machinations

noun

1. a plot or scheme.

OK, so bridesmaid dress shopping. I can do this. Sigh... Maybe?

Its Friday after school the day before the wedding and this was the only time my mum had in her schedule to go dress shopping with me. I'm a little miffed about that, but the adult in me understands just how much work my mother does in her company and why she's been coming home after nine every night for the last week. She's super busy. She must have a new contract coming in or something.

So I'm at entrance to the mall, not the one on our side of town that I usually frequent. Its the mall over the rich side of town, the one we all call Posh Mall. Too rich for my tastes, or it used to be. Now its just another mall. Problem is, I haven't been back to this place since a particularly nasty incident that left me running through the building almost completely naked. I bunch my fists up remembering how Eyva set me up that time.

I wave my hand in my face to help cool myself down, the embarrassment from 'before' and the anger and shame that came with it. Let's not think about it. It hasn't happened this time round. Don't let it bother you. But its so hard to forget the shame.

"Shopping. Dress shopping with Mum. Easy peasy." I mumble to myself.

Just as I step through the electric doors I collide with rather hard and muscular chest and shoulder and bounce off. I bounced off. But that shouldn't surprise me as my five foot something stupidly short frame weighs almost nothing in this timeline and I wasn't expecting to play defense while walking into the mall.

"Ouch, goddess, watch where you're going!" I complain before getting up off the floor. I hear giggles and remember myself and where I am. The me 'before' would have been mortified and slunk off in embarrassment. I just don't care about my so-called self image this time around. It has been ruined and trodden on for so many years it just doesn't matter to me any more. I'm my own self, no matter what anyone says. People's opinions don't matter any more.

I dust my butt off while glaring at the silly blond bomb-shells clinging on the arms of the sporting jocks wearing sports jackets. In the middle of summer. The aircon in the mall must be set on freezing.

"You alright, miss?" a low voice skitters across my skin and I turn to the source of that familiar voice and move just in time to avoid his outstretched hand.

"I'm fine. I know I'm short and all, and it might be hard to find me in a haystack, but please, have some mercy for the small people in this world and take care where you walk? Thank you." I turn away from tall and handsome without looking at his face and move on through the entrance of the mall.

"What a bitch!"

"I know, right?" The girls behind me start badmouthing me and I know that if I don't do something about this now, then they will take it as permission to walk all over me at school when I transfer next week.

I turn back to them and walk right up to the closest one wearing the most makeup and get right into her face. Well, at my height, it more like her boobs, but I'm trying for tough here. I remember her. She's one of Eyva's goonies. Nasty piece of works.

"I might be a bitch but at least I have manners not to bad mouth people within hearing range. In case you didn't know, manners are those social behaviours or habits that guardians usually teach children so they become well-bred people of society. Its what helps make our world a better place. You want to live in a better place, don't you? Learn some manners." I storm off while they are all still stunned stupid. Only tall and handsome starts his deep rumble of a laugh behind my back.

"Interesting. I wonder where she's from." His words make me cringe and I know he's one of the main reasons why Eyva Overmeyer stayed at school another year even though she had all the credits to graduate early. She has a major crush on him. Liam Ferguson's brief interest in me is exactly why school life became a such a nightmare with Eyva's nasty machinations in the background. She made my life a living hell, just because Liam - the school prince, asked me out. One time and she created so much havoc.

Anyway, it turns out he was just interested in an easy lay. Stupid punk.

I shiver as move into the ground floor promenade, rubbing my arms. From the aircon or the memories, I'm not sure which. I shake my head, it doesn't matter.

I'm early. It wont be for another forty minutes before mum can meet me here so I decide to check out the various shops selling dresses that I think would suit me. But nothing seems to interest me. Well, none of the teenaged fashion shops. They are all selling bodycon dresses or baby doll swing dresses. Almost two completely different extremes. One is for hookers, the other for lollycons. A prepubescent girl I am not.

I don't actually own a lot of dresses in my wardrobe at home. Most of them are all sports dresses for tennis or volleyball. Not really suitable for bridesmaid material.

What to do, what to do... OK, so if the teen stores aren't making the cut, why not try the high end adult women's stores. Nodding my head I move up the escalator to the top floors where the shops get more expensive, but they might just have something for me.

Just as I'm about to step into Trelise Cooper, my phone rings and I answer it.

"Where are you, honey?" My mother is finally here.

"I'm up on the 5th floor, just outside Trelise Cooper. I can meet you at the escalator if you like." Just as I turn away to meet with her, I find the dress that I've been looking for. It is a white cuffed tunic shift dress with balloon sleeves, clear sequins and silver embellishments on the front and back panel. On the model in the window it drapes down the thighs a couple of inches above the knees, but on me it should be just about right.

"Honey, Lily? You still there?"

"Oh, mum. Yes, I think I found the perfect dress. Come up and help me try it on." I wasn't even watching where I was walking at this point, so excited to have found a pretty dress that suited me just fine. I was determined that this was the dress I needed and walked straight into the store.

How was I to know that those stupid girls from before were waiting en mass for me. Sill me. Not watching what was happening in the background.