The Big Fish by Madison Henley (best free e reader .TXT) 📕

would pull out the freckles in Keliah’s face as well as make her eyes pop. Keliah couldn’t picture herself looking decent in the sweater but Meredith told her to hold on until she saw it on her with the necessary items. The two best friends took the escalator down to the jean section.

“The wash of a pair of jeans makes the outfit.”

Meredith told Keliah as she skimmed through light washes, dark washes, medium washes, and so on. Keliah shook her head at her best friend with a raised brow. Who the hell did Meredith think she was? Donatella Versace?

“What size are you again? It’s been so long since we’ve been jean shopping, I’m just getting use to a sweats size small.”

“Funny.”

Meredith grinned to herself as she continued took look for the perfect pair of jeans that she knew she would find. She easily spotted them. They were a dark wash. Almost a black but it had a navy hue you almost couldn’t tell the difference.

“Mer how are you getting so excited about a pair of jeans?”

“I don’t know, I like shopping.”

“But you dress like you are homeless.”

Meredith shrugged her shoulders agreeing with Keliah’s statement before heading to the register to pay for Keliah’s pants.

“You’re so sweet paying for me.”

“Well I want you to look nice for Georgia. I want one of us to at least be happy.”

Keliah gave Meredith a knowing look.

“Sorry. Let’s continue. To the shoe section.”

Keliah and Meredith took the escalator back up to the shoe floor.

“Meredith I’m not really into shoes. I can just wear my ru- ”

“Keli, your running shoes aren’t the answer to all of your outfits. And certainly not this one.”

“Whatever. Just find me a pair of shoes.”

Meredith told Keliah to sit down and slid the pair of boots on her tiny feet.

“You see how the outfit is coming together?”

Keliah excitedly nodded thinking about tomorrow. She never dressed up because there was no reason to but now that there was a reason behind it and that reason was Georgia, Keliah could not contain herself. She wiggled her toes as Meredith felt around the tip of the boot.

“Nice fit.”

“You know me too well.”

The helpful shoe salesman helped the two young women bag up the shoes and they left the mall some two hours later after buying Keliah some stud earrings that Keliah insisted she didn’t need but Meredith thought otherwise, telling her it was the little things that stand out.

“Okay, so what were you thinking about doing for your hair?”

Keliah dropped her bags on the floor in her closet and walked over to her bed thinking about the question.

“I don’t really know. I didn’t think about it until now. Maybe a ponytail or something.”

Meredith tilted her head to stare at Keliah.

“Nah, that will look awful. You should wear down. And straighten it please.”

“Sure, whatever. I just better impress Georgia!”

“You will. Just don’t get all weird.”

“Weird like how?”

“I don’t know. Just don’t be yourself.”

Keliah threw a pillow at Meredith that Meredith easily dodged from so much practice and laughed.

“I’m just joking. Georgia will love you.”

Keliah blushed, taking the word love to heart just a little.

“Let’s Georgia.”

Keliah cut off the light and smiled into the darkness at her homonym joke that Meredith clearly didn’t catch.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Keliah smiled when her alarm went off. This was a first. She usually rolled her eyes at it and scoffed at the moon creeping outside of her window that was too bright for her liking. She could make out Meredith across the room through the darkness sleeping in her bed in a fetal position, snoring softly. Keliah jumped out of the bed and snuck out of her room making way for the shower room down the hall. She took her time showering. It was five thirty in the morning. She had all the time in the world. No one was in the shower room except for Keliah and she found herself humming a mindless tune as she showered. It had been twelve days since Keliah last saw Georgia. They ended on a good note- -a great note actually- -and Keliah couldn’t wait to continue on that. When Keliah got out of the shower some half hour later, she went back to her room to straighten her hair which was the very reason she kept it in messy bun most of the time. She didn’t have the patience, time, or effort to straighten her hair like most girls did. But today was an exception. Keliah cut the small light on in the mirror in her room to keep from waking Meredith. Meredith didn’t have a class until mid noon and Keliah didn’t want to disturb her. Keliah was on a fourth of her hair when her arm began to go numb and hurt. Shit this was hard.

“Did you need some help?”

Keliah heard Meredith call in a muzzily voice.

“No, I’m fine. You go back to sleep.”

Of course Meredith ignored Keliah’s orders and stumbled out of bed, rubbing her eyes as she walked over to Keliah.

“Here, give it to me.”

Meredith straightened Keliah’s hair with ease and finished in less than twenty minutes. After