Out of Time by April Sadowski Page B

should.” Sasha murmured.
    “Cool. I can’t wait. Your wedding is going to
be insane. I just know it! Even if you want to be frugal, you’ll
still pull it off.” Mandy said. They resumed eating their dinner,
chatting all the while about their lives and how things had changed
since high school. Sasha had met new friends in college, but the
bonds weren’t there since she didn’t remember them. Mandy was
really all she knew other than Simon and Kendra. Kendra was off in
California for college. She was taking some fashion design classes
while doing modeling work.
    Sasha wondered how long she would remain in
this timeline. Would she have the pleasure of meeting Simon at the
end of the aisle? She wanted to experience it so bad.

CHAPTER 18

    “Almost ready?” the voice of Helen Kline
soared over the changing room door.
    “She just needs to zip it up.” Mandy called
back. Sasha was trying on dresses in the fitting room at the bridal
salon. The staff at this particular shop was limited, so Mandy
volunteered to be the assistant for her.
    “It’s not tight enough. Where are those
clips?” Sasha asked. She was in a floor-length gown and was looking
around for clips to fasten her gown. “Over there.” She pointed to a
little basket above their heads.
    “Clipping is so much easier.” Mandy said,
stretching up to grab a few. She mushed some fabric from the back
of the dress together and stuck a clip on either side.
    “Okay, we’re coming out!” Sasha called again.
They opened the fitting room door and faced Mandy’s mom Helen. She
just stared open mouthed at her two daughters.
    “Are you going to say anything Mom?” Mandy
asked nervously.
    “I’m just...in awe. You both look absolutely
beautiful.” Helen said, on the verge of tears. Mandy wanted to
laugh because she wasn’t even in a dress yet. Of course, her mom
didn’t want to make her feel less pretty, so she said both. Mandy
would get her turn soon enough.
    “Let me see how it looks.” Sasha said,
looking down at her white gown. She wanted to see the back of it
and the train and there wasn’t any way to see the embroidered hem
at present.
    “There’s a pedestal over here.” one of the
store employees said.
    Sasha walked over to the pedestal and stood
on it while Mandy bent down and smoothed out the train for her.
“Wow. This is a beautiful dress.”
    “Isn’t it?” Mandy asked, rhetorically. “I
told you to try it on and you said you didn’t think it would look
good on you.”
    “I guess it looks different on the hanger.”
Sasha breathed out. Mandy looked her over. Sasha didn’t seem overly
enthusiastic over it and they’d tried on several so far.
    “Do you think it’s the one?” Mandy
wondered.
    “Hmm.” Sasha paused in thought. “Do you think
there is too much beading up top? Maybe I should have something
less decorated.”
    “I’d like to see something less fitted.”
Helen commented. Of course, that was just motherly
conservativeness.
    “I’d be open to that.” Sasha agreed, although
it was to appease Helen. She didn’t want to hurt her feelings by
not trying on something she suggested.
    “You should show off your curves!” Mandy
exclaimed and Sasha giggled. Sasha wasn’t really too curvy. She had
been working out with Simon to keep fit. She did have a perfect
body for modeling, but it wasn’t her thing.
    “You can with a nice corseted bodice.” Sasha
said. The store assistant offered to provide more samples to them
with both options.
    “Sasha, you know how important this day means
to me. I’d be happy with whatever you decide.” Helen smiled as she
spoke, and bent down to grab a tissue out of her purse to blot any
tears that were sure to be incoming.
    “I know, and it’s the tenth dress I’ve tried
on. It just seems surreal.” Sasha mentioned, and she wasn’t just
talking about the experience of trying on dresses. She was mentally
a seventeen-year-old. Mandy just explained she hadn’t been engaged
long, so