“Everyone knows everything about you, DaeRi,” Bachelor said.

DaeRi frowned, “not everything, just what they see.”

Bachelor shrugged, “I gotta go.”

“Of course, see you later, I guess.” DaeRi said.

“Yeah, you too,” He said.

DaeRi turned around as if heading the other way, she didn’t want him seeing her head off to the poor side of town. This was already embarrassing enough.

But he just followed in the same direction.

She looked back at him, “where are you going?”

“What, I’m not allowed to go get some food?” he challenged.

DaeRi shook her head, “whatever.”

DaeRi kept walking past the Deli, and the fast food place, and around to the stirp mall, back to her house. She couldn’t wait to tell Tamarai about her dress score, but she decided she’d keep the whole Bachelor thing to herself. No need to start unwanted drama.