Expectations

Written by: Nour Yousri.

 After nearly an hour of washing the sleep off her still worn out body and contemplating how her night will turn out to be like, she reluctantly pushed aside the floral curtains and stepped out of the bathtub. She has always felt too lazy to take a shower, but once the warm water made contact with her skin, she felt like she could stay in there forever. She chuckled at the thought.

    Shay stood in front of the mirror, studying herself like she frequently did. She has always felt subconscious about her nose, and just as the thought finally subsided, she caught herself pinching and pulling at her nose, in a futile attempt to fix it. After taking one last glance, she opened the door and stepped outside into the cold room.

   She hadn't noticed the heat and vapour that had clogged the bathroom until she got out; you would think the bathroom has been bombarded by an atomic bomb if you hadn't known someone was just taking a long, hot shower in there. Shay approached the dress that lay on her queen-sized bed, excited to finally wear it; she has spent hours on end trying it every night ever since she bought it nearly two months ago.

After squeezing into her dress and hopping into her 7cm stilettos, it was finally time to curl her hair and apply makeup. Shay was used to walking in dangerously high heels, it was like a piece of cake to her. She giggled as the image of Trisha,  her best friend, face planting the floor as she tried take a step in her stilettos popped up into her mind. Shay had her makeup and hairstyle all set up in her brain, for quite a long time in fact.

As her long, bony fingers started to work their magic onto her face, she couldn't help  but admire the winged eyeliner and smoky eye shadow she has almost effortlessly applied. Her friends had asked her to help them with the make up but she managed to make a good enough excuse not to. She couldn't be late for her prom, the mere thought made her nervous. Shay finished curling her hair and let the long curls fall down her shoulders.

   After finishing up, she made her way to her full-length mirror and took a deep breath before looking at her piece of art. A huge smile drew its way on her face when she saw the beautiful young lady who stared right back at her. Shay looked like a princess, heck she even felt like one. It was a feeling she longed for, a feeling she hasn't encountered for quite a long time now. Her knee-length white dress hugged her slim figure almost perfectly. She admired the glowing red pearls that circled the cuff of her sleeve, complimenting her otherwise simple dress.

    Now finally ready to go, Shay's head suddenly turned towards the clock on her wall, scared she might be running late. She was too caught up in the process of getting ready she almost forgot time even existed. As she realised she still had time, Shay let out a breath she didn't realise she was holding. Grabbing her purse on the way, she left her room and ran down the stairs, as much as her high heels could allow, careful not to fall down the flight of stairs and injure herself after all the preparation.

     Shay kissed her little brother good bye and her heart made those little backward flips when he told her she was going to be the most beautiful girl in prom. Little compliments like those even from a little human being like that could make her day. As she opened the front door, Shay was greeted with a breeze of wind that caressed her cheeks. Content with the weather, she started walking to the party that was just two blocks away from her house. She was utterly scared she would have to walk in the rain, it would've ruined her hair and smudged her face with make up.