The door to the clothing boutique opened. “Do we really have to buy new clothes just for this occasion?” Sugarcoat asked as she and her friends entered the store.
“But of course, dearie” Sunny replied as if it was the most natural thing in the world, stroking the back of her hand through her bangs. “For such an event, we all should look our very best – and there is no better way for a girl to stun everyone in the room than by walking in with a sparkling, brand-new dress.”
Indigo rolled her eyes. “You’ve been reading too much of those weird novels again…”
“And heard too much kitschy lullaby-music” Lemon added.
Scoffing, Sunny turned her shoulder to them. “You two probably don’t even have a dress for such an occasion.”
With a loud yawn Lemon stretched herself. “Whatever, dudes. I’m just happy we are finally done with preparing everything.” Her arms behind her head she cracked a few bones in her body. “Man, I don’t think I’ve ever worked so hard in my life before!”
“Which would be sad since I did most of the work” Sugarcoat remarked.
All attention then turned to Sour as she clapped her hands. “All right, everyone, enough chitchat” she declared, stepping forward. Hands on her hips she looked everyone in the eyes. “We have three hours before the ball-”
“It’s a party!” Lemon chimed in, glaring at her.
Sour sighed. “Right. We have three hours before the PARTY starts.” A large smile formed on her face. “Until then, we need to have picked our new outfits, got our hair and make-up done and be back at Crystal Prep, to celebrate the spirit of school community and friendship. SO GET MOVING, YA SLOWPOKES!!”
Her friends jumped as she ended her speech with a sudden yell. The girls scattered through the store, searching the aisles of clothes for new outfits.
Time passed with the girls looking through the store. Their backs turned to each other Sour and Indigo were scramming through the assortment of dresses. “Ugh, don’t they have any cute outfits here?” Sour moaned as she shuffled through the clothes racks.
Behind her, Indigo snickered. “Still on about that cute stuff? We see how that worked!”
With squinted eyes Sour scowled at her. “You’re one to talk” she mumbled, before turning her attention back on the dresses. After pushing some more dresses aside Sour stumbled across an outfit that made her eyes gleam. “Oh, Indigooo” she cooed in a soothing voice. “I’ve got the perfect outfit for you♥”
Indigo turned her head. With a big smile plastered over her face, Sour was holding out a baby-blue frilly dress with a bell-skirt. There were ribbon-shaped buttons, puffy shoulders, a collar that looked like it was made out of cotton-candy, and ruffles that were pouring out of every opening. Indigo stared at the outfit for a moment, before skeptically raising her gaze to meet Sour’s. “You’re kidding? Tell me you’re kidding.”
“Not at all!” Sour chirped. Against her friend’s protests, she held out the dress against Indigo’s body, squealing in genuine, if exaggerated delight. “Aw, you look so cute – now if we just get you the right hair-do and make your fingernails, you’ll be the most adorable thing EVER!
Indigo took in a deep breath. Suddenly she smacked the gown aside, startling her friend. “Don’t call me cute again – EVER!” she shouted, hardly poking Sour at the chest. “And hell’s gonna freeze over before I get some girly hair-cut or make my fingernails all prissy!”
Much to her surprise, Sour didn’t get snarky. Instead, her face beamed even more as she pinched Indigo’s cheeks. “But look at these sweet little cheeks, and those big puppy eyes – it’d be a crime not to make any use of them!”
With a red hue decorating her cheeks Indigo pushed Sour off. “I don’t have sweet cheeks and puppy eyes!” she said, pointing at her features. “My face is toned from training and my eyes radiate determination!” Turning around she rummaged through the dresses on her side. A sly smile on her face she pulled one out, showing it to Sour. “Here – this is the stuff for me!”
Sour looked at the dress Indigo was presenting her. It resembled a cocktail dress, with no holders and barely reaching down half the length of their uniform’s skirts. Its base colour was black, but when moving Sour could see there was some sort of sparkling pattern on it, glistening in a several hues of blue. “That thing?” she asked, raising an eye-brow. “You sure you wanna go to the ball…”
“PARTY!!”
Sour glared in the direction of Lemon’s voice. “…to the party wearing that?”
Holding the dress in front of her body Indigo grinned. “Of course! It’s bold, it’s aggressive, it screams ‘Watch out for me’ – perfect!”
Amused, Sour chuckled into her hand. “Oh, Indigo, you have so much to learn” she said, fluttering her eye-lashes. “It’s the cute girls who are the most popular with the guys♥”
Irritated, Indigo stared at her friend. “What are you talking about? Guys want strong, tough gals at their sides - self-confidence and attitude are what draws them in crowds!”
Sour shook her head. “On a soccer field maybe. But at a ball…”
“PARTY!!”
“ …at a party” she murmured, casting another glare in the direction of Lemon’s voice, before turning all smiles and sunshine again “…the boys will look out for weak little ladies they can protect and shelter.”
The athlete blew a raspberry. “Yeah, sure. Because every guy wants to date a gal who reminds them of their annoying little sister.”
Crossing her arms, Sour pouted. “More likely than dating someone who acts like their bossy big sister…”
Indigo’s lips curled up to smirk. “I smell a challenge.”
“Oh please, we are no little kids…”
Putting her fists into her armpits Indigo wailed her arms, walking on the spot while making chicken sounds. The contours of Sour’s face quickly turned into an angry frown. Grabbing Indigo by the shoulders she forced her to stop, looking her straight in the eyes.
“You want a challenge? FINE! I bet I get to dance with more guys at the ball – SHUT IT LEMON!!! – by wearing a cute outfit than you in a bold one!”
A cocky look on her face, Indigo nodded. “I’m usually not in for girly bets like that, but CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!”
Calm and slowly, Sugarcoat was walking along the aisle of dresses. Occasionally she stopped to give one a closer look, but quickly let it slide back into its place. Most of the time she wasn’t even interested in the dress, just pausing to incredulously stare at some of the glittery, over-the-top designs. Wandering around like this she made her way through the store. As she stopped to take a look at a dress, one that actually would have suited her it didn’t have such an awfully frilly hem, she heard a rustling noise behind her. Quickly she turned her head. A few dresses seemed to be wavering slightly on their coat hooks. She adjusted her glasses, squinting her eyes to take a closer look. After intensely staring at the dresses for a moment she shrugged it off, and continued her march down the aisle of cloth racks.
Once she had taken corner the head of a girl poked out between the dresses. Careful not to lean out too far she looked after Sugarcoat, but couldn’t spot her from her position anymore.
“You are following me.”
Sunny almost got a heart-attack when she heard Sugarcoat’s voice behind her. Gasping she pulled her head out from between the dresses, surprised and shocked to see the white-haired girl standing next to her with a strict look on her face. “What? N-no, I was, um…” With a shy blush Sunny coughed. “Okay, I did follow you. But see, this is a big night for us, so it’s important we all look good...”
Sugarcoat tapped on the floor. “Go on.”
Growing more uncomfortable Sunny rubbed her foot over the ground, as if she was trying to bore a hole into it. “And well, I was afraid the dress of your choice might be a little bit… um…”
“Blunt?” Sugarcoat finished the sentence for her.
Sunny cleared her throat. “To put it bluntly, yes.”
Rubbing her temples Sugarcoat took in a deep breath. “Look, I’m not much into fancy stuff. Also, considering this is just a regular party…”
“THANK YOU!!”
“…held in the middle of the school year, it probably won’t be a special or big night for any of us.”
“But it COULD be our big night!” Sunny said, smiling broadly at her friend.
Not seeming convinced Sugarcoat coldly stared at the nervously smiling girl in front of her. “I’m sorry, but I’m not interested in-”
Suddenly Sunny’s face was hovering millimeters in front of her own. “Pleeeaaaassse!!! Just let me pick a dress for you, okay?”
Their nose-tips almost touching each other, there was something pleading, at the same time demanding in the way Sunny looked at Sugarcoat. She quietly stared back for a moment, before letting out a sigh. “I am so going to regret this.”
Shining like the sun, Sunny’s face was beaming with a bright smile. “Great! Okay, I’m thinking of something gallant that brings out the sparkle in your eyes, but not so vibrant it puts too much focus on your pale skin, and of course it has to match your white hair – though you should really consider getting another hair-do, and of course you are going to need glasses matching your new dress, and maybe some decent jewelry and…”
On and on Sunny went, soon losing herself in all the possible dresses and accessories Sugarcoat could wear. The white-haired girl endured her non-stop rambling with stoic nonchalance. “I am so regretting this...”
Sitting on a bench near the changing cabins, Sugarcoat rested her chin on her fist, a frown on her face. Around her dozens of dresses were lying, with another one being thrown on the pile every few seconds. Sugarcoat watched as Sunny worked her way through the dress racks, tossing one after the other away.
“Not enough sass… too much sass… too right amount of sass…”
Pushing the latest dress out of her face, Sugarcoat incredulously looked at Sunny. “How can something be too right amount?
Sunny rolled her eyes. “Because it makes you look like you’re trying too hard! The key is too look like you didn’t put much effort into it, as if it just naturally comes to you.”
“That is dumb.”
Ignoring that comment, Sunny continued to browse through the shop’s assortment. Suddenly she stopped. Looking at a specific dress, a wide smile formed on her face. “I think I have found the perfect one for you” she chirped, pulling out the dress. Though reluctantly, Sugarcoat took the dress out of her friend’s hands and entered a changing cabin with it. A few minutes later the curtain was pulled open, revealing Sugarcoat in her new attire.
The dress was pale blue, the colour just so bright it caught the eye without being unpleasantly striking. Its fabric was formfitting around the torso, but the skirt was rather wide, slightly conic with the hem going to her knees. Underneath it the laces of a silky, half-transparent underskirt were looking out. The whole dress was glistening slightly, especially the hem of the skirt, looking like a silver lining.
Walking up and down in front of her, Sunny critically evaluated Sugarcoat like an item in a vitrine. “You know, maybe we should look for one that is a little more glittery” she remarked.
Furrowing her brows, Sugarcoat shot a dark glare at her.
“…On second thought, the amount of glitter just brings out the sparkle in your eyes.” Looking over her, Sunny smiled in content. “But seriously, you look absolutely stunning in it!”
Seeming not nearly as happy as her wardrobe manager, Sugarcoat sighed. “So, are you also gonna tell me what make-up I have to put on? Or how I have to style my hair?
With a wave of her hand Sunny dismissed it. “Oh I am completely confident you can manage this by yourself, dearie.” Smirking more mischievously, she whispered: “Besides, I have a far more important task ahead of me…”
Music banging from her headphones Lemon searched through the racks, humming and tapping to the rhythm. Over the loud music, she didn’t notice a silhouette approaching her from behind. Eventually though she caught a glimpse, and turned her head.
Sunny was standing in the aisle between two rows of dresses. In one hand she held a comb, in the other one a hairbrush.
Backs turned to each other, Sour and Indigo continued to look for outfits. As she scanned some frilly dresses, a thought struck Sour. “Hey, what if we both end up with the same number of dates?” she asked over her shoulder. “I mean I’m obviously gonna win – but just in case.”
Turning her head Indigo pondered for a moment. A loud rumble suddenly emerged from behind the line of dresses. Both girls stared in surprise as Lemon and Sunny burst through them. Wrestling with each other they rolled over the ground, towards the opposing wall of dresses. Sunny held a comb and a brush in her hands, trying to reach Lemon’s hair with them, something the punk rock fan vigorously tried to avoid by holding Sunny’s wrists and trying to push her off.
“Lemme go, you punk!” Lemon shouted on top of Sunny, before they rolled over and switched positions.
“Come on, just a few strokes!” Sunny yelled, almost bringing the comb in reach.
“You’re not my mom!” Pulling her head away from the comb Lemon rolled on top again.
“No, but I’m your friend!” Sunny shouted, the two switching places again. “And I’m not gonna let you go to the ball with such a coiffure!”
“IT’S A PARTY!!”
“IT COULD BE OUR BIG NIGHT!!!”
“MY HAIR IS MY AFFAIR!!!!”
“I’M GONNA TAME THAT MANE!!!!!”
Bursting through the dresses Sunny and Lemon rolled into the next aisle, leaving two rather dazzled spectators behind. For a moment, Sour and Indigo stared at where the two girls had disappeared, blinking in confusion.
With a big smirk Indigo looked at Sour. “Well, I guess a catfight is always an option!”