Kie stared at her reflection in the mirror; her dark, shining hair cascading around her face in perfect ringlets, her eyes framed in eyeliner and a glistening sheen of golden makeup.
She. Looked. Terrible.
Or at least – she felt terrible. She fidgeted, pulling at the collar of the mini-dress, a Burberry concoction trying to embody the boho-feel of a much cheaper brand. She'd received a whole new wardrobe at the end of this summer, a gift from her mother as she had started her sophomore year of high school. Her eyes wandered over to the colorful pile of tie-dye and Baja hoodies piled forlornly in the corner of her closet – the clothes that she had ditched when she had started hanging out with the Kooks last year.
She turned back towards the mirror and stuck her tongue out at herself, amused with the gesture that ruined her "perfectly manicured" face.
"Making faces?" Her mother asked from behind her.
Kie whipped around, her cheeks red. "Erm, yeah…Figured if I'm going to look like a clown, I may as well act like one."
Her mother walked towards her and grabbed her hands. "Honey," she smiled. "You look stunning."
Kie gave a small smile, turning back towards the mirror. "You don't think it's a bit…much? I mean, this dress cost more than my friends earn a month." She asked her mother.
"Are you kidding?" Her mother answered. "There's nothing wrong with being the prettiest girl at the party! Your father and I are so proud of you – you really turned over a new leaf last year. You weren't exactly hanging with the best crowd before. I'm assuming those were the "friends" you were talking about?"
Kie's stomach felt like it was clamping down and she looked down, busying herself with putting items in her purse. "Yeah." She mumbled.
"I think Sarah Cameron is a much better choice. You need girl friends, friends from around here that understand what you're going through…" Her mother's voice droned into a soft buzz as Kie blocked her out, her face hot.
She was ashamed to say that she hadn't spoken to the Pogues in over six months. JJ, John B, and Pope – the people she'd come to think of as best friends – had faded into the background as she'd been swept into the life of being a Figure 8 high school student. That life included social parties, college prep, and private tutors. Her mom was right about one thing, the pogues didn't understand what she was going through. There was constant pressure smothering her every day to live up to her parents' expectations. Well, maybe Pope understood, but not John B and JJ. As backward as it seemed, she was sometimes jealous of what John B and JJ had – lives with no pressure or expectation. And it wasn't that she didn't think of the pogues as friends anymore, she'd just been so busy keeping up with Sarah and her friends that she didn't have time.
"…..and the friends you make in this time of your life will be SO important to your future." Her mom continued. "Your father and I met in 9th-grade algebra…"
"Mom." Kie cut her off, staring at her. "I get it. Kooks, good. Pogues, bad. You and dad don't have to remind me over and over."
Her mom's gaze softened a bit. "They're not bad, honey." She brushed a curl out of Kiara's face. "We don't think anyone is bad. But I just don't want you hanging out with some of the crowd that they do." She smiled at Kiara. "I just want the best future possible for my incredibly talented, social justice warrior, beeeeautiful daughter." She winked and Kiara groaned, "Mooooom."
"Okay!" Her mom put her hands up. "I'm done. Have fun tonight." She handed Kiara two hundred-dollar bills. "For food and rides for you and your friends. And call me if you need anything!"
Kie tucked the money into her purse, giving herself one last smile in the mirror to reassure herself.
Tonight was going to be fun.
Right?
…
She could feel the makeup on her face glistening from the heat as she walked side-by-side with Sarah down the steep embankment of sand towards the Garden. The "Garden" was what the local kooks called the beach patio of one of the Carolina Country Club – one of the best clubs in town, known for their beautiful scenery and oven-cooked pizzas. This extension of the club was pillared with floors and columns of white marble stretching over the hot sand, boasting one of the most breath-taking views of the ocean in all of Figure 8. Only a small, black rail separated the Garden from a steep, cliffside drop of 100 feet into the deep blue ocean crashing against the rocks below. Ironically, the kooks had nicknamed the beach patio the "Garden" because there wasn't a plant in sight – solely a backdrop of white marble dotted with a fire pit, a giant outdoor pizza oven, and several sets of patio furniture that looked like they had come straight out of the catalog. Kie had never been to the Garden before, only heard about it through JJ, who had started bussing here under the table in middle school. Topper's father had rented out the spot that night for his son's birthday party, which coincidentally, meant that everyone who was anyone in Kook world was going to be there.
Kie took a deep breath as Sarah ran ahead towards the group crowded around the garden, her long, blonde hair bouncing against the back of her crop top. Sarah had become Kie's closest friend over the past year, her extroverted, candid personality drawing people in like flies to honey. Kie was getting better at Kook language but had learned quickly last year that no one really wanted to talk about things like ecological conservation or Bob Marley. Sarah liked to talk about those things when they were one-on-one, but she knew better to bring them up at a party. She was depending on Sarah to help her make it through this party.
That is, IF, she didn't go running off every five minutes.
Kie walked up slowly to the group that Sarah was chatting with, throwing a small wave towards Topper and Rafe.
"Well, oh my God." Rafe stared at her, smiling in a wide grin. "Is that Kiara? Your pops letting you out of kitchen duty for a night to come to a party?"
Sarah threw her brother a disgusted look. "Shut up, you idiot. Just because her dad owns the Wreck doesn't mean she works there every night. Maybe if you'd ever had a job, you'd understand."
Rafe glared at Sarah, but Topper held his hands up in a placating gesture. "Ladies, ladies…everyone's chill. You both look beautiful is what my friend here, Rafe, was trying to say. But tonight is not the night to talk about work! Tonight…" He winked and pulled a flask out of his pocket. "Is about celebrating." He took a swig, then extended his arm to offer it to Kie.
Why the hell not?
Kie reached forward, taking a deep swig, feeling fire pour down her throat.
"Yeaaaaaahhhh, boy. That's how we do it!" Rafe chanted in the background.
Kie lifted the metal flask from her lips and offered it to Sarah.
"Here's to a good night." Sarah said, tipping the drink back.
"To a good night." Kie repeated feeling her brain relax into a light buzz.
…
Kie almost made it a full hour before feeling guilty.
Kie was sipping her drink, making casual conversation with a guy from her AP English class when out of the corner of her eye, she caught a flash of bleach blonde hair dressed in the loose black uniform of a busboy. JJ. He skirted around the crowd, collecting colorful dishes from the side tables into a large black bin. He was looking down, skirting around the outer tables of the venue as if he was trying to avoid being seen by his classmates. What was he doing here? Kie wondered absently. She knew that he bussed here on the side, but he'd always told her that he made avoided picking up nights he knew kooks from their class would be there.
He paused for a moment, bending down to clear a table, and Kie could make out faded water stains and soap residue on his shirt. As she studied his face, she noticed that his features looked sharper than they had in middle school, his face…harder. She could make out the darkened line of a split lip and the fading purple of a bruise shadowing his left cheekbone. Same old JJ – never could turn down a fight.
JJ's blue eyes snapped upwards as if he knew he was being watched, meeting her own. She felt a rush of heat rise to her face as he had caught her staring. Her hand flew up in an awkward wave, and she felt another rush of embarrassment as she remembered how ridiculous she looked in this outfit.
"Are you alright?" The boy from her AP English asked, his voice concerned.
Kie turned her attention back towards the boy, Connor. "Oh! Yeah, sorry. Thought I saw someone I knew."
Connor laughed. "Oh, okay. You turned red and I thought I had said something stupid. Anyways, I think that the homework from…."
Kie smiled, faking attention, as her eyes darted back towards the empty space where she had seen JJ, who had disappeared back up towards the main club building.
