Chapter 41
Three girls are huddled together in a dark room, the only light coming from their own personal movie screen. An intense scene full of touching and grinding and kissing pops onto the screen. Claudia thinks of Foster during the intimate moments of this scene. The way he caresses her. Kisses her. Tastes her. Feels her. She feels the familiar wetness between her legs and attempts to regain focus on the movie. It's hard but she isn't about to get horny when he isn't even here.
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The movie ends. Claudia and Micah are chitchatting about the plot and the main characters. I just listen along, throwing in my two cents here and there. Honestly, if I didn't hate Claudia for stealing Foster away, I might have been her friend. It's too late to have this kind of sentiment now though.
"So Ladies, that was lovely and all and I'm truly having fun, but I definitely feel like we could kick things up a notch." I reach for my bag, unzipping it, showing the bottle of liquid courage that lay inside. If I am going to get anything out of Claudia, I am going to need to butter her up first.
"Sick. I could definitely do shots right now." Of course, Micah wouldn't turn down free booze. But what about Claudia? I nudge her shoulder and wiggle my eyebrows playfully.
"What about you Claudia? Are you interested?" Instead of agreeing, she looks over at Micah with a strange expression. Micah returns her gaze with one of reassurance and then turns to look at me.
"Claudia would love to, but she has a job interview coming up and that might include drug testing. She doesn't want any alcohol or anything to show up in her system being underage and all. She's going to sit this one out but I promise she doesn't need it to have fun." Fuck. Micah better be right because I have no clue how I'm going to make her feel comfortable around me if I can't get her drunk.
"Yeah, I just don't want to risk it. I really need the money to get the prom dress I want," Claudia chimes in. I nod, cracking open the fresh bottle of the bitter liquid and taking a swig. It burns going down but that burn is what I need to become more personable. I pass the bottle to Micah who follows my actions, pulling a face when she takes her drink.
"This stuff is disgusting. Hopefully, it can get us drunk fast." She pinches her nose and tries not to gag. Claudia rubs her back, laughing at her reaction. "So speaking of prom, you didn't hear this from me, but the theme is enchanted forest." Ugh, how cheesy. What can I say though, it's better than the redneck fantasy wonderland that it could have been if we didn't have someone like Micah on the committee.
"So that really limits dress choices if we want to match the theme. Like literally it's ball gowns or a-line?" I roll my eyes. I do not want to waste all the time I put into looking hot to just cover it all up in a mountain of tulle.
"Not true!" Claudia shakes her head. "There are plenty of ways to incorporate enchanted forest into more modern dress styles. I may have already picked out my dress before knowing anything about the theme, but I think I can make it work. It's all about the way you accessorize or the hairdo."
"Honestly, I didn't even think about accessories. I could pretty much wear whatever I want and throw on a pair of toddler fairy wings and call it enchanted." Claudia makes a good point. The enchanted forest theme doesn't mean just fairies and princesses. It could just as easily mean mermaids which is exactly the type of gown I want to get to show off my curves.
"I still have absolutely no idea what I'm wearing to this fucking thing. I have been so caught up with preparations and sports that I haven't looked at a single dress." Micah slumps over, overwhelmed by the giant checklist she is most likely forming in that hella organized noggin of hers.
Claudia wraps an arm around her shoulder, rocking her side to side. It seems a bit silly but it looks like it's working. "That's okay Micah. It's still a few weeks away. The good news is you already have your date and you are on the committee so you don't need to buy a ticket. Hair and accessories will be easy and I'm sure my mom would love to help with that seeing as she owns an entire craft store and is basically a wizard with some fabric scissors." Hearing Claudia say all this really helped Micah chillax.
"Yeah hun, don't worry about it. We got you. Prom is going to be perfect and you are going to look incredible. However, I'm sure Joe would love you in whatever you are wearing because I'm sure it won't matter when he's taking it off of you later," I joke trying to bring back the light atmosphere. After saying that we both take another shot and shed a couple of layers. Alcohol really warms me up.
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"Yeah, Claudia! Join in on the fun. How are we supposed to play spin the bottle with only two people?" Micah slurs her words. I giggle and nod along, obviously hoping the shenanigans turn into something more scandalous.
"Ugh Fine. I'll play but just know that I am brushing my teeth as soon as I kiss whichever one of you. I know you can't tell, but your breath is rank," she pinches the bridge of her nose and sticks her tongue out at us.
We play a few rounds of spin the bottle, just giving each other pecks and stuff. I huff, clearly, this is getting nowhere so I suggest we turn this into a spin-the-bottle truth or dare game. The other two agree also feeling bored. It's my turn, I spin the bottle. Around and Around it goes. It slows down, the neck of the bottle facing Claudia dead on.
"Okay C, truth or dare? Honestly, don't even worry about answering because we all know you are just going to pick truth like the goody two shoes that you are," I tease.
"Fine then. Dare. How bad can it be?" Thank fucking god. Something useful might actually come from attending this cringy girls' night.
"I dare you to strip along to a song of my choice," I smirk. My eyes widen in shock as she stands, hands-on-hips, a look of sheer determination in her giant eyes.
"What fucking song then?" She chuckles. I guess she isn't the goody-goody that everyone says she is.
"Hot in here by Nelly." She just nods. Micah cackles. She stands up, grabs the stereo remote, and cranks it up. The lyrics start to play and Claudia starts the show. I grab my phone and turn on the camera. I start the recording and set it against the couch inconspicuously.
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My face flushes when I hear the dare. However, something inside me says that I can do this. I am brave and I am not about to ruin the game for everyone by chickening out.
The music starts and I just close my eyes. Knowing that it will be easiest to do without having to see the looks on their faces, I focus on the darkness. I start to feel the music and think back to the feelings I have towards Foster. I imagine I am doing this for him. With those images in my mind, I put on the best show I can. It's all in good fun anyway. No big deal right?