Chapter Three - Oasis

I pull up short in shock from being asked out. It feels like my brain has stopped working and I don’t know what to do.

“Oasis. Oasis, are you okay?” I hear someone trying to get my attention.

I manage to pull myself together and nod at Nick when I realise that he is the one trying to get my attention.

“So what do you think?” Nick asks, sounding more nervous by the second.

I nod, unable to get my mouth to work properly. “Yes,” I manage to say after a couple of seconds.

He spins me around happily and manages to get us back in time with the dance with a big grin on his face. After another couple of minutes of dancing, Mr Davis calls the class and dismisses us to go to our next class.

I move automatically through the rest of the day in a daze, it isn’t until I get home that I become fully aware of what has happened today. I go straight to my room and pull out my homework. I just start doing my maths homework when I hear my message tone go off and I quickly check my phone to see who it is.

Hey Oasis, does six sound good for our date tonight?

I look at the clock and see that it is four and I know that I’m going to need my oldest sister, Minerva’s, help to get ready.

How about 6:30? I message back and wait for a reply.

Sure, see you then.

I quickly put my homework back in my bag, message Nick my address and run to Minerva’s room. I quickly knock on the door and wait for a reply.

“Come in,” her reply comes from behind the door. “What’s up?” she asks from her seat at her desk as she turns around.

“I have a date tonight,” I tell her.

“What,” she says, dropping her pencil in shock.

“I have a date tonight,” I repeat, “and I need your help to get ready.”

“Okay. When is it?” she asks, retrieving her pencil.

“Six thirty,” I say as she moves over to her vanity, that's covered in makeup.

“Well, we better start getting you ready then,” she says, leading me to her bathroom.

When we get there she starts running a bath and puts in a rose oil and bath salts and tells me to soak in it while she picks out one of her dresses for me to wear.

Fifty minutes later I walk into Minerva’s room wrapped in a bathrobe. When I enter the room, Minerva is just coming out of her closet carrying a hand full of dresses.

“What’s with all the dresses?” I ask quietly.

“We have to pick out something nice for you to wear and these are the nicer ones,” she tells me as she lays them out.

“None of these are going to fit me. You’re taller than me,” I say worriedly, “and broader in the shoulders.”

“I asked Maggie if she could sew the one we pick while I finish getting you ready,” she says as she pulls out the stool she has in front of her vanity.

She hands me a deep royal blue strapless maxi dress and directs me to put it on and stand up on the stool. I quickly take off the robe, pull it on and climb up on the stool. While I am putting the dress on Maggie comes in with her pin cushion to pin up the dress for me to wear.

“So what do you think?” I ask once I am up on the stool.

“No, let’s try the next one,” Minerva says picking out a black short sleeved mini dress.

I quickly take off the blue maxi dress and pull on the black one. “I don’t like this one at all,” I say looking back and forth between Minerva and Maggie.

“No, it doesn’t suit you,” Maggie says.

“Here try this one on and see what you think,” Minerva says and hands me another dress.

As I grab it off her I see that it's a teal strapless lace-up dress that is supposed to be an above knee length, but on me will come to my mid-calves. I quickly pull it on and hold it up while Minerva and Maggie do up the ribbons on the back.

“I love it,” I tell Minerva once the ribbons are tied up. “The only thing is it’s a bit long.”

“I'll pin it and hem it so that the hem stops just above your knees,” Maggie says as she sets to work pinning the hem of the dress. “Take it off and I’ll go hem it for you,” Maggie says when she is finished pinning the dress and has loosened the lacing.

I quickly step out of the dress and hand it to Maggie before pulling the robe back on and putting the stool back in front of Minerva’s vanity.

“Sit down,” Minerva tells me, pointing at the stool I just put back.

I quickly sit down as she plugs in and turns on her hair curler. As the curler is heating up Minerva starts doing my makeup in nice basic, simple colours. She does the foundation before moving on and putting on a pale rose pink eye-shadow, a rosy red blush and a light layer of cream pink lipstick.

“So who is he?” Minerva asks as she applies a light thin line of eyeliner to my eyes.

“He’s a new guy in my class. His name’s Nick,” I tell her sitting still and following her instructions as she tells me to move this way and that for her to put something else on my face.

“So when did he ask you out?” she asks as she puts the finishing touches on my face and starts to curl my hair.

“In PDH/PE while we were dancing,” I tell her.

She spends the next fifteen minutes carefully curling my hair and putting it in a chignon. Once my hair is done she starts painting my nails in a nice pale blue colour to match the colour of the dress we picked out. Just as Minerva finishes painting the top coat on my nails Maggie comes in with my dress.

“Here we go, all done,” Maggie says with a self-satisfactory smile.

Minerva and Maggie both help me climb into the dress and start to lace it up as the doorbell rings. “Maggie, answer that quickly, please” Minerva tells Maggie.

“What about the dress?” Maggie asks quickly.

“I’ve got this, just go answer the door,” Minerva tells her.

Maggie races off to answer the door for Nick. Once my dress is done up Minerva races into the closet and comes out with a pair of teal coloured ballet flats. “These are the shoes I brought to wear with the dress and we are the same size,” she tells me with shrug.

After I put the shoes on Minerva pulls me out of the room and down the hall to our Mum and Dad’s study door and knocks on the door.

“Come in,” I hear my Dad’s voice come from behind the door.

Minerva opens the door and we quickly enter.

“What would you like?” my Dad asks looking up from the work on his desk. When he sees me he seems surprised to see me so dressed up.

“I have a date tonight,” I tell him nervously.

“Who with?” He asks sounding like a protective father.

“He’s here now if you would like to meet him,” Minerva says politely trying to help me before turning to Mum. “Mum, could I get the teal clutch I lent you the other day please?”

“Sure, I’ll get it and be down to meet him,” Mum says and heads out to their bedroom.

“What’s his name?” Dad asks as he leads us to the stairs.

“Nick,” I tell him before he heads downstairs to meet him.

I go to head downstairs after him and feel a hand on my shoulder. I look behind me and see that it is Minerva.

“You wait here for Mum to get the clutch, then come down a minute after she does. I’ll go down now and tell him you’ll be down in a minute,” She whispers to me before heading downstairs.

“Here,” I hear Mum say thirty seconds later. “I also brought you this to keep you warm,” she tells me when I turn to her.

“Thank you,” I say and give her a peck on the cheek.

She heads downstairs to meet Nick and I take a deep breath and follow a minute later feeling nervous.