"You should visit Allison's," she said helpfully.
"Allison's?" I frowned.
Allison's was a clothing store for women. It was quite popular, but a referral to a clothing store on my first day out after the accident when I had taken such care to dress was hardly the introductory greeting I expected from my best friend.
Of course she was trying to be helpful, Cassie was always trying to be helpful, and I didn't want to seem hostile and ungrateful. I'd been told so many times in the past few months as I recovered from the accident that had left much of my body covered in second and third degree burns that I should be less prickly and more receptive to the kind gestures of the well-meaning. After all, it wasn't their fault I had an accident, so why should I make their charity feel uncomfortable?
Still, Allison's was a clothing store, and I didn't think I needed to buy any more clothes. In fact, I was quite pleased with the brand new outfit I was wearing just then.
I was wearing a pale pink spaghetti-strapped dress that complemented my dark skin and hair well. I thought it looked sexy.
I smiled and forced my eyes to smile too.
"Allison's? I questioned. "Why?"
"Well," Cassie said blithely. "I was there just a few days ago and Allison's has a whole new collection of turtle necked tops with longer sleeves. They would actually cover up your skin and those burn scars really well. You should check it out. I could come with you even, and we can get you a whole new wardrobe. It would be fun!"
My skin burned hotter than the fire ever did, but I nodded and smiled all the way through the unsolicited advice.
"Of course," I told my best friend, my voice unnaturally high. "Let's do that."
Hi friends,
Today's 5 minute prompt posted in the Freewritehouse Community by 
For my entry, a burn survivor struggles to cope with her friend's unsolicited advice.