Chapter 49


    I can’t stop running my fingers through my hair as I sit across from Cami in the bistro café we have


    come to for a coffee. Lifting the deep ck strands of hair and twirling them nervously. I have no idea


    what my Mom or Le is going to say about this drastic change, but the reflection in the hair salon


    showed me apletely transformed woman. I look and feel, for the first time ever, that I actually look


    my age and the amount of well-dressed men turning our way in passing has not just been for Cami.


    Gone are the long blonde strands and round baby face, with pale stormy blue eyes, and in its ce, a


    more angled, sleek facial shape. Framed with dark hair that seems to make my eyes stand out crazily,


    as though the blue is somehow more intense and less washed out. I wasn’t able to stop staring at the


    stranger in the mirror when she showed me the new look. I don’t look like that stroppy child anymore; I


    look like some vampy woman in much need of a sexy dress. Cami then attacked me with winged


    liner and red lipstick, dering me her new hair bestie, and invited me for coffee.


    “We really need to sort this out.” Cami leans over, pulling up the baggy sleeved T-shirt, emzoned


    with an old boy band that I sauntered out of the house wearing this morning. I hate to admit, but thest


    few days of frumpy clothing are almost killing me. I know I’m just dressing to suit my somber mood, but


    my love of clothes means I actually feel so much worse dressed this way.


    “I’m sort of going through a restyle, this was myfy phase, after binning about three wardrobes


    worth of slutty attire.” I sigh heavily, hoping to avoid any talk of the reasons behind theplete


    lifestyle change. The man behind my pathetic wardrobe dilemma.


    “Oh Dahling, slutty is sooo overrated. Men want ss, and something left to the imagination nowadays.


    Only the club scruffs go after booty in dental floss.” Cami sips her English tea and gazes at me


    wisely. “You have so much potential, a whole other ss of sexy. I mean, have you looked at that hot


    girl in the mirror today, Sophie Dahling, you’re truly fucking stunning. You’re what the mere mortals call


    ‘da bomb’.” Cami is definitely another ss of sexy, and I haven’t been able to stop staring at her


    since the walk over here. I may not have any sort of attractions to women, but I can appreciate, Cami


    is a new breed for me.


    “You would be willing to help me pick some new clothes?” I regard her with wide-eyed innocence. The


    little fashionista inside my head running on into excited overdrive.


    “Oh, my God, Dahling, I like totally love styling people. It’s what I live for. What look are you going for?”


    Cami leans forward conspiratorially with a half-smile on her face that is almost seductive. She’s too


    beautiful to be real.


    “Something mature, yet sexy. Something that says grown-up and got her shit together.” I fiddle with my


    mug, acting braver than I’m feeling. Smiling when Cami ps her hands in glee.


    “How soon do you want to start? I’ve an itch to break daddy’s credit card and will shop at the drop of a


    hat.” She leans in, excited and smiling, shuffling her shoulders in anticipation. Beaming at me


    mischievously.


    “I’m not doing anything right now, and I only got my new card this morning after I, um … lost myst


    one.” I smile, omitting the fact my ex-boyfriend ripped off my cards after hightailing it with my bag. Terry


    and Dionne are the reason my dad received a four thousand dor credit bill, and he is still trying to


    have the bank recoup it, seeing as I never reported them stolen. Needless to say, I’m in the major bad


    books. Dad’s always so serious over our responsibilities with money.


    “Let’s go! I have the most amazing little boutique I found down a side street that you will positively


    adore!”


    ***


    I throw the bags down on my bed and haul off the new long ck coat that’s tied over the shift dress I


    am wearing and catch sight of myself in the mirror. I do a double take with a gasp as it really hits me.


    Sophie is gone, and some slender and poised girl in an Audrey Hepburn style ck dress is staring


    back at me, wless makeup, and killer tailoring, down to my ankle strapped shoes with a moderate


    heel. I have to give it to Cami; she has style, and she’s made me look like a million dors.


    My parents weren’t home when I got here, and for that I’m thankful. I’m not sure how they are going to


    react with my natural blonde locks sheared off and dyed vampy ck, but I hope they see this as a


    positive sign, that I am getting my shit together.


    Cami’s given me her cell number and arranged to meet for drinkster tonight, over dinner at a


    nearby restaurant. It’ll be my first time out on the town sinceing home, and I want to assure my


    mom that I’ll be careful and note home drunk. I’m trying so hard to undo the damage I have


    inflicted on her heart and we’ve been spending a little time together over thest few days, growing


    close again. I want to prove to the people who love me that I really want to move on.


    Wandering downstairs carefully, I listen for any signs of life, checking again that no one is home before


    heading to the kitchen to fetch myself something light to eat. Thisst week I have spent more time at


    home than at Emma and Jake’s. Just readjusting and pouring over the paperwork for the little evening


    sses I want to join.


    Sitting at the table with my Chicken Caesar Sd, I freeze when I clock the front door opening, and the


    tter of feeting into the hall, the tell-tale clicks of my mom’s heels on the marble floor. Bracing


    myself for the moment my parents walk into the kitchen, my nerves get the better of me, but I remain


    poised and ready at the table. They walk in, smiling and chatting while carrying paper bags, oblivious at


    first as I staypletely still and hold my breath.


    “Sophie?” My mom stops inplete shock, taking me in, while my dad bumps into her with wide-


    mouthed silence. It’s almost like that stomach lurching moment when your parents discover you have a


    piercing somewhere on your face, as Le once did, or that time they spotted my rose tattoo on the


    base of my spine, the one Arrick took me for when I was seventeen, and went absolutely ape shit over


    it.


    “Hey... Ummm, do you like it?” I flick the edge of my hair up cutely. Chewing nervously on my lip. My


    mom traces her eyes down the entire outfit, silently losing all external expression.


    “It’s certainly different, honey.” She smiles brightly. “Your dress is gorgeous, and well, it may take a bit


    of getting used to, but your hair is rather nice too. Don’t you think?” She nudges my dad, who is still


    staring silently. His eyes ze over and with a tense jaw, and a silent broody look of disapproval, he


    turns and walks off, muttering under his breath ‘Not my Sophs’ moodily without a backwards nce.


    “Ignore him, you know he finds any signs of you lot growing up hard to handle. He’ll get used to it.” My


    momes around the table and ces a delicate kiss on my cheek, soothing over the hurt caused by


    dad’s reaction. “I really like your makeup, it does so much more for you than the three inches of


    ‘smokey’ eyes you are fond of. This is so minimal, yet stunning.” She brushes a hand over my


    cheekbone, brushing back my new silky hair, revealing my liner and red lips. Nothing much else is


    going on except a bit of highlight and blush. Understated mour.


    “I made a new friend,” I cut in, trying to redirect her attention and ignore the utter disappointment still


    reeling inside. I know it’s stupid, to always get like this when they disapprove of something that matters


    to me, but I can’t help it.


    “You did? Anyone we know?” Mom moves with the paper bags to the fridge and unloads the


    delicatessen boxes she’se home with. As much as we have cooks and cleaners, and Mom’s not


    against the odd cooking splurge, she prefers health food takeaway for convenience. She has a


    weakness for the couscous concoctions from her favorite organic food store.


    “She’s new to town, the family are called Walters. They’re English. Cami Walters.” I watch my mother


    fetch a ss of water and ice before returning to me, still looking thoughtful and nonplussed.


    “Can’t say it rings a bell, but if they’re new then maybe we just haven’t run into them yet.” She smiles


    softly then moves off from the table in pursuit of her husband. A gentle stroke of my hair as she passes


    me. “I do like it, Sophie, just a bit of a shock to find our little blonde honey is now some slinky darkdy


    right before our eyes.” I smile at her, but it doesn’t really ring true, still mulling over the fact my dad


    pretty much dismissed it and walked off without a single word to me.


    “Oh, before I forget ... Arrick left you about ten messages today. Please call that boy, something must


    be wrong with your cell, and he sounded so frantic. He never leaves messages, so it must be urgent.”


    My mom smiles innocently and walks off down the hall leaving me to sag into the table, that inner


    control and poise copsing under the weight of his name.


    Last thing I need is to know he’s still trying to get hold of me. It only makes me angry that he’s refusing


    to respect my wishes. He has no idea how much this it’s killing me, to try to separate him from my life,


    and he’s only making this worse by holding on. Just when I think I am doing okay; he somehow sweeps


    in and it alles crashing down around me again in a torrent of horrendous aching pain.This belongs to N?velDrama.Org - ?.