Summer was over. I'd been job-hunting the whole three-and-a-half freakin' months. Nothing. What's the damned point in going to college if you can't get jobs anyway? I was frustrated, and cold, and all I wanted to do was roll up in a cocoon go to sleep. But there was going to be a party at the base, later, and 'Hide and I had promised we'd go. And although I wanted nothing more than to stay home, and though I knew that 'Hide would probably be more than happy to not show, I refused to break a promise.
"Are you okay, my dear?" 'Hide asked. I sighed.
"I'm fine," I replied, "Just tired." I yawned.
"Ratch' decided to come to the party," said 'Hide, conversationally.
"Really?" I asked, surprised, "I dunno, he doesn't seem like the party type to me," I mused. 'Hide chuckled.
"He isn't. Everyone was pretty shocked when word leaked that he was coming," he said.
"Do you know why he decided to come?" I asked. 'Hide hummed.
"Oh, I think I have some idea of why he decided to," he said, then went silent. I gave him a look, urging him to indulge me, but he only smiled and looked back to the road. One of my eyebrows quirked up, and I sighed. My god, he was strange. I'd picked a weird one.
"When does this thing start, again?" I questioned.
"Seven thirty," he responded, "But I figure Sideswipe already has everything ready."
"Sides' is hosting it?" I asked, my eyebrow quirking once again. He hummed in response. How very peculiar. The circumstances surrounding this party were strange-and the more I learned the stranger it all seemed.
"You said everyone was going to be using Holoforms, didn't you?" I asked.
"Yeah," he responded, "Why?" I narrowed my eyes at him. Something was fishy. He shot me an amused look.
"Something's going on that I don't know about," I accused. He laughed.
"You think so?"
"Yeah. I do. And I intend to find out what it is," I said, my eyes still narrowed at him. He laughed again.
"If you say so, Scooby Doo," he said.
"Scooby Doo?" I snorted, "Really?"
"Yes, the crime-solving dog, with his gang of human-" I cut him off, laughing.
"I know, I know what Scooby Doo is, 'Hide," I sniggered again, "I just can't believe you made a Doo reference."
"Yes, well, believe it. It's a rather amusing show," he insisted, which only made me laugh harder.
"Alright, alright, femme. Go get ready. How long will you be?" 'Hide grumbled. I smiled at him, and he returned it, chuckling lightly.
"I'll be ready in a half-hour. Is that okay?"
'Hide nodded, "I'll be here." I gave him a peck on the lips and hopped out of the towering truck, heading for my room. Sarah had insisted that I buy a new dress for the occasion. It was a stunning shade of red satin, and while it wasn't the sort of thing I'd normally chose(even for a semi-formal party), I loved it. The shade went perfectly with my dark hair, brown eyes and pale skin. And, not to toot my own horn, but I looked pretty damn hott in it. I was excited to show off to 'Hide.
Sarah helped me curl my hair and pin it up so it fell in a cascade over my shoulders and down my back, and she insisted she do my make-up, which looked perfect due to Sarah's technique. I pulled on the fur coat-which had been a gift from Ironhide-and slipped into my black heels. They were 3-4 inch heels and made my feet pinch, but I loved dressing up, and they added to the effect. Sarah and Will left, while I'd promised to wait for the babysitter to arrive. She was twenty minutes late, but 'Hide was, too, so it was just twenty more minutes of sitting around in my pretty-clothes, waiting to go show off. Finally, she arrived(a pretty girl, sophomore in high school), and I was free to go catch my ride.
