Perfectly Hopeless by Holly Hood Page A

yanked the hot pink dress out of the dressing room.
     
    Maven shut the door, slipping out of the tawdry gown. She let it fall to her feet just as her phone vibrated. She gave herself a brief glance in the mirror before digging her phone from the pocket of her shorts.
     
    It was a text from Henri. Thinking of you . She smiled.
     
    I am trapped at the mall with my mother and Maggie trying to find a dress for the hop. Torture!
     
    She set the phone on the tiny shelf by the mirror and studied herself. Fingering the strap of her lacy bra, she drifted to the night her and Henri sat by the water talking for hours. The sun made it back before she even pulled herself away from Henri and the water.
     
    She forever was thinking about his kisses. The way his lips made her entire body shiver with something she never felt before. Her heart never slowed when he touched her. And the moment at the water when Henri finally let his lips venture to her neck and further down to her collarbone had her ready to go nuts, she would have allowed him to go further, but he wasn’t like most guys, he would never disrespect her. But that didn’t take away from the ache that filled her mind every time he kissed her. She wondered if Henri felt that way about her or if she was just out of control.
     
    As they got closer to her house that night Henri grew more and more quiet. She started to worry he was upset with her, because he never was so tranquil. That was when it happened. When he asked her to the hop, the happiness she felt was beyond words. It seemed like a silly thing to get so excited over, but she was.
     
    Her phone chirped alerting her to another text.
     
    I can’t believe it’s taking so long you look beautiful in anything. 
     
    She grinned, plucking the sunny yellow dress off its hanger. But before she could put it on she scrunched her nose at the broken strap. “Guess this one wasn’t meant to be.”
     
    Her mother tapped on the door. “I think I found it.”
     
    Maven cracked the door, peering out. In her mother’s grasp was the most amazing thing she ever seen. She immediately grabbed for it, her mother’s smile from ear to ear, glad she finally satisfied her daughter.
     
    Maven quickly slipped into the strapless turquoise dress her smile never leaving her face. It was right out of a fairy tale. Three different lengths of sheer turquoise fabric made the skirt. It even had a shiny satin belt that formed into a graceful bow around the waist. She opened the door watching her mother’s eyes light up with approval. They high fived, giggling like two teenage girls heading to prom. Maggie groaned, sinking farther down in her seat trying to disappear.
     
    “ You look beautiful. That’s definitely the one.” Her mother gave her arm a squeeze and let her slip back into the dressing room to undress.
     
     
     
    Shopping wasn’t over with. After forcing Maggie to pick a dress—which ended up being black with a dreadful looking tutu style skirt that she said she was wearing with combat boots or converse. They headed to the woman’s section so their mother could find something appropriate for the night.
     
    It wasn’t often she dressed up. Both her parents worked a lot of hours—even in the summer.
     
    “ I’m going over to the food court,” Maggie announced, taking off before anyone could say otherwise.
     
    Maven circled the racks of dresses, watching her mother work her way from one rack to the next. She was fussy yet uncomplicated.
     
    “ What do you think Henri will wear?” Her mother asked her eyes glued to a simple white sundress.
     
    “ I’m not sure.” She imagined Henri in a fancy tie.
     
    “ He’s a handsome guy.” Her mother told her. “He doesn’t look like all these guys running around with the beaver haircut.”
     
    Maven laughed at her mother’s poor pop culture knowledge. “It’s not beaver.” She shook her head, unable to correct her misusage because she was laughing so