12

unescapable

My memory of my childhood was pretty hazy except for the fashion that was engraved into my mind. Everything else was only remembered because it was built around my fashion dreams. Like how I remembered my father arguing with my mother before we went to see a fashion show that she had been invited to see.

My brother once came back from soccer practice the night of the Milan Fashion Week Show, and he was telling me how his coach made him run ten laps because he came late. That it was my father's fault, and I could just remember nodding. The minutes after that were a blur.

So now as I walked into my living room, where Marco was sitting down with Yufei, it gave me Deja Vu. Somehow this reminded me of that night, Marco talking to me about soccer the same way he's talking to Yufei about it now, it all gives me a touch of nostalgia.

"Ciao, Margo," Marco says, I sit down on the leather couch.

"I'm ready when you are." I glance over at Yufei he nods his head in a greeting, and I look back at my brother.

"I'm waiting for my business partner, give him a minute."

I cross my legs with a nod.

Some of the memories I recall were some of the ones I immersed myself into oblivion. I pushed them away, only I know of them because I was the only one who witnessed it, I was the victim, I experienced it. I hoped every day that it was an illusion, a fake, a made-up story. Some eventually left my brain, and some stayed, stored, and tortured me.

Some still do.

It's those memories I believe, but don't admit were the reason behind my lack of love. Behind my closed walls. Built around my desire to immerse myself in the fashion world, was the reason I wished to disappear from the face of the earth. It's why I was detached, peeling away into nothingness.

Those are the memories I'll never tell, but there's one, that sits on the core of all those other memories that hit me harder.

Sitting there in my living room, in New York, I felt like I was strong. I've built my life around that memory, and I kept moving. Even if I carried a cynical mind, I keep moving despite if it was in slow motion.

The elevator dinged, reverberating through the room. Bringing me back to the present. "He's here," Marco says, his voice distant in my ear. I was fairly happy with my brother, I'm pleased we're back on the same train.

The footsteps were the only sound I concentrated on, I blinked and turned around just as Alexander comes into view. I should've known it was him. I stand up, and look at my brother, "Let's go into my office."

I don't wait for them and make my way to my home office. I sit behind my desk and cross my legs as they enter the room. Marcos holding a document folder, I hold out my hand. He gives it to me before he sits down. I flip it open and look at it.

I nod, "Okay, first, for you to make this work you have to put out a local ad," I say and close the document. I hand it back to him. "That is the first thing you need to do, that way with a team you can work as a team to come up with the money."

I hold up my hand as Marco starts to talk, "Yes, I'll help you, don't worry about that dear brother."

I glance over at Alexander. Our eyes met for the first time since he arrived. "How exactly are you contributing?"

"I gave him half of my bank savings."

I nod. "And how much was that?"

"Twenty thousand dollars."

I nod again. "Alexander," I say, he hums. "What exactly do you do for a living?"

He gives me a challenging smirk. "I'm CEO of a massive holding company." His smile widens when I give him wide eyes.

I clear my throat. "Oh, alright." I turn back to Marco. "As I was saying, I'll help you gather a team and put an ad out. I'll even figure out the uniform for you, it's in my field of work."

Marco smiles with a nod. "That sounds great," he says and then looks over at Alexander. "Sounds good?"

I look at Alexander, he looks at me. "Sounds amazing."

I glance away from his gaze and stand up. They stand up, and I extend my hand towards Marco, we shake hands, then I move to Alexander. He holds my hand and we shake but his eyes were intense keeping me hostage under his gaze. I pull my hand away as soon as a warmth sneaked up my arm.

"Partners?" Marco asked.

"Partners."

Yesterday Christopher invited me to his 90s-movie-themed birthday party, I told my dresser to get me Cher Horowitz's yellow plaid skirt suit outfit, white knee-high plain socks, white T-shirt, a yellow cardigan, white Mary Jane shoes from Clueless. So, now, I sat in my room in that exact outfit.

Jen Atkin, a famous hairdresser, came by to slip on a blonde wig on my head. Initially, I figured I won't need the blonde hair but Amber and Sofia convinced me to complete the look with a wig.

After Jen left, I couldn't stop staring at myself in the mirror. I was a brunette, so to look at myself with blonde hair, made me feel like an imposter.

I turned my wrist and checked the time. 6: 29.

I grabbed my clutch and made my way down the hall and the stairs and eventually into the living room, where everyone, even the girls sat talking but now were silent as they stared at me.

"Woah," Amber says. "I dig it."

Yufei stood up. "I've decided not to go to Christopher's party." I tilt my head in confusion and made my way toward him.

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah, but I decided I don't have the energy for tonight's event." I nod. He holds out his outfit on two hangers and I take it. "Maybe you could find someone else."

I scrutinize the outfit then glanced up at Yufei, "Who were you dressing as?"

"John Bender from The Breakfast Club."

I nod. "Nice choice," I say, I glance at the costume again. "I don't have enough time to look for someone m—"

"What size is that?" Marco asks, interrupting me.

I look at the tag. "Um, medium." I look back up at him. "Why do you want to tag along?"

He shakes his head and points to Alexander. "No, but he will." I blame myself for this outcome, should've said I had someone in mind.

Alexander smirks up at me, stands up, and walks over to take hold of the costume. "It'll be my pleasure." He winks at me before he walks off to the bathroom under the stairs.

Everyone except Yufei gives me a knowing look, I sigh and get on my phone...A few minutes later, Alexander comes back, and I click my phone off to look at him, I was thunderstruck.

He wore a long trench coat with a few pins on the collar and a blue denim jacket, white sweater, red plaided flannel button-up that John cut off both sleeves in the movie to give it personality, under it. He, like John, pairs his many top layers with a simple bottom one, preferring a pair of dark grey, regular-fit pants.

He's also wearing black combat boots, black fingerless gloves with a pin on the right glove, a red scarf around his neck, a red paisley bandana tied around his right ankle completed with a chain dangling from his jean pockets.

Amber and Sofia stand up and walk up to him. "You need to fix your hair," Amber says.

"Yeah, you aren't John Bender without John Bender's hair." Amber and Sofia drag him up the stairs, and I planted myself next to Marco with a sigh.

"Don't worry about the time," Marco says. "Embrace being fashionably late."

Yufei gives me an amused look, I shake my head. "Ha-ha, funny."

One minute later, they come back downstairs, Amber and Sofia say, "Ta-da." Alexander, without a doubt, annoyingly, looked sexy, his hair is brushed back messily. Some of his curls were still visible on his mop head.

"So?" Alexander says, smirking with a tilt of his head. "Could I tag along?"

I stand up, headed for the elevator doors, and yelled over my shoulder, "Come on, before I change my mind."