I stepped into my walk-in after my shower, my damp feet making warm footprints on the cold, wood floor. The door shut behind me with a loud click. Dust flew around as the air displaced it, scratching my throat and tickling my nasal passages until I sneezed. It was eerily silent. I usually kept my clothes in an unkempt pile on the blood red chair I used to be able to see in my room. I didn’t usually spend any time picking out an outfit, preferring to throw on the first jeans and t-shirt I unearthed so I could get to band practice quickly after waking up too late. But today was important. I was about to go on a blind date and I hadn’t been out in a while. I was getting older and starting to panic about dying alone; it was time to get serious.

I took another step into the closet, turning to my left. Dresses with scratchy sequins lining the busts and silky smooth skirts lined one wall. All were still vibrant greens, reds, and blues, having been barely used. I would probably feel like a deer learning how to walk in those - they looked completely foreign to me. I turned to my right. Fancier jeans, without holes, were folded within small cubbies like a clothing store. I pulled out a pair of soft black jeans and held them up to myself in the built-in wall mirror. The waistline ended before my hips flared out. I’m pretty sure I got these in college when I was doing so much coke that I dropped to 100 pounds. I threw them to the side and looked around again. Above the jeans hung about 30 t-shirts and blouses - some with colorful flower patterns, some cropped with snarky logos, some velvet, matronly hand-me-downs with small holes. I held out one of the more worn t-shirts, a faded pink and yellow tie-dye with a black raised logo that read, “Girl Power.” I cringed and stepped back from the wall, uncomfortable memories of high school cropping up. I looked ahead and saw the entire back shelf littered with a multitude of used gift bags, empty, half-open boxes, and broken hangers. I huffed in frustration. Maybe I’d just wrap myself in one of the boxes and go. I stormed out of the closet and pushed the door closed behind me. I walked over to the pile of clothes heaped on my red chair and just grabbed the first thing on top. A purple Led Zeppelin T-shirt and baggy flared black jeans. I guess it was better to just be myself up front and hope this guy didn’t run for the hills.