The Other Girls

I walk down the dirt road, heading home from school. I walk as slowly as possible. I failed my history test today and Mother will not be happy. I'm not one to make bad grades. I can't risk it. I intend to show this town that women can work just as well as men. In two years, I will be opening my own shop and no one will stand in my way. 

I walk through the front door and notice no one is home. Then, I remember the festival. Anna and Mother are helping to set it up. I set down my school bag and head back out. I turn down the main street, leading to the shops in the plaza. I fight the urge to take my shoes off and feel the soft stone beneath my feet. The plaza is the only place to escape the dirt. We realize how fortunate we are to have such a nice feature in our small town so we keep it tidy. 

As I round another corner, I notice David and Rebecca sitting on the bench together. I'm not one of those girls that falls for a boy, dates them for a week, then moves onto the next. I couldn't be even if I wanted to. No one looks at me that way. No one looks at me in any way.It doesn't bother me as much as some people think. I don't mind not being noticed, but I'd love to be noticed by David. 

He turns his head, facing me, and I quickly avert my gaze and continue walking to the festival grounds. I'm a few strides away when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I turn and face David.

"Your mother and sister helping with the festival, Grace?" he asks.

"Yes. We hope to have it set up by Friday so everyone can go straight there after school. There are going to be musicians this year."

"You should play," he suggests.

"I don't know about that. I mean I'm not that great," I say and continue walking to avoid the rest of this conversation.

"You're phenomenal. I hear you playing the piano sometimes walking to school. Sometimes, I even stand there for a while to listen to you play. You're amazing."

I don't reply, I just keep walking. 

"Are you going? To the festival?" he asks. When I don't answer he asks, "I was hoping you were. Then maybe we could go together."

"I don't know yet. I have an important test next week and I need to study for it. I didn't do too well on the history test today. I can't disappoint my mother twice."

"You have Saturday and Sunday. Please?" he says as he grabs my hand. 

My heart starts to beat abnormally fast and I feel slightly light headed. I blush and say "Maybe I could meet you there."

"Perfect. See you then Grace."

---

Anna pulls me into her room and drags me to her mattress. 

"I heard you're meeting David Thompson at the festival tonight. I can't believe my little sister is going on a date! I'm so excited. We have to get you ready for tonight!"

She tugs my hair out of it's tie and begins to braid it. She has a talent with hair. I've told her multiple times about my idea of opening a barber shop but she says it would never work. She told me even if we did open one, no one would trust a woman to cut their hair.It upsets me to hear her talk about it so calmly. It's like she doesn't want to change it.

She wraps three braids around each other to form a neat loop on the top of my head. She walks over to the closet and gets out one of our church dresses. It's light blue with a white ribbon around the middle. Her favorite dress.

"No. I can't wear that. I'll mess it up and Mother will kill both of us." She sighs and heads back to the closet and picks out a plain purple dress. I nod and helps me put it on. 

I look at myself in the mirror. I look completely different than normal. I refuse to wear dresses during the week. Sunday is the only day I will. 

I start out the door, to the festival. My heart beats fast in anticipation. How does this work? Do we dance? I hope he doesn't ask, I'm terrible at dancing.

"I was beginning to think you weren't coming," I hear from behind me. Before I can turn around, David grabs my wrist and leads me into the woods.

"David. What are we doing out here?" I say, scared. It's almost dark and I wouldn't like to be in the woods after dark. I don't know what animals are out here.

"You'll see. Follow me, I want to show you something," he says leading me further into the woods. "It's not too far. I think you'll like it."

After a few minutes, he tells me face the opposite direction and cover my eyes. He leads me blindly up a hill, turns me back around, and removes my hands from in front of my eyes.

"It's beautiful," I say as I look down at the pond. There are flowers everywhere. I should pick some and bring them home to put in a vase.

"Do you know how to swim? It's still warm enough to." 

I nod and he walks to the edge of the water and begins to remove his shirt. I shyly look away. Seconds later, I feel his arms wrap around me. 

"You're so adorable," he says in my ear. I laugh and face him. He looks into my eyes with a look I don't recognize. I take off my sweater and sandals and head closer to the water. I dip my toe in and immediately take it out. I wasn't expecting it to be so cold.

David grabs my hand and leads me slowly into the water. Allowing time for my body to adjust to the temperature of the water. When we are so deep neither of us can stand, he pulls me closer to him. I place my hand on his chest and he breathes out. 

Our eyes meet and he gently lifts my chin, placing his mouth on mine. We kiss for awhile, our lips interlocking. He tugs my loosened braid so my head tilts upward. He starts kissing my neck slowly. I open my eyes and see something next to a large rock on the other side of the pond. I move slightly, not wanting David to stop. Then, I see it. A pink dress.

I push David off of me quickly. He looks at me with wide eyes. I recognize the look in them from earlier, lust. I'm reminded of him and Rebecca sitting on the bench Wednesday. 

"How many girls have you brought here David?" I say harshly. He extends his hand to me and I swat it away. I don't want to be comforted by him.

"I thought you liked me."

"I do!"

"No. No, you don't. You don't care about me, David. You haven't cared about me for the last three years we've known each other."

I swim to the edge of the pond, pick up my shoes, and start walking home, drenched in the pond water. I don't cry. I'm not sad, I'm mad. I feel dirty. I'm mad that David was my first kiss. I feel like I've completely wasted it. I run the rest of the way home, the wet fabric of my now brown dress rubbing uncomfortably against my legs. I slam the door to me and Anna's room and collapse onto the floor.

Reviews

[barleygirl]

This is a great story. I love the well-detailed storytelling & I can feel the subtle responses of the narrator thru-out, which is often highlighted becuz you SHOW us how she's feeling by describing her body language & responses, more than TELLING us how she feels. I am very familiar with this kind of guy & you've shown how this seduction thing works, on a superficial level . . . the early backstory definitely sets up your reader to understand how Grace falls for it at first. Your story is well-woven to lead logically to the ending, so many realistic details along the way.

This line could be done in dialogue, too . . .
"After a few minutes, he tells me face the opposite direction and cover my eyes."

[Karmee]

lovely imagery and very descriptive