Bad Karma

twenty-two

Leilani Elrod

Episode 5. Midsummers

"This is disgusting." Kie groaned while looking at herself in the mirror.

"You look so pretty, though, Kie!" I grinned, popping my head up over her shoulder. She was in a lilac colored satin dress, while I was in a yellow one. On her head was a pink flower crown, while, as you guessed it, I was wearing a yellow one. I had never felt so pretty in my entire life.

"I know. It's just horrible." Mrs. Carrera commented sarcastically, "I'm asking you to relax and go to a fun party."

"I look like a bourgeoisie pig."

"Kiara, you said no fighting. Will you please not worry about socioeconomic injustice for one night?"

"Mom, people not three miles from here, like Lani, have no power, no running water, and we're going to Midsummers. That's so tone deaf."

I wanted to say something, but I didn't want Kie to get angry at me for not taking her side, but at the same time, I didn't want her mom to think that I was siding with Kie and send me back to Cheryl, so I stayed quiet.

"Honey," Mrs. Carrera lowered her voice, "Do you know how hard we had to work to get into this Island Club?"

"Yeah, Mom. How could I forget? You had to grovel for, like, ten years-"

"Twelve, and we also had to cough up a huge chunk of dough, and do you know why we did that?"

"To keep up with Joneses?" Kie smiled at me, making me stifle a laugh even though I didn't know who the Jonses were.

"No. So you could have the same experiences that I had as a child. Honey, do you know what the Island Club is?"

"A factory farm for debutantes."

"It is a nice place, with nice people, where you can do fun stuff, right, Leilani?"

"Um-"

"Don't drag her into this, Mom. She has no idea. They're all out of touch rich people doing 'fun stuff' while the island sinks slowly into the ocean."

"Okay, I want you to put on your party face, Kie, if you wanna live. You too, Leilani."

I smiled brightly, "Party face on!"

"See, that's the spirit."

I wanted to jump out of my shoes I was so excited. I had never been to a fancy person party, or really any party other than ones at the boneyard and the start of school bonfire before, so walking into the country club was like a whole new world to me.

Kie had her arms crossed and she looked unimpressed but I had never seen anything like this before. This place was bigger than anything I could have ever imagined and I hated to say that I wished I could come here everyday.

"Come on, I see Pope." Kie grabbed my arm, dragging me to where she saw Pope grilling and put on a posh accent, "Excuse me, sir. Do we have to shuck these ourselves?" Pope turned around, looking angry, "'Cause it might mess up my costume."

"We wouldn't want that now, would we?" He laughed, "That accent was bad."

"Pope!" I shrieked, spinning around, "Look at my dress! Isn't it pretty?"

"So, pretty! Oh, my god!" He said in a girls voice, "Glad to see you weren't shipped off to the mainland."

"Mhm! Just at the small price of a sick party."

Kie groaned, "You ever seen this many Kooks in one place?"

"Yeah." Pope nodded, "Last year."

I gasped, "You mean you guys get to go to this every year?"