By the time that the party had reached full swing, enough of Claire's shot nerves had faded so that she was actually having a decent enough time, but that might have been due to the three jello shots Kemp had forced down her throat twenty minutes ago. She felt heavy, definitely buzzed, but not bad off as she pushed through the gyrating crowd. Kristen's freshman Reina Lancaster stood beside her, completely sober and looking incredibly serious.
Reina was a small thing, maybe an inch over five feet, with short, chocolate brown curls that fell to her delicate shoulders and pretty denim colored eyes. She had decided to keep her costume relatively simple, nestling a pair of black cat ears in her hair, and painting the lower half of her face to resemble a cats. She wore a simple black, skintight jumper with mile high heels and a fluffy black tail that swung when she walked. It was cute, but not as flashy as Claire had expected for a party of this caliber.
Everyone who had walked in invitation gleefully in hand had been dressed to the nines, costumes to extravagant and splendorous, Claire knew they had all been professionally hand made. Fairies with wings dripping in Swarovski crystals, Football players with authentic collectors item Jerseys. The crowd was massive, and Claire could tell they weren't all Ameswood students here; people came from up and down the East Coast for this party, this one wild night of freedom. It was chaotic, and everyone was plastered in some way or other.
Claire herself had gone relatively simple as well, but the simplicity of it worked. Her blond hair had been ironed to perfect, until it gleamed like a shimmering curtain of gold, framing either side of her pale face. Her white shift dress was so light and airy it was nearly sheer, and fell just to her thighs, a thin braided golden belt encircled her waist and matched the sandals on her feet. Fluffy white wings were strapped to her back and a little halo sat perched on top of her head. As cliché as it was, Claire looked good as an angel, and she was happy that Alicia had helped her with it.
"I'm going to go find Griffin" that was Reina's boyfriend "Come get me if something happens okay" Claire assured the other girl she would before watching Reina slip back into the throngs of people before sighing and turning away, looking for someone she knew. She wouldn't find Landon that was for certain. Despite his high social status, he wasn't important enough for Massie to worry about offending.
Claire scanned the massive crowd, standing on tiptoe to see if she could spot the other girls through all the throngs of people. She caught a flash of bright red over by the refreshment table before her eyes landed on Dylan who was munching on a cookie and talking animatedly to Cam. Though the girls had decided not to dress as a group, they had all still decided to go with Disney themed costumes. Dylan was Merida, from the movie Brave. Her thick scarlet curls had been wild before, but now they were positively outrageous, spilling down her back and over her shoulders in chaotic, shiny spirals of red, a few draped over her forehead. She was wearing a short, snug velvet green dress that fit her perfectly and short brown, laced boots. Strapped to her back was a quiver of lethal looking arrows and a hand carved wooden bow. The girls had gone all out for their costumes, Claire knew, sparing no expense, and it showed greatly. Dylan looked perfect, cheeks flushed pink, bringing out the smattering out freckles across her nose, bright green eyes dancing playfully as she took Cams hand and guided him to the dance floor. Cam himself was dressed quite simply as Clark Kent, with his black hair gelled away from his face and a pair of thick framed glasses covering his eyes. The white button up he wore was unbuttons at the chest to reveal the famous logo and Claire couldn't help but notice how good he looked tonight as well. She watched as Dylan and Cam joined Kristen who was already on the dance floor with Kemp. Kristen was Queen Elsa, her ash blonde hair braided into an elegant side fishtail and her pale blue dress clung to her like a second skin. She looked regal and refined as she let Kemp, who made a very convincing Sailor, twirl her and pull her close to whisper something in her ear.
She can't spot Alicia anywhere, but she knows the older girl looks beautiful as well, dressed as the gypsy girl from the Hunchback of Notre Dame.
"Well isn't that ironic. I really though you'd be the mouse." Claire turns around to face, Massie who cocks her head to the side and squints her eyes a little, taking in Claire's appearance. She makes a wonderful Wendy Darling, light brown hair curled daintily and pinned back with a powder blue hair bow that matched her short, baby doll dress exactly. She looks more relaxed than Claire has ever seen her, pink cheeked and bright eyed, and Claire zeroed in on the purple, glittering hostess chalice in Massie's tight grip. She swayed a little unsteadily in her platform Mary Jane's, and gives Claire a brilliant mischievous smile. "Are you enjoying my paaaaarty Little Mouse? Are you having a nice timeee?" The older girl slurs, throwing her arms into the air and letting her drink slosh over the rim of her cup.
Claire looked around for Derrick, who made an excellent Peter Pan, or Alicia for help, but she couldn't spot either in the crowd. Massie leaned forward; digging her sharp nails into the bare skin of Claire's forearm and pulls her in close, until they're chest to chest. Her breath was hot and smelled like mint liquor and marshmallows. "She's gonna come for you. Just like she came for Olivia, just like she came for me. She'll come for you and you wont be able to say no and then she'll ruin you and there nothing you can do about." Her voice was soft and surprisingly sober. "Your presence has been requested in the cabana, I suggest that you run."
It was Layne looking pretty and wicked in a witch's hat, black lips curled into a devious smile. "It's about time you showed up, Little Bitch. Take a seat." Her costume was nothing more than a lace slip and black stilettos, vulgar and somehow sophisticated. She wasn't alone in the cabana, a few followers sat close by, looking bored and uninterested in the conversation. Claire watched as two girls split a tablet of ecstasy right down the center and let it melt on their tongs, while a few boys cheered. Layne shushed with a tap of her finger against the arm of the couch and they reduced their yells to soft mumurs.
It was a testimony to Layne's power, that she could sit on Massie's property and treat it like it was her own. Feet kicked up onto a glossy coffee table, lounging back in a leather chase, looking happy and relaxed, another cigarette dangling loosely from her fingertips. She blew the smoke directly into Claire's face, and laughed.
"How much do you know about what goes on here?" Layne asked, taking a sip from a glittering champagne flute on the table and peering at Claire of over the rim. "How much do you know about me?"
"I don't know much about anything."
"Clearly." Layne snorted and took another long pull from her cigarette before snubbing it into the crystal ashtray beside her. "I know you're new around here, so this time I'll forgive your ignorance, but next time you play stupid, we're going to have a much bigger problem Little Bitch. I know you think those friends of yours, Massie and her little Pretty Committee, you think they run shit around here but they don't. I do. So if you don't want to have any problems here, I suggest you listen very clearly."