The Experiment (Draft)

Entering

Lydia:

In the newspaper, I saw an ad for an experiment. They were looking for teens 16 years old. Gender didn't matter. They would pay generously, and we set the terms of how far the experiment would go. I figured it would be a good way to make money, to save for college. So I applied. I went about my day at school, like nothing happened. Thousands had probably applied, so I thought I wouldn't make it. The questions they asked were odd though.

"Miss, what is your full name?" The voice of confident woman beamed through the phone.

"Lydia Macy Peters."

"Very good. Are you interested in boys?" She asked. How odd.

"Um, like, are you asking if I'm straight?"

"Precisely."

 Yeah, I like boys."

"Alright. What are the names of the two you are most interested in?" 

"Like I have crushes on?"

"Miss Peters, if I need to state every question twice, then just ask."

"No Ma'am. Sorry. Lucas Brown and Owen Kampus."

"That's all that we needed to know. Bring nothing. Be ready by 6 AM, there will be a cab waiting for you. You need not tell anyone, arrangements will be made. Do you have questions?"

"Yes. This is silly, but will I be harmed in anyway?"

"No. Like the ad said, you set the boundaries. Anymore?"

"No." I almost whisper.

"Good. Be ready on time."

She abruptly hung up.

____________________________

I woke up at 4 to get ready. As promised, there were clothes waiting on my step in a plastic sleeve. There was everything in there. EVERYTHING. It was kinda creepy actually, there was a matching bra and underwear set, both my exact size. There was a white tee shirt, a pair of Miss Me Skinny Jeans, a chunky gold chain necklace and a bottle of expensive perfume. The highlight seemed out of a dream, a pair of Louboutin shoes, they were nude colored pumps, the same pale color of my skin.

I figured that I would go all out for this. Better to be overdressed, I curled my red hair and winged my eyeliner, and when I was dressed, I turned to the mirror. It's like they knew my exact body type. The shirt didn't stick to my belly that pudged out a bit, but didn't hide my curves. It was hard to make my short legs look long, but the heels did. My clock read 5:59, so I ran to the doors Sitting in the gravel driveway was a fancy car with tinted windows. The passenger window rolled down, and I heard deep voices. But the woman's voice from the phone told me to get in the back seat.

"But there isn't enough room!" Hey! I recognized that voice, it was-

"You know, someone can sit in the middle. It's part of the experiment." The woman's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Lydia, you can sit in the back with the boys." she said. I opened up the back of the Prius to see who was speaking.

No.

Oh no.

I swallowed hard when I saw Lucas and Owen. That's why they asked. I had so many questions. As Owen squished in the middle seat next to Lucas, I sat by him. It was so funny seeing the boys crammed in there like that. They were both extremely tall, (well compared to me) and their legs were smushed. It was a long car ride, and I saw the familiar small town fade slowly to a place I didn't know, but I knew we were definitely still in Georgia. 

I looked over to the two boys sitting next to me, both with very different personalities and backgrounds in my mind. Luke was reserved, quiet, and a mystery I longed to reveal. I had had a secret but building crush on him for several years, yet no matter how hard I wanted to be a secret, everyone knew, including him. I had loved from afar, yet very close in life. We had lockers close to each other, we went to church together, we had classes together, yet we hardly knew anything about each other, except that I liked him and that he was extremely attractive.

Owen on the other hand was easy going, and fun to be around. e was like an open book I hadn't gotten around to read yet. After a hour, I had no clue where I was. The boys were oddly quiet, Owen I knew was a talker, but Luke only spoke when something needed to be said. Unlike me, who just never stopped talking. But none of us spoke a word for hours. The dashboard clock said 12:47 when we came to a stop, and the woman cut the engine.