KATIE

"Soooooo...?" Yvette pleads, poking my arm continuously.

"I don't wanna go to your group hang!"

I never actually thought I'll say 'group hang' in a real life context. This show is literally eating people inside out.

"What group hang? There's another group hang scene?" Bailey shouts.

"Why don't you ask Bailey, Monreal?"

"Erm, because she's married and she doesn't go on group hangs for her friend who just wants to bang a chick?" Yvette says, pouting.

"I have a steady boyfriend, which is basically the same thing."

"Why don't you ask Greg?" Bailey wonders out loud.

"I will be there, if there are cute girls," MTV's one and only Liam Booker says, turning around and flashing his megawatt smile.

"There are really, really cute girls. Please, Greg?" Yvette says, hopping over to Greg and pouting in the most adorable puppy-like way.

"Sure. I can't do this Friday though, I have a barbeque party I said I would go to ages ago," Greg says, shrugging.

"DAMN IT! What if she thinks I am a loser who has no friends?" Yvette whines, prancing around like a wild horse.

"What about Michael?" I suggest.

On any other day, I would suggest Rita, but I doubt that blondie wanted to watch her girl crush hit on a bunch of other girls.

"I already asked Michael and he said 'He-ee-yell no.'"

Just as Yvette ends her sentence, Rita comes tumbling into the room.

"I'm so, so sorry I'm late."

Yvette's eyes immediately light up as she zoned in on her next victim. I wonder if Rita can see that everything is just a game to Yvette.

"Volky, please come to my group hang. I'll pay you, like, ten whole bucks."

"What?"

"Group hang! With Rachel, you know, the chick from the gym that day?"

I see Rita cringe a little, but she covers it up and smiles.

"So let me get this straight. You want me to go to your group hang so you can bang a poor innocent girl and never call her again?"

"Basically…yeah." Yvette smirked.

"I'll do it for thirty."

Yvette scrunches up her face and ponders carefully.

"I'll give you twenty AND gas money."

Rita shoots me a look, and I immediately shake my head. She shrugs ever so slightly and sighs.

"But don't you have that thing? On Friday night? With your mum?" I ask, although there really was no thing on Friday.

Rita gives me a quizzical look for a second before she gets what I'm trying to do.

"OH! Yeah! But she er, rescheduled."

"Okay, cool. Pick me up at 6, okay!" Yvette says, planting a firm kiss on Rita's cheek.

"Why?"

Rita shrugs as I pull out of the lot.

"Because it's YVETTE. Even her name is cool," Rita whines.

"I think Margarita is a pretty cool name, just saying."

"Yeah I was like, the queen of LAME."

I burst out laughing as I drove up the highway that led to Rita's place.

"Seriously though, you know she's gonna flirt with like, everyone there right?"

"Yes, and I will be her wingman. Look, I just wanna, get to know her better, ya know? See whether she's really all about the one-night stands and random stranger sex-things! Also, I'm a good friend. Can we talk about something else?"

I sigh and acknowledge that that is all we were going to talk about for now, so I nod and tuck the conversation in a corner for the next time I find the need to bring it up.

"What should I wear to the group hang?"

It's a warm Friday evening and I'm lying on Rita's bed, smooshed up in all her fluffy soft-toys.

"CLOTHES," I say exasperatedly. We've been going at this for the past hour or so.

Rita throws a bunch of clothes hangers at me, but I successfully dodge all of them.

"Can I be real? She's not going to be trying to undress you, so who cares? Just wear a t-shirt and some decent shorts and you'll be fine. It's the beach, not a red carpet, Margarita," I say, rolling my eyes.

"O-Kay," Rita sighs and picks on a plain white t-shirt and her donut shorts.

"You. Look. Great."

"KNOCK-KNOCK. PERMISSION TO ENTER VOLKY PLANET BEEP BOOP BEEP BOOP."

I crack up at Yvette's dumb voice from the other side of the door as Rita simply rolls her eyes and pulls the door open.

"KATIE!"

Yvette leaps on to the bed and crawls on to me, mock kissing me in the most exaggerated way possible.

"REAMA ACTION GOING ON HERE, AMY GET OUT!"

Yvette is literally the biggest joke on the block, but she was also the most fun person to be around.

"As much as I love Reama, I got to catch my hunky boyfriend."

"Oh, we'll walk out with you. My car's parked out front," Yvette says, pulling me out of the bed.

"I thought I was supposed to pick you up. It's only five."

"I know, I just want to show you some place cool first!" Yvette says, tugging Rita along behind her.

We shout a bunch of "Good bye Mrs. Volk!" before we tumble out into the front yard. Part of me is pretty sure the three of us would make a good circus crew. I help shut Rita's door and gave the boot three sound taps before Yvette winks at me from the rearview mirror and pulls out of the house.

Yvette, I swear to god, if you hurt my best friend, I am going to kill you.