Dress You Up

Bellissima held her as the final aftershocks shuddered through her, stroking her body through the afterglow, holding her prize and whispering sweet nothings in her ear. Finally, she laughed. "You see, my dear! Bellissima is always right. You deserve nothing but wonderful things touching your pretty body. Like me!"

*****

The next day, Nita showed up to school secure in the knowledge that she would be the envy of the whole Academy. After all, not everyone came to class wearing a Bellissima original. She tossed her head back arrogantly and walked into the crowd of rich young women, already embellishing the story of her time in the boutique ("and Bellissima herself said I was perfect for this outfit!") and awaiting the accolades of her peers.

"Did you hear about Sarah?" Alyse said to her without even mentioning her new dress.

Nita glared daggers at her. "No," she said dismissively. "She wandered off while I was getting fitted for my new outfit, and frankly, if she can't wait for a ride home, I don't care how she gets back here. Why?" Guilt, worry, and gossipy fascination mingled in her stomach. "Did she get horribly murdered hitch-hiking home?"

"No," Alyse said, her eyes wide with venomous pleasure. "She dropped out this morning! Came by in this drop-dead gorgeous satin dress, all emerald green, looking like a million dollars, and said that she'd been offered a job at the boutique by Bellissima herself! She's modeling Bellissima's clothes! She only turned eighteen three weeks ago, and she's just become a world-class model! And she's had such a hard life, and...what's wrong, Nita?" The mock-sympathetic expression should have had a hilt on the end of it. "Aren't you happy for her?"

Nita looked down at her $25,000 dress, and resolved to burn it the moment she got home.

THE END