A New Friendship (Ana and Mei)

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It had been a normal day for her. Classes had gone wonderfully - she'd gotten an A on that assignment. Bàba would be proud. Except then her day took a turn for the abnormal. She wasn't sure how it happened. Ok, yes she was. She'd been standing outside her dorm juggling her books so that she could get her room key and then Ana Maria had come out of her own dorm and suddenly there was a shopping trip.

Mei had gone into her room to gather a few things, make sure her hair was neat and her clothes were presentable and proper and change her shoes for something a bit more serviceable and practical... and then she'd grabbed her small purse and come back out, ready to go.

They walked together toward the village - Mei wasn't really even sure what mindless chatter there was... she just knew that they'd chattered away. And she was having fun. Until she saw the first shop... and what the shop offered.

"Meiyou. There is no way that either of us should wear these clothes!" She stated, standing outside the shop's window with her hands on her hips. They showed too much skin... it was improper, and Mei meant to stick to her upbringing. No ripped jeans for her, thanks all the same. No low-cut shirts, no skirts much above the knee. It wasn't proper... and Mama would have a fit... and then would come the lecture.

[ANA MARÍA CAMPOS HERNÁNDEZ]

It was going to be epic. She was sure of it. Anything she did that involved being out of school and venturing into the thrilling streets of the real world was always epic. Ana María was just glad that yet another school day was over and that she could concentrate on the simpler aspects of life like napping and hanging out with her friends. She had actually skipped last period English?... Math?...Physics? She couldn't even remember what class it was but it was definitely something boring. So she had gone for a well deserved sleep after hours of tossing around in her bed. What was with that anyway? Why did she have such trouble sleeping? That wasn't something that happened to get. It was very rare that she stood up in the middle of the night, even when her own powers were creeping inside of her head.

Normally she could sleep through anything. The moment that her head hit the pillow she was dead to the world, and the world better be dead if she was awaken. However, a small nap had seemed to suffice for now and so Ana María decided to wonder around campus and catch up with some friends. As she stepped out of her dorm she spotted Mei struggling to get her books in place before opening the door to her dorm. Ana María wondered for a second as her eyes drifted from Mei to the end of the hallway. So maybe today she didn't hang out with her usual suspects, maybe today she hang out with someone new. She did love to meet new people and she hadn't done so really for a while. It was in her list of important things to do to get to know each and every single one of the students at Asher. Whether she actually went through with her plan or not it was a mystery, but she could at least try.

A few words were exchanged here and there and soon Ana María found herself in a shopping trip. She loved clothes and she loved shopping, but she hardly had a budget to buy herself something nice. Over the years Ana María had learned how to make do of all the things she had. She took the pants that didn't fit anymore and she turned them into shorts, did a small folding at the end so that the strings wouldn't come loose. She often turned her old shirts into halter tops or spaghetti strips because oh the boredom of having to wear the same thing.

How it had turned into a shopping trip? Well she wasn't quite sure, but mostly because she wanted to get Mei out of her boring clothes into something more stylish. Something that screamed 21st century modern woman. Mei was such a pretty girl. Pretty and delicate and classy. If she found her the right clothes she would be dashing. Something that would make her eyes pop and her small frame seem like porcelain. As they stopped in front of a store, Ana María chuckled at the reaction from the shorter asian girl.

"Meiyou. There is no way that either of us should wear these clothes!"

Ana María smiled and rolled her eyes playfully. She couldn't quite understand why Mei would wholeheartedly reject such simple and casual attire. What was so wrong about it? It wasn't like she was wearing a whore shorts and bikini tops. Pushing those thoughts aside, Ana María looked at the perfect pair of jeans that were looking back at her yelling for her to go inside and try them on. They had cute little holes above the knee and had the perfect shade of fading blue. Oh yes, she just had to. "Oh c'mon Mei, those are like so pretty."[/color] And with that she went inside the store, leaving Mei behind. On any other time she wouldn't have left a friend behind but oh where those pants so pretty. She had to make sure no one got them but her. She asked for them and walked towards the fitting rooms, glancing behind her and calling after Mei one more.

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Ah! Aiyah… Ana Maria had gone in and left her standing there. Now what was she to do? She could remain out here and look like a fool, or she could go against all her upbringing and go inside. She chose the lesser of the two evils and stayed outside. … For all of thirty seconds. Ok, so the temptation was too great. She had to know what was so pretty about these pants. That did not mean she had to try anything on… or even touch anything… right? Of course right. And she was going to stick to that resolution.

So she entered the store, keeping to the center of the aisle so she didn’t accidentally touch any of these improper clothes. Hearing Ana Maria call her name, she sighed softly, but followed her to the changing rooms. “Aiyah… you are seriously going to try those on? They have holes in them! And they are faded… why are you buying something new that looks old?” So maybe it was a better idea to have stayed outside… except, as she sighed exasperatedly and looked away, her eyes fell on a cute (cute? What was she doing?) sundress over there in the corner. It was a soft sunset pink, and looked like it would fall to just above her knees (above her knees? And it was for daytime?). And she could always buy a new pair of flats to match, and a jacket to go over top, so she didn’t show her shoulders… Meiyou! She had to stop. Mama would be scolding her for even thinking about it. So she wrenched her eyes away and turned back to Ana, curious to see whether the other girl was actually going to listen (she doubted it) or go ahead with the strange custom of buying something brand new that looked like it had been worn to pieces already.

[ANA MARÍA CAMPOS HERNÁNDEZ]

"What do you think?"[/color] Ana María said as she stepped into the small platform that had three different mirrors surrounding it. The girl had payed little attention to what her friend had commented. Yes, she liked them because they were faded and torn. That's what made them look cool. She glanced at her reflection, debating on how well this pants fitted her and what key parts of her body looked best. She loved wearing jeans more than she enjoyed wearing skirts. Skirts always gave her this feeling that they limited her mobility. Could others see through them? Did it lift when she ran? Was it long enough to be considered decent but not so much that it was ridiculously out of style? Pants were so much easier. Throw in a nice blouse and shoes and that was it. Her weakness were those that fitted her like a second skin, the kind that it seemed almost impossible to get into, because they were so tight. In her opinion, those were the kind that made her look better.

It was ironic though. As right now she was a seventeen year-old girl that loved pants, whereas not so long ago she had been a little girl that argued that pants were for boys. Ana María wasn't sure were she had gotten the idea, or why she was so insistent about it. She had grown up with cousins that were male. The few female cousins that she had were more than ten years older than her. She had nothing in common with them, either of them. Demanding her father for dresses and skirts was perhaps her way of letting others know she was a girl. Making a statement. And then something happened that made her change her mind, that completely replaced a little girl with whom she was today. When was that turning point? She wasn't sure. It was something, as she recalled, that happened between the night and morning. Over the course of a few hours, if such was even possible.

She had lost herself in thought before she realized that Mei hadn't answered her. Ana María wondered if she had heard her and thus turned around. "Mei?" She asked as she did not find her standing in front of her like she would've expected. She walked down from the platform and walked over to were she had spotted the shorter girl gazing at a cute sundress. It really made Ana María wonder why she was so strict in her views. Why was the idea of proper and improper so firmly planted in her mind. Different cultures was the only valid explanation. Silly cultures. She placed on of her hands over her shoulder and gently whispered. "You should try it on!"[/color] Ana María took the hanging dress and Mei's hand. "C'mon! It will look fantastic. ¡Hermosa! Beautiful![/color]

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Mei had turned around to find Ana Maria standing on the platform, admiring herself in the mirrors. Those pants… would look ridiculous on Mei. She knew that. They didn’t look bad on Ana, though… save for the rips and tears. “Aiyah… I still do not see why you want clothes that have holes already.” It made no sense whatsoever to the Asian girl. Clothes that had holes got patched; then, once the patches wore out, they were thrown away – at least, they had been in her house. Mama and Baba were very strict with her. She could not wear anything that was not pristine, even though sometimes they relented if they knew she was only going to be at home… or that she was going to be sparring with her relatives.

She turned her attention back to the sundress – there was just something about the color that called to her. Ana’s hand on her shoulder caused the girl to flinch (she hadn’t been expecting the contact, and really, she likely wouldn’t have permitted it if she had been) and look up at the other with wide eyes. “Try it on? Meiyou, I could not. It is not proper. I only like the color, Ana, really.” But it appeared her protests fell on deaf ears as the dress was pulled down and Mei was pulled to the changing rooms. Could she refuse? She knew she should, but could she? It would mean upsetting her new friend… and that wasn’t allowed either.

So it was with a sigh and an inward cringe that Mei quickly changed into the sundress and peeked out at Ana, standing barefoot in the doorway of the room. She wasn’t coming out. There was too much of a chance of someone seeing her. “There. I have tried it on.” And Ana had seen it. So that meant she could take it off (though the treacherous part of her mind didn’t want to. This dress was adorable, even if it should be a few inches longer and with sleeves).

[ANA MARÍA CAMPOS HERNÁNDEZ]

The things about clothes was, that people, there weren't two alike. Physically yes, there were patterns and designs that were mass produced and distributed, but no one single piece of clothing looked the same on everyone. Personal style was more than just looking good, it was about feeling good too. Ana María wasn't an expert in fashion. She knew some details and tips, but it's not like she could run a runway show or even afford the high end products. But she was pro to finding an individual style. That's why she disliked wearing a uniform. It was like being told to be unique and her own person but have everyone dress the same. Classic contradictions that failed to make sense to her.

Ana María waited outside the dressing rooms. She was still wearing the jeans. The tag was brushing against her skin and it was itching, but other than that they felt like a second skin. They were so comfortable. If it was up to her she would probably never take them off, but she had to pay for them first. She sighed. Such details.
As Mei peeked out and stood in front of her, Ana María gasped. The girl looked absolutely adorable. The dress not only suited her but it gave her and air of cuteness that Ana María had just encountered. "¡Te ves súper hermosa! ¡Oh Dios mío te queda perfecto! ¡Cómpralo! ¡Cómpralo!"[/color] She clapped her hands in excitement, about to pull Mei into a tight hug when the rush of reality indicated her that Mei probably didn't understand a single thing she had said.

"Oh my, how inconsiderate of my part."[/color] She said, placing a hand over her chest in an apologetic manner. "You look simply gorgeous. It is like the dress becomes you. I advise you to buy it. It suits you and it is very pretty. Besides, with that dress and a few makeup touches, you can allure any guy you want."[/color] Perhaps she was more excited about that dress than Mei was. For once she became excitable about every single thing more than anyone else she knew, but she couldn't help it. She liked making people happy, even when they didn't know it themselves. Maybe she was being a bit pushy but so far no one had complained and there was really no point in her to stop. "To show you how great it looks on you, I'll buy it. It'll be my gift for a new found friendship!"[/color]

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Mei only rubbed one foot against the opposite ankle when Ana Maria began gushing. She wasn't entirely sure what the other girl was on about - it was just a dress. Just a dress that Mei was slowly falling in love with... which was not allowed, and so she had to go take it off immediately. Unfortunately, it didn't appear as though that were going to happen with the way Ana was speaking. At least the other girl thought to clear up the confusion Mei felt (she hoped it hadn't been showing on her face, but she honestly had no earthly idea whether it had or not. Aiyah...) over what she'd said.

"You look simply gorgeous." Ana stated, continuing on about alluring any boy Mei wanted. Whoa. Really-- Meiyou. She was not going to think about it. "To show you how great it looks on you, I'll buy it. It'll be my gift for a new found friendship!" To Mei's horror, Ana Maria offered to purchase this dress. Now she'd have to wear it... and wear it around Ana. Aiyah...

"Meiyou... Ana, do not feel as though you must purchase anything to celebrate a friendship... it is not necessary at all..." But the Asian had a sinking feeling that her protests would fall on deaf ears. Not only that, but if Ana were to buy her something, Mei would have to reciprocate. Perhaps... perhaps she could treat Ana to lunch. That would save Mei from having to buy anything that went against her standards, and it would give them some time to sit and chat for a while. She thought that would be acceptable.

[ANA MARÍA CAMPOS HERNÁNDEZ]

"Meiyou... Ana, do not feel as though you must purchase anything to celebrate a friendship... it is not necessary at all..."

But Ana María had ceased to listen to what Mei had spoken. She was too eager to get to the cashier and have them wrap it with fine shades of paper so that she could give it to her friend later. Mei was right though, she didn't have to purchase anything to celebrate their friendship. It wasn't her birthday or any special event in which she was require to buy a gift. She wanted too though. She wanted to because she knew, perhaps at the back of her head, that Mei would not buy the dress for herself if she didn't, and she looked so adorable in it.

Perhaps it was another innocent attempt at getting her friend to relax.

"Okay so, I'm going to pay for this,"[/color] She said pointing at her jeans. "And once you're changed I'll wait for you on the cashier." With a smile, Ana María walked into her dressing room to take off her new love. They really fitted her quite remarkably and it felt almost weird to have to take them off so soon. Well, at least she had the satisfaction that they would accompany her tonight and hang nicely on her closet.

Ana María had quite a big closet back at her dorm. Due to the fact that her dorm was not fully occupied she had taken advantage of using some of the extra closet to toss in her clothes. She couldn't help it. Even if she didn't wear them all, all the time, she just had them there for display. They made her feel comfortable. Now that she thought about it, she should probably organize it. Everyone knew she wasn't the most orderly person and she had stuff of hers laid around everywhere. She reckon she even had earrings or notebooks on one of her male friends rooms. She should probably do a mental check of everything she owned just to be sure.

Yeah, she probably should, but she was lazy.

As she took off her pants, Ana María dressed herself up with the clothes in which she had arrived at the store. She took her pants and walked over to the cashier. There was a couple of people in front of her, so that gave her time to wait for Mei to get ready. She wondered what they might do next. Maybe go visit some more stores, or have some ice-cream. Oh yeah, ice cream sounded delicious at the moment.