"Girls, I don't think using Tyler is the right thing to do," Lola said while she stuffed her bag with her toiletries, pajamas and a top and jeans for the party tonight.
"You're not going to use him. Just befriend him, follow him around the office once in a while and keep an eye out on all the people who frequent the rooms where the papers are kept, teachers included," Nalini said as she lay down on Lola's bed.
The girls had gathered in Lola's room after school with their bags all packed and ready for their mission tonight. This was the first party they'd be going to since they started high school and they were planning to stay over at Damien's house because none of their parents knew they were going to a party in the first place.
Damien's sister - a college student - had come down for the weekend and she was going to pick the girls up, pretending to be their friend. There was no way any of their parents would allow them to stay in a boy's house so they had no choice but to lie.
Something Lola had been doing a lot lately.
Once she was done she plopped down on her bed and stared at her two friends who were looking as nervous as she felt.
"You girls alright?"
"Just nervous. I've never been to a high school party let alone lied to my parents about it," Hanna admitted. She liked to binge eat when she was stressed and right now she was munching on some seaweed crackers incessantly. "Why did we lie anyway? I think my parents wouldn't mind me going to a party."
"Mine would kill me if they ever knew. My brothers only started partying like animals when they went to college," Nalini said.
"Yeah, I wasn't sure about mine either but they wouldn't allow us to stay out so late so it's better this way," Lola said and then she pried the packet of seaweed crackers out of her friend's hand, with great difficulty.
Hanna always belly ached once she was done binging and Lola didn't want to hear about it later.
They heard a car pull up outside and saw a different jeep parked on the driveway. The girls rushed downstairs and out the door while Lola's parents sauntered after them, eager to see their 'new friend' Delilah.
Damien's sister got out of the car and flipped her long brown hair over her shoulder before walking up to meet Lola's parents. Delilah had been a senior when Lola and her friend's were freshmen. She had been as popular as her brother back in the day and looking at her now, Lola could see why.
Delilah was beautiful, a female version of her younger brother and she was extremely charming. She disengaged Lola's parents with her smile and sweet words. They never stood a chance and soon Lola, Nalini and Hanna were in Delilah's car, driving away from her house and her smiling parents.
"Your parents are really sweet. They barely asked me a thing," Delilah said. She adjusted the rear view mirror and zoomed through the suburban streets like she was driving on a race track. Someone walking their dog by the side of the road shouted at them as they whizzed past him and Lola put her head down in embarrassment.
"Thanks." Was all Lola could say. She felt like throwing up with the way Delilah was driving.
"So Damien filled me in on how this is going to be your first party and he's put me in charge of getting you girls ready. Don't worry I'm a pro at stuff like this," She exclaimed excitedly once she parked the car.
Lola wondered if she knew there was a fugitive staying in her pool house but she kept her mouth shut anyway.
They followed Delilah into Damien's huge house and saw him downstairs watching Tv. Julian was no where to be seen.
"Hey girls," He jumped up and walked over to greet them.
"Hey," Lola and her friends replied in unison.
"You can get ready in Delilah's room and we'll leave around ten," He said. He didn't mention Julian at all which could only mean his sister didn't know.
"Come on! We're running out of time," Delilah grabbed Nalini's hand and dragged her up the stairs. Nalini gave her friends a pleading look and they rushed after her.
They walked into a large room with lavender colored walls, a huge four poster bed and floor length windows that bathed the entire room with the evening sun.
Lola took in her surroundings in awe, this was the kind of room girls dreamed of. There was an attached bathroom, a walk in wardrobe and a huge Hollywood style vanity table with fluorescent bulbs lining the mirror.
No wonder this girl looked so good all the time.
"Okay, chop chop. Show me what you're wearing tonight," Delilah clasped her hands together and eyed the girls bags.
"Is that really necessary?" Hanna asked.
"Well my friends are out of town and I'm super free and bored, so yes it is," She replied and then she walked over to her make up table. She started pulling out all kinds of bottles and brushes. "And Damien told me you girls don't exactly dress the best. He said you would need my help."
"He said what?" Nalini's eyes bulged out of her face.
"I mean he's right in a way," Delilah stated. She then pointed at Nalini. "You already have the right canvas. Your skin tone is gorgeous, you are skinny enough to pull off any outfit but you're not doing anything with it. Your overalls make you look like Nanny McPhee, no offense."
"None taken," Nalini muttered sarcastically as Delilah pulled her to the make up table and forced her to sit down.
"Come on. Let me experiment a little. If you girls don't like it, you can wash it off," She picked up her brush and began brushing through Nalini's hair.
After a while the girls gave up and let Delilah do whatever she wanted with their hair and faces. It's not like they knew what to do anyway.
Nalini was playing with her ironed hair and the dark eye liner around her eyes. Lola had to admit her friend looked pretty good. Delilah didn't go overboard and their make up was subtle yet it really made their faces pop.
She had put foundation on Lola's face, blush on her cheeks, drawn her eyes and painted her lips a soft pink. Her usually dead straight hair had been curled at the ends.
It was a nice kind of different.
"Okay, now show me your outfits," Delilah instructed once she was done with Hanna. She'd drawn her eyes with a dark brown color and smudged the edges making Hanna look like a kpop idol.
The girls took out their plain looking tops and jeans, at least Hanna had made an effort by bringing a long denim skirt but apparently Delilah wasn't having any of it.
"Wow, Damien wasn't kidding when he said you girls were clueless. Do you know what those girls wear at those parties, you three would look like the catering service in these plain white tops," She fumed dramatically. She marched into her closet and began rummaging through her clothes like a mad woman.
"She's scary," Hanna murmured and Lola nodded in agreement.
Delilah walked back inside and threw a dozen outfits on her bed. "You girls are in luck. I have loose ones and tight ones."
She forced each girl to try on her outfits until everyone was satisfied with the outcome.
"You don't mind us borrowing your clothes?" Lola asked.
"Honey, just seeing your transformation gives me enough satisfaction. I have plenty of clothes, I doubt I will miss these. In fact you girls can keep them," She smiled and then her eyes glinted mischievously. "So which one of you is dating my brother?"
"What?? None of us," Lola said quickly.
"Must be you then. The guilty ones always cave first," Delilah sat on her bed and stared at Lola.
"No, Lola's crush will be at the party tonight," Hanna replied honestly. "We're just Damien's friends."
"Oh, please my brother doesn't do friends. There's no way he'd ask me to do all of this if he wasn't interested in one of you."
As if on instinct Lola and Hanna's eyes fell on Nalini, the only girl here who has liked Damien for years. She shot them a look while Delilah jumped up in happiness.
"So it's you!" She walked up to Nalini and gave her a huge hug. "I must say I'm super proud of him right now. He's finally broadening his range from the usual stuck up girls, trust me I love my brother but he always falls for the narcissistic ones."
"Umm, well it's more the other way around. Damien doesn't like me but I sort of have a crush on him," Nalini admitted. "Please don't tell him. To be honest I think it's kind of fading."
"Are you girls ready? We have to leave soon and I was thinking pre-drinks," Damien called from outside as he knocked on the door.
"Yeah, yeah. They'll be down in a minute," Delilah snapped at him irritably.
In a split second she smiled again and clasped her hands around Nalini's. "Please don't give up on him. He's a nice boy and I like you girls. You let me fiddle around with your hair and clothes and none of his friends have ever been this nice."
She stood up and stared at the three of them in satisfaction.
"Okay, good luck with your crush tonight Lola and Nalini you're going to knock Damien's socks off with that top and skirt. Hanna, you look like a kpop goddess so I expect some action from you too. I want all the details when you get back, okay?"
She pushed the reluctant girls out of her room and down the stairs.
"I think he's in the pool house," Delilah said before picking up her ringing phone and rushing up the stairs to answer it.
"Don't you think my skirts too short?" Lola asked.
"Nope, what about mine?" Hanna asked, she swished around, trying to get a look at her butt.
"I'm so lucky I got pants," Nalini said while she adjusted her sequined crop top. "I have to admit, his sister is pretty cool."
Lola smiled and nodded in agreement. Delilah had grown on her as well. They headed towards the pool house and for some reason Lola got more and more nervous by the second.
She couldn't help but wonder what Julian would think when he saw her like this.