Maxine Williams was not one for shopping for dresses. Or any clothing item for that matter. So, on this early February weekend she had no idea what she was doing in the small town's only department store with her best friend Margaret, flicking through a rack of glitzy dresses, trying to find something presentable to wear to the spring formal.
"Hey, Max, get a load of this." Margaret giggled holding up a piece of cheetah print multi colored fabric that dared to call itself a dress. "What do you think?" She asked sarcastically, striking a dramatic pose while holding the dress up to her.
"I-uh-" Maxine stuttered "I definitely question your choices." The smaller Canadian hung the dress back on the rack, flicking through the dresses as she spoke.
"Don't be silly, I wouldn't be caught in something as risqué as that, my dad would kill me." She stated. Max glanced up, just when Margaret began to squeal excitedly. For a girl who usually was so quiet, she made quite a bit of noise around her friends. She pulled a bright scarlet dress off of the rack and hurried off in the general direction of the dressing rooms, pulling Maxine behind her.
"While I'm trying mine on you should try on yours too-" her planning was stopped short when she looked back at her dress-lacking friend.
"Oh, sorry Maxie, let's go find you something." She mused, pulling her friend back to the area where one could find dresses.
"How aboot this one?" She asked, holding up a black, chiffon, empire dress. You'd look absolutely stunning in this." She stated wistfully, picturing her friend in the dress.
"If you say so." Max shrugged, both girls heading to the makeshift dressing room in the back of the store. Margaret practically skipped into her stall and slipped the red satiny gown over her wiry but feminine frame with ease. She stepped out slowly, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. The beading on the chest of her dress caught the light emanating from the pale fluorescent lights, sending a billion small rainbows dancing across the dressing room walls.
"Well, how does it look?" She inquired as she twirled, sending the rainbows spinning across the room. Max found it hard not to blush, seeing her friend's beauty amplified by such a beautiful dress. The fabric clung to her as if it was made customly just for her.
"Does it look that bad, Max? You haven't said anything yet." Margaret asked, worry on her face.
"N-no, you look absolutely beautiful." Max breathed. "You should really get that dress." She stated, practically in awe.
" you really think so?" The Canadian asked, looking at her reflection in the full length mirror. "I wanna see you in your dress, c'mon go put it on!" She cried gleefully, gently shoving her friend into a changing stall, and tossing the dress over the door.
Maxine, on the other hand, did not find the changing process quite so easy as Margaret. She stepped into the dress, pulling it up only to notice the zipper.
"Hey- uh Margaret, can you help me with this?" She asked as she stepped out of the stall, her arms crossed in front of her chest, her face cherry red.
"Sure thing, Maxie." The smaller girl chirped, zipping up the back, and stood back to admire the dress.
"Does it look okay?" Maxine asked, playing with a piece of long, honey colored hair nervously.
"Woah, max you look beautiful." She breathed. "That's definitely the dress you're getting."
The two girls, carrying their dresses, walked to the counter, paid for the gowns and left, in Maxine's beaut up Chevy Malibu. Margaret flipped through the radio stations, settling on one currently broadcasting the soft, melodic, acoustics of Passenger's Let Her Go.
The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon as Maxine turned onto the street where the Kirkland-Bonnefoy resident was. The calming twilight and soothing melody must have lulled Margaret to sleep because instead of her soft voice, Maxine only heard tiny snores, that sounded like kitten mewls more than snoring. Maxine was almost fangirling internally, seeing how cute Margaret could be when she was dozing off, she didn't have the heart to wake her up. So, the muscled Canadian girl, grabbed the bag with their dresses and picked up her friend and carried her bridal-style into her home.
"Oh, hullo, Maxine, Maggie got tuckered out, huh?" asked, noticing the sleeping Margaret.
"Yeah, she must be exhausted after all that shopping we did." Maxine said, trying to avoid small talk. She set Margaret down carefully on the couch, along with the bag containing the dresses. She attempted to leave the house as quickly and quietly as possible until Mr. Bonnefoy stopped her at the door. "You know, Maxine, you can spend the night 'ere with Margaret, since things can be so... chaotic at your house." Chaotic was right, Maxine thought, her parents, both were verbally abusive and on the rare occasion, physically.
"Really? Thanks Mr. Bonnefoy." Maxine said, breathing a sigh of relief, heading up to Margaret's room, to change into the spare pair of pajama's she always kept there.
After slipping into the plaid flannel pants and black shirt that were her pajamas, she began to head downstairs to wake up Margaret so she wouldn't fall asleep on the couch.
She crossed the living room, to the plush sofa and gently shook Margaret's shoulder, waking her up.
"Huh, wha-? Max, what're you doing here?" She asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.
"You're dads said I could stay the night since the formal's tomorrow." She whispered. "Now c'mon, you've gotta go to bed now or else you'll have bags under your eyes like me." She said walking up the steps to Margaret's room.
"Okie dokie, whatever you say, Maxie." Margaret yawned, flopping onto her mattress and pulled the blankets over her.
"Okay, g'night." Maxine called, clicking the light off.
"W-wait, Maxie, you can sleep 'n here with me, since you always get up so darn early."
"Wha- uh- okay." Maxine stuttered, turning bright red and sat down next to Margaret, curling up so as she wouldn't be on Margaret's side of the bed.
"G'night, dude sweet dreams." Margaret called out sleepily, rolling over. Not even a minute afterwards her kitten mewl snores could be heard, lulling Maxine to sleep.
Sunlight streamed in through the un-opaque blinds covering the window of Margaret Bonnefoy-Kirkland's room. Maxine, was already up, slipping into her jeans and plaid shirt in the bathroom connected to Margaret's room.
"Somebody make the light shut up." Margaret groaned, pulling a pillow over her head, causing Maxine to chuckle softly as she flicked on the light of the room, which caused Margaret to hiss and fall off of the bed and stalk off to the bathroom to untangle her bed-head.
"Hey, Maggie d'you know what time the formal begins?" Maxine asked, trying her hardest not to poke her eye out with a mascara wand.
"Let's see, well, we got up at noon and then we watched cartoons for a bit so, maybe two 're three hours from now." She mused as she wrapped a piece of hair around the scalding curling iron. "Yeah, I think two hours or so, since it starts at five thirty."
The girls spent the next two hours primping, rushing to the school, paying for their tickets and trying to figure out where everyone was. After about an hour or two into the party, Margaret had been cat called five times, groped at least twice (both of the gropers were sent away with heavy hearts and many bruises, both of which were parting gifts from Max.) Not the same could be said for Maxine, most guys wouldn't even look at her, and if the would they'd be cowering in fear, intimidated by the fact that a woman is taller than them.
By eight o' clock Maxine found herself alone with an empty punch glass, seeing the punch bowl had been spiked by none other than Tommy Washington, her brother who was currently making out with some blonde dude in the corner. A little while later, the call of nature has to be answered and max found her way to the restroom, where she found her sister, a smirk plastered on her face.
"Ashley, what're you scheming now?" Maxine asked exasperated. "Oh, nothing, nothing. I've just got a message for ya'." She said "Miss Margaret over there wanted to talk to ya'." she smirked, pointing to the back gym doors, which opened up into the cool, February twilight.
Maxine made her way to the small stairway outside of the gym, dodging couples and other prom-goers along the way.
"What's up?" Maxine asked nonchalantly, wondering what Margaret wanted.
"Ash said you wanted to talk to me" she stated as she stepped over to the stairs, sitting down next to Margaret, the cold wind blowing both of their hair.
"I- uh, I needed to ask you something, Maxie." Margaret said her voice barely above a whisper.
"What'd you need?" Maxine asked, leaning in so she could her, barely able to hear her voice because of the booming music that was drowning out her words.
Suddenly, she leaned in quickly, tilting her head and brushing her lips against Maxine's softly at first. The cold spring air mingling in with the smell of melting snow and Maxine's lip balm. Maxine pulled away suddenly, her face on fire.
"I -I didn't know you felt that way aboot me, Maggie." Max breathed, looking down at her hands.
"I-I'm sorry, max! I shouldn't have forced myself on you." She blurted, scooting away. " I should go." She said, her voice cracking.
"N-no, don't go! I never said that I didn't feel the same!" Maxine cried grabbing her hand and pulling her into and embrace. "I'm so glad you do too." She breathed, before meeting their lips again and stroking her hair, absent mindedly.
The night began to quiet down as a slow song began to spill out from the speakers and into the spring night. And along with the couples inside the gym, the two girls danced slowly to the song, the snow reflecting the stars making it seem as if they were dancing in the heavens themselves.