Joni

"If Teddy sees you in that dress he will lose his mind" Ava gushes as I stand in front of the mirror. She and Phoebe have convinced me to try on a dress; if we can even call it that. It starts at a thick black choker and falls in two pieces of silk down my body revealing an obscene amount of cleavage before connecting at my navel and the base of my spine an inch away from being indecent. Hugging every curve before splitting on both sides of my hip it only covers my modesty just barely.

"It is too much" I say feeling on display as I stand on the podium outside of the dressing room. "I love the dress, but I do not have anywhere to wear it and Teddy would kill anyone who even looked at my calf let alone this much of my thigh."

"Okay, well how about you buy it and find an opportunity to wear it?" Phoebe suggests. She has had her face mushed against Eliza's ever since we convinced he security guard that watching three teenage girls try on clothes would not go over well with his boss and thus he should wait outside.

We have taken up residence in the back of an upscale boutique in the middle of Seattle away from any windows and possible paparazzi. After having the attendant sign an NDA we asked her to give us space, promising to call her if we needed her. Phoebe and Eliza have been taking full advantage of their new found privacy.

"Here, try this one on" Ava says handing me what looks three pieces of ribbon intricately woven together. I raise my eyebrow at her. "What? My dad would kill me if I even try this on, let me live vicariously through you" she says smiling sweetly at me. "Please, I love it so much and it is so pretty, besides I don't have your figure or else I would totally…" I roll my eyes snatching the dress from her going into the dressing room.

Phoebe

I laugh into Eliza's neck as I see Ava guilt Joni into trying on a dress that can only be described as indecent.

"I think if she were born into a less conservative family your cousin would be a slu… a girl of looser values" Eliza back tracks.

"Nice save" I say laugh in agreement. "She has always been more comfortable in her skin than the average girl."

"Nice description" Eliza laughs leaning her head against mine. We jump apart hearing a confrontation occur on the other side of the curtain.

"I am sorry, but the back room is off limits today" someone says on the other side of the curtain.

"My friends and I spend a large amount of money at this store" says a voice that I recognize. "We are planning on spending a lot more or we were."

"Is that?" Ava mouths from the other side of the room. I nod my head remorsefully. She knows like I know that that voice belongs to Brittney Ken.

"Umm let me ask my supervisor and I will see what type of accommodations we can come up with for you and your friends" a woman, I am assuming an attended, says heels clicking away. The curtain parts moments later and Brittney sticks her head in. As soon as she sees us she smiles throwing open the curtain.

"Oh look who we have here" she says walking in followed by her. "If it isn't the virgin Maries and welfare Liza, what brings you here?"

It is a well-known fact that Ava and I are not allowed to date, as well as, the fact that Eliza is a scholarship student. These things in Brittney's mind equate to easy targets for her ridicule. Brittney in and of herself is not terrible, just your average spoilt rich girl who thinks her dads money gives her the right to treat people like crap. That I can handle, even her group of minions would be tolerable, it's the fact that she hangs out with her.

"Tara, did you know Teddy's little sister was here?" Brittney asks her.

"No, I didn't" she says smiling at me. She smiles as if she didn't attempt to destroy my family with her lies. "It has been so long Phoebe, how have you been?"

"I have been great" I say returning her smile. "How are you and your baby?" Her smile falters slightly, but she continues to carry on as if nothing's happened.

"He is absolutely amazing" she gushes. "Would you like to see a picture?"

"No, we are good, seen one homewrecker's baby you have seen them all" Ava says also smiling.

"Oh that is no way to speak to someone who was almost family, now is it" Brittney asks obviously happy with the situation she has unintentionally created. "It would have been awkward if this little meeting happened at Johnathan Nesbit's house so thankfully it is happening now."

"You are going to that party tonight right Ava?" Tara asks. Ava looks at her with slanted eyes. "Oh no were you not invited? I hear you and him were getting… close." Ava begins to charge for her, but I intercept her.

"She's not worth it" I tell her honestly.

"I cannot and I repeat NOT wear this it is basically nothing" Joni says coming out of the dressing room cutting off Brittney's response. My jaw drops along with everyone else's. The nude mesh makes her seem naked while the ribbons hide the private places. "I was in there so long because I couldn't believe this was the front, but when I turned it around I knew it was."

"Oh my god" Ava says circling her slowly. "You look amazing."

"What is that bruise on your thigh?" Eliza asks.

"Oh, that is caveman's handy work" she affirms using our new nick name for Teddy since he threw her over his shoulder this morning. She raises the dress slightly so we can get a better look. "He said if the clothes don't cover this than don't buy them because I won't be allowed to wear them."

"Allowed?" Eliza questions.

"When it comes to clothes we have granted veto powers" she confesses on a shrug pulling down the dress. "I took away all of his sweat pants and tank tops away so it's a fair trade."

"It looks like teeth marks" I say disbelievingly.

"That's because he bit me" she states smiling. I shake my head trying to dislodge that picture from my mind.

"Your brother is a freak" Eliza whispers to me wagging her eyebrows.

"Hello, I don't think we've met" Brittney utters holding her hand out to Joni. "I am Brittney."

"Hi I am Joni" Joni replies shaking her hand while smiling.

"You don't go to SP, I think I would notice" she says laughing looking Joni up and down.

"Oh no, I go to Harvard" Joni states turning and walking back to the dressing room. "I am going to change into one of the outfits I picked and I will not buy this dress Teddy will kill me and then you for picking it out."

"Teddy?" Tara asks.

"Yes, my brother Teddy" I declare rising pushing Joni into the dressing room. "Also known as none of your business."

"KATHY" Ava calls our attendant who rushes into the room. "I am sorry, but I thought we requested a private room?"

"Yes, Miss Grey, you did" Kathy asserts guiding Brittney and Tara out of the room. "I am sorry for the confusion."

"I am a loyal customer" Brittney argues.

"Not nearly as loyal as their Aunt I am afraid" Kathy justifies. I close the curtain behind them.

"We cannot let Joni know who that is" I whisper shout at Ava and Eliza.

"Why not?" Eliza asks.

"Because when I told her about last year she yelled so long and so hard in Spanish that I thought my ears would bleed" I say sighing into my hands.

"That's because I am a passionate woman" Joni says leaving the dressing room. "You do know that door is a simple piece of ply wood, right?"

Joni

"You could hear everything?" Phoebe asks on a sigh.

"Even the curtain conflict" I say smoothing my hands down the dress which draws attention to it. I am wearing an off the shoulder burgundy dress that fit to my every curve.

"How are your chests staying up like that?" Ava whispers in admiration.

"They naturally defy gravity" I say smirking. "It is tape I brought it for another dress, but it works well with this one." I spin in front of the mirror. "This will be great for that party tonight."

"We weren't invited" Ava says avoiding contact with everyone in the room.

"So?" I ask looking through the different necklaces.

"So, Ava and Johnathan had a… incident last month" Phoebe says slowly looking at Ava under her eye lashes.

"What type of incident?"

"A sexual incident" Ava says slowly.

"I thought you were a…" Eliza says.

"I am" Ava grumbles. "We started, but couldn't finish."

"Did he have problems?" I ask.

"Just tell them" Phoebe urges.

"He reached for my pants buttons and I freaked out" Ava groans dropping to a chair. "I never had someone touch me there before and I just started screaming. He freaked out and I was already freaking out so I just ran."

"Ran where?" Eliza asks.

"Away" Ava urges throwing out her hands. "I was lost for thirty minutes before I recognized enough streets to get home. The worst part is that he told everyone."

"Oh no" I say moving towards her.

"Everyone in school knew by the end of the week and they were laughing at her" Phoebe says sitting next to her cousin offering support.

"That just means we have to slay at this party" Eliza says surprising us. "I don't know about you, but I am tired of being the brunt of their jokes. Look at Joni; if we bring her to that party and look half as good as she does in that dress we will blow the top off that party."

"What do you think?" Phoebe asks Ava who looks at me.

"The best revenge is happiness" I say patting her shoulder.

"Get Kathy to find me a dress that looks as good on me as that does on her and I am in" Ava declares.

"Now to get permission to go" Phoebe says lowly.

Oh crap…

~SP- Seattle Prep.