A car horn beeped from outside. When Lauren reached Meredith's car, she opened the door and clambered inside. Meredith gasped.
"Oh my god, Lauren, you look stunning."
Lauren was wearing a long sleeved plum coloured bodycon dress and black heels. She was wearing a small amount of makeup; mascara, a little flicked eyeliner, some eyeshadow and pink lip gloss, and her hair fell down just past her shoulders in big loose curls.
"Well look at you!" Lauren said pointing at Meredith's outfit. She was wearing a peach midi dress and had her hair in a beehive style updo. She wore a light pinky-coral coloured lipstick with butterscotch coloured eyeshadow and mascara.
"Shuddup!" Meredith said smiling, clearly flattered. After the engine started up again, she started to drive to the studio. "Seriously though, you look AMAZING. Darren is one lucky guy."
Lauren prayed that Meredith wouldn't mention Joey, but to no avail.
"What's going on with you and your men then?" Meredith inquired. "One minute you were craaazy about Joey and now you're going out with Darren. Who do you love?"
"Oh I don't know, Mere...I just don't know..."
Fifteen minutes later they arrived at their rehearsal studio and headed inside. Everybody looked like they were already there. Even the other starkids had come back from Michigan for Lauren's birthday. The disco ball on the ceiling had been turned on and 'Get back to Hogwarts' was blasting out the speakers.
"Lauren!! Meredith! OH MY GOSH YOU GUYS LOOK GORGEOUS!!" Jaime exclaimed, tottering up to them in her baby pink heels.
"So do you!" Lauren said. Jaime was wearing a pink cocktail dress and wore her hair in a messy bun on top of her head. She had a small amount of makeup consisting of some eyeliner, mascara, pastel pink eyeshadow and bright pink lipstick.
"Oh wow!" Joe Walker said walking over to the three girls. "You guys look amazing!"
"Awww thanks Joe," Jamie said hugging him.
"Oh well this is awkward..." Joe said. "I was kind of just talking to Lauren and Mere."
Jaime stopped hugging Joe and gave him a stern look.
"God! If looks could kill! I'm kidding Jaime, you look beautiful, as always," Joe said pulling Jaime to him for another hug.
"Awww, I forgive you," Jaime said sweetly as Joe walked off again. She turned to Meredith and Lauren again. "I soooo don't forgive him," before walking over to the table full of snacks.
"I'm gonna go and find Brian,"Meredith said.
"Okay thats fine," Lauren replied as Meredith went to find her boyfriend. Lauren walked over to the snack table that Jaime had recently visited and after gathering a handful of cheese puffs, shoved them in her mouth and turned around crashing into a tall figure. "Oh my gosh I'm so sorry!" she gabbled. "I didn't see you and-"
"Lo?"
Lauren looked up at the person she had crashed in to. "Oh Joey, its you," she said, glad that she hadn't walked into a complete stranger. "Sorry about, you know, crashing into you just a minute ago," Lauren said, embarrassed.
"Its fine," Joey said. Lauren noticed that Joey was staring at her. "Ahem?" she said to him. "Have I got something on my face, or what?"
Joey, suddenly aware of what he was doing, blushed. "No, sorry, I, uh...you look really beautiful tonight."
Lauren smiled and the butterflies came back again. "Thank you, Joey," Lauren said. "You're looking rather dashing yourself."
Joey gave her one of his crooked grins and ran his hand through his hair.
