A New Body - original

1- Kate

    "Are you sure we should be here?" She asks, staring up the driveway.

    The house is extravagantly large, and right now, it's also packed with horny teenagers. Her too-short dress itches uncomfortably. October in the suburbs of Seattle suddenly feels unusually warm.

    "Don't back out on me now. You look too cute in those cat ears." Nadia teases.

    Kate can't help but groan in response. The costume was not her idea, and neither was going to this party. It's not like anyone wants her here anyways.

    "If it sucks, we leave, right?"

    "Right."

    Nadia fixes her own costume, a homemade toga, and pushes her curls out of her face. Then she grabs Kate's hand and pulls her up the path toward impending doom.

    The bass from the music vibrates up her feet. She wants to dig her heels into the ground and scream. When they get to the door, Nadia drops her hand and lets out a long breath. A moment of hesitation, a flash of weakness.

    She's scared.

    The loud chatter coming from inside fills Kate's ears now, separated only by the thin slab of wood right in front of her. Fuck this.

    She grabs the doorknob and twists. It's unlocked, of course, so she steps inside, Nadia trailing behind her like a ghost.

    A wall of hot, muggy air slaps her in the face. Sweat and alcohol. The colorful strobe lights flash in a way that makes her feel like she's in a stop-motion film.

    Thank god she's not epileptic.

    The sound of the door closing behind them is drowned out by the terrible remix blaring over the speakers. Nobody even bats an eye at their arrival, and Kate prefers this. It's always better to blend in.

    She slips through the crowd, Nadia's hand in hers, until they finally reach the dimly-lit kitchen. Empty plastic cups crackle underneath her boots. Bottles of alcohol and soda line the long marbled counters.

    "Drink time." Kate says, reaching for a mostly-empty handle of vodka.

    If she's going to suffer through this whole night, she might as well be tipsy.

    She pours a generous portion into her cup, a bit less into Nadia's (a notorious lightweight) and tops it off with plenty of Sprite. Kate turns around, both drinks in hand, and that's when she sees her.

    An angel in white, literal halo over her head, standing by herself in the living room. Her heart skips a beat, and just for a moment, the world halts.

    "She's here."

    Nadia rolls her eyes. "You knew she'd be at this party."

    "I know, it's just...she's actually here." Kate breathes.

    She passes Nadia her respective drink and begins downing her own. Probably a bad choice, but who cares. It's impossible for her to function normally around Phoebe Owens. Everything about the girl is mesmerizing.

    Captain of the cheer team, soon-to-be valedictorian, headed down south to study fashion design at SCAD. Incredibly, drop-dead gorgeous, and totally out of her league. Kate watches her over the rim of her drink as she finishes it.

    "Jesus, dude. Slow it down a thousand." Nadia smacks at her arm.

    A small fire burns in Kate's stomach. She pours herself another and then nods at the makeshift dance floor.

    "Let's do this."