"Now don't get spoiling this for me, will you Lauren?" Dawn asked as the pair neared the home of head cheerleader, Jade, on foot. "You know I've been dying to get on the squad forever."
"How could I spoil it?" her friend asked innocently.
"By being awkward and nerdy, like you always do. Jade said there's two places on the squad if we fit in. I recommended you, so you owe me big time if you get in too."
"I'm not sure I'm really cheerleader material anyway."
"You need to make new friends and start having a little fun." Lauren looked uncertain. "Look, you're my best friend, but I have other friends too, so just join in and they'll be yours as well!"
It was a lovely, sunny Saturday afternoon. Both girls were dressed for summer: Dawn wore distressed denim shorts and a white t-shirt, and Lauren a knee-length blue skirt and bare legs, with a lacy yellow blouse. Both wore white sandals.
The pair arrived at the front door of the large, impressive house, and rang the bell. Jade flung the door open and hugged them both before eagerly inviting them inside. "You know Georgia, don't you?" Jade asked, as Georgia also hugged the newcomers. They did know Georgia, Jade's best friend, and deputy head cheerleader. Lauren thought both Jade and Georgia to be rather pretentious and snobbish if she was honest.
All four girls were 18, and attended the local Senior High School in Iowa. They were all very pretty, including Lauren, but in a girl-next-door, rather than pin-up way. She was by far the most academic of the four, which was the main reason that Dawn befriended her; to help with her schoolwork. Dawn used people for her own ends, which is why she'd invited Lauren to join her they afternoon - they planned to have some fun at Lauren's expense.
"Who's up for a little drink?" Jade asked, producing a bottle of vodka from the kitchen just off the tastefully decorated, open-plan living room.
"What about your parents?" Lauren asked. She hardly ever drank, but didn't want to let Dawn down, so accepted the glass pushed into her hand.
"Oh they're away for the weekend. My brother is staying at a friend's too, so we've got the house to ourselves."
Georgia chimed in at this point. "Which is ideal, because we hear you're both interested in joining the cheerleader squad?" Dawn nodded eagerly, and Lauren followed suit, somewhat less eagerly. "There's an initiation to perform, but first have a few more drinks." she raised her glass. Lauren didn't like the sound of an initiation. "And snacks," she nodded to Jade, who had produced a bowl of Doritos and dips, "this is my last drink though - I'm driving."
"Oh wow, you've got your own car?" Lauren asked. Dawn smiled and nodded.
Ten minutes later, Lauren was on her second vodka, and beginning to relax a little as the four girls sat on the couches laughing and joking. She couldn't help wondering what the initiation was.
The sudden appearance of a group of three boys parking their bikes in front of the living room's bow window made Jade angrily announce: "What the fuck is he doing back?" She repeated her question to her twin brother, Jason, after he'd let himself in through the front door.
"This is my house too, sis." he retorted. Jason's two friends, Chaz and George, joined him in the hallway, then the three of them joined the girls in the living room. "Does mom know you're drinking?" Jason asked accusingly.
"What are you doing back?" Jade asked again, ignoring his question.
"Just come to get a few things. Calm down. Who are your new friends?" he nodded towards Dawn and Lauren.
"Dawn, Lauren, meet my twin brother, Jason."
"Hi." both girls replied in unison.
"Aren't you going to introduce us?" chimed Chaz, the tallest and chubbiest of the trio. "I'm Chaz, and this is George." he indicated his slighter, and clearly shyer friend.
Jason disappeared upstairs to collect the stuff he'd returned for, leaving his friends in the living room. Both boys were very taken with Jade's new friends, and Lauren in particular. Chiefly due to the fact that she was the only one wearing a skirt, with bare legs into the bargain; Jade wore shorts and Georgia a pair of purple leggings. Lauren felt the need to pull the hem of her skirt down as she felt them undressing her with their eyes.
"We're very sorry up have interrupted your party." George said. Everyone thought that was sweet, and Lauren considered she'd confused infatuation for lust in his case. But definitely not in Chaz's case - she could tell he was a creep.
"Do you have a boyfriend, Lauren?" Chaz asked. When she told him yes George looked downhearted. Still, he secretly resolved to see her again in the future, and make her his girlfriend.
"So, who's the lucky guy?" Jade asked.
"His name is Mike. We've only been together a couple of weeks. He's in my history class."
"He's nice, but a bit bookish, like Lauren. No offense!" Dawn added with a smile. "But do you know Corey Matherson asked her out?" she grinned.
"No, really? Oh wow, you're in demand, girl." Jade lied; she knew that about a month earlier, Corey (another boy from their school) had made a pass at Lauren. But Lauren thought Corey and his friends to be horrid, ignorant bigots, and had blown him off. He'd been teased relentlessly about that by his friends ever since.
Dawn was more than a little perturbed at being ignored by the boys, but consoled herself with the thought of what they had planned for her friend later. She herself was between boyfriends, while Jade and Georgia were both dating members of the football team they cheered for.
Jason and his friends were soon gone, with Jade shouting "Bye dog breath!" as they closed the front door behind them. She had several offensive nicknames for her annoying brother.
"Right, girls. We can finally we can get around to our initiation ceremony..." Jade announced. She disappeared for a short time and returned carrying a small dog cage. In preparation for their prank, Jade had unfolded a fairly small dog cage (26" wide) that her mother used when taking their Norfolk Terrier to the vet. She had omitted the metal tray from the bottom, so it was just very narrow black metal bars on all six sides. The whole of the front of the cage acted as a door, hinged on the right-hand side. There was a catch to keep it closed, with the ability to hook a padlock onto it if needed.
