6. Shop me my style

6. Shop me my style

"Good morning, everyone!" I spoke, while looking in my phone’s camera and posed for a picture. 

‘Day one of twin sis makeover (TSM)’ 

I captioned the photo I had just made, and posted it on social media.

I had my ‘Stained’ T-shirt on, dressed like myself with hair down and only mascara on. I wondered how I would look at the end of the day, when Tina would have forced her fashion ideas on me.

I went to the kitchen and grabbed a banana for the road. It was my favorite breakfast. Sweet, easy to eat when you are not in the mood and most importantly healthy. I liked to get one to-go and eat it in my car while I was driving to school. That's what I did today too. The only difference was that I spotted Tina in the yard when she was going to her car, and she actually said ‘hi’ to me with a very big not fake smile. 

That was a first!

"I will see you by the lockers at half past two, okay?" she asked, and I nodded in reply.

In the parking lot, I was making a list of things I could use for the project, that could excuse my absence and will make my painting pop up. Linda came with her short clothes and her strange walk, like she was jumping from joy or something.

"Hi, Al." She greeted me and I responded with, "Hi, Lin."

It was nice to see her after last night, but I knew I had to hide a giant secret from her. Not that it was my secret, but I had the need to tell her all that was going on in my life. She was my person. The one I tell everything to and who gets me. But, I had to force myself to hide Tina's secret, it was the right thing to do.

"What are you doing?" she questioned and her black eyes gazed at my phone, where I was making my list of supplies.

"I am going to buy some stuff at the end of school hours. I need to talk to the Dean first though, to let me go." I gave her a sad look. "Would you like to help me convince him?"

"You are skipping class? Count me in and I will help you." She grinned devilishly.

Dean Webster had a soft spot for students who begged and Linda was amazing at it. Give her a chance to show her big, black puppy dog eyes and that was all it took. She once groveled to the Dean to let us make our history lesson into a one hour themed party, like an educational ball with masks. 

Lessons must be sometimes cool, right?

Seeing Mr. Rogers, wondering how to actually have fun, no matter that it was his subject.

We still had fifteen minutes until our first class, so we went first to arrange our stuff with Mr. Webster. The corridor was absolutely empty this early in the day. Our steps were echoing, and we felt the need to whisper for no reason. There were students in the hall on the other side of the wall, but it was quiet here.

Reaching the Dean's door, I knocked and waited for the woman to invite us like she did the other day. When it didn't happen, Linda and I shared a puzzled look, and this time she knocked. I shrugged my shoulders and turned to leave when the door opened wide, and cheerful Mr. Webster made a gesture with his hand, inviting us inside.

"Good morning, girls. My secretary is not here yet. Sit down, tell me how I can help you." He said with his tiny voice, unlike any man.

We placed our butts on the bench, and I explained that I needed to go get some stuff for the project, but my free time was with the project itself. He listened to me with narrowed eyebrows, probably wondering if I was lying to him.

"You see, Alice is going crazy with her amazing ideas. There are so many ways to improve their work. What we buy will inspire others too. We are not going there only for Alice, all students in the project can use the materials as they see fit." Linda said in one breath with a nerdy expression.

"Of course, it's not only for me. That is why I will ask you to dismiss Linda… and Tina too." I said and Linda snapped her head to me in surprise.

"Tina?" Mr. Webster asked.

"Yeah, my… sister Tina Stevens," I said, hoping that I sounded convincing.

"She will take part in this?" the Dean questioned, leaning a bit over the small glass table in front of us.

I nodded, and the silence filled the room, until the door opened, and the woman from the other day came inside with two coffees in her hands and flushed cheeks.

"I am so sorry, Mr. Webster. I had car trouble, but managed to get the coffee anyway and on my way here… Oh, sorry. Good morning, girls." She rambled, while leaving her stuff on her desk.

"Good morning." Linda and I answered together.

The Dean only passed a smile to her and turned to us. "Outstanding! You can go on and tell Tina that I will let you three free for the last two classes… but--"

Linda cut him off, getting up from her place, "Thank you, thank you, Dean Webster. You will not feel sorry after you see what they will create."

"But?" I invited him to continue, standing up with a smile.

"But I want to see what you really bought, and I want the receipt, so the school can cover what you bought for the walls." He demanded.

"You will! Thank you so much!" I grinned at him, and we went outside, leaving the horrible smell of coffee, that I truly hated, in the room behind us.

"So what's with this Tina thing? I thought you hated each other?" Linda asked what I knew it was coming.

"We don't hate each other. We just are not close, or like each other." I shrugged.

"But why her? I can't imagine it... Did you invite her? It's so unlike you."

"The truth is that she will be helping me." I leaned to her to whisper.

"What? Why would she and for what?"

"We are not going to get only painting supplies. We are going shopping, and she will pick what I will wear for tonight." I confessed and her jaw dropped on the floor.

"Are you mental? Why? What good can come from this? And how. The. Hell. Did. You. Convince. Her. To. Do. That?" she questioned, a pause on each word to make them stand out.

"I… I thought I needed a change… and Dad wants us to act more like a family, so this is me trying" I half lied.

She looked like her eyes were going to pop out from what I was telling her. That's how well she knew me. With part of the information, I would question my motives too.

***

I was leaning on the wall in the locker's hall, with my backpack on my shoulder, and talking with Linda about her blog. Soon, Tina's heels announced every step she was taking towards us, and we both turned around to the sound, waiting for the Barbie to appear behind the corner.

"Oh My God! I can't believe she is coming with us… like we are friends." Linda exclaimed, with her mouth open when my step-sister's blond hair came in sight.

"Yeah, but don't think that we are one of the popular kids now. Okay?" I warned her with a smile. "Let's go, guys," I added, not waiting for Tina to come all the way to us.

Twenty minutes later, we were at the mall. We took my car and drove in silence. Actually, the first words that my half-sister said since school were, "Let's go upstairs to my favorite place." and we just followed.

She entered a shop that I would never go on my own and started putting clothes into a shopping basket. I just gave a worried look to Linda and went after Tina. Ten minutes later, I was in the changing room with a pile of clothes.

"You can't be serious! This is too flashy!" I complained to the girls, outside the curtains. "And I can't even… What is that?" I groaned, staring at what she picked for me.

"Will you just put it on and trust me. I am known for my way of clothing. Stop whining like a spoiled kid. Act more mature." Tina's scolded me and I sighed. I can't expect her to change because we had a moment.

"Yeah, known for putting yourself in people's eyes by wearing glittering or revealing clothes." I murmured.

"I don't know what you are saying, but I don't care. No complaining." She spoke with a confident voice.

"Ugh, fine!" I gave up and got dressed in a brown lace top, revealing my simple black sports bra.

Under it, she gave me a tight, leather black skirt and knee-high leather boots. 

This was crazy! 

I removed the curtain to show them my ridiculous look.

"Wow! That's… actually amazing!" Linda exclaimed, getting up from a bench a few feet away from me. "I think it's perfect!"

"I know my stuff." Tina said, as she crossed her arms on her chest proudly.

I turned around to see if we were watching the same thing and groaned. "No way! I am not showing up to any public place looking like that!" I yelled and went to remove those things off me.

"She will come around. She just needs to get used to it." I heard my best friend say, while I was changing in the next crazy top. It was not revealing, but it had no sleeves and too many small gems on it in all the colors of the rainbow. 

I love black and white!

I put it on, and then a white skirt way above my knees with a giant, dark brown belt. There was another set of boots that I had to admit I liked. They went perfectly with the belt color.

I went outside to show this outfit and this time no one said a thing. Both were just looking at me in... awe?

"What? You don't like it this time?" I lifted my shoulders.

"Oh, the opposite! You are going like that, you hear me?" Linda ordered with her eyes wide open. "If you try to protest, you will have to deal with me!"

"She is hot, isn't she? Almost like she is not Alice!" My step-sister asked, with a surprised grin and my best friend nodded hastily.

"You are supposed to be my person!" I complained to Linda in defeat, and closed the damn curtain.