The Journalist and Her Actor

Chapter 8

Dressing to impress was impossible when you owned nothing impressive. My clothes were vibrant, comfortable and looked like I had stepped right out of the nineties. But with my color scheme and comfort choice, I was left with limited options for a fancy movie star party. 

I stared at my options that were currently draped across the couch with a sigh. A large t-shirt that went to my knees that if paired with a belt, could become a makeshift t-shirt dress and a pair of ripped black jeans and white tank top. But neither of them seemed to scream, 'I BELONG IN FANCY PLACES!'

"Well... at least they aren't neon..." I said down to the clothes. 

"Um... Is that long t-shirt covered in unicorns?" Carter asked, poking at the shirt like it was a strange creature that he is trying to dissect.  

"Irrelevant."

Carter's eyes went wide. "With a YELLOW belt?" 

 "It's either this, or something so painfully neutral that I may as well not go." 

Carter threw his hands up into the air. "Just wear one of mom's dresses." 

I raised a brow at my little brother. "... Our trucker mom? She doesn't have any dresses. Both of our parents drives three hundred days a year." 

Carter slumped down on the couch, looking suddenly sad. "Yeah."

My heart cracked at the look on his face. Our parents were hardly home. Working non stop all across the country so they could keep their high level of health insurance for Carter. And by the look on my little brother's face, he felt their absence like it was his fault. 

"Hey," I said sitting down next to him. "They like their jobs." 

Carter shrugged. "I just miss them sometimes." 

I rubbed the top of his head, sending his hair poking up at odd ends. "Only sometimes huh?" 

He smiled, shoving my hand away. "Yeah. Don't want them to get big egos about it or anything." 

I snorted. "You are a weird kid." 

He glanced back at my large unicorn t-shirt with a laugh. "I'm the weird one?"

Suddenly the doorbell rang, confusing both of us. No one ever stopped by. We didn't necessarily live in the nicest neighborhood, so the idea of a visitor automatically set us both on edge.

Making my way to the door, while Carter clutched a pillow tightly to his chest, I stared through the peephole, confused by what looked to be a long black robe standing outside the door. 

Um... what?

"Who's there?" Carter whisper shouted.

"No idea... It looks like... a Dementor... Or the Grim Reaper..."

"That's not... terrifying," Carter muttered.

I plucked up the bat that I kept by the front door before opening the door a crack. "Who's there?" I demanded, voice firm, bat gripped tightly in my fingers. 

A strawberry blond head popped out from behind what I could now see to be a garment bag. "Oh, sorry! I probably should have made it easier to see me. I thought holding up my offering would be the best first move, but from the bat in your hand I can see that was not the best move." 

Laliana shook the garment bag, smiling brightly. "I bring a dress! Allie's design. I thought you might need something to wear tonight." 

She shuffled into my apartment, a bounce in her step, long strawberry blond hair cascading down her back in loose ringlets. She wore a light blue A-line chiffon dress with a sheer top ruffle layer, causing the material to lightly sway across her body. She had placed several butterfly clips into her hair, keeping it back out of her face.