Chasing Butterflies Chapter 24: The Shopping Episode (Patreon)

Olivia didn’t hate clothes shopping. Not anymore, at least. Time, maturity, and a realization that jeans with holes in the knees were not acceptable attire in a laboratory environment made it at least an occasional necessity, and gaining a bit of confidence to actually try with her appearance made the whole thing far more appealing. Especially when Jason introduced her to thrifting.

Nowadays, Olivia would describe her relationship with shopping as relatively amicable. Not something she’d ever go out of her way to do, but enjoyable nonetheless. Though shopping for the kids was another matter. Picking outfits for them was one of her guilty pleasures.

But whatever small fondness Olivia felt toward shopping was insignificant. Not just because she had to squash it in favor of properly acting her part. It simply couldn’t hold a candle to the blazing inferno of teenage girl shopping fever.

They stepped through the wide maw of the department store’s entrance and into a dense array of clothing racks, shelves, and even more pungent perfume counters. Emma and Chrissy practically ran ahead, diving into the racks of dresses with a fervor that Olivia could hardly believe.

“Oh my gosh! Look at that one!”

“Right? It’s a total fairytale dress! And the color… Oh, look, look!”

“Are those rainbow sequins? Chrissy, you have to try that one on!”

One after another, specimens were pulled from the racks and held out for the others to admire. Despite the flood of praise for each one, the girls put about half of them back in place, meaning it took a full two minutes before their arms were full of bright and colorful fabric.

That’s… Wow. I know this is a stereotype, especially for teenage girls, but this seems a bit extra. You’d think they were picking out an entire wardrobe, not a single dress.

Maybe the subconscious desire to do just that was one of the drivers here? Then again, maybe Olivia was just overthinking it. She did worry about whether Hazel would grow up to be like this someday.

Olivia watched the show with amusement. Turning to the racks, she picked out a few options of her own. It was partially to forestall any objections about her lack of choices, but also because she legitimately wanted to. Trying on a variety of dresses was half the point of this, after all.

Curiously, she fished out the price tag for a maroon dress with a tasteful amount of ruffles at the hem and neck. The little piece of cardstock made her wince.

Yikes. That’s… More than I wanted to pay today. And considering 2006 inflation, it’s probably even more expensive than I’m thinking.

She put it back. The value of money in this day and age was one of those things she still struggled to completely grasp, which was probably a good thing. If she had, this would probably sting even more. Hopefully her real dress would be on the cheaper side of these.

They continued combing through the store with the efficiency of a military unit clearing the area. The whole while, Olivia's eyes scanned across the store for the one she remembered. She didn’t remember what order of shops they’d gone in last time, nor which one would house her dress of choice. It may not show up for a while yet. But she didn’t want to risk missing it.

“That’s… a lot.” Olivia commented to one living pile of clothes as it nearly stumbled. “Do you need any help carrying them?”

“Nope!” Emma said. The girl had to turn sideways to see Olivia, given the height of her dress hoard. “I got it!”

“Besides, you need to carry your own haul, too!” Chrissy chimed in. “Speaking of… Found anything you like, Luna?”

The blonde girl was the only one whose arms remained empty. She shuffled her feet uncomfortably. “...I… don’t wear dresses.”

Fair. Which means she probably doesn’t want to admit she has an opinion on any of these. I totally get it. Still…

“Oh, don’t worry!” Emma grinned broadly and shifted her load awkwardly to one arm. “Let me help!”

With that, Emma’s whirled and began snatching dresses off of racks for Luna. Well, in theory. In reality, the girl gravitated toward the same bright colors and eye-catching designs that she herself favored.

Olivia winced as a particularly garish article fell into Luna’s arms. Hoo, boy. I’m glad I picked up a few at least.

It wasn’t long before the group found their way to the changing rooms, more by necessity rather than from a dwindling of their enthusiasm. The mostly obscured forms of Emma, Chrissy, and now Luna made their way into individual stalls. Olivia followed suit, her considerably more manageable stack of clothes having successfully warded off the worst of her companions’ shopping fever.

Though maybe I should pick more next time. I can use it as strength training… But then I’ll have to try them all on… A conundrum, indeed.

Olivia stepped into one of the claustrophobic off-white stalls and hung her haul on the wall. She slid out of her clothes and into a silvery waterfall of a dress that she honestly liked the look of, admiring it in the mirror. The color didn’t work for her in the slightest, and the length was closer to that of a prom dress rather than something for homecoming. But both the cut and the fabric itself both looked quite nice.

She tried a few more on, cataloguing the pros and cons of each until Emma’s muffled voice called over from a neighboring stall. “All right! Everyone pick out a few favorites, it’s time to show off!”

Olivia settled on a modest tan dress with tasteful flecks of silver speckled amongst the fabric. It was a few shades too light for her tastes, not quite the warm chocolate that might have better complimented her own very, very faint tan. The tulle that overlayed both bodice and skirt also felt scratchy as hell. But the silver flecks hidden within the fabric were honestly quite tasteful.

The door creaked open as she stepped into the narrow hall with the others. As expected, her dress looked downright boring in comparison to the others’. Emma's dress was a hot pink mess of ruffles that looked like a jellyfish eating her alive. Chrissy’s also boasted an eye-catching fabric of shimmering aqua with rainbow sequins like mermaid scale—a little garish, but it certainly could work. As for Luna…

The last stall swung open, its hinges as silent as its blonde inhabitant. The girl shuffled out uncertainly, already fidgeting before she even came into full view. Her dress… Well, calling it a “dress” felt rather generous. It looked like a drunk pixie had barfed all over a traffic cone.

Highlighter orange fabric bunched together in a puffy tutu at the hem, more akin to the loofah in Olivia’s shower than an article of clothing. The color didn’t just draw the eye—it seized it, making the very idea of looking at something else seem laughable. Its strapless bodice was decked out with honest-to-God rhinestones of all things. Not a few of them, either. The cheap bits of glittering plastic completely obscured the fabric beneath from the waistline up. 

Olivia could do little more than stare. It was only with a titanic effort of will that she managed to avoid shielding her eyes. This… this was a travesty. Never before had she seen such an utter mismatch between a person and their clothing. It technically fit the girl rather well, and Luna had enough of a bust to fill out the bodice. But aesthetically and personality-wise… The fact that Luna had chosen this dress to step out in just spoke to the kinds of articles she’d been getting loaded down with.

She turned to look at Emma and Chrissy, as though to confirm what she was seeing. The pair had also fallen silent as they gaped at Luna. For a fleeting moment, Olivia hoped that they’d been struck speechless for the same reason that she had. But that hope evaporated as soon as Emma opened her mouth.

“Oh. My. Gosh.” The girl practically squealed. “You look adorable!”

Luna’s cheeks reddened. “...I do?”

“Yes! Of course! You look like you belong in a garden, dancing with a bunch of butterflies! That dress is perfect for you!”

It most definitely is not. Not in the slightest.

“It’s a very pretty dress,” Chrissy agreed, and Olivia’s head whipped around in shock. The girl was smiling, yet the slight hesitation in her expression made it clear that she wanted to say more. “Kind of like yours, Emma. I wonder if Luna wants something so flashy, though…?”

“Of course she does!” Emma bowled over the suggestion. “This is our first homecoming—we need to stand out! There’s no point in picking some boring old dress like everyone else will have!”

Never mind that Emma’s definition of “boring” seemed to erroneously include sane, fashionable styles and colors that weren’t neon. In Olivia’s experience, there was a clear difference between standing out and looking good. Most people confused the two and ended up accomplishing only the former. And this case was certainly one of those.

Chrissy folded like a wet paper towel. The flute began bobbing her head in enthusiastic agreement. “Right! It's not everyday you get a chance to wear something like this…”

“Exactly!”

Chrissy didn’t object again—evidently, that slight bit of pushback was about all that she could muster. They both continued to gush over the stock still Luna as Olivia stared. What in the world were they thinking? Well, Chrissy’s mindset was clear enough, the girl just didn’t have enough of a spine to speak her mind. Luna seemed completely unwilling to admit she had an opinion in the first place. But Emma? Was she actively trying to sabotage her fellow flute? 

No, as self-centered and oblivious as she was, Emma hadn’t struck Olivia as that kind of conniving. She probably was just that blind to Luna's obvious discomfort. Considering her own tastes, it was entirely possible that the girl also failed to grasp the concept of her own style preferences not being one-size-fits-all. Emma liked bright colors, as questionable as that was, and simply didn’t understand the lack of confidence that would make someone avoid them like the plague. Worse, that lack of understanding didn’t seem like it would be remedied anytime soon.

Eventually, the pair turned their attention toward Olivia and her dress. Chrissy grinned. “I love it! The sparkles, the fit… it looks great! What do you think?”

Olivia couldn’t help but stare at Luna’s dress as she answered, only half paying attention. “Honestly? Um… It’s ok. The color is a little bit off. The style is nice, though. It could use a bit of adjustment around the chest, and it needs a layer underneath the tulle on the skirt, but…”

She trailed off as she noticed the blank looks of her companions. Olivia blushed a bit.

Right. She wasn’t really asking. Too much honesty.

“...It’s all right,” she finished lamely.

“I think you’re right about the color,” Emma nodded sagely. “Brown is just so boring.”

Olivia just dipped her head and smiled. It wasn’t what she’d meant, not by a long shot. But she was trying not to get her foot too firmly lodged in her mouth today.

After a bit more fawning, they all returned to their changing stalls to try on another dress. Olivia slid into the next one distractedly, her brow furrowing in thought. It’s ok. This has to be what happened last time, too. I just have to let it run its course. And I’m sure that Luna will take this as motivation to pick out something more normal for herself. Right?

But that wasn’t what happened. Not at all.

They finished up at Gracie’s and continued on to the next stop on their list. But rather than stick up for herself or quietly pick out a few more muted dresses, Luna continued to meekly accept the increasingly insane array of dresses that Emma foisted upon her. Without a single word of complaint, either. Not that Olivia expected her to voice any issues outright, but still…

What if… what if she honestly believes them?

It wasn’t until the third store that she figured it out. To Olivia, it was clear that Emma’s glowing praise for these dresses was more about her own tastes rather than whether or not Luna actually looked good in them. And Chrissy just went along with it. But to Luna… what if she honestly trusted in her fellow flutes’ opinions more than her own? What if she legitimately thought that a rainbow-hued dress that looked like something a toddler would wear for Easter did look better on her than anything she might have picked out herself? Never mind how she felt in it—that kind of thing was easy to brush aside when one didn’t have the slightest shred of confidence.

That’s really it, isn’t it? Olivia groaned. They’re going to gaslight and peer pressure her into picking one of these things to homecoming.

Assuming Luna even went. Who could say whether she'd get cold feet and back out of attending the dance last minute? Olivia certainly couldn't remember whether or not that was the case, and it certainly wasn’t an impossibility once the girl got away from these two enablers and had a minute to really contemplate her life decisions. So far, Olivia had yet to see a single one that wouldn’t have even her hiding her face in public.

Her frustration over the current situation was put on hold as a flash of blue caught her eye. Olivia turned, looking more closely at one of the nearby racks. She smiled.

There.

The navy blue dress sat nestled among a collection of clones, their collective bulk occupying a tenth of one circular clothing rack. It was relatively simple in style, with a V-neck that would have seemed a bit too revealing for old Olivia’s comfort. Fortunately, it was offset by a hem that fell to just below the knees and a surprisingly thick set of shoulder straps. Considering that most everything else they saw was either spaghetti straps, off the shoulder, or strapless altogether, it wasn’t hard to imagine why she’d picked this one.

She reached out to feel the fabric. Soft, and surprisingly silky. More comfortable than she honestly remembered. Maybe that was another factor in why she’d chosen it.

Nodding in approval, Olivia found one in her size and plucked it out, adding it to her modest pile. A wave of relief washed over her. She’d found it.

“All right! Where are the changing rooms?” Emma whirled about to search, a flurry of ruffles and lace whirling with her. “My arms are getting tired.”

It was no surprise. Between them, she and Chrissy had accumulated enough dresses to outfit the entire band. If anything, their enthusiasm had only grown with each successive store.

Olivia felt her own excitement bubble up as she slid into this store’s changing rooms. In moments she’d slipped out of her own clothes and into the dress’s confines. The silky fabric felt cool against her skin. After awkwardly managing to zip up the back, she turned to look at herself in the mirror… and immediately frowned.

This… this looks awful.