TROUBLE MAGNET - Completed

Chapter 15 - When the Shoe is on the Other Foot

Chapter 15 - When The Shoe Is On The Other Foot

"Kiss, you are not wearing that," Kate insists grabbing my comfy jeans from my hands. "This is a party not a basketball game. You have to look hot tonight." She drops my jeans into my dirty laundry basket and then heads to my closet. "Landon is going to be there," she points out, as if I didn't already know. "You have to make him regret ever breaking up with you."

"Kat I'm sorry, I just don't want to go." I flop face down onto my bed. "I'm not in the mood for a party," I grumble.

"Nonsense! Kate says as she continues to inspect the clothes hanging in my closet. "Don't be silly! You have to go tonight." She pulls out one of only a handful of dresses that I own and holds it up to herself, shaking her head in horror. My closet is very lacking in the dress department. "You can't let him know that he's hurt you," she advises hanging the ugly dress at the very back of my closet. "You have to show him what he's missing out on."

"I've got homework," I say knowing it's a poor excuse, but unable to come up with something better. 

"Homework? Are you kidding me? Really? It's Friday night. You have all weekend to do homework. Tonight we're partying. You hear me? We're going to have fun tonight if it kills me girlfriend. Got it?"

I can't help but laugh and then nod. Kate is right, I've moped around long enough. Why should I stay home? Landon has totally ignored me for the entire past week of school. Actually he's ignored me for the past three weeks, if you include the two weeks before he broke up with me. He never even asked me about my hockey tournament. This past week he never said one word to me. Yet, every other female was able to attract his complete attention. Everywhere I turned, I saw Landon talking with different girls; laughing with them, and touching them. It was ridiculous! As if that wasn't bad enough, I had to listen to the latest, incredibly detailed, Landon gossip everywhere I went. I heard all about the girls that had been fawning all over the newly single Landon at Rob's party last weekend.

What made the past week even more unbearable, was knowing that at the same time Landon was making his highly publicized newly single debut, I was locked in a stinky, suffocating, closet-sized washroom with nothing to do but rerun my ex-boyfriend's wonderfully insensitive breakup speech over and over in my head like an endless playing toothache. "You're right. It's time to party," I agree emphatically with a new determination.

"That's my girl!" Kate yells as she flies through the air and pounces on me. "I knew you'd come around," Kate sings as she claps her hands in celebration.

If anyone can change my mind, it's Kate. It's just a matter of time, with her pointing out the right injustices. Once I saw that glint come into Kate's eyes, I should've known I was done for. Now she'll have her work cut out for her. She'll have to dress me and perform magic with my hair and makeup. Landon will be sorry. Oh yeah! Landon will be very sorry he ever broke up with me.

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Two hours later I'm second-guessing my decision. I'm brutally reminded why I hate fussing with hair and makeup and why I hate dressing up, but at least we're finally ready to go to the party. Matt and Kate have an on again/off again type of relationship and since right now they're on again Matt agrees to pick up Rob and then come pick us up. The boys have been waiting patiently out front of my house for almost twenty minutes.

When we finally stroll out the front door, Kate is wearing gray low-healed pumps with a matching gray straight-line miniskirt. The skirt has thin layers of ruffles cascading down the front and she has paired it with a cobalt blue silk tank top. She finishes off her ensemble with a long black sweater coat over top for warmth. She's wearing her long, chocolate brown hair down. Normally straight, she has added big, loose bouncy curls to give it body. When Matt sees her he jumps out of the car and gives her an affectionate hug, making sure to let her know how great she looks.