Alice stood in front of her mirror doing her daily stretches. It was not that she was into yoga or anything but for 10 years she was into ballet and simply continued the stretching exercises even though she gave up dancing almost four years ago. Looking up Alice could not help but release a sigh of frustration. Standing at only 5'4 and weighing 115 pounds, she looked more like the 15-year-old ballerina she used to be. She had yet to round out and was still an A Cup so from the neck down she still looked like a young girl. Her face one the one thing Alice was proud of. With long red hair running all the way down her back, bedroom eyes and a beautiful mouth she was often told she had the face of a model.
However Alice didn't feel that way. Here she was at the start of winter break, halfway through her senior year, and she never felt more alone. Her parents had left earlier that evening to go to a seminar in Boston, where they both grew up, and now she had the house to herself of the whole week. Not that it made any difference. Alice's subdivision, like many other subdivisions in Phoenix, was populated mainly with retirees. In fact Alice's only true friend was Kim who was expected to arrive within the hour for a sleepover and have some fun without considering a curfew. Not that a curfew had ever caused a problem for the girls in the past. No being average and going to an all girls school takes away much of the excitement of being a teenager. In fact at eighteen Alice had yet to kiss a boy, and was the reason that caused much of the recent rift between them.
Before they were inseparable and had no secrets between them. Alice even told her how her parents were the anonymous leaks about the university's true research for the military. The official story was they were studying the effects of long-term fatigue on the human body. However being as anti war as they are, her parents did not believe it and were able to acquire some reports that showed they were researching the effectiveness of several interrogation techniques. Well you can imagine how embarrassed the school and military were when the true purpose was made public. The school said accepting the grant was a mistake and pulled out of the several year research program but they were still very interested in finding out who released the information. Alice's father, the activist he is, was one of the suspects however they had nothing linking him to the crime scene. He always had a secret laugh at this since he worked with my mother on the crime and all of the physical evidence they had was hers. So long as they did not suspect she was involved they were in the clear.
However this started to change several months ago when Kim starting seeing David, her first boyfriend, and started having experiences they could not share. It seemed overnight all she talked about was David this and David that.
However Alice could not understand why Kim continued to date him. Yes he was cute and paid attention to her but he has this evil vibe to him and seems to be very much outside of normal teen behavior even accounting for his Goth image. Every time Alice tried to talk to Kim about this she would get defensive and claim that she was just jealous a good looking guy was interested in her. She has even started to dress Goth herself and hang more with his friends. Suddenly Alice felt like Kim was keeping secrets from her and they were drifting apart. That is what this weekend was supposed to help fix. Alice made a commitment to myself to accept Kim's new life, David and his friends and was going to be supportive.
Upon hearing the doorbell Alice broke her trance and made her way to the front door. "Freedom" yelled Alice as she opened the door her face going from excitement to disappointment. Standing outside was Kim followed by David and Susan all dressed in their Goth gear.
"Hello Alice," Susan replied with a smile on her face as they walked past her and into the living room.
Tonight was just supposed to be just the two of them, and she was supposed to be going out with David tomorrow. Now instead of goofing off like old times Kim would be hanging on her boyfriend and she would be stuck entertaining Susan. Of all of his friends she rubbed Alice the worst. She was always looking for the advantage and always wanting the control the show.
"Alice, a change in plans," Kim said excitedly. "Susan's cousin has access to this great party tonight and she can get all of us in."
"A party, who's throwing it?" inquired Alice.
"It's being held at the old Hamlet Dinner Club" interjected Susan. The owners son, a friend of my cousin, is throwing the rave."
"I don't know," replied Alice. "If we get busted and we have to contact your parents they will go nuts."
"Don't worry not just anyone can get in" replied Kim. "That's why we need you. He is keeping entry tight and only people he knows and their friends are going to be allowed in. However Susan's cousin doesn't want to go without a date and we thought you could be that date."
"You want to set me up with Susan's cousin so you can get into a party," said Alice with a bit of hesitation in her voice.
"That's pretty much it," answered Susan still unable to wipe the smile off of her face. "But don't worry she's great."
"She," Alice screamed. "You want to set me up with a girl so the three of you can get into a lousy party. I mean would you have actually bothered to ask me to go if you did not need me as your perverted party gift. No, you're going to have to find another girl to be your ticket in. Alice's tirade ending with her bursting into tears and running to her room.
How could Kim even think of asking me to do that though Alice, but the answer was simple, her mom. Ever since we started high school she would start telling us stories about her college years or her 'lesbian years' as she called them. The wild things she and her friends used to do and how her only regret was not starting earlier. Not that she wasn't happy with my father it was something she wanted at the time and was young enough to do it. In a way I think my mom wanted me to follow in her footsteps. As a child she enrolled me in ballet, not may boys in ballet and when it was time for me to go to high school it was the Kennith Academy for Girls. Actually it was Kim's parents that wanted to send her there, to keep her away from the pressures of being around boys, they are very controlling that way. And since we had become such good friends in the nine years of ballet together I wanted to go there too. Not that her parents liked me being her friend, no my parents were too liberal for there tastes but we were close. When I mentioned it to my parents my father laughed at my conservative choice but my mother was very supportive and was actually excited about my choice. I didn't think much about it then but my mom started going into detail about her experiences and how it is important to keep and open mind and try different things. Not that she talked much about boys. Kim always though it was funny and kept teasing me about how I could not make my mom happier then to have her walk in on the two of us going at it. No Kim knew these stories and how much I didn't care for them. She had no right to ask this of me.
With a quite knock on the door Kim poked her head inside the room and saw Alice crying on her bed. "Alice are you okay? Look I'm sorry for the way Susan told you about Nicole, she sometimes doesn't take into account the feelings of others," said Kim as she sat at the edge of the bad and stroked Alice's hair.
"Kim that request was way out of line. This was supposed to be our night together to talk and have some fun. Instead you bring David and that bitch here to ask be to date some girl."
"Alice I do want to spend tonight with you and I still want to sleep here after the party. Its just David called with news of this party and from the sound of it, it is going to be great, free drinks music and it's being held in an old club so it is going to be like those Hollywood parties we keep hearing celebrities getting in trouble at. Anyway I told him I was hanging out with you tonight and he said that was perfect because we needed to find a date for Susan's cousin if we were going to get in and after hearing the stories about your mother."
"Kim you know I'm not like her. Because of her dam stories I'm labeled a lesbian," said Alice as she sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Besides you know I'm not interested in girls. I want a boyfriend and I don't want my first date ever to be with a girl. We go to an all girls' school, there are no boys in this neighborhood and the only guy who knows I exist is your boyfriend David. My life is socially awkward enough. I don't need this on top of that."
"Alice it's just pretend," said Kim grabbing hold of Alice's hands. "You have been saying we never do anything that is worth remembering. Well this will be a conversation piece. So you go with us to the party and hang with Susan's cousin no big deal."
"But it will be me doing it not you" countered Alice.
The host doesn't live anywhere near hear so none of our schoolmates should be there. If anyone questions it just tell them the two of you are just hanging out. Besides you are going out East for college so nothing will follow you anyway.
"Well I still don't like the idea of a girl trying to get intimate with me," replied Alice.
