DANCING QUEEN

So it had come at last, Paige Michalchuk's seventeenth birthday party. It was the social event of the year for Degrassi, and no one wanted to miss it. It was going to be an amazing night. As Paige finished setting up the basement of her spacious house, she thought about all that had happened since her sixteenth birthday. For one, she had been raped. She had once considered it the most horrifying experience of her life, but now she was past that. Since she and Spinner had made love, and he had proved what gentle, consensual sex was like, she no longer blamed herself for what Dean did to her. That was another thing, Spinner. She had been with him nearly a year and everything was wonderful. They were the quintessential "it" couple at Degrassi, and she had even "officially" lost her virginity to him. They loved each other and everything seemed perfect. But then things changed. She grew bored with being the happy, one boyfriend for all of high school girl. She wanted to explore new opportunities, go out with new guys, and it was certainly within her power; she was, after all, one of the most popular, beautiful girls at Degrassi. Since ditching Spin she'd had a few flings with some of the grade 12s, mostly friends of Dylan's. She even kissed Jimmy while drunk at a party (after he and Hazel had split, of course). But none of this satisfied her. She decided that she wanted a new relationship that was almost strictly physical: someone with amazing looks who was up for fooling around when she felt like it. And what better night than tonight to seal the deal? Nearly half of Degrassi would be there anyway. She had plenty of guys to choose from, and she knew that one of them would surely fulfill her requirements. As she pondered over who the candidates might be, a voice cut into her thoughts.

"Earth to Paige!"

She looked towards the door to find her older brother Dylan standing there. He looked gorgeous, donning tight jeans and a blue button down shirt that brought out his blue eyes. She loved her brother, and was grateful that he now had someone to dress up for. Marco made him so happy and she loved him for that.

"What do you need, hon?"

"I wanted to tell you that it's nearly seven. You might wanna get dressed." He gazed around the basement, which now resembled a trendy nightclub, complete with two leopard print sofas, a few hot pink leather arm chairs, and a disco ball. "This room looks amazing, Paige. When you plan a party you go all out."

"It's the Michalchuk way," she replied with a giggle as she headed towards the stairs. It was true, she did need to get ready if she was having a party in less than half an hour. And the best part of throwing a party was getting to look amazing. She reached her bedroom and headed straight for the closet. If she was gonna bag a hot honey tonight, she was going to have to look even better than usual. She went immediately for her sexiest item, a black mini skirt with an uneven hem that, at some points, was cut so high it threatened to reveal her underwear. Next, she looked for a top. She wanted to look sexy, but not slutty, and with the already scandalous skirt, a low-cut, belly-bearing number was going to make her look trashy. So not her style! Instead she reached for a more modest turquoise halter top covered in wide sequins. Perfect. She paired it with her favorite shoes, black stilettos with ribbons that wrapped around her ankles, and a pair of large silver hoop earrings. After dressing herself in the gorgeous ensemble she went and stood in front of her full length mirror. "This is it!" she exclaimed aloud.

After rushing to the bathroom to brush her hair and freshen up her make-up, she rushed downstairs to show off her new look. Dylan was in the kitchen surveying the huge spread left by the caterers, and when Paige walked in he looked up and uttered a low whistle.

"You clean up nice, sis."

"Thanks, hon. I try!"

As Paige headed back to the basement to make her final preparations, she sighed happily. Tonight was all about her, and nothing was going to ruin it for her. Nothing...