Cursed

Chapter 11

Winter stared at her reflection in the mirror, once again in awe of the person that looked back at her. Summer had made her up, curling her short dark hair into small waves and covering her face in makeup. Her eyes were brushed with a blend of silver and black eyeshadow. Her lips were glossed and her cheeks were rosy pink. Summer had put her in a short navy blue dress that was covered in lace. The skirt gathered at her waist and went up to form a tank top-like top. The dark blue brought out the bright blue of Winter's eyes.

Winter turned to her sister. She looked beautiful in the two-piece pink dress that Winter had picked out. The halter top was completely covered in shimmering gold sparkles and jewels and cut off just above the bottom of her rib cage. The high-waisted skirt started just above her bellybutton and reached almost to her knees. The pink tulle had a golden edge at the top that brought the skirt and the top together. To complete the look, Summer's long hair had been straightened and pulled back with a gold headband, her eyes were dusted with gold, and her lips were painted with a sheer pink lipstick. 

"Are you ready?" Summer asked, grabbing her gold clutch. Winter nodded while putting her lip gloss in her own black clutch. Summer grabbed her sister's hand and led her out the door. 

***

The party was in full swing when the twins arrived. Christopher greeted them at the door. 

"Who are these two beautiful ladies?" Christopher joked. 

Winter laughed. Summer smiled. "Hey, Chris," Summer grinned. She headed inside while Winter hung back.

"Hey," Winter said, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. 

"Hey," Christopher said back. "I didn't think you'd show up after a couple days of total silence."

Winter laughed. "I'm really sorry about that," she apologized. "I've just been so busy-"

"I know," Christopher interrupted. "I understand. You don't have to apologize." 

"Thanks," Winter smiled. She immediately changed the subject. "So, do you want to go inside?"

"Yeah," Christopher said. He led her into the living room, where the party was wild. There were a lot of people from their school, and even more people that Winter had never even seen before. There were girls holding plastic cups filled with who-knows-what while guys that could pass for frat boys played beer pong. The kitchen, which was visible from the living room, was a disaster. There was what was either root beer or regular beer all over the floor and chips and other snacks spilling over the counters and tables. On the couch in the living room, three couples were making out, including a pair of lesbians. On the floor were some girls and boys playing spin the bottle.

"Sorry for the craziness," Christopher apologized. "I just wanted it to be sort of small,  but you know how high school works. People talk. And soon enough, my house was filled with people I don't even know."

Winter laughed at his remark. "It's okay," she said. "I get it." She glanced down at the game of spin the bottle. "Want to play?" 

"Sure," Christopher said, joining the circle. Winter looked at the group of people. She recognized a lot of them from Whitney's birthday party, including Whitney herself. 

"Christopher!" Whitney exclaimed, emphasizing every syllable. "Look, guys, the party's arrived!" Her words slurred as she talked. Winter almost felt sorry that everyone was seeing her this way. 

Whitney grabbed the bottle and spun it quickly. It landed on her friend, Lila. Lila groaned. Whitney laughed - it was almost a cackle - and leaned in to kiss Lila. When their lips touched, both pulled away quickly. "Yep, I'm definitely straight," Whitney slurred. Lila laughed and said that she was definitely straight too. 

Just as it was coming upon Winter's turn to spin the bottle, Lucas appeared in the circle. "May I join?" Lucas asked. Winter looked up and locked eyes with Lucas. He seemed like he was searching for something in Winter's eyes. Winter looked down. Lucas joined the circle as Winter picked up the bottle. 

Winter twisted her wrist and spun the small glass bottle in the middle of the circle. She watched it, almost in slow motion, as the bottle spun and spun. It started to slow, and Winter held her breath. The bottle came to stop, and Winter looked up to see who it had landed on. Her heart sank when she saw who the bottle was pointing at. 

Lucas. 

He smirked at her, as if knew exactly what he was thinking. A billion thoughts ran through Winter's head. But one thought overpowered the rest of them. What will Christopher think? To try and get an opinion, Winter glanced at her boyfriend, but Christopher's face was completely blank. He clearly didn't care. For now. 

Winter leaned in across the circle. She almost grimaced at the thought of kissing Lucas again. It's not that she didn't enjoy kissing him - she truly did. But the fact that she did enjoy it was what bothered her. Her emotions were still unsettled, and she knew that this kiss could possibly scramble them up even more. 

Winter's lips locked with Lucas's. His lips were soft. Winter wanted more, and the thought scared her. She pressed her lips more into Lucas's. The kiss was warm, welcoming, passionate, and, dare she say it, sexy. She didn't want to let go. In the back of her mind, she could hear the group cheering her on. But her thoughts remained on Lucas. Until...

Christopher. 

Winter pulled back quickly. Her thoughts were swirling. She knew what she had done, but she hoped and prayed that Christopher didn't. She dared her eyes to sway over to Christopher. He refused to look at her. Winter's heart sank to her stomach. 

He knew.