It didn't take long before I struggled to get up again, because this wasn't the first time something like this had happened to me. That was just the little clumsy thing in me that has been with me all my life.
Coming to my senses, I excitedly grabbed my phone and breathed a sigh of relief when I couldn't find any damage other than a small scratch across the screen, which didn't bother me too much. I had spent my last money on this dress and I didn't want to ask my dad to buy me a new smartphone. He barely had enough money to support both of us, so I relaxed and flopped onto my bed and closed my eyes for a moment before that one thought came back to me.
Shoes...
I sat up hastily and started typing like crazy.
»Hey!«
Melina "Hi what's up?"
"Do you happen to have shoes in size 38 for a light blue dress?"
Melina "I have the perfect shoes. But only in 39. You'll survive a few hours!"
"But please no heels, Melina!"
Melina »Either heels or barefoot! It's your choice. I still have things to do now. See you later, nerd.”
I would survive the few hours, that's what she might have thought, but I saw it differently. My clumsy streak and heels. The thought made me jump a little, but I had to accept it for better or for worse. I had no choice if I didn't want to look like a village troll, although I wouldn't have cared.
After I put my phone back on the dessert table, I caught sight of my alarm clock, which made me realize how much time I had left.
For the remaining hours I tidied up my room with loud music playing and then watched TV while happily shoveling down muesli. I heard Melina's car right on time from afar, even though the TV was turned up very loud. But she had the music turned up so loud that every werewolf could hear it for miles. That's probably what she wanted to achieve.
Damn !!!
When I got up from the sofa, my knee hurt so much that I immediately fell back on the sofa and had to suppress the pain. Only at the second attempt did I finally stand securely on both feet and hobbled to the door, annoyed by my accident, in order to open it afterwards.
Melina sped past me like a whirlwind and disappeared into my room with several large bags and suitcases. I glanced outside briefly, because I briefly enjoyed such a soothing scent that I couldn't begin to guess where it was coming from.
Melina's calls to me, however, made me close the door, slightly confused, and hurry to her back. Without even looking at me, she excitedly threw all her clothes on my bed and seemed totally tense, which elicited a stupid grin from me.
"First we'll do our make-up, then come the clothes and finally the accessories. Have you actually thought about it in the meantime whether you're going barefoot or with shoes?", she explained out of breath and then directed her gaze at my feet with a grin, until her the smile suddenly faded.
"Oh god, Alicia. What's that on your knee?" she asked, looking at me wide-eyed, waiting for my explanation. Looking down at myself with a frown, I immediately understood what made her look so shocked. My knee was just blue! But really blue, like I had a plum tattooed on it.
"I lost a battle with my bed frame," I admitted dryly, shrugging my shoulders innocently. Her face still looked scared, but at least I was able to coax a small grin out of her with my easy way of dealing with it.
Then the time began when it was all about getting the best out of our appearance. The minutes went by really fast and at exactly 7:50 p.m., we were completely styled. The black heeled shoes from Melina really suited me and matched my dress perfectly, while my loose wavy hair made me look almost like a princess.
"Come on, we have to go," the black-haired woman rushed me out of my room and rushed past me to the front door, which she impatiently held open for me. I hurriedly followed her and as I ran my eyes fell on the fridge next to the table which had a picture of Mum and Dad sitting arm in arm by a lake and just looking happy.
"Wait! Melina, wait!" I shouted at her excitedly and quickly ran back into my father's bedroom to look for something.
It has to be somewhere ... got it!
Melina was stunned by the door when I came out of the bedroom smiling, holding a Polaroid camera that belonged to my mum.
"Would you please take a picture of me," I asked her politely and handed her the good piece. She accepted it with a smile and took a few steps back to tell me exactly where to stand. She was really good at giving directions!
"Say cheeeeeeese."
She pulled the trigger and immediately handed the camera back to me, curious.
"Hope I didn't wobble," she murmured under her breath, stepping close to my side.
We both waited curiously for my photo and I was really excited to see myself in a photo with a dress. Despite the positive anticipation, I missed my dad at that moment and I wished he had really managed to come home earlier that day. We only had each other... so at least we wanted to make him happy with the photo.
"Perfect," Melina snapped me out of my wistful thoughts and waved the photo back and forth in amusement while I felt my cheeks warm with embarrassment. When I finally got my hands on it, I got even hotter.
I looked really beautiful. Like a gray mouse against Melina, but nice in my own way. I proudly affixed it to the fridge with a magnet right next to my parents' photo, and smirked at the thought of how happy Dad would smile when he saw it.
"Come on please. We really have to go!" Melina excitedly pulled me away from the fridge by my arm, then put her hand on my back and pushed me out into the cold air.