SEM 2 FORM 4 2024
Your teacher has asked you to write a story for the school magazine. Your story must begin with the following words.
There was nothing left in Rina's wardrobe except her old torn dress....
Your story must include:
- what had happened to her and the struggles she faced
- how this changed Rina
There was nothing left in Rina's wardrobe except her old torn dress that her grandmother gifted her three years ago. The blue dress with gold embroideries was faded in colour and to be honest it did not fit her body like how it used to be. High school prom would take place in a few weeks time and she literally had no proper attire to wear to celebrate her senior year's special night. She was not sure what she could do because asking her parents to buy her a new one was not a good idea for now. She wept silently on her bedroom's floor as she felt blank and helpless.
It was a challenging time for Rina's family as her father, Mr Amran was allegedly accused for money embezzlement and scandals from the company he worked for. Her father was detained and all of the family's property and money were seized and got frozen by the authority for further investigation and prosecution. It brought shame to Rina's family as all neighbours and relatives started to distance themselves away. While at school, friends and teachers looked down on Rina and gossips were spread like fire. Some kids even labelled her as a lunatic fraud and Rina was bullied just simply because of her father's mistake. It was unfair for her but she was lucky enough to have her best friends, Rose and Lily stuck by and still believed in her. They knew that Rina's father was framed for a crime he did not commit.
" You will come to senior prom right, Rina? " Rose asked.
" I better not. Everyone hates me." She replied
" We don't! Please come. It'll be the best night for us. Three of us. " Lily added
" Yes I know, I'll think about it ok. " Rina responded hesitantly.
Another thing that actually made Rina felt guilty for not going to prom was because of her boyfriend, Zachary who already asked her to go together and she gave him a promising yes as an answer. Deep down Rina knew Zachary was hoping she could make it before they both departed for different college next year. But now she was desperate for a new dress and with the current financial issue her family faced, she knew it was almost impossible to get one from a designer. It would cost too much and she only had roughly around 450 dollars in her saving. Maybe she could go to local stores at East Anglia town nearby and find the dress she could afford. There must be one that was meant for her.
The next day after school, Rina wandered around town alone and her eyes were wild scanning from one window to another if she could spot a dress that would suit her with the limited budget she had. Unfortunately, everything seemed dull to her as she was a little ashamed and overwhelmed by the problems that happened to her family. She should not go for shopping at this critical moment because the money she had could be useful for something far more beneficial. Until a moment she saw an exquisite coral green dress worn by a mannequin at a small local boutique called Laura Collections. Her heart melted and her gaze was fixed to that dress for a couple of minutes at least. The dress was designed perfectly with some beautiful layers of linen, floral patterns of hand-embroidery and what made it more attractive was the sparkles of rhinestones all over the dress which made it more exclusive and elegant. She had already imagined herself in that dress and she could have easily outshine other girls during the prom. She dared to take steps and entered the shop to check on the dress in a hope it would not cost more that what she could afford. Her jaw dropped just to see the price tag as it stated the amount that was way out of her expectation - $1200 for that single dress - it was insane! She went out of the boutique with a disappointment but as she was about to leave the street, a flyer was given by a random guy. It stated " Part-timer Wanted". She instantly said to herself ' This is my destiny'.
It had been two weeks since Rina started working part-time at A&Y fast-food restaurant. She went to work right after school till late night just to earn some money for the sake of purchasing that stunning dress she saw last time. She had to give excuses whenever her best friends asked her out to hangout and what made her more guilty was that she lied to her mother as she said that she had study group session at Lily's because she returned home late almost everyday. Deep down, Rina knew it was a wrong act but she could not bear to burden her parents for something she wanted. She thought it would be a good idea to work independently from now on and be less dependent. She wiped her sweat as she finished washing a pile of dishes at the restaurant. It definitely taught her to be patient and hardworking.
As the prom night arrived, Rina could not believe her eyes that she was standing in front of a mirror in her dream dress. She smiled at herself and had never been this proud. She knew that her hard work was finally paid off and she was grateful for what she achieved. She combed her wavy brown hair and put some light make-up on her face which already did a justice to her appearance. After a moment later, Rina's mother, Mrs Amran shouted her name " Rina! Come down here! Faster!". Rina was shocked and she immediately climbed down the stairs to the living room, feeling anxious that there might be an emergency. Her mother pointed at the television where the news showed a headline "The real culprit is arrested. Amran is found not guilty." The silence of the room was broken as both of them cried in happiness and they thanked God for the wonderful news as the truth had finally been revealed. They hugged each other for a bit longer as they knew the tough time for them as a family was finally over. Out of sudden, the house door was knocked several times and Rina quickly reached and opened it. There was Zachary, the boy she loved, waiting for her to the prom. Rina smiled and grabbed his arm and they walked together. She knew Rose and Lily were also waiting for her. It was a beautiful night for her indeed.
