party?
People are sitting on couches, facing each other, talking. Maybe it’s just like hanging out with a few people, just more of them. I grab a chair and Amy asks me about a drink. I nod. It’s much louder in here. Loud, bay-area rap makes it hard to hear, and several people are dancing in the middle of the floor.
I push down my shyness and look closer at the people around me. A hand grabs my shoulder, startling me. I turn up to see Ally looking down at me.
No, it’s not Ally. It’s her evil twin. She’s got makeup on, and is wearing pink. She looks miserable. She looks beautiful. But it’s just not her. Not the Ally I’ve been getting to know.
“Hey, ready for punishment?” She crouches next to me and messes with a shoe lace.
“Ally, don’t do that in a dress,” Amy says, running over.
Ally goes slightly pink as she stands, vaguely matching the tight pink dress she’s wearing. It’s skin tight, with tiny straps. Her legs are everywhere. Her hair is so blonde.
“What’s the point of these shorts then?” She says, lifting the dress to flash them at all of us.
I laugh. That’s her. I cover my laugh when she glares at me. Then I turn away so they can argue.
The front door opens. A couple guys walk in, guys I don’t know. Amy runs to the door and brings them in. My initial judgment is douchebags.
Popped collars, holding beers, pushing past Amy to size everyone up. Three of them. Blond bro in the center seems in charge, and vaguely familiar. Chubby dude in the back, super tall dude with a shaved head next to him. I look for Ally. I want her next to me.
She’s watching Amy, and when the boys come in, she folds her arms and takes a seat next to me. I try not to stare, or smile. Her outfit is cracking me up. Pink dress, Chucks, Spanx.
“Don’t say anything,” she says.
I just nod. I’m great at that.
“Do I look stupid?”
I stare at her for a moment, take in her luminous silver eyes, pixie face, and soft skin. I shake my head ‘no’.
“Thanks?” She looks at the guys walking in and then sinks her face in her hands. “I wish Amy hadn’t invited them.”
“Why?”
“I met them at a party last year when I was first here. Blondie had a big mouth and we sort of got into a fight over whether he should shut it.”
“Fight?” He tried to fight Ally? My Ally? My hands go to fists at the thought.
“Settle down, he refused to fight a girl. Said a few choice things about how I look. Called me some names. Nothing I’m not used to, dressing like this.” She looks down at her dress, stretches the material in her hands. “Well, you know, dressing like I usually do.”
I just nod.
“Still, I wish I was wearing something else right now. I hate being in these clothes.”
“Why?”
“It’s just not me.” She sighs. “I’ve been dressing this way a long time. I did try dressing like a girl once, for a while, when I got married. It’s just not me.” She pulls at her waist band. “Sooo uncomfortable.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. And you can’t fight in this stuff either.”
“Why do you need to fight?” I say.
Her face tightens. “I guess someone like you wouldn’t understand.”
“Someone like me?”
“Yeah, someone soft.”
I frown and look at my arms. They look big to me.
“Not that, just personality wise. You wouldn’t hit anyone.”
I force myself not to grin. She has no idea.
The boys are still at the other end of the group. “Are Rain and Knight coming?”
She shakes her head. “Not that I know of. They like to just hang out with themselves.”
I shrug. I wish I had someone like that. I’m only twenty, but I’m done with the party scene.
She fidgets and then crosses her legs and pulls them underneath her. “I hate this. Argh, I hate this. They’re coming over.”
“If they did that, why did Amy invite them?”
“She wasn’t there. It happened outside. They went to school with her or something.”
“Why didn’t you tell her?”
She lowers her
People are sitting on couches, facing each other, talking. Maybe it’s just like hanging out with a few people, just more of them. I grab a chair and Amy asks me about a drink. I nod. It’s much louder in here. Loud, bay-area rap makes it hard to hear, and several people are dancing in the middle of the floor.
I push down my shyness and look closer at the people around me. A hand grabs my shoulder, startling me. I turn up to see Ally looking down at me.
No, it’s not Ally. It’s her evil twin. She’s got makeup on, and is wearing pink. She looks miserable. She looks beautiful. But it’s just not her. Not the Ally I’ve been getting to know.
“Hey, ready for punishment?” She crouches next to me and messes with a shoe lace.
“Ally, don’t do that in a dress,” Amy says, running over.
Ally goes slightly pink as she stands, vaguely matching the tight pink dress she’s wearing. It’s skin tight, with tiny straps. Her legs are everywhere. Her hair is so blonde.
“What’s the point of these shorts then?” She says, lifting the dress to flash them at all of us.
I laugh. That’s her. I cover my laugh when she glares at me. Then I turn away so they can argue.
The front door opens. A couple guys walk in, guys I don’t know. Amy runs to the door and brings them in. My initial judgment is douchebags.
Popped collars, holding beers, pushing past Amy to size everyone up. Three of them. Blond bro in the center seems in charge, and vaguely familiar. Chubby dude in the back, super tall dude with a shaved head next to him. I look for Ally. I want her next to me.
She’s watching Amy, and when the boys come in, she folds her arms and takes a seat next to me. I try not to stare, or smile. Her outfit is cracking me up. Pink dress, Chucks, Spanx.
“Don’t say anything,” she says.
I just nod. I’m great at that.
“Do I look stupid?”
I stare at her for a moment, take in her luminous silver eyes, pixie face, and soft skin. I shake my head ‘no’.
“Thanks?” She looks at the guys walking in and then sinks her face in her hands. “I wish Amy hadn’t invited them.”
“Why?”
“I met them at a party last year when I was first here. Blondie had a big mouth and we sort of got into a fight over whether he should shut it.”
“Fight?” He tried to fight Ally? My Ally? My hands go to fists at the thought.
“Settle down, he refused to fight a girl. Said a few choice things about how I look. Called me some names. Nothing I’m not used to, dressing like this.” She looks down at her dress, stretches the material in her hands. “Well, you know, dressing like I usually do.”
I just nod.
“Still, I wish I was wearing something else right now. I hate being in these clothes.”
“Why?”
“It’s just not me.” She sighs. “I’ve been dressing this way a long time. I did try dressing like a girl once, for a while, when I got married. It’s just not me.” She pulls at her waist band. “Sooo uncomfortable.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. And you can’t fight in this stuff either.”
“Why do you need to fight?” I say.
Her face tightens. “I guess someone like you wouldn’t understand.”
“Someone like me?”
“Yeah, someone soft.”
I frown and look at my arms. They look big to me.
“Not that, just personality wise. You wouldn’t hit anyone.”
I force myself not to grin. She has no idea.
The boys are still at the other end of the group. “Are Rain and Knight coming?”
She shakes her head. “Not that I know of. They like to just hang out with themselves.”
I shrug. I wish I had someone like that. I’m only twenty, but I’m done with the party scene.
She fidgets and then crosses her legs and pulls them underneath her. “I hate this. Argh, I hate this. They’re coming over.”
“If they did that, why did Amy invite them?”
“She wasn’t there. It happened outside. They went to school with her or something.”
“Why didn’t you tell her?”
She lowers her
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