Sam comes into my bedroom with a towel wrapped around her body. "Holy shit, Katherine. You look hot." I am standing in front of the mirror, and the little black dress is hugging my curves.
"Do I look stupid? You can be honest. I just don't-" I am rambling, and she cuts me off.
"No, you look hot. I promise. You HAVE to wear it." she says as she looks me up and down. I take a deep breath and look at myself in the mirror again. This dress makes my legs look longer, and my waist look smaller. My hips cause the fabric to bunch slightly. The scooped neckline is the only thing semi-conservative about it, but the way it shows my collar-bones makes it just that much sexier. I run a brush through my wet hair, and decide on throwing a few loose curls into it. Sam pulls a wine colored mini skirt from her bag and pairs it with a simple black top. She looks amazing, and even more so when I see the fishnet tights she intends to wear.
"Girl, you are the one that looks hot!" I exclaim. She does a little turn and cocks her head to the side.
"Oh you think so?" Her playful tone makes me smile, and now we are both giggling uncontrollably. Shelly knocks before entering and her mouth drops open when she sees me.
"Okay, when I bought that I thought there was a zero chance you would ever actually wear it." she says, the shock still apparent on her face.
"Well... what do you think?" I look at my aunt for approval, and she smiles.
"You look incredible kid." I wrap my arms around her and hug her tightly.
"Do you think I could borrow your makeup again?" I ask, and she nods enthusiastically.
"Will you let me do it tonight?" Sam asks and holds up a bottle of foundation. I agree, and she begins to brush the liquid onto my face. This is already more makeup than I have ever worn before, and I am terrified to see my reflection when she finishes. She presses some liquid lipstick onto my lips, and tells me to blot. Once she is finished, she calls in my aunt to assess her work.
"Well I'll be damned. My niece looks like a supermodel." I roll my eyes and stand to walk towards the full-length mirror.
"Shit." I say aloud when I see the girl looking back at me. I mean, it still looks like me... but a much better version of myself. I never wear much black, but right now I am rethinking that style choice. I don't look like a child right now, that's for sure. The person staring back at me is a woman. Shelly hands me a pair of black sandals with a small heel to them. I am glad they aren't too high. It doesn't matter how good I look if I can't walk.
I run my fingers through the fresh curls in my hair, and grab a small purse from the dresser that Shelly is letting me use. I never use one, but this time I want a place to put a few things in case I need to touch up my face at some point. Plus, I learned my lesson about leaving me phone out. I slide the purse onto my shoulder, and continue to give myself a pep talk as I make my way towards the door.
"Hey, Katherine." My aunt stops me. "Have fun tonight, okay? You look beautiful." I thank her, and meet Sam outside on the porch.
"You ready?" she asks me. I hesitate, and it is obvious that I am nervous. She grabs my hand and pulls me back into Shelly's condo.
"Hey... Shelly?" she asks timidly.
"Yes? Everything okay?" my aunt replies.
"Is there any chance you have some liquid courage for Katherine? I hate to even ask you that... but look at her. Shes freaking." They both look at me for a second, and Shelly walks to the kitchen without another word. She puts a bottle of clear liquor down on the counter, looks at Sam, and then retreats to her room closing the door behind her.
Sam looks at me and grins, "Okay. Let's get you loosened up a bit."
Three shots later we are finally walking towards the gate that separates our yard from the Dalton's. The nerves are still there, but have decreased significantly. I can hear the music coming from inside the house, and there are people gathered around the pool as well. There are way more than a few dozen people here. I hope Mr. and Mrs. Dalton are not angry when they get back from dinner tonight. Once we have come through the gate and are visible to the other party-goers, I see that all eyes are on us. Sam links her arm with mine, and we walk together up the steps towards the door.
"Damn baby, what's your name?" I hear a random guy say to me as I walk by. Gross.
I keep my eyes straight ahead and ignore him. As soon as we enter the living room Thomas appears next to me and his eyes are wide.
"You look incredible!" he says, and I blush. He snakes his arm around my waist and Sam drops her arm from mine. She winks at me, and I know she is doing it in reference to Thomas. He leads me towards the kitchen, and offers me a drink which I gladly accept. I need to continue this buzz so I don't lose my nerve. He drops his hand from my waist to get me a drink, and I get the feeling that someone is watching me. I turn to see Beau and another guy behind me. The guy with him is attractive, and also has tattoos. He takes a step towards me and introduces himself.
"Hey there, beautiful. You must be new around here. The name is Marcus."
I nod and reply, "I'm here for the summer. I live next door. I'm Katherine." Marcus turns to glare at Beau.
"Ah come on man, you could have told me about your new neighbor." Beau laughs and nudges his friend with an elbow. Marcus looks back at me, "No, he probably wanted to keep you all to himself." I am not sure what to say, but thankfully I do not have to respond.
"Here you go." Thomas reappears and places a red solo cup in my hand.
"What is it?" I ask.
"Just try it, trust me." he answers, and I do trust him. The sweet liquid tastes good when it hits my tongue, but burns as it goes down. I squeeze my eyes shut and shake my head after I swallow. I take another drink, and it is much easier this time. I feel Thomas place his hand on the small of my back again, and he leads me away from the kitchen.
I hear Marcus scoff and say, "Ohhh. So I guess your little bro has already claimed her then. Damn, she's hot. Like sneaky good-girl hot." My cheeks are burning. Beau stares me down as I leave with his brother.
We find Sam outside chatting with a group of guys that I recognize from the other night. "There she is!!!" I hear a familiar voice exclaim. It's Mick, and I smile as he hugs me.
"Sorry I left you hanging the other night. I hear you won it for us though! From now on, it's you and me on tourny nights." I laugh, and nod. They all begin to loudly sing me happy birthday, and my heart is so happy in this moment. I feel like I have found real friends, and I can't stop grinning like an idiot as they serenade me. Thomas has been consistently refilling my cup, and I now have a pretty strong buzz. I want to take a moment to myself, and head into the house looking for the bathroom. This time, I don't bother checking to see if the one downstairs is empty. I just walk straight up the stairs. I know there will be no one there, and I just need to be alone for a second. I look into the mirror and reapply a small amount of product to my lips. My eyes seem a bit red from the alcohol, but so does everyone else's. I remember the small bottle of perfume located in the drawer, and retrieve it. I spray it on my wrists and neck again, and savor the sweet scent. I really need to try and find this the next time we go shopping.
"What is with you and poking around other people's things?" I hear his voice and my breath catches. There is no anger this time though, only curiosity.
"I found it last time, and I like the way it smells. I didn't touch anything else. I promise." He continues to look at me, and I take a step back without even realizing it.
"Do I make you that uncomfortable?" he asks quietly.
"Yes, well-" I hesitate. "I don't know how to answer that." I reply.
"What do you mean?" he presses for an answer. I think for a moment, and exhale loudly.
"You just make me nervous. You are- well, I don't know how to even describe you. One second you are looking at me like I absolutely disgust you, and then you press me against a wall and act like you want to kiss me. You say some cryptic shit about waiting two days, and then barely speak to me." the words are flowing from my mouth, and I can't stop them.
"Not to mention this overly cocky asshole vibe you constantly put off. We get it, girls want you and you get laid a lot. Good for you." I roll my eyes. "I need another drink, excuse me Beau."
I move to push past him, but he doesn't budge. Instead he takes a step towards me and raises his hand to cup my face gently.