Met Online

Chapter 17

There's a girl standing in Taylen's floor to ceiling mirror. At first glance I almost can't recognize her. She looks anything but ordinary and mundane; she's beautiful. Her face is colored in with a light dust of makeup, her hair wild hair is tamed and pinned down and she's dressed in a stunning sparkling dress.

It's only if you look closer that you will be able to spot her flaws; her round belly, her wide thighs and the contacts in her eyes, which appears to make her eyes shine extra brightly. All of these things; the things that make her imperfect, are all of the things that make her me.

"Are you ready?"

"I think so." My hands are shaking and my heart is beating a million miles per hour. My stomach is churning and I think I'm going to pass out any time now.

"You have to be, 'cause I did not just spend forever on that master piece just to ruin it again," she says, gesturing towards my appearance.

"You're sure they wont recognize me?"

"I'm positive," Taylen assures me, as she holds out my jacket for me. I slip my bare arms into each of the sleeves. "Hell I don't even recognize you and I did it myself," she laughs and it doesn't take long before I'm laughing right along with her, She's right, hell I don't even recognize myself. Except for the flaws. They're still there, but now they're just covered up in makeup and glitter. But it doesn't change how nervous I am. "Let's go, girl."

An early May breeze rips through the air and chills me to the bone as we step out into the evening air. It rustles the leaves of the nearest tree outside as it passes through. I pull my jacket closer around me, and curse the cold chill of the weather.

"Are you excited?"

"Nauseous," I correct her.

"Don't worry, no one will notice that it's you. I promise." If only it was that easy. I'm as confident in Taylen's minor miracle makeover as she is. It's what I have planned for tonight, the whole reason that I decided to go in the first place, that makes my stomach churn.

I feel bad for not letting her in on the full plan, but seeing as how she's reacted lately I figured it was best to not include her, for fear that it could possibly threaten our friendship again and that's the last thing I want to do.

* * *

I keep my head down and my eyes focused on the ground beneath me, as we approach the house. My confidence in Taylen's makeover has faded significantly since we left her house and I have an overwhelming urge to check myself in the mirror, to make sure that the girl from earlier is still there and that she hasn't magically transformed into me on the ride over.

"Relax Cass." Taylen nudges me as we walk through the front door. I can hardly hear her over the loud music blasting from somewhere in the heart of the house. "You look amazing; no one's going to recognize you, unless you give them a reason to." She's right; I need to get my head in the game and start acting the part, 'cause if I keep acting like my insecure self everyone will look straight through me.

I take a deep breath, straighten my shoulders and lift my gaze from the floor. That's when I see him; my eyes are practically drawn to him like magnets to a fridge. He's sitting leaned back in a sofa in the corner of the living room, on the opposite side of where Taylen and I are now standing. He's surrounded by a small group of students, some of which I recognize to be his friends from school. Amongst them are Chad and Ryland.

"I'm going to go dance." Taylen has to raise her voice for me to be able to hear it over the ear deafening music and even then it's only parts of the sentence that I can distinctively make out, the rest of the blanks I have to fill in myself. "Do you wanna come?" I think that's what she's saying but it's hard too hear over the dominating bass.