Mia sat in the driver's seat, applying the last of her eyeliner. She never really liked wearing makeup, only sporting lipgloss and mascara most of the time. Suddenly, she heard her phone vibrating in the passenger seat.
"Hey, Cam! Wassup?" She asked, tucking her phone underneath her ear as she searched for blush in her small makeup bag.
"Whatchu doin' tonight?" Cameron asked.
"Gays night, me and the whores are goin' out. Why, wassup?"
"I was gon' ask if you wanted to go to a party my homie's throwin'."
"House party?" She asked.
"Mm-hmm," he answered.
She could hear the faint sounds of men laughing in the background.
"Ugh, I wish. We goin' bar hoppin' tonight. Rain check?"
"Shiiit, ain't no more parties left 'til graduation."
"I ain't missin' that shit!"
"I'ma hold you to that," he said, "'Cause I ain't tryna hear none of that fomo shit later on."
"I promise I'm not. I'on care what the fuck I'm doin', I am NOT missin' grad night."
"Aight, be safe out there, yeah?" he asked.
"Will do. Have fun!" She replied.
"I'll shoot you some pics."
"Bet."
She hangs up the phone just as someone opens the passenger door.
"Who was that?" They asked as they sat down, closing the door after them.
A masculine woman, wearing a grey basketball jersey and a matching fitted cap, pulled down the visor in front of them, checking their reflection in the mirror as they tucked away the flap of their durag.
"Cam," Mia answered.
"He comin'?"
"Hell no," she chuckled, "Why would I invite him to 'gay's night?'"
"'Cause you invite that nigga everywhere," they answered, rolling their eyes as they flipped the visor back to its original position.
"I ain't dumb, Tootie, I know the rule."
"I'm just sayin'," Tootie replied, "You don't go NOWHERE without that nigga."
"We gon' keep sittin' here or what? 'Cause we still gotta go pick up the twins."
"I'm calling 'em up right now," Tootie said, fastening their seatbelt.
"This don't look like no bar, Tootie," Mia said, squinting as she peered through the darkness.
"I ain't got no bar MONEY. We at my cousin' house."
"Why you ain't say that?" One of the twins spoke up from the back seat.
"C'mon, Tootie, we came to get lit! Not go to a fuckin' family reunion," said the other.
"Aye, y'all wanna BUY drinks or GET drinks?" Tootie asked.
"All I know is, some shit pop off, I'm fuckin' leavin'." Mia stated.
"Why y'all trippin', fam? I got it! We cool." Tootie said, trying their best to sound convincing. "Pull up right here."
"Ayo, TREY!" Tootie yelled as they walked through the door.
The house was already crowded; Mia joined hands with the twins as they maneuvered their way through the living room, into the kitchen. They watched as Tootie approached a tall, slim man, and greeted him with their own personal handshake. It was clear that they'd gotten themselves into a groove, completely doing away with introductions.
"Y'all stay here," Mia yelled over the music, "I'ma go find the drinks."
After a few minutes, she returned with three half-full solo cups, each covered in saran wrap with a straw punched into it, secured with a rubber band.
"Girl, what the hell?" One of the twins yelled, laughing as they grabbed a cup.
"I mean, I LIKE it," shouted the other.
"Right?" Mia replied, shouting. "Safety first, bitches," she yelled, raising her cup. "TOOTIE! Where the bud at?!"
Two paternal twins in coordinating outfits danced by the bonfire in the backyard, laughing wildly as they passed a half-finished backwood to Mia, sitting in a worn down lawn chair. Singing along to the music pumping from inside, it took a while for her to notice a message on her phone: 1 attachment from Cameron. She grinned, hoping to see him enjoying himself, wherever he was.
Instead, what she saw was a picture of her sitting in a lawn chair, seemingly taken from inside of the house. She sat up suddenly, eyes wide.
"What the fuck?" She said to herself, frantically looking around for the culprit. She then received a text message:
[Hallway, 1st left door]
Befuddled, she stood up, making her way back into the house.
"I'll be right back!" She shouted over the music, barely catching the twins' attention.
"Hello? Hellooo?" Mia knocked on the door twice before entering.