Heartstrings - Forbidden Hearts Series Prequel

12| Midnight Kiss or Jungle Red

"Which red shade of lipstick do you think I should wear? Midnight Kiss or Jungle Red?"

After getting dropped off at the movie theater by Lanie's mom, we walked past all the stores that we lied about visiting and came straight to the bathroom to change from our regular clothes to our sexy club dresses.

To say that my stomach was in knots about this whole thing was an understatement. I was anxiously waiting for one of Lanie's parents to catch us red-handed. Jeez. Maybe the girls were right. Maybe I was a good girl.

Lanie looked at my reflection in the mirror. "I think Midnight Kiss would go better with that dress."

I reached for the tube of lipstick that was sitting on the sink. "Yeah, I think you're right." I popped the top off and twisted it. "Hey, Harp! Hurry up! We're wasting time."

The bathroom door swung open just as I started applying the lipstick. I eyed Harper in the mirror. She was wearing a blue dress that criss crossed over her chest, leaving her flat stomach visible. The dress barely reached mid thigh.

"Where did you get that?" I asked, awed by how beautiful it was.

"I got it from Macy's. It was originally a few hundred, but thank gawd it was on sale." She stood in front of the sink next to me and used the mirror to mess with her perfectly styled blonde hair. "I had some money saved from Christmases and birthdays."

"Well it suits you." I reached for my eyeliner. "It's beautiful."

"Thank you, Karma. I have to say yours is pretty sexy, too. Red is definitely your color."

"Thanks!"

"Um, what about me?"

Harper and I spoke at the same time. "Your dress is beautiful, too, Lanie."

She smoothed her hands along the dark green dress with the thigh-high slit. "Thank you. I was on the fence about it at first, but after trying on twenty more, I was convinced that this was the dress."

It most certainly was. It was funny, really. All three of us seemed to find just the right dresses for the occasion. Was it fate? Or just plain luck? Probably the latter.

Out of all the crazy shenanigans we've gotten into over the years, we've never done anything like this. We've never had fake IDs. Never snuck into a club. The closest thing to that would be when we raided Harper's dad's liquor cabinet.

Boy, did we get grounded for that. Harper for two months. Lanie for one. And me? Well, let's just say it was about a full semester before I got to see my best friends outside of school. As much as I loved my parents, they were strict when it came to what was and wasn't acceptable.

And apparently getting drunk and prank calling the principal was not acceptable behavior.

I couldn't help but wonder what the punishment would be if I got caught using a fake ID to sneak into a club and most likely drink. I probably wouldn't be able to see my friends for a whole year. Or would I? I mean, since I was supposedly going to USF, my mom wouldn't forbid me to see them before then would she? Not when I was going to be away from them for the next four years.

My chest tightened at the thought. Now wasn't the time to let my thought train get started down the Dark and Dreary route. Now was the time for fun.

"How are we getting to the club again?" I asked Lanie.

She zipped up her makeup bag and shoved it in the small clutch she brought. "We're taking a cab. I'm going to call it now, actually. That way it'll be here by the time we're ready."