PARADISE ON EARTH | jj maybank (DISCONTINUED)

1.16

TONIGHT WAS MIDSUMMERS, AND Kiara had decided to drag Laura along with her so she'd have a friend there. Laura didn't want to go that much since she didn't like the Kook's, but it was just one night.

John B and JJ had dropped Laura back off at the island, before coming up with some elaborate plan that she wasn't in on. It confused her, but it no longer mattered since she began to get ready with Kiara.

Laura had gotten dressed in a long, simple pale green dress that was one of Kiara's other options that she decided against. It tied on her shoulders and had a V-neck top. She put on a pair of white heels, then stood up, not used to the feeling of them.

"I feel weird, Kie." Laura said, looking at herself in the mirror.

Laura had to admit, she felt beautiful. The way the top of the dress hugged her body, then flowed out from her waist. The dress felt weightless on her pale skin.

"Let me do some makeup." Kiara said, "I'm sorry for dragging you along, but I needed somebody there."

"Kie, it's fine." Laura said, sitting in a chair so she could put makeup on the pale girl.

It wasn't much, just mascara, concealer, and lip gloss. Laura never wore makeup since it was expensive and she could never afford it. But she felt that she could never master the art of it, anyway.

"This is disgusting." Kiara said, looking at herself in the mirror. The purple satin dress hugged her body well, falling down to her ankles. Her curls were pulled back and a floral headpiece sat atop her head.

"I know, it's just horrible." Her mother responded. Laura laughed to herself at the response, watching the other two. "I'm asking you to relax, and go to a fun party."

"I look like a bourgeoisie pig." Kiara said, turning around to look at her mom, looking disgusted. Laura stood up and walked over to her friend.

"You look beautiful, Kie." Laura said quietly, earning a small smile from her friend.

"Will you please not worry about socioeconomic justice for one night?" Her mom said while putting in earrings, not bothering to look at her daughter while talking.

"Mom, people not three miles from here have no power, no running water, and we're going to Midsummers. That's so tone-deaf."

"I'm one of those people." Laura said butting in, raising her hand slightly, before earning a look from her mom. She dropped her hand, sitting back down on the bed.

"Do you know how hard we worked to get into the Island Club?"

"Yeah, Mom. How could I forget? You had to grovel for like, ten years--"

Kiara's mom cut her off immediately, "Twelve, and we also had to cough up a huge chunk of dough, and do you know why we did that?"

"To keep up with the Joneses?" Kiara said, and Laura had to stop herself from laughing.

"No. So you could have experiences that I had as a child. Honey, do you know what the Island Club is? It is a nice place, with nice people, where you can do fun stuff." Her mom said, making Laura give a look of disgust.

"With out-of-touch rich people, while the island sinks slowly into the ocean." Kiara replied disgustedly, looking away from her mom.

"Okay, I want you to put on your party face, Kie, if you wanna live." Then, her mom turned around and walked back into the bathroom.

It had come time to now go to the party that the two teenage girls were dreading. Kiara had been to these events before, but Laura had only ever seen the events from the beach. For some reason she was nervous to be around these Kook's.