Joker grinned at me and kept on, “Carrie just got off work and she’s pickin’ an outfit.”

I felt my eyes go huge as my heart stopped.

I thought I might black out as Elvira muttered, “Men. No clue.” Then I felt her hand on my arm and her lips at my ear. “Focus.”

I nodded repeatedly. “Right, yes, focus. Right.”

In no time (since half the stuff only Elvira could pull off, some of it only Lanie could pull off, a few things only Tyra could pull off, and only three outfits I could pull off) we’d narrowed it down.

They were draped on my couch and I was bouncing foot to foot.

“What do you think?” I asked.

“I like them all. They’re perfect for you. I can’t make a decision. Shit!” Elvira answered, my panic clearly settling in on her.

“What happened to, ‘I’m not nervous. I give good girlfriend?’” Joker asked and my head (and Elvira’s) again snapped his way. “Let’s go back to that,” he finished.

“You are not helping,” Elvira informed him.

“Darlin’,” smooth came at me as a hand hit my back and I jumped, tipped my head back and caught Malik’s warm espresso eyes. “Pink,” he said softly.

I looked down and suddenly it was like a beacon.

It was absolutely the pink.

I bent, snatched it up (filmy pink dress with v-neck, frilly ruffles adorning it, the same for the short sleeves, with a modest but becoming hem that would hit several inches above my knees, plus undies, and cream platform wedge espadrilles that had a glittery gold threaded through the fabric and ribbons that wound around and tied at the ankles).

I pushed through Elvira and Malik, dashing around the couch, shouting, “Thank you!” and I kept running down the hall, yelling, “I owe you!”

Then I ran into my room and slammed the door.

* * *

I sat in Joker’s truck, pulling at the hem of my skirt, thinking it was modest when I was standing, not so much when I was sitting down, thus fretting about it.

“Butterfly, relax. They aren’t gonna eat you.”

I looked to the side to see Joker, who I had not noted during my earlier crisis had shaved.

“You look sweet,” he went on.

“Thanks,” I mumbled, pulling at my hem.

He glanced at me and back to the road before he asked, “What changed from yesterday’s calm to today’s mega-freak?”

“Sharon asked me what I was gonna wear,” I answered.

“That’s all it takes?”

“That and the realization that what I wear is not only a reflection on me, but on you. And that I gave good girlfriend to Aaron’s parents likely because deep down inside, I would hope, I’m not a total imbecile and I knew somewhere buried there that Aaron was a total jerk. So I probably really didn’t care what they thought of me because, deep down inside, I had some notion they would not be in my life for long. Alas, I didn’t figure this out before I wasted years on him and gave him a child. Fortunately for me, I get that child too. But now, with you, these people, what they mean to you and what they gave to you, they matter. What they think of me and what they think of you choosing me is important. Hence… mega-freak.”