Alice fixed her pale blue short-sleeve blouse, trying to make the end of the shirt straighten so that it wouldn't cover the button of her white slacks since she put a lot of time and effort into her outfit considering the times that she and Claudia went out nowadays were quite rare due to their mismatching schedules.
She was quite particular about her styling since she worked hard to make a wardrobe that had pieces that practically screamed out her name which was feminine and classy.
Alice saw a photo online that gave inspiration for the outfit that she was wearing, and she ran a hand down the flowy white pants that were slightly thicker than a linen material but were still breathable.
Claudia still often than not got out with some other friends since that girl loved to party it up, but Alice tended to stray away from that scene despite liking to hang out with people.
It wasn't for her, and she more often than not left early since she would get tired of trying to deal with everyone's attitudes despite liking being surrounded by people which was a contradiction for her in her books.
The sun was bright today with lovely blue skies which only made it seem like the perfect day to meet up with her best friend, and she underestimated how long of a walk it was from her house to Claudia's house since they normally did it in under twenty minutes, but it was longer for her since she was wearing such thick platform shoes to elevate her style. It was the price she had to pay for beauty.
Why did she decide to walk in the first place? Oh right, because it was so nice outside. Alice sighed and hitched her woven bag up higher on her shoulder as she passed by some cafes that were tempting her inside with the scent, but she wanted to wait to get some with Claudia instead of by herself. It was more fun with two people after all.
The tall windows of the nearby stores showed her reflection well, and she dodged the people who were trying to give her a casting card knowing that she looked quite flashy with her makeup that she worked hard on that naturally accentuated her features with a pink flush to her cheeks for some color and the waves in her hair that made her hair look voluminous and lovely curling around her shoulders in a strategic way that only girls knew.
The people who would try to get her number were either those trying to get her to audition for a sketchy modeling role or people trying to get her number period. It was hard trying to dodge, but after seeing the signs, she knew how to avoid the situation before it happened. It all starts with a gaze that lingers a bit too long.
Her lips were painted a mute muhly color, and she smacked her lips together before pulling up the square neckline of her blouse that was sliding down despite having a white tank top underneath, it felt like she was exposing too much. She got to a crosswalk and waited for the light to turn green when a small hand touched her side and made her jump.
Alice looked down to see that it was a young girl with unshed tears in her eyes and seemed to be around the age of five or six. Her dark hair was pulled into two tiny little pigtails at the top of her head with the hair being so small, the curls would hang down awkwardly or rather stick up rather too straight.
There was an awkward pause since she froze at not knowing what to do with the child who was coming for help. The child's lips pulled into a pout, and Alice patted the girl's head slowly to try and calm her down in case the girl was about to burst into tears.
The child was holding onto the raggedy brown teddy bear at her side for dear life which looked like it was also holding onto its last bit of life with the fraying of the fur and the broken stitching that Alice could see along the bottom leg of the plush bear.
"What's wrong?" Alice asked quietly to the child after squatting so that they could be at eye level.
The child's lips quivered. "I got lost."
"I know it's scary, but do you know where your family is?" Alice inquired softly.
"Momma," the girl whispered after squeezing the brown teddy bear that she clutched to her chest.
She tilted her head. "Where is your momma?"
The girl pointed over to the other side. "Momma told me to wait, but I didn't."
Alice nodded in realization. "Ah, I see."
The girl slipped her hand into Alice's. "Can pretty Auntie help me cross the street?"
The walking light turned green, and Alice smiled trying to put the girl at ease. "Let's go little one."