Something was a bit uncomfortable about the way that Jenifer looked at me when she poked her head in through the open door. Her smile was warm and affectionate when she looked at Nathan, but when her eyes slid over to me, it felt as though her face stiffened and went coldMaybe she’s just protective, I thought to myself. Nathan was basically her brother, after all.“It’s time to go,” she repeated, looking back at Nathan. “Hurry up. Mom and dad are waiting.”“Right.” Nathan nodded, the blush on his cheeks from looking at me fading away. He cleared his throat and turned to look at me one last time, and his face went red again. “I’ll be waiting for you downstairs if you need to finish up here.”I nodded. “I won’t be long,” I replied. I watched as Nathan scurried off through the door, leaving Jenifer and me alone. I shot her a warm smile, then turned to the mirror to finish fixing my hair. “Thank you for letting me borrow your dress, by the way.”Jenifer shrugged. “I don’t wear it. You ca

When I looked down at myself to find that my breasts were completely exposed by the fall, I felt my heart sink.I shrieked and covered myself with my arms while the onlookers snickered nastily. Angela stood a little ways away, over by a tree, and I swore that I saw her slipping her phone back into her pocket as though she snuck a picture…Suddenly, Nathan sprung forward and put himself between me and the onlookers. I felt his fur press up against me as he wrapped himself around me. My heart started to pound as I felt the sensation of his silky fur against my skin. The heat coming off of his body made me blush, and all I could do was stare down at the ground nervously.“See?” I heard Angela whisper. “I told you that dress was too tight on her.”I heard another girl, one of Angela’s friends, giggle. “Looks like she’s putting on that baby weight awfully fast…”Nathan whipped around at them and growled angrily. The girls yelped nervously and scattered, along with the rest of the onlookers

Nathan sighed, and shut his eyes for a moment as though he was exasperated with me for simply going on a walk with his sister.“Did you pay attention to where you were walking just now?” he asked.I frowned. “What? What are you talking about?”Nathan pointed down at my dress. “That’s what I’m talking about,” he said. “Didn’t you pay attention?”I furrowed my brow in confusion, and followed his finger down to my dress. As I did, my eyes widened.My dress, which was already dirty from the fall, was now covered in mud and briars all along the hem. What was once a beautiful white dress was now torn and blackened with mud.“I-I must have stepped through mud somehow on our walk,” I said, bending down to pick off some of the prickly briars with my fingers. “I’m sorry. I didn’t notice.”“Olivia…” Nathan lowered his voice, but still sounded a little exasperated. I looked up to meet his stern gaze and instantly noticed that other people were already staring. In particular, Angela and her friend

“Olivia.”Nathan caught my attention with his voice. I quickly sat up and wiped away my tears with my sleeve, and we stared at each other in the dimly lit room for a few moments as he stood in the doorway with his arms folded across his chest.Surprisingly, his face looked a little sad. It was much unlike the stern appearance he had at the picnic.“What do you want?” I grumbled, still feeling a little bit angry from it all.Nathan sighed and walked over to the bed. He sat down beside me, then stared down at the floor for a few moments before speaking. I couldn’t stay tense beside him. We were still best friends, after all, and I felt myself relax a little at his presence.“Look,” he said, his voice low and steady, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings or embarrass you.”“Then what did you mean?” I asked. “I feel like you singled me out in front of everyone. It wasn’t my fault that I was given a dress that was too small and delicate. It’s stupid that women have to dress up fo

Nathan's car came to a halt in front of the new shopping center. I peered out the window, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings. The shopping center had sprung up after I had left, and its modern facade stuck out like a sore thumb against the small town backdrop."Olivia, welcome to the new shopping center. It wasn't here when you left, but I think you’ll like it," he said, smiling a bit as he glanced at me.I could tell that he was trying to ignore the fact that he had just cupped my breast in the car by accident, but I didn’t mind. I wanted to pretend that it didn’t happen, too.“Come on,” he said, opening his car door. “Let’s go.”I climbed out sheepishly after him.Curiosity tingled within me as Nathan guided me out of the car, leading the way into the vibrant complex. The new mall had high glass ceilings, a modern design, and fountains that echoed throughout the halls.“Wow,” I said, looking around at all of the shops that we passed. “I thought you said that money was tight aroun