Skipping school was not of the norm for Astrid – school was always considered important – but it was a tradition of the Dokken family. Every day, before a dance, the whole female line would go shopping with Astrid. It was hell.
She had to listen to the crone of the family comment on some sluttish dress that would compliment her thighs, or her mother fawn over a fishnet dress that was
certainly against dress code. It didn't help that her mom's new boytoy kept calling every five minutes and the aunts and grandmas and greats all chimed in with a "No booty calls!" Of course Astrid joined in, but she would never admit this. It was with a great struggle that she found a fitting
dress. The
shoes she decided to wear we're adequate and, very much exhausted, the Huldra begged her kin to let her go home. They did so reluctantly, with her aunt promising to let her borrow a
matching mask. Once they arrived home, they began to assault her with the same question:
"Who are you going with?"
"Nobody but myself. I'm going stag." Astrid answered and they all gasped.
"Sweetie, you need a handsome man on your arm so everyone knows your better than them!" Her great-grandmother crowed, pinching her cheek red.
"No I don't — everybody should already know that." Still...a dance partner could've been nice.
