Sandy opened her eyes as soon and Maggie lowered the eyeliner pencil, and she turned her head to check her reflection in the bathroom mirror. When she applied her own makeup for school, she’d always gone with light colors to help her blend in instead of stand out. In her opinion, her best makeup jobs were the ones that looked like she wasn’t wearing anything.
But Maggie had insisted on doing her makeup for the party, saying, “Makeup at night runs by a whole other set of rules, sweetie.”
She was probably right, but under the bright bathroom lights, Sandy thought her face looked over done. Her eyelids were darker with a line of brown around her eyelashes and hint of violet shadow above that. Her cheeks were dusted with a plum blush, and her lips felt sticky from a vivid magenta lipstick plus a layer of “lip shine” to make her mouth look wet.
But the makeup was nothing compared to the dress. When she’d first worn it, she hadn’t noticed how clingy it was, or how short. Before, it had looked sexy. But with the makeup added and a pair of dangling silver chain earrings borrowed from her mother, she felt like her image screamed “desperate for attention.”
That was the voice of depression, which had been spending a lot more time talking in the wake of the prom. Everyone else went. Chess nerds had dates with other chess nerds, but Sandy was lower on the school’s social pecking order. She settled at the very bottom with the rest of the losers who nobody would ask out.
The other candidates at the bottom had bad hygiene habits, or were considered ugly for one reason or another. Sandy was supposedly pretty, but this was according to her friends and family. They were biased, and they didn’t count. But she knew she took better care of herself than the stinky kids, and she would have figured one of the ugly guys or the stinky guys would have been desperate enough to call her. That no one did made Sandy feel like the ugliest, dirtiest person in the world.
And now she was going to a party, alone, in a dress that screamed “will someone PLEASE LOOK AT ME?!”
Sensing her uncertainty, Maggie settled a hand over Sandy’s upper arm and offered her a gentle reassuring squeeze. “It looks like too much now because of these bright lights. But in a darker room, you’ll look great.”
“Maybe I should put on a choker?”
“No, it won’t look right with this kind of dress, and besides, it will just make people stare at your neck. With a dress like this, you want guys staring at your tatas instead.”
Sandy giggled nervously and then said, “Okay, I’ll trust you.” Despite her gleeful tone, it wasn’t a joke, just a statement of fact.
In all the time they’d been friends, Maggie had never given Sandy bad advice. She was the best thing that had ever happened to Sandy, and Sandy wasn’t sure if she said it often enough.
Maggie said, “All right, now you’re all dolled up. Let’s go downstairs and see what your folks think.”
Sandy felt her heart beat faster. Though she most likely didn’t need to stress out, she thought the dress might meet or exceed her parents’ limits for patience. Once they’d come to accept her, she often worried that she would do something they considered going too far, and then they would reject her and insist she go back to her old life.
It was for this reason that she avoided talking to them about her thoughts on boys, although she had many thoughts on the topic, some of them vaguely naughty.
She also avoided dressing too sexy, most of the time opting for jeans, a T-shirt, and canvas sneakers. There would be no mistaking her for a boy, but she avoided being too girlish, just in case it might lead to talks about “toning her act down.”
And now she was dressing in a skimpy outfit, wearing garish makeup, and going to a house party.
She tried to relax by thinking, So what? Even if I’m looking sexy, there’s no guy in town who doesn’t know me already. Who would want me?
Sandy didn’t expect to dance with any guys, except perhaps Leon. And since he was Maggie’s boyfriend, she could be sure he wouldn’t make out with her. He sat in the living room with Sandy’s parents, his hands clasped in his lap while he slouched on the couch.
Dressed for a house party, he wore a dark blue baggy shirt and even baggier black jeans. Despite his thick and muscular frame, he swam in excess fabric. A senior, he was two years older than Maggie and Sandy. Although he’d been wary of Sandy at first, after a year, he was almost her big brother.
He was the model of the perfect man, being tall, dark and handsome. Or he was tall to Sandy. Maggie was only a few inches shorter than her boyfriend, but he had nine inches in height over Sandy, forcing her to look up to make eye contact with him. Few guys that Sandy knew could sport a bald head and look good, but Leon could. He had just the right ear shape and size to pull the look off, and so the only hair anywhere on his head was his eyebrows. Below those thick black brows, he had bright hazel eyes that were hard to look away from.
He was so muscular that he looked like he belonged on the football team with the jocks, but Leon’s passion was for rugby, and he played in an unofficial league every weekend in Dallas. In Sherman, there were soccer leagues, baseball and football, but rugby had yet to catch on with the locals despite its rough and tumble play-style. Leon was one of the few guys who had faith that one day, one day, it would catch on.
Perhaps bored with the game show on the TV, Leon was the first to look toward the living room door and see Sandy. Their gazes locked, and something shifted in Leon’s eyes. His surprise became something close to intense hunger for just an instant. Then he went right back to shock, and his mouth fell open.
At the same time that his gaze had shifted, Sandy felt something squirm in her chest. A second later, she had the strangest fantasy about Leon laying on her. It wasn’t really a sexual thought, and yet it made her body flush with sudden heat.
Leon’s verbal reaction was delayed another two seconds before he said, “Whoa.”
Velma looked around and said, “Oh my,” raising a hand to cover her open mouth.
Todd twisted sideways in his Lazyboy recliner, and then he just stared with his mouth agape.
Leon recovered, flashing a guilty smile to Maggie as he got up. “Careful, babe. If you make her this pretty all the time, I might dump you.”
Maggie snorted and rolled her eyes. “Yeah, okay. So, I take it I did good?”
“Maybe too good,” Todd said.
Sandy pouted and asked, “You think it’s too much?”
Todd’s mouth flapped for a second before he shook his head. “No, not like that. You’re...you’re just too pretty right now. I don’t know if guys will be able to keep their hands off you.”
Sandy laughed, and then flapped her hand in a dismissive gesture. “Dad, we’re not leaving town for the party. I know I won’t have to worry about that.”
***
Sandy sipped from a cup of soda, trying in vain not to smudge her lipstick by drinking from the same stained spot. She was resting on a couch in the darkened den of Trisha’s parents’ house, her gaze wandering while she listened to the couple next to her making out. She tried not to glance over, because when she did, she found herself wondering what it was like to make out with Leon. Or, or with anyone, really. But of course, no one would be dumb enough to try making out with her.
She’d just thought this when she had the strangest sensation of being watched. Looking away from the crowd of teens dancing to the east entrance of the den, she saw a guy leaning against the doorframe, watching her. He had skin as dark as Maggie, and it was hard to make out the detail of his face because the dining room behind him had all the lights on. The dining room was where some of the teens played beer pong, so they had all the lights and lamps on, “for improved accuracy.” (But it was really because it made finding lost balls easier on drunk eyes.)
Despite the backlight obscuring his face, she saw enough to know she didn’t recognize him. Still, there was something familiar about him.
Having been caught staring, the unfamiliar man flashed a guilty smile and nodded a greeting before his gaze wandered. Yet his eyes never met hers.
Sandy was still watching him when Leon spoke in front of her. “Are you ready for another round?”
Sandy smiled as she nodded and got up. “Sure I am. But, don’t you need rest after dancing with both of us?”
“I can sleep it off tomorrow,” Leon said.
Maggie took Sandy’s cup and settled in the open space that Sandy had just vacated. “I’ll hold your spot.”
Sandy wandered into the crowd with Leon, needing only a few seconds to get the beat and fall into a rhythm. Leon didn’t dance with her like he did with Maggie. With Maggie, he drew her so close they were like one body moving together. But with Sandy, he kept a more discreet distance. He still danced well, and since he was the first guy who’d danced with her, Sandy wasn’t about to complain. The only person she’d danced with was Maggie, and they’d only been in her bedroom, or in Maggie’s.
This was her first dance with a guy, and every time she looked up and met Leon’s admiring gaze, she felt the same tickling in her chest, and she thought of kissing him.
At one point, she almost messed up when he leaned down. She started to purse her lips, and then she realized he wanted to say something in her ear and tilted her head to cover for herself.
His lips buzzed her ear as he said, “You look incredible.”
Sandy blushed and looked down. “Thanks.”
Suddenly the guy who had been watching her was standing beside Leon, and he spoke up to ask, “Do you mind if I cut in?”
Leon frowned at the new arrival like he was bad news and said, “Who invited you to the party, Kyle?”
“Trisha did,” Kyle said, and then shrugged. “I think she just needed me to buy booze and haul snacks. I’ve barely seen her since I arrived.” He nodded toward Sandy and added, “So, can I cut in or not?”
Sandy said, “It’s okay, Leon.”
Leon nodded and stepped back. “Yeah, okay.” Then he raised his hand and split his fingers to point at both of his eyes. He turned his hand toward Kyle, keeping only one finger pointed.
His message came through loud and clear: I’ll be watching you.
Leon’s wariness in turn made Sandy anxious. She started to dance, though not with as much enthusiasm. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she glanced around toward the couch to look for Leon and Maggie. Both were gone.
She glanced back around at Kyle, who seemed to be looking everywhere but at her. She wondered if he was just dancing with her to be nice, because he didn’t seem all that interested in her.
His inattention gave her time to study his face and figure out why he was so familiar. After a moment of thought, she realized that he had bright eyes, almost a gold color. Maggie’s eyes were a similar shade of gold, and Sandy decided that was why he looked familiar.
Sandy said, “Leon doesn’t seem to like you.”
Cupping his hand around his ear, Kyle leaned over and said, “Try again.” He nodded when Sandy did. “Yeah, I’m kind of surprised I got invited to the party.” Kyle glanced around the other direction, still distracted. “I’ve got a bad reputation.”
“Oh,” Sandy said.
“Fairly earned,” Kyle added, a smile stretching his thick lips. “I’m surprised you don’t already know me either, but then I got out of town right after I graduated. I’m sure the locals found someone else to talk about in my absence.”
“Yeah, they did,” Sandy said.
Not noticing her lower tone of voice, Kyle huffed a laugh that wasn’t loud enough to carry over the music. “I could tell when I’d worn out my welcome. The nooses and pitchforks were dead giveaways.”
Sandy nodded, but said nothing else. She stared at Kyle, though in the darkened room his face was deep with shadows. Why he was familiar? He reminded her of someone, but who?
The song ended, and Leon stepped back up to Kyle. His expression was still just as cool and suspicious as he said, “Mind if I step back in, buddy?”
“Nope, not at all,” Kyle said, smiling with charm in spite of Leon’s open hostility. He nodded to Sandy, but still wouldn’t look her in the eye. “Nice dancing with you.”
“Um, you too,” Sandy said, feeling very confused.
Kyle had barely stepped back when Maggie grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the den fast. Maggie’s jaw was clenched, and she looked mad enough to spit nails. But she said nothing as she pulled Kyle along.
***
Maggie slammed the bedroom door shut and spun on her heel. “No.”
“No, what?” Kyle said, feigning confusion.
“Kyle, don’t bullshit me. You’re my cousin and I love you. But Sandy is my best friend, and you are not going to pounce her.”
Kyle sighed and nodded. “Ah, still that.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Maggie folded her arms. “Are you trying to say you’ve turned over a new leaf in Austin?”
“You won’t believe me, but yeah, I did.” Kyle smiled. “I can even prove it.”
“How? You want me to come to Austin and talk to the girls in your college?”
Kyle smirked. “No, all you have to do is check my breath.”
“What?” Maggie narrowed her eyes. “What are you on?”
“Nothing, and you’d know that if you check my breath.”
Maggie sniffed when he exhaled, her mouth twisting as she noted only the hint of lime soda. “So you’re not drinking. What does that prove?”
“I quit smoking pot too. You can smell that even with your pussified nose, can’t you?”
“Maybe.”
“Plus, I haven’t even had a girlfriend since I moved to Austin. I tell all the ladies that I’m in an Internet relationship, so they leave me alone.”
“Really.”
“Yes, really.” Kyle smiled wider. “Do you smell anyone on me?”
Maggie’s mouth drew in a tight line. “Fine, but even if you are a new man, I don’t want you hanging around Sandy. She’s had a rough life, and she used to get bullied a lot. As it is, this is her first party, and I don’t want you screwing that up for her.”
“I won’t, I swear.”
“What are you doing here, anyway? You’re a bit too old to be cruising a high school party.”
“I’m not cruising, Maggie, I swear. I got invited out of the blue. I was up visiting my folks for the weekend, and one of your friends saw me at the grocery store and asked me if I wanted to come in exchange for pack mule services.”
“Which one?”
“Trisha, but I think she asked because I’m finally old enough to buy booze.”
“Ah...” Maggie’s suspicious frown relaxed. “Okay, I should thank you for the mixed drinks I’ve had.”
“Trisha still paid for it,” Kyle said. “I was just the idiot to lug it all inside. And, of course, now that I’ve served my purpose, she’s avoided me all night. She promised dancing, but mostly it looks like I’d be dancing with myself, because everyone else is avoiding me like the plague.” Grimacing, Kyle added, “Even the dudes.”
“Why did you ask Sandy to dance?”
“Maggie, I just said why. She’s the only one here who doesn’t know me. You think any of the other girls are gonna dance with me?”
Maggie considered this for a moment before she said, “You can dance, but that had better be it. If I find out you’re hustling Sandy, you will suffer.”
***
Leon led Sandy to the kitchen for drinks, though Sandy was only having soda. Leon mixed himself a rum and cola, sipping from it while he wiped sweat from his head, face and neck using a napkin from the counter. He’d been dancing with Sandy and Maggie nonstop, and it was starting to show. His baggy clothing was soaked in sweat, and even after being off the floor for a few minutes, he was still breathing fast.
Sandy offered him a bright smile. “Thanks for dancing with me. I’m having a great time.”
“I’m glad,” Leon said, and then let go of a breathy chuckle. “You and Maggie are wearing me out, though. Next round, you might have to dance with her so I can rest.”
One of the cheerleaders stepped up to the counter behind Sandy and said, “Hi, Leon.”
His smile relaxed as he nodded a greeting and said, “Hey, Trisha. Great party. Thanks for the invite.”
Sandy turned her head around and offered a weak smile, but she didn’t look up to meet Trisha’s gaze. Trisha wore a cocktail dress as form-fitting as Sandy’s, but hers was a shimmering dark blue that seemed to match almost perfectly with her light tan.
Trisha also wore high heels, giving her an extra three inches’ of height and brought her almost within range of Leon.
Sandy wore black leather sandals that left her feet mostly bare, and she couldn’t trust herself to wear heels without falling over.
Realizing she was staring, Sandy grimaced an awkward smile and said, “Thanks for inviting me.”
“Thank your friend. She’s the one who went to bat for you, as usual. The other girls were against it, but I decided to be nice.” Trisha still smiled, but the tone of her voice betrayed the display of hospitality as false.
“Yeah...” Sandy floundered, unable to react fast enough to this verbal jab. She looked up at Trisha, finding her bright blue eyes full of mistrust.
Trisha was a model cheerleader; tall, blonde, and devastatingly pretty. Her full lips were augmented by dark lip liner, making them seem even more round and pert, and her blush set off her perfect high cheekbones. She’d darkened her eyelids with a charcoal grey shadow, which made her eyes seem bright, like fiery jewels.
The look of distrust melted from Trisha’s eyes, and then her smile shifted. As it did, Sandy felt her shoulders relax, and her heart did a funny drum roll.
Remembering that she still had to say something, Sandy scrambled and came up with, “Still, it was good of you to let her invite me.”
“Sometimes I have to put away the claws.” Trisha’s smile widened. “I notice you aren’t drinking anything mixed. Are you sure I can’t get you something stronger than a plain soda?”
“Oh, um...” Sandy glanced back around at Leon, who shrugged. “Sure, I guess, but maybe mix my drink a little weak. It would be my first drink.”
“Hmmm. First drink, first party, and first dance.” Trisha’s smile became sunny and whimsical. “And I do believe that’s the first dress you’ve ever worn. Come to think of it, I’ve never even seen you in a skirt in school.”
“No, I could never work up the nerve to wear them,” Sandy confessed.
“Oh, dear, that is so...” Trisha seemed to catch herself overacting and shook her head. “This must be a big night for you.”
Despite all kinds of warning flags going off in her head, Sandy nodded. “Yes, it is.”
“Well then, let’s get you started with a little drink and then send you back to the den for more dancing.”
Sandy felt paranoid and decided to watch close while Trisha mixed her drink. But she only poured in orange juice and a splash of alcohol from a small silver flask. The cup she used came off the stack inside one of two bags on the counter, and Trisha had grabbed the smaller size. Taking a clean drinking straw from a cup, she stirred the drink for a moment to blend the two ingredients.
She passed over the cup and said, “Try a sip and see if it’s too strong.”
Sandy did, smacking her lips. “All I taste is orange juice.”
“Then you still need more vodka,” Trisha said, adding another splash from the flask. When Sandy started to raise the cup, she added, “Ah-uh, wait. I have to mix it, or all you’ll taste with the second sip is alcohol.” She stirred the drinking straw and nodded. “Try it again.”
Sandy tasted something else now, but she wasn’t sure what to make of the bite of the alcohol. It wasn’t bad, but it made the orange juice taste funny. “Okay, I taste something else now.”
“Good enough,” Trisha said and took out a cup from the larger sized stack. “Now I’ll mix myself a big girl drink, because this isn’t my first dance.” She snorted at her joke and poured a generous splash from the flask before she added orange juice and stirred it with another straw. She sipped it through the straw and hummed, “Mmmm, yeah, that’s got a real kick to it. Wanna try it?”
“Um...yeah, okay.” Sandy, sipped from the straw, having the oddest thought: Her lips touched the straw too. It’s like a secondhand kiss.
Then she tasted the drink and made a face. Forcing the burning mouthful down, she gasped. “Whoa.”
Trisha tittered and patted Sandy’s shoulder. “Drink your little drink, kid. It will help get the vodka off your tongue.”
Sandy smacked her lips and grimaced. “And hopefully some of the fuzz, too.”
“No you’ll have to shave that off tomorrow.” Trisha snorted as she capped the flask. “So when you finish that, you should be just about ready for another turn on the floor with Leon or...was it Kyle I saw you with?”
“Yes, but I would be dancing even if the guys wouldn’t dance with me,” Sandy said, and then beamed a genuine smile. “The DJ is really good, and you throw a great party.”
“I’m glad you like it.” Picking up the flask with one hand, Trisha waved her drink in the other toward the doorway into the dining room. “I have to run along and play hostess with other people. You know, top off drinks and gather empties. But I’ll come check on you later and see if maybe you want another drink.”
“Okay, thanks again.” Sandy sipped her drink and watched Trisha walk out of the kitchen and into the dining room. She looked around at Leon and noticed his worried scowl. “Oh, good, that wasn’t just suspicious to me.”
“She was putting off some serious bitch vibes,” Leon commented in a low voice, almost too low to be heard. “Then bam, she pulled a 180 and started acting nice. No, not just acting. She was really being nice to you. Seems weird to me.”
“Yeah, me too.”
They both let the topic go, and Sandy finished her drink, throwing the cup away.
She was just about to ask Leon if he was ready to return to the den when someone cleared their throat behind her.
She turned around, and Kyle offered her an awkward smile. “Hello again. I didn’t get your name, but I thought I should introduce myself properly. I’m Kyle Perkins, Maggie’s cousin.”
“Oh, her cousin?” Sandy laughed. Of course he looked familiar, and under the brighter kitchen lights she realized why. He didn’t look very different from Maggie’s dad, Roger. “I thought she was an angry girlfriend with the way she dragged you off.”
“Uh...” Kyle looked around uncomfortably. “Technically, we were an item for a while, before Leon showed up.”
“Oh, really.” Sandy smirked. “So were you just kissing cousins?”
“Something like that.” Kyle coughed an embarrassed laugh, but seemed to avoid looking at Leon as much as he avoided making eye contact with Sandy. “Anyway, that was a long time ago, and she was mad at me tonight because she thought I was making moves on her best friend.”
“So you must already know my name,” Sandy said.
“Yes, after Maggie told me.”
“And you had a reputation as a playa?” Sandy asked.
“I used to be one of the worst,” Kyle agreed. “I’m trying to reform, so no more booze, drugs, or one-night stands with random strangers.”
Despite just being warned that Kyle was the wrong kind of guy to fall for, Sandy tried to imagine having a one-night stand with him. Her imagination refused to cooperate. Despite being sixteen, sex was still a mystery to her. She knew that she liked guys, and sometimes certain guys had even made her chest feel funny. She wondered what it would be like to kiss them, but even this was an abstract concept that her mind couldn’t grasp. She knew what it should look like, but what would it feel like?
Maggie stepped around her cousin, fixing Sandy with a worried pout. “Have you been drinking?”
“Just one drink,” Sandy said. “I just finished it, so I’m not sure how you noticed already.”
“I can smell it on your breath,” Maggie said, glancing at Leon, and then back to Sandy. “Don’t get too carried away, okay? You know your folks are going to wait up for you, and if I bring you home smashed, we’re both dead.”
“I’m just having the one drink, really. I wouldn’t have taken it either, but Trisha offered and I didn’t want to seem rude.” Maggie scowled at this revelation, and Sandy added, “It’s okay, really. I watched her mix the drink, and it was just orange juice and vodka. She even mixed the same drink for herself.”
Maggie nodded, but her gaze continued to wander in search of Trisha.
Sandy didn’t like seeing her friend agitated, so she patted Maggie’s arm. “Hey, stop worrying about me. You and Leon should dance. I’ll play the wallflower and entertain your cousin until you’re ready to switch. Or maybe next time you and I can dance and leave Leon to rest on the couch.”
“All right,” Maggie said. She cast a warning glare at Kyle before she and Leon left the kitchen.
Sandy widened her eyes as she smiled at Kyle, faking a look of surprise. “She doesn’t trust you at all.”
“Totally called for,” Kyle said, meeting her eyes for the first time as his mouth bowed in an awkward smile. “Really, I’m surprised more of the girls aren’t pulling you away to warn you off of me.”
Making a tiny grimace, Sandy said, “Aside from Maggie, I don’t have many friends at school. She’s the one who got me invited to this party. As it is, this is the first time I’ve ever been invited to anything.” She gestured down at her dress. “Maggie had to help me pick this out because I usually wear jeans and T-shirts.”
“You look nice,” Kyle said. “I’ve already given you fair warning, so no matter what, we can both be sure how this night will end. But if I have to choose between making small talk or dancing, I’d pick dancing.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder. “So, would you like to dance?”
Sandy smiled, impressed by the look of sincerity in his gold eyes. “Okay, sure.”
***
Trisha scowled on the porch, sipping her drink while she wondered what the hell she was thinking. She hadn’t even pulled off the prank yet, and already she was feeling guilty? It certainly couldn’t be because she was empathizing with the little creep.
Except, she was, kind of. She’d meant to mix Sandy’s drink a lot stronger, but then realized it was probably too much for such a lightweight. Which left her with a flask of tainted liquor that she wasn’t about to dump. She’d paid for it, so she might as well use it herself.
Now that Trisha was outside and away from the crowd, she could think clearly enough to let her memory play back over their conversation again while she sipped the spiked drink.
She shouldn’t feel so enchanted by Sandy, but the girl was unflappable tonight. Though people all around her were giving her dirty looks, she’d only had eyes for Leon or Kyle. Had she danced with any other guys, Trisha guessed she could make them her whole world and block out everything else around her.
She had no idea she was the center of attention, and of course she’d showed up dressed to kill in a slinky dress. Being fair, Trisha could have thought of Sandy as a 7 on a scale of 1 to 10. But she’d cleaned up to a strong 9.5 and some of the cheerleaders were voicing genuine dismay at how pretty Sandy looked.
Well, let the spiked drink kick in, and then she wouldn’t be so pretty after she was sweating buckets.
Smirking, Trisha emptied the last sip from her cup, and then thought, Of course, I’ll be sweating this stuff out too. So if I look like shit in an hour, it serves me right. Pity my boyfriend went and dumped me last month. I’m all alone with no one to hip hump.
Snickering, she considered what to do about the rest of the tainted vodka. She was already going to being higher than a kite, having drank twice as much as Sandy. But then Sandy was clearly a lightweight. Trisha had taken a few drugs in her time, and she had much better resistance. So, using this logic, she opened the flask and tipped it back to finish the last swallows.
Waste not, want not, and all that.
“Did you spike her drink?” Maggie asked.
Trisha almost coughed on the last swallow, and a line of vodka dribbled from the corner of her mouth. Spinning her head around a bit too fast, she frowned and asked, “What?”
“Did you give Sandy a spiked drink?”
“Duh, of course I spiked her drink. She saw me do it. Hell, she even gave me permission.” Trisha made a sneering smirk as she capped the flask. “Chillax, Mags, I mixed hers real weak. She’s not going to be topless in an hour.”
“Don’t give her anything else. I have to take her home, and if her parents see her drunk, they’ll kill me.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Trisha waved down Maggie’s glare. “Don’t you worry about your little social project. She’s doing just fine at her first party without you having to be her chaperone.”
Maggie’s eyes narrowed. “You’re acting awfully nice to her all of the sudden. Too nice.”
Trisha almost agreed with this. She was acting more nice than she’d planned, and even if she’d only carried out a small part of her plan, she already felt bad for the prank.
But she pushed the thought aside. Sure, the prank might sting for a few minutes, but come the next morning, Sandy was going to have some great memories from her first party. And if she was a good sport, Trisha might even let her come back for another party.
Trisha said, “No, I’m just being a good party hostess. You’re the one who’s acting too paranoid. Now go inside and have a good time, or when I host my summer party, I’ll invite Sandy and forget to invite you.”
Maggie made a face, but turned and went back inside.
Trisha turned to look toward the darkened horizon. It was Sandy’s first party. And not just any party, but the kind where all the cool kids were. This was a big night for her, and of course Maggie would be acting as Sandy’s big sister, as usual.
Trisha thought, But really, Sandy’s never had a boyfriend. So having Kyle necking with her should more than make up for any fun I have at her expense.