3 - Break free, girl!

That night…

My nerves raced through the roof as I stood over the dress Catherine picked up for me. It had been so long since I did anything aside from work and home, so now it felt weird to actually be going out. Especially to a place I didn't know.

I prided myself on knowing where I was going, who I was going with, and what would be happening there. Going to this odd party two states away was new for me, but I partly blamed it on my best friend.

Last year, she made me promise that I would be more open to fun and less judgemental. I suppose a part of her statement was right, as my uptight nature was part of the reason I hardly ever went out.

"Are you ready?" My best friend called out from the bathroom and I sighed as I put on the gown and moved to the mirror. It was a black garter style dress, finished at the bottom with dark glitter and Catherine met me dragging it to my knees.

"What are you doing? It's perfect like that."

There was mild annoyance in her voice, and I gave up as I stared into the mirror again. My best friend made me up in such a way that I couldn't even recognize myself, but it was good though. After all, one night of fun meant I needed to distance my feelings from reality.

I glanced at her outfit, feeling a bit jealous at how she bodied the entire preppy girl look with a plaid short skirt and white crop top.

Unlike me, Catherine was eager to have fun and explore the city. In her words, "the Bahamas is where everyone else comes to have fun. Why can't we do that too?"

After touching up, we took some pictures for instagram and called the Uber driver to come pick us up. "I'll wait for you downstairs. I need to tell my mom we'll be home late."

Catherine shrugged and continued to do her makeup, and as I left the room, the dress rose up and I fought the urge to pull it down. Surprisingly, my mother was waiting at the foot of the stairs.

"Where are you going?"

"To a party, I told you yesterday," I started, ignoring her angry eyes. "We'll be back late, so I prepared your food and bath for whenever you need them." I hugged my mother and started to go towards the living room, when she moved to block the path.

"I don't like this, Lily." Here we go again.

"Why?"

"You were invited to a place you don't know by a person you don't know, Lily. Haven't you been listening to the news? The world isn't safe, and you need to protect yourself."

I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Not this again. "Mom, that's why I'm going with Catherine. We'll be fine."

"And you think that makes you safe? There are serial killers out there, and killing two young girls won't be hard." She paused and looked her daughter up and down.

"Especially when you're dressed like that."

"Mom…"

"Go upstairs and tell her you can't go. If she wants to go alone, that's fine, but I don't want you leaving the house this evening."

"You've been saying that for years now, and it's getting tiring. Should I spend my life cooped out here because the world isn't safe?"

"Is that such a bad thing to do?" She raised her voice and clenched her walking stick tightly. "I've been protecting you for a long time, and I don't plan to stop now. There are rogues everywhere, and–"

"No, don't do this. I'm old enough to make my own choices now, Mom, and I want to go for this party. When last did I go out?" My face tightened while she rolled her eyes.

"You don't need to. Just go to work, come back home, rest, and repeat. There is no need for all these trouble you're going through now."

"Mom, I get what you're saying but you need to trust me," I responded, my voice coming down to a whisper again. It hurt me to see her mom yelling, especially in the condition she was in. However, I needed to make my stand clear. She had been holding back for some reason since middle school, and it was becoming frustrating.

"Lily, you know I love you and want to protect you. Ask yourself if this party is really worth it? What's the point? Spending money we don't have, being around drinking people, and what if someone decides to harm you?"

My mother drew closer and touched my cheek. "I'm saying this for your own good."

I sighed and bent my head as the weight of her words shook me. Maybe it really wasn't a good idea. "I understand. Let me tell Catherine we can't–"

"You can't be serious, Lily." My best friend's voice came from the stairs and my eyes bulged. "Mrs. Evans, I know you're looking out for your daughter but she is twenty five. A grown woman who needs to learn how to stand up for herself, and youre not helping her much."

My mother's eyes reddened. "What do you mean?"

"If she doesn't do stuff like this now, when would she do them? When she's married with kids? I understand you're worried about our safety, but I've put things in place. The location of our phones are on, so you can see where we are at any time. Also, I told my boss where we would be and I got the name of the man that invited us. I promise to take care of her, and if anything happens, you can blame me but she needs to go."

At that moment, I saw my best friend in a whole new light. I had long realized she was the girl I could never be, but for some seconds, I wanted to sit at her feet and learn.

I stood between my mother and my best friend, almost ready to tell Catherine that the woman was a tough nut to crack. She hardly changed her mind when set on something, and it wasn't about to start now. To my surprise though, she sighed and left the way.

"Okay, but be safe."

"What?" My mouth gaped open just as the Uber driver approached the driveway. I didn't get a chance to say goodbye before Catherine dragged me out and into the car. "I didn't think she would agree."

"Because she knew you would back down. Lily, your mom has your best interest at heart but she's also got to stop being too protective." A smug smile crossed her face.

"Besides, I needed to assure her of out safety, but seriously though, how didn't you get that guy's name?"

"I know. It's just… I don't know. Let's just focus on the night. No need to ruin the mood."

Catherine stared at me for a moment before shrugging. "Okay, party time. Let's go!"

As the driver sped away, my best friend started a conversation with him while I turned to the window. In truth, a part of me had been banking on my mother to stop me from going, and I couldn't explain if I was sad or excited it didn't work.

In high school, it was tough to go anywhere without my mother tagging along, and eventually, I just got used to it. Years later, it was plain to see that it caused an unhealthy attachement between us, but was it so bad? I mean, she protected me in her own ways even if they sometimes bordered on possessiveness.

I busied myself with chipping into the conversation around me till it turned flirty and I fought the urge to cover my ears.

Luckily, we soon arrived at the venue and even from outside, the loud music blasted our ears. Maybe, this wasn't a good idea...

Catherine turned to the driver. "Two a.m. Alright?"

The guy quickly nodded, and she blew him a kiss before turning to me. "Let's go in."

Surprisingly, the bouncers only scanned our faces and allowed us access. I found it a bit scary, but my best friend shrugged it off.

"It's just a way to identifying people more if anything goes wrong. You worry too much."

The bright lights quickly swam into my eyes, and I tried to cover them as we moved further into the club-like space.

Dancing bodies mixed with each other, intensifying the smell of sweat and alcohol pouring from most glasses. Some feet away from us, I could see a couple furiously making out. Her hands were tangled in his hair, while his disappeared and reappeared under the short sequined dress she wore. A blush came to my face as I tried to look away from the obviously drunk couple. It wasn't my scene at all, and within two minutes, I began to regret my decision.

Maybe I should have listened to my mother.