True to You

Raise a Glass

1999

Elliot smoothed down the fabric of the skirt that Val had loaned her. Val was shorter than she was so what was short on Val looked almost obscene on her. Even so it wasn't too short and she'd kept herself nice by wearing a cute pair of boy-short undies beneath it. No one would be getting an unexpected glimpse of her goodies. She wore her one and only push up bra under a tight tank top with another loose slashed-up top over it. Michelle had tried to convince her to get a belly ring. She's politely declined. A friend from high school had developed an infection in her piercing and that had been enough to convince Elliot to stop at the two holes she had in each ear lobe. Fear, or as in this case a healthy distaste for pus, was a powerful deterrent.

Michelle put down the straightening iron with a sound of disgust. "Ugh. It's not fair, it doesn't matter how much I fry my hair I can never get it as straight as yours Elliot."

Elliot grabbed a hank of her admittedly very straight hair and said, "Sure it's straight but you wouldn't even want to try getting this to hold a curl. It won't happen."

Val hitched her boobs higher in her bra and pursed her lip glossed lips at her reflection in the mirror and said, "Lucky for you straight hair is in at the moment then."

"That's true but then one of these days volume and big waves are going to be the go-to look again and then I'm fucked."

Michelle edged in beside Val in front of the mirror and applied another coat of gloss. "I don't know why either of us even bother with gloss Val. Matt will be wearing yours within about five minutes and Brian won't even get close enough to my lips to even see it, let alone admire it," she said with a disgruntled sigh. "He's so freakin' hot and he won't even acknowledge my existence."

Elliot stifled a giggle. She was pretty that Brian was all too aware of Michelle's existence but was terrified of being locked down in a relationship like Matt was when his own stated aim was to pull as many chicks as he possibly could. "I can't say that I see what the appeal is with that one to be honest Michelle. Brian's a bit of a dick."

Michelle rolled her eyes as she replied, "You would say that, he's your cousin. Even though I kind of agree, I really want to see his dick."

"Anyway," Val interjected, "what I want to know is what's going on with Elliot and Jimmy. The guy's eyes are going to fall out of his head when he sees you tonight."

Elliot fought back a blush, because as much as she wanted there to be something going on with Jimmy she was being truthful when she replied, "There is nothing happening with Jimmy."

"Bullshit," Michelle coughed. "The guy gets cartoon skunk heart eyes every time he looks at you."

Elliot pressed her hand to her belly in an attempt to stop the flutter of a squadron of butterflies in in her stomach. There was no way she was going to get her hopes up. Michelle was so fixated on hooking up with Brian that the excess hormones churning through her bloodstream probably had her imagining romantic connections where none existed.

Elliot had a suspicion that Michelle was hoping that if she could get Brian's best friends all paired off and left Brian without any wingmen he'd succumb to the inevitable and give up resisting her lures. As plans went it wasn't a bad one even if Zacky and bass player Matt seemed to be more content to lead on and flirt with three or four of the girls Michelle had flung in their direction rather than picking one each for a girlfriend. As for Jimmy, as far as she could tell he'd put her firmly in the friend zone. Sure he was constantly touching her and he had a weird fascination with her hair, but that was just him. He was a touchy feely guy and his hands had never strayed into inappropriate territory. Worse luck.