Fight or Flight

"So, how does it look?"

Veronica looked up as Val emerged from the dressing room. The blonde had on a short, black dress. The halter neckline and straps fit her narrow shoulders perfectly. It was tight around her chest and torso, and then flared out at the waist. The nude underlay pattern made the dress look elegant. The dress carried a vintage and romantic vibe, while still being sexy.

"It's gorgeous," Veronica complimented.

"You think?" Val asked, smiling at Veronica’s approval. She turned around in front of the mirror.

"It looks good on you," Veronica nodded her head.

Val and Veronica had somehow started a new found friendship. It began at Matt's house when Veronica went to say her goodbyes. Val suggested they should get together sometime, and they exchanged numbers. Without Matt to hang out with, Veronica figured she was the second best person. Now, she could have another close girlfriend that wasn’t Audrey.

"I'm gonna buy it," Val announced cheerfully, skipping back into the dressing room to change.

Veronica looked down at the dresses in her hands. They were all different colors and styles. She didn't wear dresses often, but Val took initiative to change that. Val had gone around the whole store, rummaging through rack after rack, looking for the perfect dresses for Veronica.

"Your turn." Val came back holding the black dress on a hanger.

"I'll be right out," Veronica said as they switched places.

She walked into the dressing room, hanging up the dresses on the hooks. She kicked off her canvas shoes, shuddering at her bare feet touching the cold, dirty floor. She pulled her tight jeans down her legs before pulling her shirt up and over her head, throwing her clothes onto the corner chair. She unhooked her bra, knowing that the dresses wouldn't look right with the bra straps showing and peeking through the dress.

"After we finish shopping, maybe we can go to the nail salon," Val suggested from outside the dressing room.

"I'm not really allowed to paint my nails," Veronica told her. She stood there half naked, looking at the five dresses on the hangers. She couldn’t decide which one to try on first.

"Oh," Val said. "That's okay. We'll do something else."

Veronica decided to try on the dress she liked most. She took the neon green mini dress off its hanger and inspected it. She wasn't sure whether to step into the dress or pull it over her head. Not wanting to stretch it out, she decided it was best to pull it over her head. She pulled the dress over her hips and corrected her bust.

"Well?" Veronica stepped out from the dressing room.

"That dress looks amazing on you!" Val gawked. She hopped off the couch and pulled Veronica to the full length mirror, spinning her around. "I didn't know you had tattoos."

"Well, I do," Veronica nodded. She turned in the mirror, peering at the back cutout of the dress. She didn't realize that the tattooed roses on her left side were peeking out. "I have five."

Veronica’s tattoos were not too visible and concealed by her clothing most of the time.

"Wow, I never realized," Val said. She turned her attention back to the bright dress. "It makes your ass look fantastic."

Veronica couldn't help but laugh at her reaction. She turned around to look at her backside. She had to admit, it did look pretty good on her.

"This is the dress you're getting," Val asserted. "Forget the other ones, you're buying this one. All you need is a killer pair of heels."

"Okay," Veronica said, taking her word.

"When's your birthday again?" Val asked while playing with Veronica's hair. She held it up to see how the dress would look with a nice updo.

"Er, the twenty-first," Veronica responded. She didn’t even recall the first time she told Val when her birthday was.

"Great!" Val beamed. "You're wearing this on your birthday."

"I don't even have plans for my birthday," Veronica frowned.

"Then make some, 'cause you're going to wear this dress," Val giggled. She dropped Veronica's hair from the messy updo she made and placed her brunette locks over her shoulder. "You talked to Matt lately?"

Veronica thought about her answer. "I talked to him a couple of days ago. It sounds like touring is fun."

"You know, he likes you," She said lowly, staring at Veronica in the mirror.

"Does he?" Veronica pretended to be clueless. If Val had information that she didn't know, she wanted to know.

"He likes you a lot. I could tell when we were at the bar,” Val elaborated.

"How could you tell?" Veronica wondered why everyone knew about his hints but her. It was like she was blind to his so-called “advancements”.

"Because everyone used to say that he looked at me the same way when we were together," Val expressed. "Now I can tell when he's looking at someone else."

Veronica's happy smile faltered. "Together? You and Matt dated?"

"He didn't tell you?" Val asked like she should have known. She muttered something under her breath and shook her head. "Matt and I used to be married."