"Okay, I think I'm happy with my eyeshadow." Chloé said, "But it's always the eyeliner that throws me off. What do you all do?"
"Want me to do it for you?" Vee asked, rolling out her brush kit.
"No! I need to learn to do it myself!"
"Well, I'm about to do Amara's, how about you come watch."
"Ooh I like that!" Chloé moved in front of Amara. "I just never know where to start. Outside? Inside? How big should the wings be?"
Amara watched as Vee moved closer, kneeling in front of her on the bed. "Don't make me look too slutty, alright Vee?"
"If you don't want to be a slut, then why are you going to a party?" Tessa said from the other side of the room. It sounded like she was digging through a bag, but Amara couldn't turn to look with Vee holding her face still.
"I just want to get out! Dance with my friends! And sure, maybe if I meet a cute guy, I'll give him my number or something."
"What about a cute girl?" Chloé asked, giggling along with Vee.
"That would be great too! I just... I dunno, I haven't felt like dating recently."
"Hey," Vee whispered, "less talking, more holding still. Chloé needs to see what I'm doing."
Amara closed her mouth, giving Vee a snarky look, but they both smiled after a moment.
"So, I like to start from the outside. Keep your eyes open, since that's what most people will see, and make a little dot where you want the wing to end." Vee pushed the eyeliner closer, making a small dot on Amara's face. "From here, it's almost like coloring within the lines. Move from the dot to the corner of your eye, then swoop over the eyelid."
Amara closed her eyes for the second part, Vee holding her cheek while drawing the rest of her eyeliner. Her hands were cool to the touch, and she appreciated the help; she was a nervous wreck, and really wanted tonight to go well.
"All done!" Vee said.
"How do I look?"
"Just the perfect amount of slutty and sexy. You're gonna have everyone tripping over themselves to try and dance with you." Vee smirked as she slid off the bed, joining Chloé back on the floor as they finished their own looks for the night.
Amara felt her phone vibrate, and pulled it out of her bra as she stood up.
Nick:
8 PM right? Your place?
Moving to her mirror, Amara finally saw what her makeup looked like. It was much more dramatic than usual, her day-to-day look normally rather understated. The eyeliner was heavy, the eyeshadow bold, and it took a while to get used to. She broke from the reflection for a moment to text Nick back.
Amara:
Yup! You gotta see what the girls did with me, I barely even recognize myself!
She tossed her phone on the bed, looking back in the mirror. She smoothed out her dress, turning to look at herself from different angles, but her eyes kept drifting back to her face. She almost thought she saw something wrong, but every detail on her face was immaculate. Maybe something was missing?
She kept staring at her reflection, wondering what she was looking for. She adjusted her hair, cleaned her earrings, but nothing she did made a difference. The girl in the mirror kept looking back, and Amara felt like she was staring at a completely different person.
"Did Vee fuck up your makeup? Or are you just appreciating how hot you are?" Tessa's words startled her, as she was much closer than expected. "Cuz, damn girl, if you want to change your mind about the party, we can just head back to my place now."
Amara's face turned bright red, "Tessa!"
"Tess, leave the poor girl alone, she's nervous enough without you trying to jump in her panties." Vee said, pushing Tessa out of the way. "Amara, ignore her. She's just trying to get a rise out of you."
Tessa stuck out her tongue at Vee, and seemed about to say something, but got cut off by Chloé.
"Um, how'd I do?" She was now standing, and had moved closer to the rest of the girls. Her eyeliner was finished, and Amara was genuinely impressed by it.
"Chloé, it looks amazing! I don't know why you were so worried!"
"Well I just... don't have a lot of practice..."
Amara pulled Chloé in for a hug, then moved so they could both look in the mirror. Chloé smiled wide seeing herself, and her joy was infectious. Soon, Tessa and Vee had crowded in as well, everyone looking at themselves eagerly.
"Well, ready for your first college party?" Vee asked.
"Let's do it!" Amara said, smiling. In truth, she was just happy to be with her friends tonight.