A flashback chapter! Incidentally today is my birthday so it helped getting inside Gretchen's head. :)

For those of you keeping track this is set in April 2004, about five months before the start of the film.

Chapter 10

Eighteen Months Earlier…

Gretchen Wieners sat down at her vanity, took a deep breath and stared into the mirror.

It was even worse than she had though possible. In her most terrible nightmares she had never imagined anything quite this bad, this apocalyptic happening to her. She glanced longingly at her bed and fought a sudden urge to just dive under the pink covers and stay there for the next thousand years or so, which was pretty much the length of time it would take for her to recover from this. The thought of school and facing everyone there was enough to make her physically ill. Let alone tomorrow…

Ok, so maybe she had had zits before. But this was different; this angry red monster lurking on her forehead that no amount of concealer would ever conceal. And this affliction, this punishment from the gods of beauty had happened to her the day before her sweet sixteenth birthday.

Everything had been arranged to be just perfect; the huge party; the guests; the new car; the performance by O-Town; that whole ice sculpture/swan/fountain thing that was totally twice the size of the whole ice sculpture/swan/fountain thing that Taylor Wendell had had at her party; and the outfit and the shoes.

At this point in the flashback we invite you to consider Gretchen Wieners sweet sixteen outfit: to begin with we have the dress. A black silk dress painstakingly designed by one of the most brilliant fashionistas to ever come out of France. Then we add the diamonds. And the matching custom strappy sandals of course, also black and diamonded. We have yet to even get to the jewellery but that is because it really deserves a flashback of its own. All in all what Gretchen Wieners will be wearing costs enough to run a medium sized Third World country for a year.

I mention this now only because said dress and said sandals with end up carelessly thrown on the floor of Jason Vito's bedroom by the end of tomorrow night. But I get ahead of myself.

Well there was nothing for it, Gretchen thought, she needed help. Bracing herself she picked up the phone and dialled Regina.

'What's up biaytch?' said Regina answering.

'Hey Regina, um I really need some help here,' said Gretchen. 'I have the mother of all zits and I so need you before it totally eats the rest of my face.'

'Zit eh?,' said the blonde disinterestedly. From somewhere on the other side of the phone Gretchen could hear a guy asking who Regina was speaking to.

'Well just put some foundation or something on it Gretch,' said Regina.

'But Regina I-' began Gretchen.

'God Gretch,' said Regina (and Gretchen could practically hear the eye roll). 'I'm kinda busy here if you know what I mean. Just suck it up and I'll see you at school.'

Gretchen could hear her talking to the guy over the phone. That and the rustle of the bed sheets. The brunette blushed. Busy indeed!

Wait… was that Shane Oman's voice? What about Aaron?

'See you Gretchen,' said Regina firmly.

'See you Regina,' said Gretchen, hanging up with a sigh. She dialled another number.

'Hey Karen, its Gretchen.'

'Hey Gretchen!,' said Karen cheerfully, bubbliness practically beaming through the phone.

'Um, I know it's early and all, but I have a huge zit problem here,' said Gretchen.

A pause.

'Don't do anything, I'll be right over,' instructed Karen, her attitude suddenly all business. She hung up.

Gretchen sat back in her chair and relaxed slightly. The nuclear zit still glowed in the mirror but she was feeling a little better now. Ok, so she had no idea what Karen was planning and honestly probably neither did her friend. But she knew they could cook up something between them.

She envied Karen. Ok so the gal had her share of blonde moments… or rather she was like one giant walking blonde moment, but she was confident and fun and cheerful and honestly Gretchen couldn't remember a time when you could use those words to describe Gretchen herself. And Karen knew boys; which lets face it is going to happen when you get boobs at twelve. Gretchen had (finally!) got hers at fifteen and was completely clueless about guys.

Well that was going to change. Pretty soon she would actually know what Karen and Regina were always talking about. She glanced at the framed photo of Jason on her vanity. He looked so hot in his football uniform, and she could feel her heart practically melt.

Tomorrow night, she knew. Tomorrow night had to be perfect; perfect party; perfect friends; perfect clothes.

And – she hoped – a perfect first night with the perfect guy.