Chapter Three

We got up and exited through the front, the door producing a ringing sound as the bell bounced.

"Where are we going, anyway?" Erin asked taking a Faygo bottle our of her bag and sipping some before putting it back.

"Well," Constance started. "I figure we start at my house, collect any crap I have that would work. Then we should hit up the mall and decide from there. Sound good?"

Erin and I just nodded. Constance was the experienced one when it came to this sort of thing. Why was I doing this? Oh, yeah. I was doing this for my own selfish comfort so I could get money. This was so not right.

"Stop battling your conscience and think about how fun this is going to be!" Constance yelped grinning.

"You're right, you know," I admitted to them. "If I let myself, I could have the most fun I ever had. But I can't let myself, because it's not right."

Erin abruptly stopped and looked at me.

"What?"

"Isabel, I need you to think about something. Eridan is a complete jerk. The worst. The rudest, the cruelest, especially when it comes to girls. Think about every single heart that he's broken. After you do that, think about this question. Can what we're doing really be this wrong?"

"YES!" I exploded. "I'm selling myself for money! It makes me a whore!"

They motioned for me to shut up and looked around. Checking to see if any police were around I presumed.

"Okay, okay. You've got a point there, but being bad is fun. Really fun. So, why not enjoy it? Hell, this is probably the worst thing you'll ever do, wouldn't it make sense to enjoy it?" Constance suggested.

"Why am I friends with you guys?" I asked desperately.

"Hmm…good question," Constance murmured.

"Because we keep you on your toes!" Erin decided.

I couldn't help but smile at that. It was true, they certainly kept me on my toes constantly.

"Now, enough of this. Off to my house, ladies!"

We walked the four blocks to Constance's house, Erin complaining the whole way that she was sweating. Constance's parents didn't come home until after six, so we had plenty of time to start my artificial 'transformation.'

Erin and I plopped down on Constance's bed and snuggled into her purple comforter as Constance stood before us. She placed both hands on the handles of her wardrobe.

"Are you ready?" she asked with a toothy smile.

Nervous, and not the least bit ready, I nodded.

"Ta-da!" she yelped throwing back the doors.

Inside the refurbished wardrobe was a selection of more mascara, eyeliner, foundation, blush, cover-up, eye shadow, lip liner, eyelash curlers, lip stick, and lip gloss that any store could possibly supply. My jaw dropped to the floor in shock. What the hell?

"It's my stash of everything I'll ever need for a make-up emergency. This situation you got going on, I call this a pretty damn urgent emergency," Constance informed us. "Where do you want to start?"

Erin stood there speechless, so I figured it was about time I did the talking.

"Well, why don't we start with foundation? That goes on, like, your cheeks, right?"

Constance sighed impatiently. "Not just your cheeks. It…"

"Constance, why don't you just do it, okay?" I suggested.

"No problemo compadre! I'll have you hot, hot, hot in no time!"

Erin fell back onto the bed and shut her eyes. "While you two get busy, I think I'll take a nap…"

"Um, hell to the nizz-no. This was your idea, you are going to suffer right on with me," I protested thumping her leg.

"Ladies, ladies, no fighting will ensue in my workshop!" Constance snapped clapping her hands. "Isabel, come here, we'll start with…"

I tuned her out successfully and went to my happy place. My happy place is a place that I don't tell anyone about. Frankly, it kind of scares me. My happy place is somewhere most sane people would be terrified of going to…

I'm walking down the corridor, Equius following me. We're laughing about what happened at breakfast this morning. It's almost time for art's and crafts…

"Isabel?"

"Yeah?" I'm instantly zapped back into the real world, the world that most people aren't afraid of being in. If only I was one of those people.

"I said we're done. Ready to see the new and improved you? You look pretty damn stunning if I do say so myself!" Constance gushed dragging me towards the mirror. "Close your eyes!"

I shut my eyes without a protest. I didn't want to see.

"Oh shit, motherfucking, whoa."

Erin's voice floated up from over on the bed.

"You. Look. BITCHIN."

I opened my eyes and my poor irises were finally exposed to what Constance had done to my once familiar face. What had happened? Constance had happened, that's what.