Chapter Three, The Party Part One, The Preparation

Zoe Taylor sat in The Final Cut flipping through a magazine while Betty bleached her blonde. She was never content with keeping a hair color for very long and a new look for Summer School on Monday was the perfect excuse for her compulsion.

"I don't think any of this stuff is really me, Zoe," Beatrice called from across the shop. Zoe rolled her eyes. Jimmy had charmed Beatrice into tutoring Zoe this summer, and Zoe wasn't particularly happy about having the annoying girl tag along.

"Oh hun, you've just got shoppers jitters. Lemme help you," Betty said. She walked away from Zoe whose scalp was on the precipice of burning to help Beatrice out.

"I just want to find something...s-sexy," Beatrice stammered, "I'm tired of looking like a nun."

"Trying to impress someone?" Zoe asked, amused. She turned around and smirked at Beatrice.

"Well, maybe," Beatrice picked up a tight, black tank top and walked over to the lingerie section. embarrassed, she picked up a red lacy bra and brought her purchases to the register.

"You're probably going to need bottoms to go with that, dear," Betty said with a warm smile. Beatrice turned a darker shade of red than the undergarments she was about to buy.

"Right...sorry," Beatrice walked back over to the rack and quickly grabbed the panties in question.

"So, who is this whole makeover for anyway?" Zoe questioned, "It's not that the Stepford-Wife-in-training look wasn't going for you, but you did kinda have designs on my man and a girl does have a tendency to worry about that kinda thing."

Betty rang up Beatrice's purchases.

"It's not for Jimmy, I gave up on that a while ago. He's a bit too much of a player for me, and since you're woman enough to tame what I wasn't able too, the chances of me getting with Jimmy are pretty much nil," Beatrice explained. Betty finished ringing up her purchases.

"Could I go ahead and try this on? I wanna see if this'll look right for tonight-" Beatrice clapped a hand over her mouth. Zoe furrowed her brows in confusion.

"Tonight? What do you mean tonight? I thought we were studying? I mean I'm flattered," Zoe smirked, "But I really don't think of you that way."

"Promise you won't get mad," Beatrice said, walking towards Zoe.

"What? Beatrice, what are you talking about?"

"Oh god Jimmy's going to be pissed but I told him I can't keep a secret. He asked me to keep you distracted today. He's throwing a surprise party at your place for you, since this is your last weekend of freedom. He's there now with Pete and Edgar setting up the decorations. Please don't hit me," Beatrice shielded her face.

Zoe felt the anger rise then quickly dissipate when she heard the word decorations, "They're really going all out for this? For me?" Zoe smiled.

"Yeah, Jimmy was really excited about it. Pete's baking a cake, Edgar's bringing a keg, it's going to be really fun, I hope. You aren't mad?"

Zoe was floored that Jimmy would go through all this effort for her, "No. I'm not. I'm really not. Thank you, Bea. Now go sexify yourself," Zoe motioned to the dressing room. Beatrice nodded and shut herself in the dressing room.

Zoe whipped out her cell phone and called Jimmy, but the call went to voicemail.

"Your plan's busted, Jimmy. You wreck my house and I wreck you, and not in the way you would like," Zoe paused before allowing a small smile to play across her face, "but...um...thanks," and with that, she snapped her phone closed.

"Oh no, you didn't," Beatrice called from the dressing room.

"Oh yes, I did," Zoe called back, "And you never answered my question. Who's the get-up for?"

Zoe heard a sigh from the dressing room.

"It's for Pete, okay? I think he likes me. He's cute and I do have a thing for short guys," Beatrice said, pulling on the top. She stared at her reflection, frowning at the amount of cleavage she was showing thanks to the push-up.

"Beatrice...I don't think that's a good idea," Zoe started. Beatrice walked out of the dressing room, cutting her off.

"Really? You don't think he'll like this?" Beatrice asked. Zoe raised her eyebrows.

"Wow, it's a hot look yeah but...I dunno. Pete seems kinda...fragile I guess," Zoe answered.

"Then maybe I'll be a shoulder to cry on," Beatrice smirked.

"That's not what I meant Bea, and that isn't a good idea," Zoe frowned. Beatrice was starting to get on her nerves.

"Then what do you mean, Z?" Beatrice was starting to get a little irritated.

Zoe sighed and turned back around in her chair.

"I don't think Pete's that into you."

"Really? You know I'm getting really tired of people telling me no guy will ever want me. I'm not that ugly you know. What, just because I don't dress like a slut you don't think any guy thinks of me that way? You ever sat in on a Grottos and Gremlins tournament? I used to get harassed in ways the jocks never even thought of during one of those things," Beatrice was seeing red and Zoe knew she had to bring out the big guns if she was going to calm this little girl down before someone ended up with a black eye.

"Oh shit," Betty murmured and quickly rushed for the stock room. This could get ugly fast and she didn't want to witness it.

"First of all, thanks for the slut comment. You know attitudes like that are the reasons girls hate each other. Just because I've never owned a cardigan in my life doesn't make me a slut. I thought you were smarter than to think like that."

Beatrice hung her head and mumbled an apology. Zoe continued.

"Thanks. Second, I'm not saying a guy would never like you. You're a pretty girl Beatrice, and I know you put on a lot of the obsessive annoying act, like the press-on cold sores. Am I right?"

Beatrice nodded.

"What I'm saying is Pete's pretty broken up now. Gary just got taken off to mental institution. He probably isn't getting out for a while. He probably isn't looking for a shoulder to cry on. At least not in the way you're thinking of. He needs friends, not girlfriends."

Beatrice pouted, "But what if it turns into more? He held my hand yesterday, and how do you know so much anyway? You've only known the kid for what, a week?"

Zoe scowled, "Our mothers went to school together. We've known each other since we were kids. We just haven't been friends for some time. We drifted apart once we started at Bullworth,"

"Oh...my bad," Beatrice smiled apologetically.

"Yeah, your bad." Zoe rubbed her eyes, finding this whole conversation exhausting. Beatrice sniffed the air.

"What's that smell?"

Zoe's eyes widened. "Oh no, BETTY?! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

Betty came rushing from the stock room.

"We can fix this! I'm so sorry!"


Jimmy hung up the phone and sighed, "Put down the icing, we've been figured out Petey."

"Are you kidding? I just finished this thing! Beatrice paid for the keg, and Edgar's gonna be back with it any minute, we're going through with this," Pete shouted from the kitchen, wiping icing from his brow.

Jimmy looked around the living room. Streamers and balloons hung from the ceiling, and a banner painted rather crudely to say 'Good Luck Zoe' hung above the mantel. They had spent a good part of three hours decorating the home, and Jimmy had a surprise for Zoe tonight. Pete was right, they had come too far to let their hard work go to waste.

"You're right. Beatrice is lucky she came through with the keg money, otherwise she would be in major trouble," Jimmy said.

A knock at the door was heard and Edgar shouted from outside.

"Yo Jim, come help with this! It weighs a ton!"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm coming, you should spend more time at the gym," Jimmy shouted back, grinning. He opened the door as Edgar stumbled through, nearly dropping the keg. Acting with almost cat-like reflexes, Jimmy grabbed the other end of the keg before it hit the hardwood floor.

"Jeez you could have waited a second!" Jimmy yelled, "This thing could have taken out the floor! I wouldn't want be the one who had to explain a huge hole in the floor to Zoe."

"Sorry, I couldn't get anything to wheel it in here with. What's up your ass?" Edgar asked.

"Shit man, I don't know. I just want tonight to be perfect. We could all use some fun."

"Ain't that the damn truth," Edgar said while him and Jimmy put the keg up on a sturdy-looking table. Pete walked in from the kitchen and plopped down on the couch, opening up a soda. He was wearing a faded Beam Cola shirt that was stained in green icing. Jimmy laughed at his appearance.

"Who won?"

Pete glared at Jimmy, "I don't want to talk about it."

Jimmy threw his hands up in mock surrender, "Whatever dude, you should probably change before the party. Beatrice won't want to make out with anyone covered in icing."

"Jimmy!"

Edgar laughed and joined in on the good-natured ribbing, "I dunno dude. She might be kinky like that. Straight-laced girls like her are pretty freaky. It sounds kinda hot to me."

Jimmy smirked, "Maybe I should introduce you to a girl I know named Eunice. You should see what she'll do for a box of chocolates."

Pete choked on his soda while the other two boys gripped their ribs and wheezed from laughing so hard.

"You two are disgusting. When is Zoe getting here? Did Beatrice say nine?"

"Yeah, they're going to see some movie in town then coming back here. I just hope Zoe isn't pissed off enough to come back early and wreck everything."

Edgar plopped a hand to Jimmy's back.

"Nah man, Zoe might act tough but she likes stuff like this, she'd never admit it though. In fact she'd probably put me in the hospital for telling you this, but her parents used to throw her huge birthday parties when she was a kid. Nobody's done anything like this for her in a while. She'll love it dude, stop worrying about it."

Jimmy felt a gnawing in his stomach when Edgar mentioned Zoe's family. She had been pretty guarded when it came to talking about them. He knew she emancipated herself, and she occasionally talked about her father, but every time he brought up the subject she either got angry or stopped talking altogether.

"Her family...my mom is moving in next door to them and Zoe's not happy about it. I know she was emancipated after she got kicked out, but her dad is paying her tuition now. But that's pretty much all I know," Jimmy said to Edgar. Pete turned his head in embarrassment as the moment grew tense.

"Come on man, you know I can't tell you anything she hasn't told you. She'll tell you when she tells you," Edgar replied, frowning.

"You're right, sorry dude," Jimmy said, but the silence was still pretty awkward. Pete cleared his throat.

"...So...you got a tap for that thing?"

Edgar grinned. Tonight was going to be a good night.