up with being the friend that was stuck home on Friday nights waiting to hear about Harry’s exciting nights out. It didn’t help that he was three years older than me, so we’d never been in the same grade and he’d left to go to college while I was still in high school. I’d thought our friendship would fade away then, but we both made a concentrated effort to call and email each other and we’d remained as close as ever. The only problem was as I got older, I no longer just wanted to be the geeky nondescript friend. I wanted to be noticed.
So Gemma and I devised a plan. I was going to have a make-over. I was going to get my hair cut, some highlights put in. I had suggested going to Sephora or Macy's to buy some new makeup and get a free makeover, but Gemma persuaded me to spend a bit more money. The plan was that I was going to buy some new clothes and then on Christmas day I was going to walk in and shock everyone. I wanted jaws to drop. Yep. And even more importantly, I wanted Harry's jaw to drop. I wanted his dark brown eyes to darken in shock and I wanted all of his brother’s to want me and see me as a woman and lust over me. The only problem was my parents would be there as well, so they couldn’t lust too much. I knew my parents would wonder what had come over me if I walked out in a sexy new look. And I’d likely give my grandparents a heart attack or at the very least they’d think I'd lost my mind. They were all used to me being a plain Jane, but hey, you only live once and I was no longer willing to be the ugly duckling, just sitting around, waiting for something in my life to change. I wanted to be the beautiful swan and I wanted to swim away and make a new, fresh beginning for myself.
Chapter Two
Sarah
"Hey Sarah, I'm here." Harry's voice drifted through my apartment and I ran out of the bedroom flustered.
"What are you doing, Harry?" I was in my PJ's and I glared at him. He grinned at me with his bright blue eyes, floppy brown hair, and said... He grinned at me with his bright brown eyes and floppy jet black hair.
"What? I used the key. Isn't that why you gave it to me?"
"No Harry, I gave you the key to come when I'm not home, or if there's an emergency. This is not an emergency and I'm home. You should have rang the doorbell."
"There is no doorbell to ring, and I spoke to the guy downstairs and he said it was fine for me to come up."
"Harry, you don't know, I could have had someone here."
"Sarah, you never have anyone here." He walked over and gave me a big hug, pulling me close into his body and then gave me a kiss on the cheek. "So I have the credit card for you. I'm going to give you each of their names. You can spend, I think maybe 50 on each present."
"$50 Harry? That seems really cheap."
"Fine. 75."
"I was thinking more like $500 each."
"$500. Are you joking? I'm not marrying these girls."
"Oh my gosh, Harry. Really? These are girls that you are dating. These are girls I've seen you in the newspaper with. You can't even spend $500 on their Christmas presents?"
"When you're dating three men and you have to buy them Christmas presents, you let me know if you're going to spend $500 on each of them."
"Well, if I was dating three men, they would all be buying me Christmas presents. And if they weren't buying me good presents, they'd be out."
"Oh, Sarah, Sarah, Sarah. If I didn't know you better, I'd think you were some sort of gold digger."
"Oh, Harry, Harry, Harry. If I didn't know you better, I'd think you were some sort of pauper." And then we both laughed.
"Oh, Sarah, it's so good to see you. So what are you doing tonight?"
"I told you, I'm meant to go to a show."
"Who are you going with?"
"I was going to go by myself."
"Well, do you want me to come with?"
"Are you sure you don't have a date tonight?"
"There might've been some girl I was going to see, but that's not as good as going with my best friend to a show."