"So, how do I look?" Lisa stood in the living room and asked for their opinion, sporting a pair of black shorts with ripped tights paired with a red crop shirt that laced up in the front. Black eyeshadow and red lipstick were applied to her face with her raven hair freely hanging down.
"Hmm, it's giving me strong emo vampire slayer vibes," truthfully answered Dia. Alice nodded her head in agreement.
"Good! 'Cause if those mean girls try something dirty, I can move around and throw these hands on them. Don't forget my daddy's a cop, and he taught me how to take care of myself."
Both girls giggled as Lisa demonstrated her moves by boxing the air. Growing up as the apple of her father's eye, Lisa's father made sure his little girl knew how to protect herself just in case he wasn't around.
Dia had witnessed her best friend take care of herself numerous times, whenever some sticky hand guy tried to cup a feel or say something nasty only to land on the ground with a black eye or busted nose. Others were knocked unconscious and had to be taken to the hospital, marking Lisa as no damsel in distress.
"S-So what do you guys think about my dress?" Dia nervously twirled around as the short ruffle hem of her dress flared out. The dress was gothic inspired with the top portion resembling a corset, decorated with pink bows and laces. A frilly black collar tied into a bow at the back matched her dress.
"After saving up my money, I bought it last year, but never got the chance to wear it." She clutched the hem of her dress, anxiously awaiting their verdict.
"Dia, that dress looks amazing on you!" Alice complimented, who also wore a gothic-themed dress, but edgier and less cute.
Covered in straps and buckles. Cherry red lipstick painted her pretty lips. A chunky silver necklace adorned her neck, along with a pair of silver cross earrings. The whole outfit gave Alice's modest temperament a more dangerous feeling.
"You look amazing as well Alice!" Dia praised the other girl, who gratefully accepted the other girl's words.
"Okay! We all look good! Now can we leave? I'm itching to punch someone in the face," said an impatient Lisa.
--
After the girls exited the dorm building, they followed the instructions written on the back of the envelope. Which took them down a road, far from the rest of the buildings located on campus. Surrounded by dead forest trees as a thick cloud of fog appeared suddenly making it hard for them to see. Walking through the open iron gate, Alice spotted something ahead of them and tapped Dia shoulder.
"Girls, I think we're here." Lisa's voice drew the girls' attention, hearing the faint sound of party music. The fog seems had thinned out and they could now see a two-story house polished with black paint as if it was newly coated. The house windows were illuminated with light as the girls walked up the stairs of the porch and knocked on the door.
"Hey! What took you–Oh, it's you and it looks like you brought friends!" A cheery girl holding a red cup in her hand answered the door, running her eyes over all three girls.
"Well, did you at least bring your ticket? Sara has a big game in store for everyone tonight!" The girl's eyes twinkled with happy anticipation as Alice handed over her ticket and the girl allowed the three to enter. Stepping through the threshold, Lisa only had one thing to say.
"Why does everyone in here look like some emo punk band member or as if they were pulled straight from a vampire movie?" Lisa leaned down and whispered into Dia's ear. Spread throughout the room were numerous students, dressed out of uniform and adored in fancy attire. Scanning the room not a single face stood out in recognition.
"Not to mention why all of them have the looks of beautiful celebrities. I mean it's unnatural!" Dia whispered back, feeling uneasy at the glances some of them threw their way. Like the eyes of the two girls cuddled against a third girl who all sat on a couch. Standing against the wall adored in a dark red leather dress was another girl whose eyes lingered on them.
"Alice, so happy to see you made it," said a voice dripping with fake sincerity.
Sara appeared to them in a short black gothic dress with a burlesque skirt, looking as if she popped straight out of a movie. Beside her, standing out in a pure white short dress, stood a beautiful girl with graceful bearings. Looking just like a mermaid princess from a fairytale book with her smooth tan skin and long shimmering opal blue hair that extended past her waist.
"Daphne, I see you're here too," Alice politely greeted the mermaid princess, eyes lacking any signs of joy towards the girl standing next to Sara.
Stepping forth with an amicable smile, Daphne laced her arms with Alice. "How about we mingle elsewhere for a quick second?" The girl pulled Alice away to somewhere less crowded, leaving Lisa and Dia with Sara.
"Have fun girls~!" Barely giving them a glance, Sara turned her back to the two girls and blended into the crowd. Left on their own devices, Dia took this time to observe their surroundings. The interior of the house screamed old fashion with wood paneled floors and beige painted walls.
Dancing and mingling in the wide-open space of the living room were groups of people. Located on the right was the kitchen where on the table stood a bowl of cherry red punch. On the outside of the room was a set of stairs that some students were using to climb upstairs, doing who knows what.
"Well, I'm not about to stand here and watch! Come on, Dia, let's dance!" Dia's stomach was attacked with butterflies as Lisa pulled her into the center of the room and began dancing.
"Dia, come on and let loose with me!" Lisa moved her body to the beat of the music, which was Dia's favorite pop song.
"You gotta stop letting fear control you, throw caution to the wind, and just let loose! Don't care about other people's opinions and just enjoy yourself!" encouraged Lisa, never letting go of Dia's hand. When added with Lisa's contagious smile, something about those words sparked courage inside the shy girl.
Gathering her wits, Dia decided to throw fear to the wind. "Oh, what the hell!"
With a new burst of energy, she joined Lisa and began dancing, letting the beat of the music flow through her system. Surprisingly, she found herself having a great time, dancing and singing along to the next three songs when their fun was rudely doused with cold water when a hand wrapped itself around her waist.
"Hi there, princess! How about sharing a dance with me?"
A cheeky voice invaded Dia's ear, causing goosebumps to break out on her skin as she broke out of the man's hold. She scampered behind Lisa, who glared venomously at the boy whose aura dripped with arrogance decked out in a pair of black leather pants and a black muscle t-shirt. The chains, piercings, and messy raven hair gave the impression of a rebellious bad boy. Very attractive, but the lascivious look in his eyes ruined it.
"Didn't your mother ever tell you not to touch a girl without her permission first?" scolded Lisa
"Oh, someone is feisty." The boy's eyes gleamed with interest. "Now don't get me wrong, you're a hot girl, but your shy cute friend is a little more my type. I have a thing for turning a shy, sweet girl into a naughty minx if you get my drift," he hinted with a lewd tone that drew disgust from Lisa and Dia.
"You disgust me," declared Lisa with a frown on her face to which the boy chuckled.
"Am I supposed to be offended, especially by someone of your kind?" The boy mocked her.
"My kind? What the hell is that supposed to mean, you ra-"
Before Lisa could lose her temper, ready to throw a punch, a large body barged in between them. "Can we chill down the hostility? I thought this was a party?" said a rich voice, drawing various pairs of eyes onto himself. Many of them were girls who swooned as their eyes raked over his broad shoulders and tight muscles.
Standing six feet tall, a few girls hungrily licked their lips as they watched his muscles flex underneath his tight-fitted black shirt. His skin was a beautiful chocolate shade. A sexy pair of cunning amber eyes directed themselves at Lisa. His long dark brown dreadlocks were fashioned in a half-ponytail.
"Now, baby doll, he didn't mean it the way you're thinking." The boy wore a laid-back smile on his face as he tried to reassure Lisa.
"Really? 'Cause why the hell did he say my 'kind'?" The boy may have been drop-dead sexy, but Lisa wasn't going to allow it charm to silence her, temper still burning.
"He was talking about another aspect. One I'm not at liberty to reveal." The mirth in his eyes confused Lisa, wondering what this guy was talking about.