Love Pink

Paige held her books for her next class in close to her chest as she stepped out to her next class, low, demure heels setting a brisk clip down the school hallway. In her final year of high school, a prestigious one where seniors only could really get down and study at Brookridge, she was taking no chances in missing the marks she needed for her college of choice. And that included her clothes too in lighter shades of pastel and white, the pink a softly sensual shade.

Flashing everyone a smile, she brushed her pink hair back over her shoulder, sweeping it away from her face. A bold choice, really, for the end of her schooling but, to heck with it, she'd worked darn hard over the recent months! She deserved a little treat! The sharp bob floated around her cheeks, the edges roughed up for a softer look, something that, at least, highlighted her easy smile and just how she loved to say hi to everyone and anyone, treating everyone the same. They noticed her, even though she was shorter than everyone else at five foot and an inch (the inch was important to her!), Paige flitting through as the socialite she'd always been.

Of course, that didn't mean that she didn't think differently about those who showed more skin than what she deemed acceptable. Ridiculously studious, it was no secret, truly, in the way that she carried herself that she thought herself above those who weren't doing as well as her at school - wasn't that why they were there in the first place? It simply didn't make any sense at all not to go hard for it, working and working so that they could go somewhere in life! And, like, coffee study sessions were the best! Who'd want to slack off with old TV shows and things like that when they could get together with friends and work super hard?

It was not the prevailing opinion throughout the school, however, and quickened her step as she walked past a group of students her own age dressed in dark clothing. Had one of them even been held back a year? What was up with that? Still, she flashed them a bright smile and a cheery 'hello' all the same, not letting her personal opinions get in the way of letting everyone know just how sweet and sociable Paige really was. After all, something like that may well get back to college admission teams and she wouldn't have wanted anyone to have a bad impression of her now, would she?

"Paige!"

Alyssa grinned, a taller blonde with as easy of a smile, swinging an arm around her shoulders and swaying her friend off-balance. Paige squealed and twitched away, eyebrows shooting up into her fringe. She was a shorter girl than Alyssa who seemed to dominate the very room she was in at all times, her smile easy in a face with sharply cut cheekbones, though Paige was more adorably doll-like in her appearance, her round face beaming with cuteness. There was no denying how one would adore her, though she was slight and lean - well, everyone in their friend group as shaped well, the good-looking girls damn well sticking together. Hell, even their bra sizes were similar, which they only knew after comparing them - shyly, of course! - on one giggly sleepover.

"Alyssa! What are you doing?"

Her best friend's smile faltered and she giggled sheepishly, tucking her hair back behind one ear. In the heat of the day, it was losing its straightness, kinking out with a light, flirty curl. And yet it meant that it was not perfect, not perfectly groomed and poised and perfect. Paige's fingers twitched, itching to fix it. Did she have her travel straighteners in her bag?

"I'm so sorry, Paige!" Alyssa chirped, her voice of a higher pitch and eyes plaintively and innocently wide. "I didn't mean to startle you!"

Everything she said sounded scripted but Paige had, somehow, warmed to her over the years. It helped some that Alyssa clearly looked up to her and adored her, mimicking her more and more over the years. Alyssa had even copied her style of dress, a preppy companion to keep her company. It was more than she could say for Lilly, who had moved abroad and was forever trying to get her to cut loose and, as she said, 'have a little fun'. She didn't have time for that kind of fun!

Paige's phone chirped and she reached for it automatically, the pink and blue case subtly eye-catching but not so loud that it would distract her. She hated things that caught her eye, that were so loud and ostentatious that one could not help but stare and stare and stare. But her hand had barely touched her phone when Alyssa gasped and stepped back, fingers flying up to cover her lips in a smear of tastefully shiny gloss.

"Oh my word!"

That was probably something that Alyssa had picked up from one of the books that she was reading at the moment and Paige sighed lightly, resisting the urge to roll her eyes with all her might, although it did so seem that Alyssa made it difficult to sometimes. And yet she could not have said that her reaction was any different as her eyes followed Alyssa's, landing on the black yoga pants with the logo on the waistband reading 'LOVE PINK' in hot pink cupping her tightly muscled buttocks like a soft hand.

It was hardly suitable attire at the best of times for school but, well, administration had become rather lax on that side of things of late, so Paige only supposed that Carley too, with her short, brown hair and glassy expression, a beatific smile plastered across her pale face, had fallen by the wayside on that count. She hardly saw the girl around school anymore, a slacker that Paige did her best to avoid for it was more than simply difficult to interact with her as if she was an equal, but to see her dressed so, flaunting her body in such a way... It was unspeakable!

"What..." Her eyes followed Carley down the corridor as the other teen bounced along her way, seeming to put an extra bit of a swing into her stride as if she was actively trying to draw attention to her ass. "What in heaven is she wearing? To school!"

Not one to usually make her opinions known within earshot of those who could say something about them, her gasp turned heads and yet Paige could not stop herself, opening and closing her mouth like a shimmering fish out of water (not a goldfish - that would be too common for her), eyes wide and popping out of her skull. The yoga pants were so loud that they were simply impossible to ignore too, the bejewelled writing proclaiming to 'love pink' - just what was all that about? How tawdry! That was an old English word and she tried not to think about just how that one had come into her mind when she'd been scorning Alyssa for using a similar expression. Maybe they really were more alike than she thought but that wasn't entirely a bad thing.

Yet Paige could not help herself, lingering as her eyes bulged, lips pressed together so that she did not say something that, maybe, she'd later regret. The yoga pants could not have been more attention grabbing if they'd tried to be, even the bright pink writing seeming to glitter and sparkle in more than one shade, standing out from the black of the pants. A sliver of ankle was on show too and that in itself made Paige frown, lips tightening together even more as something twisted in her gut. To say the least, she wouldn't be caught dead wearing anything like that. Of course, the words were going to come out whether she wanted them to or not: such was the influence of the Love Pink pants.

"This better not become a trend!" Paige huffed, crossing her arms with the books still contained within them, patting her head to put back the imaKatiery hairs that had ruffled out of place. "How people can wear things like that... It disgusts me!"

It was only natural for her to put extra emphasis on certain words but Alyssa bit her lip, eyes sliding around the hall, bouncing from one person to the other: more so than Carley, they were the ones who were attracting attention.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's just a pair of pants, it can't be that bad," Alyssa tried to talk her down off the ledge. "It won't be a thing, don't worry about it."

For the moment, Paige was mollified. Just what impact, really, did one slut have on her life? Well, she just wouldn't be writing her a Christmas card that year if she was going to flaunt herself all over school like a harlot! See what she thought about being left out of that then!

Maybe something like she wouldn't be invited to her graduation party would be better.

And yet there was something more sinister at work as Carley paused in the corner, giggling as she cornered a friend of hers dressed as she would have before in plain old jeans.

"Don't you just love pink," she breathed, eyelashes fluttering. "It makes my ass feel so good... The fabric is so soft, like getting a hug whenever I move. Why don't you try a pair?"

Her friend sweated nervously, backed into a corner of the wall from which there was no escape.

"Uh... Yeah, maybe?"

And, just like that, she was frogmarched from school before her next period had even begun, complaining and protesting weakly all the while as Carley brought in the newest victim to the hive-mind mentality of Love Pink. Of course, those on the inside knew what it was all about, whispering tales of how sensually soft the fabric was, how they made them feel like they weren't wearing anything at all. They liked to pose, to booty-tooch like those on the modelling show, drawing more and more eyes and attention to their asses. After all, with the yoga pants of Love Pink, they were their best feature: just why wouldn't they want to draw attention?

No one realised or cared really all that much, least of all Paige and Alyssa, although Paige was forced to keep silent on more than one occasion. There was so much more at stake for her than the lives of those sluts, posing up against walls in a line with giggling lips and coffee cups from that fancy chain that only had drinks full of super-sugar, frothy piles of cream to be licked saucily off finger tips in the eyes of boys. But they didn't seem to have eyes for any of the guys at their school either, just for one another and the yoga pants with the pink writing that they all boasted.

They spread through the school like the virus that they were and one could not fail to notice, as time went on, the glazed over expressions and bubbling conversations so unlike their old personalities that it was shocking, really. Was it a trend? A fad? Something that would pass? And yet the infatuation with Love Pink did not seem to at all be going anywhere as those from every clique that Paige could have thought up to slot her high school students into neat little boxes lost members to the Love Pink horde, their yoga pants obsession and teasing glances as they sought to get more and more people into the clan, so to speak.

"Alyssa... Something's happening."

But, as the horde of Love Pink supporters grew and grew in their black yoga pants, she could not deny that something was going on, something underhanded that none of them could have ever have expected or come to anticipate in any form. Paige grew uneasy and tugged at Alyssa's sleeve, subtly trying to get her attention. Yet even Alyssa was gawking at the horde of pink yoga pants, all seeming alike one another, although there were subtle differences between them. Some were black and pink in a diamond pattern, although there was always, always, more pink than anything else, others had pink zebra stripes slashed across the backside, the lines breaking up the image and yet still managing to draw in attention to it above all else. Regardless of the style, pink was dominant and, of course, the 'Love Pink' text emblazoned crudely across the backside of the waistband of the pants. It was always there as if it was mocking them, the horde of giggling, fancy drink sipping teenagers reverting to baser, maybe even more basic forms of the young women that they had become.

Alyssa shrugged, bored with everything and holding back a sigh behind her tight lips. That was yet another little thing she'd picked up from Paige over their years of friendship but it wasn't something that always went in Paige's favour, truly.

"Oh... Why don't you give it a rest, Paige? Leave them be, they're not hurting anyone with their black pants."

Rolling her eyes, Paige scoffed.

"Well, they're hurting my eyes! They're so loud and, like, out there! How is anyone supposed to get anything proper done around here with them flaunting their, their..." She couldn't form the cruder version of the word, lips locking up before it spilt out. "...Their butts like that! You can't look away with indecency like that around!"

And it was true, what with how many of them were, even if it was not something that Paige should have said. So many patterns caught the eye and the shimmering, bejewelled catchphrase on the back seemed to pulse like a mantra: love pink, love pink, love, pink...

Love.

Pink.

"Hey, Alyssa!"

One of Alyssa's friends or, at least, a girl that had been her friend before Paige had become the be all and end all of her life, raced over, seeming to bounce off the floor with every step in her yoga pants, the sleekest black of them all. She, Katie, spun too for the full effect, seeming to take pride in her appearance, how the yoga pants cupped her ass and made it look perfect. Paige had never really had to consider whether someone's ass was perfect or not, not even really expending much mental energy on the sex appeal of her own body. Maybe that nuance of being who she was would come to her in time. Katie, however, giggled and posed, cocking a hip out, although she somehow still managed to put her yoga pants on full display. Her booty stuck out to the side too and Paige gulped, face reddening as she fought and fought to avert her eyes. How could she act like such a whore?

"Oh, hey, Katie..." Alyssa couldn't muster up the enthusiasm, her hair bouncing around her shoulders. "You look...good?"

"Oh, I know! These pants are so super soft and comfy, so nice to show off my ass! They're just, like, super, super nice!"

Smiling widely, too widely, she leaned in, despite Paige and Alyssa tipping away distrustfully.

"Err..."

"You know, these are some really great yoga pants," she whispered in a hushed tone as if she was imparting some great secret that should not really have been uncovered, though it seemed that her ass was only barely covered by the tightly fitted pants. "The fabric is so soft and sooo stretchy, it shapes everything, gets my ass tight in all the right places. Have you ever had a pair of pants like this?"

Alyssa sheepishly rubbed the back of her neck.

"Er, well, no, but..."

"Oh, my, gawd, you should, like, totally, come down to get a pair for yourself too! There's nothing better than Love Pink and, like, they have so many pairs! All pink! Don't you just love pink?"

"Right, well... No, I've got more than enough pants for the time being, thank you..."

"But you've got to!"

Katie clung to her, her lower jaw a little slack as she ran her hands down and over the pants as if forgetting that her body was actually clad beneath the sensually soft fabric, every line of her body defined and contoured. She stood and pushed her chest out, showing off all that she had as if she could not be prouder of it, despite where she was and who she was with. Flipping her hand, she turned again so they had an eyeful of her pants, ignorant to how the other two teenagers reeled in shock at her overly crude display. The waistband was noticeable more so with her, a zebra-stripe print in black and pink with a different shade of pink slashing the logo over the top, impossible to either ignore or miss.

"So pretty and so black, they're a must have! There's nothing better than Love Pink and everyone should love pink! Don't you agree? Let me take you to the store - both of you! - and you can get a pair too so you'll love pink too!"

Two young ladies had never before made such a rapid escape but that was far from the end of it as Katie was left in their wake, giggling and shrugging and thinking that, maybe, she was due another sugary coffee, pink nails tap-tap-tapping on the plastic cup. The encounter lingered with Paige as she tried to go about her week in some manner of normalcy but there was little of the normal world to be had with the horde of yoga pants blocking her vision and her way wherever she went, those that wore them seeming to enjoy ponytails rather a lot too. They flooded in from all directions, seemingly leaving no escape to be had.

And then she saw it: the beginning of the yoga pants craze. Only, it was more than a craze as Carley laughed and touted the brilliancy of Love Pink once again to a smaller, blonde girl who looked like she'd rather be anywhere else. In a plastic cup with a green straw was a pink drink that bubbled lightly - was it bubble tea? Paige would have rolled her eyes but something held her curiosity and she stayed as the blonde girl whose name she didn't know, not as yet, sipped what was more like a milkshake, now that she had a chance to reflect on it.

But the moment it hit her lips, seeping over her tongue as Paige hid behind a locker in the background, her eyes glazed over, jaw dropping as if she had seen something truly shocking. Yet there was no sense of concern or fear in her eyes, only wonder, slowly and surely repeating the words 'Love Pink' over and over again.

"What the..."

Paige half-reached out but it was too late for her as Carley whispered something in her ear, the girl who was now infected with the Love Pink drink leaving the school instantly. Paige tried to chase after her but, with a sinking feeling in her heart, she knew that there was nothing she could do to get her back. She was going where all the rest of them had gone and it was straight to the Love Pink store to get herself a pair of those brainwashing, hive-mind driving yoga pants. In her wake, Carley was left smirking but a Love Pink mind had more important things to do than congratulate themselves on a job well-done. There were spice lattes to sip and chatter over! More uninfected souls to join the horde of Love Pink!

The next day, that girl was infected, a mindless drone, in her pants and her hair pulled back in a ponytail, bouncing around her shoulders as if she was in athletic wear. Her pants, however, were the typical black with a white waistband, the word 'Pink splashed across the band. Nothing Paige did, shaking her arm or waving in her face, seemed to dissuade her from her yoga pants loving or the chanting of Love Pink over and over again.

Once Paige saw her first infection, more and more followed in quick succession, that strange, pink milkshake playing a role in each and every one. It was always there, being passed around as if it was the hottest thing on right then, but Paige couldn't even find a shop that sold it to find out what was in it. Of course, the teachers were only a little perplexed at what was going on - just a strange fashion thing that they didn't understand - and even more confused when she tried to rally them, telling them how the Love Pink yoga pants were controlling their students.

"Paige, that's simply not possible," Mr Keiran said, peering at her over his glasses. "If you want a pair yourself, why don't you go out and get some for yourself? It's fashion for you young folk. Why, you should have seen some of the strange fashions in my day!"

"No, but none of your fashions turned you into a brainless ditz either," Paige muttered, glowering as she walked away. "Why doesn't anyone believe me?"

And they should very well have believed her, even though her story was insane. As the smartest girl in the school, aiming for the highest GPA of them all at the end of final term, she should have been the one that everyone listened to, looked up to, and yet...they all turned from her. No one seemed to care that there was an infection spreading through the school and even Alyssa turned from her with a look that said more than her words.