what she’s saying. After a couple of minutes, Millie says, “I’ll be home as soon as I can,” and hangs up.
“Everything okay?” I ask.
“Um, yeah, fine. I’ve got to go. Sorry.”
“You can’t, I need your help to get the dress off,” I call, as Millie rushes away. She’s not even stopping to buy the top she wanted so much.
“Millliieee,” I howl in despair. “You can’t just leave me here.”
“Sorry,” Millie calls over her shoulder.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the store will be closing in five minutes. Please take your purchases to the till,” a voice announces over the intercom.
This can’t be happening.
What am I supposed to do now?
CHAPTER TWO
I think I’m about to hyperventilate.
I’m stuck in the world’s most disgusting dress and the shop’s about to close. As far as I can make out, I’ve only got two choices – reveal myself looking this way and ask the shop assistants for help, or stay here all night.
Neither option is particularly appealing.
Don’t panic, Suze. Just don’t panic.
I can’t believe Millie left me here like this!
Think
, for goodness sake. There’s got to be
something
you can do.
But I can’t come up with anything. Not one single solution, other than… I’m going to have to go onto the shop floor and ask for help.
As much as I don’t want anyone to see me like this, I can’t stay in this changing room until morning.
I grab my stuff and hold it up like a protective shield, trying to cover as much of me as possible before I creep out.
Fortunately the shoppers have gone and there are only two assistants left, pulling down the shutters and fiddling with the till. I shuffle awkwardly in their direction. They’re engrossed in a conversation about a bar they’re going to after work.
“Uh, excuse me?” I say.
The assistants turn, and when they catch sight of me, they’re unable to disguise their horrified expressions. Their name badges tell me they’re called Abi and Lou.
“She’s wearing that dress,” I hear Lou mutter. “You owe me a fiver. I knew someone would buy it one day.”
“We’re closing, I’m afraid,” says Abi. “If you want to buy that, you’ll have to come back tomorrow. We’ve shut the tills.”
“Yeah, that’s sort of the problem,” I say awkwardly. “I tried this dress on and now I can’t get it off.”
Lou snorts loudly and ducks down behind the counter.
“You’re stuck in the dress?” Abi’s lips are twitching dramatically, like they’re doing some kind of dance.
“Uh huh,” I say, lifting up my arm to show them the zip, straining halfway down my side.
Oh, this is mortifying. Now they’re getting a full close-up view of my once-white-now-grey bra and bristly armpit.
Abi yanks at the zip. “Wow, this really is jammed. Lou, give me a hand, would you?”
Lou manages to compose herself enough to join us.
“You hold the material down here,” instructs Abi, “I’ll pull here, and…”
Several minutes later they’re still heaving and pulling at the zip.
“Have you seen the time?” Lou hisses. “We’re meeting the guys soon.”
Lou straightens up and checks her watch. “Okay, tell you what, we’ll mark the dress down as damaged and unsaleable and you can wear it home. You can cut it off later.”
“What? No!” I say in horror.
They can’t be serious… can they?
I honestly didn’t think there’d be anything worse than revealing myself in this dress to the shop assistants. Turns out there is – revealing myself to the world.
“Can’t we cut it off here?” I plead.
“Sorry,” Abi says. “Not enough time. We need to go, we’ve got an important stock meeting.”
“But she said you were going to meet some guys,” I point out indignantly.
“To discuss stock,” Lou says. “And we can’t be late. Haven’t you got a coat or something?”
“No,” I say, once again cursing my lost blazer. “Just my school shirt and trousers.”
“You could put the shirt over the