Class of Misfits

four | Kyla

"Forget about how you look. Let's just have some fun."

Kyla stood in the corner of the room near the refreshments, sipping a glass of fruit punch and tapping her toes to the beat.

"Kyla! Come on, let's dance!" Kyla's twin, Katie, stood in front of her, her eyes gleaming and her glossy black hair shining in the light.

"I'll find you in a few minutes and dance," Kyla promised. "Let me finish this punch."

Kyla couldn't help but notice how pretty her sister was. With her midnight black hair done in a braid on the side of her head, and her makeup perfect to the point, Hello Kitty was beautiful.

Kyla? Being Katie's twin, she'd inherited somewhat the same looks, but she cared less about her external appearance than her sister. She didn't usually wear makeup, and she wore her hair down, letting it flow loosely around her shoulders.

She did this because she didn't want to be insecure. Hello Kitty took pride in her appearance, always doing her hair and makeup in the morning and selecting the perfect outfit that complimented her mood that day. She was second to only Barbie in the clothes department. Beauty, however, always comes with a price. Kyla knew her sister could be insecure at times. Being obsessed, or at least partially obsessed, with outward appearances made Hello Kitty feel like she was trying too hard, or that she was actually a horrible person and was making up for it with her painted face and bright clothes.

Kyla wanted more than anything to help Katie, to get rid of her insecurities. But how much ever she tried, it just wasn't possible.

So Kyla had let herself go. She was still pretty, but she had started to care more about her schoolwork, and her friends.

She finished the punch and headed onto the dance floor, ready to shake her worries away.

"Hey." Mikayla made her way through the crowd, smiling at Kyla and brushing a strand of curly brown hair behind her ear. She was carrying two soft serves, one of which she handed to Kyla.

"Hi! Nice dance floor," Kyla told her.

"Thanks," she smiled. "I do a lot of this kind of stuff at home."

Kyla glanced around, searching for a hint of midnight black hair, before spotting Hello Kitty sitting on one of the two person tables.

"I have to go, but I'll catch you later," she promised. "I told Hello Kitty I'd dance with her."

Kyla made her way across the room over to Hello Kitty, who was chatting animatedly with Partycake. Not surprisingly, Wisteria was nowhere to be seen.

"--and I heard they're having the tenth grade play this year, and I wonder which part I'll get, I really-- Oh, hey Kyla!"

Katie smiled and waved. "Let's dance!"

Kyla smiled. "Why not?"

They headed onto the dance floor, making their way into the crowd. Once or twice, Hello Kitty twirled, her silvery white dress flowing behind her. Her midnight black hair swung from side to side in a sort of mesmerizing way, and Kyla found that she often would stop, gazing at the beauty of her sister.

Once they had exhausted all of their dance moves, the two made their way back to the table at which Partycake sat, ripping chunks out of a pretzel.

"I think you've punished that poor pretzel enough." Hello Kitty smiled, and Partycake grinned through a mouthful of dough.

Kyla noticed she hadn't seen Wisteria around. Probably locked up in her room, frowning disapprovingly when she heard the thumping beat issuing from the sound speakers.