Invisible, part 13

Sarah and Emily entered the house, and found Tina relaxing on the couch sipping a cup of coffee. Emily cried out "Hi mom we're home!"

The two girls sat down on the couch next to Tina, happy to be off their feet. "How did it go today?" Tina asked.

"It was so crazy!" Emily blurted out. "There were so many people and someone decided to use the fitting room as a bathroom, and everything was such a mess! It was a clothing-apocalypse!"

"Yeah Ma, it was like a warzone." Sarah shuttered thinking about the day. She also felt a warm glow of accomplishment. She had made it through the day with nothing too bad happening. It was pure chaos, but Sarah hadn't given up. Sarah felt as if she had done something amazing that day, even if all she had done was run around a department store cleaning up after women who were more like pigs than they were like people. "How did things go at your store?"

"Oh well the same as at yours, probably. I mostly did the register so it wasn't too bad. My assistant manager came in early because he wanted overtime, and I was happy to leave him in charge and leave early for once."

"Ugh" Emily suddenly groaned, and patted her stomach gently. "I didn't even get to finish my lunch today, and now Forrest's angry. I'm gonna go get something to eat, do you want anything Sarah, Mom?"

"That's ok Em."

"I'm fine, but thank you for offering." Tina felt a bit of pride at her daughter's friends calling her mom. There was nothing she loved more in this world than being a mother. She had wanted to have more children, and had decided with her late husband James that they would have more, but he passed away too soon. Tina let a little fantasy play out in her mind of Emily staying with them forever, and herself having two wonderful daughters. She scooted herself closer to her daughter so as to have a more private conversation. "Is Emily going to be staying with us for a lot longer?" Tina secretly hoped that she would.

"I don't know, she wanted to make up with her boyfriend, and we went over to her house to see him, but he wasn't there. He wouldn't answer his phone either. I'm a bit worried about him, I mean not worried about him, but worried about Emily and him."

Emily wandered back in from the kitchen with a plate of leftover turkey and mashed potatoes. Tina spoke up as Emily sat back down on the couch. "Emily, I just want to let you know you are welcome in our house for as long as you need to stay here."

Emily smiled widely and it almost looked as if she had tears in her eyes. "Thanks mom!"

Emily started eating her plate of food almost like a vacuum, sucking the food up so fast Sarah wasn't quite sure how she was doing it. Sarah decided it was just another one of Emily's bit of randomness, not meant to be questioned, just accepted. She leaned back on couch and watched the show on television. It was a makeover show where a group of people had one week to makeover someone. They would dye the person's hair, give them a spray tan, put expenisive makeup and clothes on the person, all in the name of fashion. Sarah didn't quite understand why they were doing it, but it was a pretty interesting show, watching someone go from ordinary to beautiful.

As the host of the show revealed the final transformation of the woman currently on the show, Emily cried out "Oh my gosh Sarah, you have to let me do a make over on you."

"Eh?" Sarah looked startled.

"COME ON!" Emily grabbed Sarah hand and pulled her up the stairs to her bedroom. Tina giggled as she watched the two girls run off.

Emily told Sarah to sit on the floor, and got a huge box out of her suitcase. In the box was all kinds of beauty products. Emily looked over Sarah, trying to decide a plan of attack. "Dem eyebrows" Emily finally declared.

"Wha?" Sarah didn't get to finish, because Emily was already going after her eyebrows with a pair of tweezers. She managed to get a stray hair and plucked it. Sarah screamed quietly and squirmed away from Emily. "NO!"

"BEAUTY IS PAIN!" Emily roared out with laughter.

After getting Sarah to sit still, Emily finished her eyebrows and moved on to less painful beauty. She plugged in a hair straightener, and while it warmed up she started brushing Sarah's hair. It felt oddly comforting to Sarah, having someone else brush her hair.

"You're lucky."

"Hm?" Sarah wondered, her mind elsewhere.

"Your mom. She's amazing. She so loving and accepting. She's even willing to put up with me, an unmarried pregnant teenager."

Sarah smiled at the thought of her own mother. She was proud that she had such a cool mom. "My mom always told me not to judge other people. She's just doing the same."

Emily smiled. She picked up the hair straightener which was finally hot. "Ok don't move your head, I don't want to burn you."

Sarah sat still, but her mind wasn't. "What are your parents like Em?"

Emily was silent for awhile, occupying herself with getting all the curls out of Sarah's thick hair. She finally answered quietly "My parent's disowned me."

"EH?" Sarah almost jumped, but stayed still for she didn't want to get burned. "What? Why would they do that?"

"They were very religious people. When I got pregnant they told me to get out, basically. That I wasn't their daughter anymore. I moved in with Joey, and although it's been hard, I was happy. Now though. Now I'm just alone."

Sarah's mind couldn't understand parents who would kick their own child out of their house when their child was going through something as tough as having a baby. She imagined if she had gotten pregnant, her mom would be worried and maybe a little angry, but she'd help out her daughter anyway she could. Sarah felt a deep sadness in her heart for Emily. "You know you aren't alone though. You have me. You have my mom. You have Jenn. And you are going to have Joey again too. I know you two will make up. After all you've been through together, I know it will work out."

"Yeah." Emily smiled, but there was a trace of sadness still in her smile. Emily turned off the hair straightener and put it to the side. She opened a jar of concealer to put on Sarah's face, then decided it against it. "You have such nice skin! Well close your eyes." Sarah obeyed, and she felt something tickling against the lids of her eyes. Then Emily put mascara, blush, and lipstick on Sarah's face. Sarah felt for sure that she looked like a clown at this point, but when Emily showed her face in a mirror, Sarah's jaw about hit the floor.

In the mirror was a girl Sarah hardly recognized. She looked almost as pretty as a model. Her brown curly hair now hung straight down around her shoulders. Emily had parted it more to the side than Sarah normally did. The makeup make Sarah's eyes look brighter and she swore she looked a couple years older too. "Wow." was all Sarah could manage to say.

"Oh let's go show mom!" Emily and Sarah went back downstairs to where Tina was still relaxing on the couch. "Look mom look!"

Tina gasped at how Sarah now looked. It was as if her baby girl had become a grown woman in only a few minutes. Sarah was smiling brightly at her mother. "Very nice job Emily! Sarah you look beautiful."

"Mom take a picture of us!" Sarah held her phone out to Tina so she could take a picture.

"Alright! Say 'Cheese' girls!"

"Cheese!"

"FORMAGE!"

A picture was taken of the two girls, with their arms around each other, smiling at the camera. It was a really great picture, and Tina hoped she could get a copy of it as well. Seeing the two girls together made her more happy than she could possibly imagine. Especially after her daughter had spent so much of her life alone, seeing her with a good friend and smiling like that, it was just about the best thing Tina had ever seen.

After Emily and Sarah had settled down from the make over madness, Emily asked "What's for dinner?"

"Oh I was just going to warm up some leftovers. You girls can fend for yourself right? I'm feeling tired after all the craziness of today."

Sarah had almost forgotten that it was still Black Friday. She quickly put the thought right back out of her head as she went into the kitchen to find something to eat, Emily singing behind her "Yay leftovers yay!"

The two girls each made a plate for themselves, and Emily said "OH yeah! I almost forgot, but you promised to show me your dream! Come on let's eat in your room" They took their plates and drinks up to Sarah's room. Emily stopped before they got to the computer, and opened her bag, taking a bottle of vitamins out. "I almost forgot to take these!" Emily quickly gulped down a vitamin, and sat down at Sarah's desk. Sarah had another chair in her room she sat in when reading sometimes, and she pulled it next to Emily.

Sarah logged onto her DreamTube account and picked a video to watch. She ignored the message box that showed she had two new messages. Sarah decided the best video for the two of the to watch was the one that she had spent with Jeff, Lisa, and Devon at the fair. She sat back in her chair and started to eat as the video played.

Emily didn't say much as the dream played. She gasped at first at how much it was like a movie, and oohed and awed at the fireworks scene. Sarah was nervous the whole time. She felt like she was sharing a very private memory with Emily. Still Emily seemed to enjoy it. After the video ended both girls sat in silence for awhile.

Sarah was about to ask Emily what she thought of her dream, but Emily started speaking first. "Oh, so you know Jeff too?"

Words this part: 1756
Words total: 23766