Waste of the night

Waste of the night


EMILY

Finally, after two excruciatingly long weeks of waiting, passing the time at my job, looking at tabloid articles of Kyle, the day came. Maddy was helping me get ready for the Gathering, and I was a giant bundle of nerves.

I had to admit, I wasn't quite sure I wanted to be turned into my sister. Though she was successful and beautiful, her style of life wasn't one that I could see my- self adopting. But I was growing desperate, and this second Gathering would be

the one and only chance I would have of seeing him again. Even if this was to say goodbye-even if he told me that he had moved on, or that there never had been anything to move on from that would be enough for

me to have the closure I needed. I wanted desperately to be with Kyle, and I knew that I would either have to ac- cept that he didn't want to be with me, or that I was on the very brink of making a decision that would change my life forever.

"Trust me on this—all you have to know are a few of the dos and don'ts, and

you'll be good to go. It's really not that hard to fit in once you know how. I

should mention something to you, though..."

Maddy poked her head back out of her closet and looked at me, sitting on her

bed with a glass of wine in my hand, slowly warming up to the idea of being her. I looked at her and raised my eyebrows.

"They said that you were a little...abrasive...last time," she explained, rather bluntly.

I gasped.

"What do you mean, abrasive? They yanked me onto that stage and basically sold me to the highest bidder! Surely they didn't expect me to be happy about that?"

I shook my head, shocked that she would say such a thing. Or worse, that they would say such a thing to her.

Maddy seemed completely undeterred, and was busy tossing dresses behind her onto the bed.

"This is a club that celebrates sexuality, Em. Whether you are going to be part of that or not, you can't suggest that you might not approve of what goes on there. In fact, you are expected to be open-minded to the point that you would be will- ing to try something-even if it's just something small-just to show them that you do have some support for what is taking place. I might not be an actress, but there are times when I definitely know how to put on the face those people are looking for and trust me, it's going to do you a lot of good, as well."

She smiled, but I wasn't feeling so sure about her plan. I knew I didn't want to get involved in anything outside of my comfort zone, though I could see what Maddy was saying I had definitely been taken aback by some of the goings-on at the previous Gathering, and while I thought I'd kept my cool reasonably well, maybe it had been more obvious than I'd thought.

"Just try not to give anyone the wrong impression about me, okay? Now, you're going to have to look the part, so which of these dresses do you want to wear? Those boots that you kept from the last time will be fine with any of these, and I suggest you opt for that pair again. The sexier you look, the more likely you will be to catch Kyle's eye."

Maddy gave me one of her confident smiles, but my face fell. "None of this is going to matter if he has no interest in pursuing something

with someone he's already been with."

I tried not to let the anxiety show through my voice, but I knew that it had to. Maddy shook her head, though she said nothing, and for the first time in a long time, I really appreciated having her as my sister. We had been at each other's

throats for as long as I could remember, and doing this together made me feel

like we were connecting again.

"You know, I really appreciate you helping me with this, Mads. I can't just let this slip by without telling you how much you mean to me. I couldn't do any of this without you, and I'd forever be lost and alone, wondering what would have happened if I'd had the guts to find him and tell him how I really felt."

I rose from the bed and gave my twin a hug. Maddy smiled.

"You know, I'm proud of you, Sis. I'm amazed that you were able to break out of the life that you were so safe in and do something like this. Now, let's make sure it wasn't a waste of your night."

She winked as she spoke, and I nodded. I tried to remind myself that, regardless

of what happened, I still had people who loved me, and a sister I could work

anything out with if we gave it a chance.

I picked up one of the dresses she had laid out on the bed for me and held it up

to myself while looking in the mirror. "What do you think?" I asked.

Maddy paused and looked over her shoulder, then smiled in satisfaction when

she saw me. "I think that's going to be the dress that wins you the prize."

धीर धीरे धीर

Stop pulling! You're going to pull it right out of my head!" I whined as Maddy raked the brush through my hair.

She pulled once more, determined to perfect my hair into silky waves that screamed seduction.

"Well, if you were able to hold still for maybe a few seconds, I would be able to get this done without you having to cry about it." Maddy mumbled through the bobby pins in her mouth.

I looked up into her face through the mirror. She glanced down toward me, but her face didn't change as she went back to focusing on what she was doing. She grabbed my hair and twisted it as she pulled it up and behind my head.

I wanted to cry out once more, but I bit my tongue. I had asked her to do this, so I had no business complaining now. Maddy had been to more parties like this one than I ever would be, so if she knew how to put my hair into the right style, I was going to sit back and trust her to do it no matter how painful it was.