A New Home

Chapter 5: Shop Till You Drop

It was eight o'clock on Saturday morning. A morning perfect for doing what kids do best: sleeping. Jamie lay in bed as the faint sunshine fell across her body. She sighed and rolled over, glad to be able to sleep in for once. Her bed was warm and the air was cool, the mattress reformed to allow for her movement and her pillows got softer by the minute. Jamie was so comfortable she was even sleeping in her dreams. She was asleep on a cloud; rain fell all around making little golden puddles on the clouds. All of a sudden she was violently awoken from her dream by a screeching alarm. Jamie moaned and opened her eyes.

"Good morning sleepy head, time to get up," said Kess who stood over Jamie's bed.

"What is wrong with you?" Jamie asked her crazy friend. "It's Saturday, go back to bed, you know like sane people do." With that she pulled her pillow back over her eyes.

"First of all," Kess said, "sane is overrated. Second, we are on a mission. We are going to find ourselves killer dresses for the dance. Now get up before I have to go get the cold water."

Jamie remembered their plans and forced herself out of bed. "Ok, ok I'm up. Just give me a bit to get ready," she said still sleepy. She noticed Kess was already dressed and ready to go. "You know, I think that is the first time I have seen you set your alarm clock." She added with a grin. Kess stuck out her tongue and they laughed which helped Jamie wake up a bit more.

Kess left and Jamie got into the shower, "I don't think I've ever actually been shopping," she thought to herself for the first time. She finished her shower and dressed quickly. She walked into Kess' room ready to go. She wore a faded black t-shirt and jeans. Her jeans were worn and the bottoms were shredded from so much wear. Her Dolphins baseball cap sat atop her head as usual.

"Ok ready to go," Jamie yawned one last time.

Kess studied her as she walked in and said, "What size do you wear?"

"What do you mean?" Jamie asked confused.

Kess' mouth dropped to the floor. She put aside the song she was writing and slid off her bed. "Alright I have but one question for you. Do you trust me?" she asked seriously.

Jamie was still confused and getting kind of nervous. "Yeah why do you ask? Um Kess what are you thinking? You have that crazy look in your eyes."

Kess grinned and her eyes spelled "mischievous". "I, Kesskallome Creed, am going to give you a makeover." She put her hands on Jamie's shoulders grinning from ear to ear. "This is going to be so much fun. You will look so great." She pulled Jamie over to the vanity in her room. "Ok sit here," she ordered. She opened her drawers and Jamie stared dumbfounded. One whole drawer was filled with different kinds of makeup and nail polish.

"Do you use all of that?" Jamie asked.

"Yup, and you will too. You're welcome to it anytime. Now sit back and let me work my magic. And no peeking." Kess closed the drawer of makeup. "Ok first we have to find your color. Looking good is not enough by itself; you have to have a signature color that totally completes you." She held up a red blouse and tossed it on to the bed. Next was a blue tank top which also got rejected. She tried pink, purple, yellow, and orange before she picked up the green turtle neck. "Perfect!" she yelled excitedly. "This is perfect. Alright we have your color. But I have to find a different top." Kess rooted through her drawers and moved on to her closet. "Jamie," she said in a serious tone that made Jamie wonder if something was wrong. "I have found it," Kess showed Jamie the green top she had found. It was a dark forest green. It was a sort of stretchy material with no sleeves. It overlapped at the bust and flared out below that. "Jamie, this is absolutely perfect; and here this finishes it." She gave Jamie a pleated, black mini skirt with a green ribbon belt and a furry black midriff coat. Jamie changed into her new outfit and sat back down.

"What now?" she asked

"Now we are going to paint your nails, emerald green I think," Kess answered. She took a green polish that made each nail look like a jewel. Then she pulled out her makeup and thought. "Jamie, while we are out you will have to get your own makeup for yourself, you're just lucky I have some light foundation. I bought it on accident." Jamie was tan but her skin was still lighter than Kess'. Jamie sat through blush, mascara, and many different types of eye shadow.

"I definitely didn't think makeup would take this long, it's a lot of work," Jamie commented.

"Not really, it only takes me a minute or two usually. It just takes longer on you because we have to figure out what looks best. And now your hair." Kess stood for a few minutes staring at Jamie. Finally she disappeared into the bathroom and returned with several bottles. They were full of gel, some colored pink, and others were blue and green.

"Ah what are you going to do with those?" Jamie asked nervously.

"Don't worry, I'm going to style your hair," Kess told her. "Just relax." Kess squeezed small amounts of the brightly colored goop into her palms and began to style Jamie's hair. Choppy pieces hung perfectly in a playful, but sophisticated fashion. "The finishing touch," Kess said and she put a black headband with tiny green jewels into her pieced hair. Jamie pulled on a pair of black knee boots and looked at herself.

"I can't believe it," she said in awe. She hardly even recognized herself.

"You ARE welcome," Kess said, she was clearly proud of her work and it was easy to see why. "Grab a purse from my closet," she told Jamie.

"I'm so excited Kess, let's get going," Jamie said when she had made sure she had everything she needed.

"Wait, Jamie, I just realized, how are we going to get there?"

"We can borrow a car from the garage. Scott owes me for installing that E.C.U. and Drive Train," she replied casually.

"Um ok, over my head. But most things are, I'm not that tall," Kess replied and they headed out the door. As they walked down the hall everyone was staring at them, they were definitely the hottest girls in the school. Kess was wearing black hose and a black sweater. She had a dark maroon and black pleated skirt and a long maroon scarf. Jamie's dark green looks made the two of them look like night-time nymphs. Jamie's flaming eyes and rough and tough beauty mixed with Kess' exotic look and made the two a killer combination.

"What is everyone looking at?" Jamie asked Kess, she wasn't used to this kind of attention.

Kess laughed and replied, "Us silly. You'll get used to it." With that they exited the hall.

As they entered the garage Scott, Peter, John, and Logan were working on the Acura RSX that Scott had bought to fix up. They were covered in grease and sweat. Without shirts, even in the cold winter air, their strong muscular bodies resembled those of Greek gods. They were talking and laughing but when the girls walked in they became silent. Peter let out a whistle to break the quiet and Jamie turned dark red.

"Jamie?" Scott asked. None of them had ever seen her look the way she did.

"Yeah," she answered. When she had first looked at herself in the mirror she had been as shocked as they were.

"That can't be Jamie," Peter though to himself. "This look is so different, she's gorgeous. I've never seen this side of her before, I sure do like it. She's as beautiful on the outside as she is on the inside." He looked at her with joyful disbelief and shook his head. Jamie smiled and looked away then back at him.

"I see Kess gave you a makeover. One of her better experiments," John said with a grin. He winked at Kess who glowed with pride over Jamie and the reaction of the boys.

"Hey," she said, "I made those girls hot and you know it. My fashion sense out does yours big time Mr. I-wear-one-style-and-one-style-only." John nodded and laughed, he put his arm around Kess who gave him a mock look of betrayal.

"What's its acceleration speed?" Jamie asked as she looked under the hood of the car they were working on.

"0 to 60 in 4.3 seconds," Scott told her.

"Nice," Jamie said. "I'll help you guys when I get back." She patted the car and stood up again. Logan watched them, also in a state of shock from Jamie's sudden change from tom-boy to princess. He pretended not to notice and continued cleaning the gears in his large hands.

"Where are you gals going?" Peter asked after he regained himself from shock.

"We're going to the mall to find dresses for the dance next week," Kess said.

"Hey do you girls want us to meet you there for dinner?" John asked.

"That sounds awesome," Kess said and pecked him on the cheek. "And now we're off, we don't want to miss any good sales."

"Hey Scott, mind of I use the Supra? I promise I'll drive slowly," Jamie asked Scott. She flashed a girly grin that made Peter wild. The feminine perfection newly found in her shone bright and Peter loved it. She was always beautiful to him in her jeans and t-shirts, but it was mind blowing to see her dressed how she was.

"Sure," Scott replied, "the keys are in it. And make sure you drive the speed limit. One of you has already been in trouble with a vehicle." He gave Kess a serious look.

Jamie looked at her friend questioningly. "I'll tell you later," Kess said and she got in the car.

"Thanks Scott," Jamie said and winked at Peter. She put up the garage door and started the car. They waved to the guys and pulled out of the garage. Jamie drove them to the front gate, without looking at her Jamie said to Kess, "Make sure your seatbelt is tight."

"Hey remember you told Scott you would drive slowly," Kess said. She was apprehensive about disobeying the rules of the road now.

"I know, I know," Jamie said, but a dangerous smile spread across her face.

"Oh great," Kess muttered. Jamie peeled out of the driveway and they sped down the rode.

Back in the garage, Scott and they guys could hear the screeching tires as the girls went on their way. "I told her not to drive too fast," Scott said, sounding annoyed. "Oh well, she's responsible, I never would have gotten that drive train figured out if it hadn't been for her."

"Yeah, I can't stay mad at her either," Peter said, and John laughed at them both.

Kess turned up the music, and the girls sang along to Love at First Sight, by Kylie Minogue. "If this isn't the perfect song, I don't know what is," said Jamie.

Kess laughed, "For you it is, John and I knew each other long before we started going out. I dated one of his friends for a little while and every time we went somewhere with a group, John and I would argue for hours. Finally, Seth, they guy I was dating, said he thought John and I would get along better and so we broke up. It wasn't a sad breakup though; I mean I got John didn't I? He makes me feel so special."

Jaime sighed, "Aren't guys just great?"

"They sure are," Kess replied. "Awesome we're here." Jamie parked the car in the lot and they got out. A few spaces down some guys got out of their own car and whistled. Kess smiled turned and started to walk to the mall, but Jamie didn't move.

"Hey what year is that car?" she called out. Kess rolled her eyes and took Jamie by the arm. "What?" Jamie asked.

"Come on, you are such a loser sometimes," Kess laughed. Inside the mall the first thing they could smell was freshly baked pretzels from Peggie's Pretzels. "Mmm, that smells really good, you know what I'm hungry," Kess said.

"Me too, but I don't want a pretzel, let's walk around some." They started around the mall passing shoe stores, music stores, dress shops, and novelty shops. What Are You Waiting For, by Gwen Stefani was playing from the speakers mounted all throughout the halls. "There, let's eat there," Jamie pointed to a small coffee shop. They went inside and ordered hot chocolate coffees and sandwiches.

"Tell me more about your past Jamie," Kess said as they sipped their drinks warming their insides.

"Well what do want to know?"

"Like what was your life like before you came here, I mean before you were alone in Canada? Do you remember it?"

"Sure I remember it, I don't always understand it, but I remember it. I remember that my "father" was a magician. I mean I know he didn't have magical powers, but at the time that's what I thought. He could make things float in the air and move around. Magic see? I don't know how he did it, probably something could explain it, but I can't. I guess I had two fathers, you could say. I mean I remember two men in my life, they took care of me and helped me grow up, but after a little while all the memories get sort of blurry. I remember that there was another person, well I guess you could call him a person, he was really hairy. I don't remember too much about him but it was his smell that sticks in my head most. I can't describe it really, but it was very distinct. My memories get blurry there and I honestly can't remember anything else. It's like I was suddenly out on my own and happy, see just before everything gets blurred I can remember being really sad. I guess that's why I left."

"Huh, you sure have a mysterious past Jamie, I think we'll have to do some investigation work," Kess replied. "I remember everything before I came to the Institute. I remember it all too well."

"Tell me about it, I told you about me, now it's your turn."

"That's for another time, we'll spend enough time talking, let's go look for dresses, I'm in the shopping mood," Kess smiled. They got up, tossed their garbage, and headed into the mainstream of the mall. It was busy for a Saturday and the music could barely be heard above all the talking and walking. Their first stop was inside MOD. MOD was an upscale dress shop and almost everything they touched weighed at least thirty pounds because of all the beading. Jamie tried on a few dresses but nothing had the flare she was looking for. They moved on to Angie's Formal Wear where they each found a dress they liked.

"I don't know, I like this one but I still think I could do better," Jamie said of her velvet navy halter dress.

"I agree," said Kess, "Let's look a little more, I don't like mine enough either." Kess' dress was a bright pink strapless.

The girls walked around the mall for another half hour, trying on different styles and colors when Jamie saw it. "Look!" she said to Kess, stopping her by the arm.

"What…Oh my," Kess said. Jamie was pointing to a dark green dress hanging in the display case of Samantha, another dress shop. "That's gorgeous Jamie; you have to try it on." They went inside and Jamie found the dress in her size. She came out of the room and Kess gasped "That's it!" The dress had one thick strap from her left shoulder, smaller straps pulled across from each shoulder. Pieces hung from the thick strap down to her elbows in varying shades of green. The dress was satin but it was ripped all down the sides and sparkling green thread tied the rips back together still leaving space for a little skin to peek through. The rips stretched across the front of the dress and the back not just the sides. It had a low cut back and the front was cut straight across. Jamie twirled in front of the mirror, knowing she had found her perfect dress.

"This is it," she said to herself. She imagined walking down a majestic staircase in this dress as Peter lost his breath.

"Jamie, that's perfect. I can't believe it, it's so beautiful, you look great," Kess said.

"Thanks, ok now it's your turn. Once we find your dress we'll have to look for accessories right? Well we can't shop all day, so let's get this paid for." Jamie paid for her dress and smiled all the while. The next place they stopped in was Evening Out, a store specifically for formal dresses. They searched for a little while, until Kess let out a shriek.

"I've found it!" she said excitedly to Jamie. She ran off to the dressing room before Jamie could even get a glimpse of the dress, but when she came out Jamie knew why she was so excited. Kess' dress was a slinky black number that was strapless but sheer pink fabric hung down her shoulders. The pink was two different shades, bright and light pink and the bright pink fabric thickly outlined the top seem of the dress. Again the two shades of pink were attached low on her hips and hung down a little past her knees. "Oh Jamie, this is the dress that will outdo all my other outfits. Now I'm not that shallow, but this dress is defiantly sent from Heaven." This time Kess envisioned John's reaction to her in her own fashion fantasy. She paid for her dress and they began the task of finding everything they needed to make the night perfect.

"First, let's go to Red Light, the shoe store," Kess said. Inside they each found a satisfactory pair of shoes, Jamie found green sandals and Kess got a pair of pink heels. In Etc. Jamie found green and sliver chandelier earrings and a green choker. Kess bought pink chandelier earrings and a black choker with two layers of pink pearls attached to it. Jamie also bought some green ribbon to tie around her lower arms that mimicked the green ribbon on her shoulders. Kess found long black, satin fingerless gloves with fingers traced in pink.

"I think we are done," Jamie said as they finished buying their goods.

"I think so too," Kess said, "I have all kinds of hair things at home we can go through tonight. Hey why don't you spend tonight in my room, we can stay up late, eat, talk, and it'll be fun."

"Sounds good to me," Jamie said, "I've never had a "slumber party" this should be interesting," the two girls laughed and Kess called John to let them know what time to be at the restaurant.

"This is the ending to a perfect day," Jamie said.

"I know what you mean, I haven't had this much fun shopping in a long time. Everyone else I shop with gets so boring, they get tired. I could shop all day." They laughed all the way out of the mall and into the car. Jamie drove them to Cheri, a restaurant in town that wasn't too nice but nice enough for a serious dinner. They got a table and a few minutes after they sat down Peter and John walked through the door.

"There's my girl," John said and he sat down next to Kess with a little kiss on her cheek.

"Successful shopping ladies?" Peter asked as he sat next to Jamie.

"You can judge for yourselves next week when you see our dresses," Jamie said, "I'm sure you'll be…pleased."

"Ooo, I can't wait," Peter said and smiled.

"Ok, ok enough talking, let's get some food, I'm starved," John said and he looked through the menu.

"You're always thinking about food, John," Kess said. "Cars and food."

"And my lovely lady," he said, making Kess blush.

"Oh you," she said and began scanning the menu herself.

Peter made some suggestions to Jamie who decided on grouper. "Nice choice, nice choice," he said. Kess had salmon and Peter and John each had a steak.

"I absolutely love salmon," Kess said as she devoured her dinner.

"I agree, I love all types of fish," Jamie said. They talked lightly for a while until the conversations became more between each couple than all four of them. Jamie and Peter talked about their day; Jamie talked excitedly about her first shopping experience. Kess and John sat in silence for a little while, John had his arm around Kess and they watched Peter and Jamie.

"They're so cute together," Kess said.

"Yeah, she's all Peter can talk about, I was going to tell him to shut up, but I figured he probably wants to do the same to me, I talk about you so much."

"Oh you're such a sweet talker. Seriously though, I think they're perfect together. Peter always needed someone he could worry about. He's such a big sweet guy, and now he's got someone to be sweet to. They are funny though. I wonder if we look that pathetic together."

"Probably," John said, "yeah he's so big and she's so small, it's an interesting combination. Peter looks so tough and burly, but when he's even thinking about Jamie he's like a little boy."

"I believe it, Jamie gets such a starry look in her eyes, I can always tell what she's thinking about, and it's usually Peter."

Their check came and John paid for Kess' meal while Peter picked up Jamie's. "Ready to go home?" Jamie asked. They headed out to the car.

"We had Seth drop us off, so you could take us home Jamie, we want to ride in the Supra too," Peter told her.

"We'll sit in the back, backseat memories right Kess?" John said.

Kess laughed and pushed him into the seat, "We're not making any backseat memories tonight,"

Peter and Jamie laughed and Peter got into the driver's seat. "Hold on a sec, mister," Jamie said. "I've got the keys and I'm driving."

Peter moved over to the passenger's seat and Jamie sat down, "Yes ma'am," he said with a smile. Jamie drove off home the music was blaring Vertigo, by U2. She pulled into the driveway at seven thirty, and Scott met them at the garage door.

"Why are you up Scott?" Kess asked. "Our curfew isn't until midnight."

"I just wanted to make sure my baby was alright," he replied and walked to the driver's side of the car. Jamie looked at Kess who returned her confused look. "How are you my dear, did they take good care of you?" he said as he pat the steering wheel of the car. Jamie and Kess laughed.

"You and your Supra," John joked. Scott gave him a look and the kids went inside. They walked up to the girl's hall and stayed talking for a little while. Kess kissed John goodnight and Jamie did the same for Peter, Kess kissed John a little longer and Peter had to finally pull them apart. "Night gorgeous," John said, and Kess waved goodnight and went into her room.

"Good night, Jamie, I hope you had a good time today," Peter said.

"I did and my favorite part was having dinner with you, good night Peter," Jamie said and went into her room. Peter and John left for their hall and they each stayed up thinking about their girlfriend long into the night.

Back in Jamie's room Kess came in after they had each showered and changed into their pajamas. "Hey sweetie," she said. "Come into my room, I rescued some chips and dip from the kitchen."

"Mmm, dip," Jamie said and followed her into her room. They sat down on Kess' bed and started on the chips. "Got anything to drink?" Jamie asked with a mouth full of chips.

"Here," Kess handed her a diet cola and opened one for herself. "So what's it like?"

"What's what like?"

"What's it like being with Peter? You two really look funny together."

"Why do we look funny?"

"Jamie, hello, he's like over six feet tall, and you're just, what, five six?"

"Five seven, thank you very much. And I'm taller than you are," Jamie said defiantly.

"Oh right, my bad," Kess laughed.

"No, height doesn't make a difference."

"Yeah the bigger they are the harder that fall, and Jamie he has fallen hard for you."

"Oh," Jamie blushed.

"It's true," Kess laughed, "Oh I'm so tired. I always get tired after I eat."

"Me too, let's go to bed." The girls crawled under their covers and Jamie set Kess' alarm clock.

"Why did you do that? We don't have to get up tomorrow."

"You're right," Jamie turned off the alarm and the fell sleep as soon as their heads hit their pillows.