Chasing Butterflies Chapter 25: Dress to Impress (Patreon)

Olivia’s dress fit… kind of. The sizing was perfectly fine. But that was about all that could be said for it. The dark blue contrasted poorly against her skin and hair to make her already pale complexion look pasty. Even the slight bit of color she’d developed from band practice in the sun didn’t salvage things, instead sticking her with a very slight and uneven farmers’ tan that was now on full display. And the bodice… well, it was clear that the V-neck was intended for someone with a bit more volume in the chest. Given Olivia’s lack of endowment in that regard, it hung rather shapelessly against her. And that was with her doing everything she could in the posture department.

A frown grew as she turned and inspected herself. There was no getting around it. It wasn’t a bad dress, per se. It was actually a pretty standard cut. But it wasn’t a style that fit her high school body in the least. And any amount of slouch in her shoulders made the issue ten times worse.

How in the world did I think this was a good idea? I don’t remember it being this bad! Maybe it was just a good deal…?

Quickly frisking herself, Olivia located the price tag near the hem… and felt her mouth go dry. It was even more expensive than the other ones she'd checked. Not unaffordable, but certainly more than she was comfortable with, especially for something so ill-suited.

Once again she wondered how in the world this had gone so wrong. But she didn't wonder for long. The image of Luna’s deer-in-headlights look was all too fresh in her mind. Who’s to say that Olivia didn’t get swept up the same way that she had? Only, rather than cave and end up taking home one of those garish things, she’d worked up the bravery to pick out one dress herself. A single one.

Had she simply bought it without trying it on? Or had she recognized how bad it looked and went with it anyway, too embarrassed in her own apparently flawed decision-making to continue trying other options? Then again, given her complete lack of fashion experience back then, maybe she’d deluded herself into thinking that it did look good. And price would have been the least of her concerns, with money being far less valuable than the prospect of avoiding an uncomfortable situation…

Whatever the case, she couldn’t remember now. But one thing was certain. This dress looked bad. And yet it was the one she’d chosen last time. Whatever the thought process that had led up to that decision, Olivia would honor it. 

She took one more look at herself and sighed. Well, I guess there’s no use complaining about it. I'll work with the hand I've been dealt.

Her enthusiasm effectively snuffed, Olivia stepped out to meet the others. Emma and Chrissy were once more clad in bright gemstone hues and decorative flourishes that hurt the eyes, but after seeing so many similar dresses, they kind of lost the shock factor. If this went on much longer, Olivia was honestly starting to worry that she'd become completely desensitized.

“Oooh, Chrissy!” Emma gasped. “That one is fabulous! The poofy shoulders are incredible! And Olivia…” Emma scanned her dress, continuing to smile. “That one looks good on you!”

She smiled weakly. “Thanks.”

The gregarious flute didn’t seem to notice her change in mood—or simply didn’t acknowledge it. Olivia watched the proceedings with detachment as Chrissy showed off a bright red dress whose shoulders would have put a fantasy paladin’s to shame.

She shouldn’t have expected more. The old her avoided matters of fashion and appearance like the plague. Things like makeup and doing her hair were wastes of time that only the vain indulged in, and her approach to clothing also reflected that attitude. So why did Olivia feel just a bit disappointed?

There’s absolutely no reason to get emotional about this. So why…? Is it teenage hormones?

She really, REALLY hoped that wasn’t the case. If so, these next few years might prove even more difficult than even she’d feared.

“...Are you ok?”

Luna's quiet question made Olivia jump in surprise. A still-blushing Luna quickly turned away. “...Sorry.”

"No, no. It's fine." Olivia quickly reassured her. "Sorry, I'm just… distracted. I should be asking you that."

“I’m fine.” Luna answered far too quickly.

Olivia pulled herself back together and scrutinized the quiet flute. This time, she had been coerced into a skin-tight dress the color of bubblegum. The shimmery fabric desperately clung to Luna’s every curve, leaving absolutely nothing to the imagination. It honestly wasn’t the worst dress she’d seen today, not by a longshot. But the short and tight tube had her constantly tugging the hem back down and the strapless top back up.

Olivia's jaw tightened. Luna's discomfort was as plain as day. She looked like she wanted nothing more than to dash into the changing room and hide within her hoodie’s shapeless confines. How could the others not see it—or worse, just ignore it? The only reason she was doing the same was because she had bigger concerns. Otherwise…

Internally, she sighed. She should just stay silent. There was no reason for her to interfere in all of this. She should just let things play out, even if it meant letting this already self-conscious girl go along with her fellow flutes’ terrible advice and take home a dress that didn’t suit her in the slightest. Because she would. She could see it now—Luna would spend the entire dance fretting just like this, drawing too much attention for all the wrong reasons. All the while, she’d feel even more out of place than ever before. Heck, they’d all be lucky if she didn’t end up retreating even further into her shell.

A brief flicker of azure eyes peeked out from behind those long bangs, then darted back behind the curtain. “...I think… you look pretty.”

The words crashed against her resolve like a battering ram.

Olivia stared at the quiet girl, schooling her features to stillness. It wasn’t her opinion itself that stunned her—though given Luna’s own style, she rather suspected that the girl had little enough experience to actually believe it. It was more that she’d given an opinion at all. Usually she’d just nod or shrug if questioned about such a thing.

It was a testament to all the progress she’d been making recently. That the girl would overcome her fear of speaking up, not for her own sake, but to assuage Olivia's own perceived discomfort… How could she turn her back on that?

Olivia’s expression softened. “Thank you. I appreciate that. But honestly, it’s not myself I’m concerned about. It’s you.”

Luna startled at the words. “...Me?”

“Yes. You seem uncomfortable in the dresses Emma’s picked out for you.”

Luna cringed at the words, and Olivia barreled forward before she could have second thoughts. “That’s not to say you look bad. They’re just not your style. Way different than anything I’ve ever seen you wear before. Like this one—you usually wear a hoodie, and even the shorts you wear during practice are loose and down to your knees. This is…” She gestured toward the dress’s hem. “A lot more revealing. Which is fine, if you want to try something new, but… A dress should be something that you’re comfortable wearing. A second skin. Not something that you’ll be constantly thinking about and having to adjust.”

The blonde’s hands froze at the words, then dropped to her sides. Their unnatural stillness made it clear that it took an effort of will to keep them there.

“I… don’t really wear dresses.”

Olivia nodded. “I don’t either. But they’re like any other clothes. There’s such a huge variety that I’m sure we can find something you’d feel more comfortable with. Maybe something darker, like your hoodie? It would fit your complexion better. And the style… Personally, I don’t like strapless dresses much. I end up worrying about whether or not they’ll slip down so much that it’s all I can think about. Heck, you can even find something with sleeves or wear a little cardigan on top if it makes you feel better.”

Luna fell silent, considering the words. She didn’t outright reject them, nor did she contradict Olivia about anything. Which was a good sigh, if an expected one.

“Maybe… I can help?” Olivia offered. “If you’re fine with these, that’s ok, but if you want to try something a little less… Emma… then we can pick out a few of those at the next place. For now, maybe think about what you’d want to try. If you had to pick a direction, what kind of dress would you want to move toward?”

Luna bit her lip and hesitated. Olivia knew that asking the girl to have an opinion on something, much less voice it, was a longshot. But it didn’t hurt to try.

To her surprise, Luna did respond. “I… don’t know. I guess… something like yours?”

Olivia looked down at herself, then at Luna, mentally replacing the sheath of pink with her own dress. The quiet girl’s blonde hair would work far better with this color. And she was the right body type to fill it out the way it was intended. Plus, the generous straps and longer skirt would surely make her feel more secure and less inclined to fidget…

The longer Olivia looked, the more clear it became. This dress would fit Luna perfectly.

“...Wait here.” Olivia darted back into the changing room. She quickly shucked off the dress and threw on a different one before stepping out once more. When she emerged, she found Luna fidgeting in place once more. The sight only served to reassure Olivia about what she would do next.

“Here.” She extended the dark dress toward the flute. “Try it on.”

Luna recoiled, her voice rising in panic. “You don’t— I don’t want to steal—”

“It’s all right,” Olivia smiled patiently. “You’re not stealing anything. I’m just asking you to try it on. Besides, it… doesn’t really fit me.”

Not anymore.

Luna fell silent, frozen in place. Her bangs shifted enough to reveal wide azure eyes staring as though she’d been thrown a lifeline. Then, she swallowed and nodded.

Olivia gently pressed the dress into Luna’s arms. She disappeared back into the stall as Olivia considered just how royally she’d messed up.

I’m just letting her try it on. It’s just to build her confidence a bit, help her see herself in a dress that she might actually like. We’ve still got one or two more places to visit after this. What are the odds we don’t find another one that fits her better, one that she likes more?

It was a whole lot of rationalization. But even now, Olivia knew that she was deluding herself. She'd seen how Luna looked at the dress. It was practically a done deal. Even if they did find other dresses that fit all the necessary criteria, Olivia was willing to bet that Luna would still prefer this one.

Which meant that Olivia had essentially just given away her dress, the one she’d so painstakingly scouted out to keep things consistent. And yet…

…I honestly wish that I regretted it more. The fact that I don't is a little concerning.

Over and over, she'd told herself that even small deviations like this ran the risk of derailing everything. That the tightrope she walked on was a thin and tenuous one. But that was so hard to remember when someone so meek was being coerced into dressing like a literal clown. How could she not step in?

…I barely even know Luna—we both hardly spoke to anyone last time around, much less each other. But I can’t just stand by and watch this happen… If she does end up choosing that one, maybe I can pick a dress that looks similar? Close to that color, at least. If that even matters. Heck, I've probably already messed things up by not going along with Emma’s picks during all of this…

The door creaked open. Luna stepped out, the navy blue fabric swishing about her calves. She glanced about nervously, hugging herself as though someone would shout her down for the sin of trying on something different. But even with that, it wasn’t hard to tell. The dress fit her perfectly. Even more so than expected.

Olivia stepped forward. “What do you think?”

“...Not bad.” Luna admitted, letting her arms drop. She still wasn’t entirely at ease. But it was leagues better than before. A little bit of embarrassment was nothing next to the tangible discomfort the blonde had been radiating before. “What do you think?”

Nodding in approval, Olivia smiled. “I think ‘not bad’ is a little bit of an understatement. Personally, I think it’s the best dress you’ve tried all day. But that’s just my opinion.”

“Oh! Luna! You look amazing!”

Chrissy bounded over in a blur of emerald silk. Her eyes sparkled as she looked over her friend. “That color is perfect on you! It really brings out your eyes. And the cut… Wait, is that the one Olivia was just wearing?”

Luna blushed, and Olivia decided to answer. “That’s right. I thought it might look better on her.”

“It looks incredible! Look, look, the back even hides your tan line…”

Chrissy continued to gush out praise for the dress—genuine praise, not the vapid agreement she’d been spouting all day—as though she’d been bottling it up this whole time. Which very likely was true. The difference was subtle, but Olivia could tell. Both she and the agreeable girl were on the same side.

For her part, Luna took the compliments wordlessly, her reddening face the only sign that she heard them at all. But she didn’t fidget once. If anything, she only grew more comfortable as the attention flitted away from her, like she forgot that she was even wearing a dress at all.

Guess that’s one benefit to her going through Emma’s gauntlet. Wearing those atrocities basically functioned like shock therapy. Now that we’re dialing things back, I wouldn’t be surprised if she feels even more comfortable than expected.

“What do you think, Emma?”

The ringleader of their group glanced at Luna and shrugged. “It looks fine. I think the last one was better, though.”

Chrissy’s excitement faltered. “Right, right.”

Despite the words, Chrissy’s heart clearly wasn’t in it. It was probably as close as the girl would get to outwardly contradicting someone, and Olivia felt a flicker of irritation at the shift. Come on, Emma. Don’t ruin this for her, please…

“Our opinions don’t really matter.” Olivia met Luna’s eyes—or at least, where her eyes probably would have been behind those bangs. “It’s really up to what she wants.”

“Right!” Chrissy clapped her hands together. “And I’m sure that whatever you pick will be awesome!”

The girls changed back into their normal clothes, hanging their hauls on the racks to be put back on the floor by overworked employees. The navy dress was among them. They still had a number of shops to hit before anyone made any final decisions. But Olivia felt fairly confident that Luna, at least, would be coming back here.

As they walked toward the next store, Emma and Chrissy chatting up ahead, Luna muttered something. The words were soft, barely above a whisper, to the point that she wasn’t entirely certain she’d been meant to hear them at all.

“...Thank you.”

She masked her uncertainty with a smile. Hopefully, this moment of kindness didn’t completely ruin everything.