Twilight: But it's a Thriller and I Never Read Twilight

Chapter 8: Bloodlust

"Okay," Angela said. "But I'm sure we can find you a dress you'd like."

"Or a suit," Jessica offered. "Or anything really."

Though I cringed at the idea of a dress, I think a suit scared me. I didn't want to be the only girl to show up to a school dance in a shirt and tie. It would attract too much attention, and I had already decided on sulking in my room with a book or a television show on the night of the dance instead.

"Let's just go in," I said and ushered the girls along into the little thrift store.

As we stepped inside out of the cold and wet air, the bell above the door rang. As the door closed behind us, the cold shed off of us in the warmly lit interior of the store. There was little woman at the till reading a book, but other than that, the store was mostly empty. Maybe the night before a big math exam was not the prime time for high schoolers to go shopping. Quickly, Jessica pulled me along to a rack of jeans.

We spent nearly an hour searching through racks and hidden areas of the store. Angela and Jessica had accumulated a large pile of dresses, skirts, tops and whatever else they had thought was cute to bring into the changing rooms with them. I had a few pairs of warm pants and a thick green coat that would keep out the rain and snow. I waited for them to exit the changing room as I sat on an upholstered chair, shifting through the shoes on display.

Jessica came out wearing a long pink dress with way too many frills and lace. One strap was wrapped with a big pink bow. She looked herself over in a mirror, unsure and I leaned forward, unsure if she needed me to tell her it was pretty or hideous. I didn't like it, or at least, I wouldn't have worn it, but Jessica liked pink, and she liked frills.

"I kind of like it," Jessica said. "But I could do without this strap."

She pressed down the bow with her hands and looked to me expectantly. I tilted my head at her. I could have been honest and said I hated it, but that wasn't what she was asking. She wanted to know if she should buy it and wear it to the dance, which was an entirely different question.

Angela pushed her door open just in time to save me. She wore a shorter blue dress with a much simpler frame than Jessica's. Just two thin straps and a silver band around the waist. As she looked at Jessica, her eyes went wide.

"It's ugly, isn't it?" she said at the sight of Angela. She turned back to me, and I nodded for once, safe to say it really was an awful dress.

"Maybe we need a break," Angela offered.

"Should we come back later?" Jessica asked. "I have like three other dresses I was going to try."

"I was actually thinking we should make Bella try something."

I shrunk back at the mention of my name. "No."

"Yes," Jessica said. "I have something perfect for you." She quickly returned to her changing room, riffling through her massive pile of clothing options.

"I said I didn't want to go," I argued as she started to return. "I'm not a dress person."

"I didn't say that," Jessica said as she stepped out, holding was appeared to be a red velvet suit jacket and a black dress shirt. For a long time, I stared at it, unsure how she'd managed to find something like that, but she'd spent a lot longer looking than I had.

"Oh," Angela gasped. "That's perfect."

"No," I said, nervously shaking my head. Even if they could get me to try that on, they weren't getting me to go to the dance in it. I was spinning just looking at it.