Phantom Touches (3)

Nova

“Nova!” someone called.

I turned to find Amy running across the parking lot toward me, her backpack bouncing against her shoulders.

“Was that your mom?” she asked, slightly out of breath.

“Yeah. She’s going on a business trip.”

“For how long?”

“A week.”

“Oh.” Amy’s eyes lit up with a familiar mischievous gleam. “So you’ll be home alone? That means you can definitely sleep over after my party.”

“Maybe.”

“Perfect!” Amy grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the school entrance. “So did you ask her about the party? Can you come?”

“Yes to both questions. She even gave me her credit card and told me to buy something nice to wear.”

Amy squealed—a high-pitched sound of pure joy that made several people turn to stare at us. “This is amazing! Okay, we’re going shopping after school. No arguments.”

“I wasn’t going to argue.”

“Good. Because I already have ideas about what you should wear.”

The day crawled by at an agonizing pace. Every class felt twice as long as it should have been. And despite myself—despite knowing it was probably stupid—I kept glancing at the seats where Kelly and Finn usually sat.

Both were empty.

Neither of them showed up at school.

Part of me felt relieved. Part of me felt strangely disappointed. And all of me felt confused about why I cared either way.

When the final bell rang, Amy materialized at my desk like she’d been waiting outside the door.

“Ready?”

“Yes.”

The mall was crowded with after-school shoppers, but Amy navigated through them with the confidence of someone who’d been here a thousand times.

She led me straight to a boutique I’d never been inside before—the kind of place with mannequins in the window wearing clothes that probably cost more than my entire wardrobe combined.

“Amy, this place looks expensive—”

“Your mom gave you her card. Use it.” She was already inside, pulling dresses off racks and holding them up, squinting at them critically. “This one. No, wait—this one. Actually, both. We’re trying on both.”

A very polite shop attendant appeared at our side. “Can I help you ladies find anything?”

“Yes!” Amy thrust several hangers at her. “We need a fitting room. My friend needs to try these on.”

I was herded into a fitting room before I could protest, staring at the pile of dresses Amy had selected. Most of them looked like they belonged on someone else—someone confident, someone who knew how to wear clothes like this.

“Try the red one first!” Amy called from outside.

I picked it up—a short dress in deep crimson that looked like it would hug every curve I had. “Amy, this is really short.”

“That’s the point! Just try it on!”

I sighed and pulled off my clothes. The dress slid over my head easily, the fabric soft and expensive against my skin. When I looked in the mirror, I barely recognized myself.

The dress hugged every curve—curves I hadn’t even realized I had. The neckline was lower than anything I’d ever worn, showing just enough to be interesting without being inappropriate. The hem stopped mid-thigh, showing off legs that actually looked good in the right lighting.

“Nova? Are you alive in there?”

I took a deep breath and stepped out of the fitting room.

Amy’s jaw dropped, her eyes going wide.

“Oh my God,” she whispered.

“Is it... okay?” I asked, suddenly self-conscious under her stare.

“Okay?” Amy grabbed my shoulders and turned me toward the three-way mirror outside the fitting rooms. “Look at yourself! You look insanely sexy.”

I looked. And for the first time in my life, I actually saw what she was seeing—not the invisible girl who blended into backgrounds, but someone who looked confident and beautiful and like she belonged at a party.

“You have to get this dress,” Amy said firmly. “You’ll be the talk of the party. Everyone’s going to lose their minds.”

“I don’t know...” I turned, watching the dress move with me. “It’s so different from what I usually wear.”

“Exactly. That’s why it’s perfect.” Amy grinned. “Trust me on this, Nova. Wear this dress, and you’ll feel like a completely different person. In a good way.”

I nodded. “Okay. I’ll get it.”

“Yes!” Amy threw her arms around me in a hug. “This party is going to be amazing. I can feel it.”

As I changed back into my regular clothes, something Amy had said earlier suddenly registered. I stepped out of the fitting room, carrying the red dress.

“Amy? You said everyone at the party is going to lose their minds. Who exactly did you invite?”

She was scrolling through her phone, barely paying attention. “Oh, you know. The usual people from our grade. Some people from the year ahead of us. My cousins. Why?”

“Will...” I hesitated, feeling stupid for even asking. “Will Kelly and Finn be there?”

Amy looked up, her eyebrows raising. “Kelly and Finn? The football captain and the bad boy?” She shook her head. “No. I didn’t invite them. I mean, we’re not exactly in the same social circle, you know? Why do you ask?”

“What!”

I looked down at the crimson fabric in my hands, the deep red of a wound or a warning. I had bought this for them. I had spent my mother’s hard-earned money to be seen by two men who weren’t even going to be there.