Deep Breaths | CZK

chapter 2

Marissa and I stood in front of her bathroom mirror, getting ready. I took my pink-brown hair and put the top half into a braid as I curled the rest. Meanwhile, Mar sprayed sea salt spray in her short, black hair, causing it to become wavy. Together, we did our makeup, doing simple looks on ourselves. I outlined my eyebrows, gently brushed some shimmery eyeshadow on my eyelids, swiped some mascara onto my lashes, and, finally, brushed some highlight on until it was poppin'. Just a few feet away, Mar went through the same process.

It was 2:00pm now and an hour had passed by then, but we still had 20 minutes before we had to leave, which was the perfect amount of time to choose our outfits for the night. Or, really, for Marissa to choose her outfit. Before I got to her house, I picked the first thing I saw in my closet and brought it over. A black bra and some denim overalls. My shoe choice for the night was, per usual, my pink and blue two-toned golf le fleur converse.

Meanwhile, Mar had been demolishing her closet, searching for the perfect outfit. I sat on her bed, patiently, while she threw clothes at me, asking my opinion about each article of clothing that came my way. "So, PRETTYMUCH's like 'favorite color' is yellow," she paused, putting air quotes around the phrase 'favorite color', "maybe I should wear my yellow crop top? Ugh, never mind, that's so outdone. Half the girls that see them wear yellow. Should I wear my camouflage pants? Edwin always looks so fly in those. Wait, no, that's outdone too! Maybe checkered pants? That was a super iconic Brandon look! Nope. Cancelled. Just saw somebody wearing checkered pants on my timeline," Marissa pointed to her phone. "God, all the good looks have been done already. I just don't know what to wear," Marissa whined as she flopped onto her bed. I pursed my lips, unsure of what to do in this situation. For other concerts, wardrobe hadn't really been this big of a problem. However, with PRETTYMUCH, Mar always raved about how there was one member named Edwin that was some sort of 'fashion icon', I guess. The rest of the group was also a bunch of super stylish boys, and, in a sense, Marissa was afraid of being less fashionable than them or some stupid shit like that. "Beth, help me."

I groaned as I got off the bed and took apart the clothes pile that had formed on the carpeted ground. After tossing several items aside, I put together a pretty nice outfit. "Hey, Mar, how about this one?" I asked as I held up a tan, floral cami crop top with some flowy red pants.

"Beth! Oh my gosh! You're a life saver. That outfit is literally perfect," She exclaimed as she took the outfit from my hands. "See, now this is why you're my best friend." We laughed at her remarks. "Ok, so the base is great. But what about accessories? And shoes?" I scanned her room before finding the perfect items to top off her outfit for the day. Hoop earrings, cat eye sunglasses, and some white converse. "Omg, you're the best. PM is gonna love my fit," Marissa smiled.

"I may be going to UCLA in 8 months for business, but I still know quite a bit about fashion," I joked.

"Ok, ok, we get it. Nice subtle brag. You're going to your dream school right here in our hometown. Meanwhile, I'm headed over to USC . My dream school. Coincidentally, also in our hometown. Meaning we will be right near each other," She grinned. "Oh, but wait, I forgot my subtle brag! I'm attending the School of Cinematic Arts. Which, if you haven't heard, has an extremely low acceptance rate. Thank you, thank you." Marissa bowed and waved her hands to a fake audience.

"Bitch, it's not subtle if you tell me that you're bragging. I already know and I said I'm proud of you. You can shut up nowwww." I muttered as she looked at me with a shocked expression and slapped my arm.

"Whatever, hoe, it's time to go. Grab your shit. You're driving," Marissa threw my keys at me.

"Can you get your license already? It's pretty annoying that I have to drive us when I'm not even the one that wants to go."

"Ugh, shut up. I'm getting it soon. They have a limit on how many times you can take the driver's test in a certain amount of time once you fail it as many times as I have."

I rolled my eyes and picked up my purse and phone, "Alright, let's go. We're grabbing food on the way though. In n Out or Chick Fil A?"

"Chick Fil A! Then I can grab some food for the boys too," Mar chattered happily.

"Um, don't you think that you're kind of wasting your money by doing that?" I asked as we walked out of the Murphy house, "I mean, they probably won't eat it right? It could be poisoned."

"Oh fuck, you're right. They're lowkey dumb though. They're always posting about food people give them like donuts and cakes and shit and they always eat it," she laughed as we got into my car. "Imma still get them some food. Just some nuggets and fries, nothing too big."

"Alright, whatever. It's your money, so I don't really care." I replied as I backed out of her driveway.

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A/N: hey guys! hope you're all liking the book so far. it's slow paced right now, but don't worry, the boys will be here soon! just wanted to drop some pics here and tell you guys who i'm imagining as the characters for the book. obviously the pm boys are themselves, but i wanted to make it clear that i see vanessa morgan (toni in riverdale) as bethany, and camila mendes (veronica in riverdale) as marissa. the two pics below are their fits for the concert. alright, that's all. vote and comment if you like the book so far! much love <3