Invite

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PEYTON

Not long after my call with Amanda, ads for the Trudge Lite concert started popping up all over campus, and the buzz spread like wildfire.

I was genuinely surprised by how famous the band seemed to be. It was more than I'd expected, which was really cool. I felt proud of Justin and sent pictures of the ads to Mandi, telling her to show her aunt and uncle.

The students were definitely into the music, and from what I could tell, most were excited about having a concert so close to campus. Of course, some of the girls seemed more interested in the band members themselves than in the music—because of how attractive they were. I didn't think Justin and his friends would mind that too much. And I had to admit, the ads did them justice. They looked both sexy and cool, with a polished edge that made it clear they'd come a long way since their days in Justin's parents' garage.

Within just a few days, almost everyone I knew had made plans to attend and had already ordered tickets. It was shaping up to be a huge event.

The only people who didn't immediately talk about the concert were Becca and Lin. I figured that it just wasn't their style, which was cool. Not everyone likes the same thing. Plus, it made it easier for me. I didn't have to worry about running into them at the concert. But then one night when we were studying in my room, Lin asked me what I thought about the band.

I got a bit flustered and wasn't sure how to respond. In the end, I said that I liked them since that was the truth, but I left it at that, which made me feel guilty. I could've admitted that I knew them—well, at least Justin—but I didn't want to.

It felt like that was mine and Mandi's thing and I wasn't ready to share that with anyone else yet, and I also didn't want to be known at college as the girl who knew the famous rock group. I already got the occasional snooty comments thrown my way because of my so-called friendship with Max. Just because he said hello to me whenever he saw me.

I could only imagine the amount of fakeness that would be thrown my way if the truth got out about my connection to the band.

So when Becca said that she and Lin couldn't go to the concert because they had a game that night, I took a huge sigh of relief. I felt bad for them because they really wanted to go, but happy that I wouldn't have to hide from them at the concert.

There was no way I'd be able to attend with them - if they'd been able to go - and still keep my secret since Justin had gotten me a ticket. And it would be a dead giveaway for Lin and Becca to meet Amanda and Justin's parents. The last thing I wanted to do was lie. Evading the truth was bad enough.

We'd become good friends in the short amount of time we'd known each other. When they weren't playing field hockey, we spent most of our time together. We had dinner in the dining hall, studied together in the library, and watched Netflix, in my room of course, when they had a night off.

I never got a roommate, and despite feeling guilty about my mom's worries about a potential increase in cost, I liked it that way.

Becca and Lin became like my unofficial roommates. They came and went as they wanted.

***

Max did finally invite me to the party and Becca got so overwhelmed she actually cried. She had that whole laugh-crying thing going on before she was able to get herself together. And then she went through her closet, and my closet. Lin's clothes wouldn't fit either of us, but that didn't stop her from picking out an outfit for Lin.

She selected a red leather skirt and black tank top for Lin, but Lin did not approve and settled for a simple knee-length t-shirt dress instead. It was navy blue with white stripes, which she paired with a simple pair of sandals, and wore her long black hair down.

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