My Opinion Doesn't Matter

“Ronnie!” I jumped at the voice that yelled my name. I rushed over to my door, wrapping my towel tightly over my body. I opened the wooden door and peeked my head out to see Beth standing with a box in her hands. She smiled and knowing what she meant I opened the door wider and stepped aside so she could come in. She kicked the door closed with her foot as I sauntered over to my bathroom, dropping my towel and sliding on my panties and bra.

“New?” I called from the bathroom obviously referring to the dress. Beth understood of course. That’s just how she was.

“Well, not quite. New to you wearing it, but not new to you seeing it.” Confused, I walked through the bathroom door and into my bedroom seeing the blue sparkly dress. Immediately I understood and nodded. Beth smiled and dropped the dress onto my bed, walking towards my bathroom. “I’ll let you put it on then I’ll do your hair and make-up, the party is starting in an hour.” I ran my fingers across the silky fabric, ignoring Beth’s words and just sat down next to the dress.

I had no say in what I wore even though I loved the dress. It wasn’t much of my style with the long skirt and the way it flared out. I was one who enjoyed shorter dresses, but I could only wear those on my days off, never to any parties. They weren’t for ‘young ladies’ as my mother would say.

Laura wore short ones because she was younger. I was grown enough to wear longer ones and soon I’d be off to college. I wasn’t the same little girl that I was that ran around, playing with my older brother outside wearing short dresses all the time.

“Veronica?” I snapped back to reality, forgetting about the past when I would wake up and make my own decisions, when Michael still lived in the house…

“Yes?” I questioned, looking straight at Beth. She sighed and waltzed over to where I was sitting.

“You don’t like it?” She guessed, sitting beside me. I shrugged. She smiled weakly, brushing the back of my hair to try and get the last bit of water from it. “I think you’d look gorgeous in it.” She told me. I just smiled back at her even though she couldn’t see it from where I was facing.

Beth was more of a mother to me then my actual mom. She tucked me in at night when I was younger and read me stories. My parents were always too busy for it. Come to think of it, all of the staff in my house was more of family to me than my actual family.

I saw them everyday where I say my father about every two to three days. James cooked me breakfast, lunch and dinner every time I ate at home. Katrina made me dresses, by hand for crying out loud! My mother wouldn’t be caught dead with a needle and thread. The maids I saw every morning in my room making sure it was clean.

Michael I hadn’t seen in years and Laura and I only play together when I have to babysit her which doesn’t usually happen because my parents pay others to do it. I saw Lily, who I only saw at school on maybe on the weekends more than my own mother. Heck! I had seen Kaden more times this week than anyone!

“I know you don’t want to go down there and deal with another party, but it’s for your brother. He’s getting married and I know Katrina would be delighted to see you in her dress.” I smiled. I would love to see Katrina’s face when I came down the stairs in her dress.

“Ronnie?” I glanced up to see Michael walking past my bedroom door.

“In here!” I called, pulling the dress up and over my body so he wasn’t seeing his little sister in her underwear.

“Oh, okay, there you are. The party’s almost started, you aren’t ready?” I looked up to see Beth getting off the bed and walking towards the bathroom.

“Just about.” I answered, laughing at his tux. He frowned.

“What?” He asked, looking down. “Is there something on me?” I shook my head vigorously, trying to simmer my giggles.

“You’re pants are on backwards.” I pointed out, seeing the tag coming out over his shirt. He looked down and started chuckling.

“What do ya know? They are.”

♠

It was finally all done. My hair was parted, straightened just to then be curled easier and then pulled back into a twisted bun. My lips were coated in a deep burgundy and then glossed over so they were shimmering in the light. My eyes were dusked with a baby blue eyeshadow that was the same color as my dress and then outlined with black liquid eyeliner and silver glitters.

I was totally changed like I usually was. My contacts were in and my eyes weren’t hidden behind my thick-trimmed glasses. The bags under them had vanished and I looked pretty. According to Beth, better, but I just felt pretty. I was a glammed up Barbie doll who had been made over.

After all of the years you’d think that I would get used to this, but no. I was still uncomfortable with changing my whole appearance just for a party. I never liked the idea from the beginning.

“Lovely.” I forced a smile onto my face and nodded towards Beth. She always said that.

I made my way out of the room and down the hallway. The party had begun and I could hear everyone chatting downstairs. I hadn’t met Michael’s fiancé, but she seemed nice from what I had heard. I was supposed to meet her as soon as I was done, but I didn’t feel like joining the party so fast. It’d be going on all night and I wouldn’t be able to leave until every other person invited had left.

“Ronnie!” I jumped at the voice, but turned to grin at Laura. She was dancing in the hall, twirling around in her little dress. I couldn’t help, but laugh. “Do I look pretty, Ronnie?” I nodded my head, picking her up and spinning her around.

“Of course! You’re better than pretty! You’re gorgeous.” She giggled happily and then I set her down so she could run on down the stairs towards the other kids that had been brought to the party. There weren’t many, but since Laura was included in this party so were other people’s kids.

“You coming down?” I looked up to see Michael, smiling down at me. I sighed and nodded.

“I guess so.” I looked back at my room. Maybe I could make a run for it and just totally hide out. I mean nobody would notice I was gone except for maybe Michael or Beth, but that was it. He offered out his arm and I linked mine with his and tugged him down the stairs.

“Eager are we?” He chuckled. I shrugged. If I didn’t get down there I would’ve talked myself into staying up there and never coming down. I had gained more confidence in such a short period of time.

“I just want to meet this lovely girl who’s marrying my brother. I want to make sure she’s not doing it for the money.” I joked, nudging him in the ribs.

“You don’t have to worry about that, she isn’t like that.” He said nudging me back.

“Michael, Veronica! There you two are!” We let go of arms so we could shake people’s hands. It would take another hour before we could actually walk without having to be introduced to someone.

“This is my sister, Veronica.” I smiled politely at the blonde haired girl in front of me. She smiled wide and leaned forward, sticking out her hand.

“Jennifer.” She told me. I took her hand and shook it. She was just about my height. Her hair was in long curls and she had the prettiest grey eyes I had ever seen.

“Michael!” My father’s voice rang through all of our ears.

“Coming!” Michael called back. “I’ll be right back. You two talk.” Michael suggested, walking away and through the living room doors towards the hallway, looking for my dad.

“So I heard you’ve been accepted into Harvard.” I internally groaned.

Great, my parents must’ve found out.

“I guess so.” I told her honestly. Now that they know I couldn’t get around the fact to going to another college.

“Guessing you don’t want to go there?” I looked up, surprised at Jennifer’s tone. I nodded slowly.

“Well, kind of.” She smiled.

“I felt the same way with my parents.” She informed me, shifted from one foot to another so people could walk by us without breaking up our conversation.

“Really?” I asked, doubtfully.

“Yeah. They wanted me to go to there too, but I didn’t like the idea of it. They wanted me to go to their business school and take some courses there.” I furrowed my eyebrows. What did she do? She was kind of in the same position I was in at the moment.

Had she listened to them? I hadn’t heard from my parents or Michael about where she went to school. Of course Michael would marry a girl who was accepted into Harvard, it was like my folks had planned it.

“What did you do?” I finally asked her, breaking the silence between the two of us. She shifted once again and smiled weakly.

“I didn’t listen to them.” My ears perked up. Had I just heard her right? Did she really turn down Harvard?

“What do you mean?” I asked, pressing into the subject.

“I went to a community college.” I saw some lady overhear and grimace.

At least she went to college.

“Were you’re parents mad?” I asked. She shrugged, taking a sip from her wine glass.

“For a while, yes. They couldn’t believe I would turn down Harvard for a community college or become an artist either.” My jaw dropped slightly. She didn’t even go into business? As if she read my thoughts aloud she continued, “It took them a while to get used to their daughter not being the perfect little apple of their eye, but they came to welcome it.” An artist… my brother was marrying an artist, did my parents know?

“The perfect apple of my eye.” We both turned to see Michael waltzing over, smiling. He swiftly kissed Jennifer and then turned to me. “Sorry Ron, but I’ll have to steal her. Mom wants to know about the painting for the living room.” I nodded.

“Nice meeting you.” I said to her as Michael dragged her away by the waist.

“Same!” She called over people’s head.

My parents knew and obviously weren’t appalled by it. So why did they hate the idea of me not going to college? Even with becoming a writer! Jennifer had said that her parents took a while to get used to it. By a while did she mean months, or did she mean years? I gulped. What if my parents never got used to the idea?

What if they never talked to me again if I pulled what Jennifer had? I sighed. They probably wouldn’t even let me go through with turning down Harvard. I hated being torn from what I loved and who I loved.

It sucked.