Carefree || JJ Maybank

Chapter Eighteen

When Everleigh stepped into Kiara's house, Kiara immediately hugged her. "Oh my god, you're alright!" She says smiling.

"Thank you so much." Everleigh smiles.

They back out of the hug smiling.

"So, Ev, I was thinking..." She starts.

"About what?" Everleigh asks curiously.

"Would you be my plus one to midsummers? I already have a dress for you, and I can do your hair, and..." She starts going off. Kiara usually hated midsummers, but maybe having Everleigh there would help.

After a while of getting ready, Kiara had given Everleigh a long, maroon red, satin dress. Her hair was in beach waves, with a flower tucked into her ear.

Everleigh stared at herself in the mirror in disbelief. "There is no way I could possibly look like this, there is no way this is the real me."

Kiara's mom walks into the room, Kiara sees herself in the mirror and cringes, "This is disgusting."

"I know. It's just horrible. I'm asking you to relax and go to a fun party. I even let you bring a friend." The woman replies, putting earrings in her ears.

"I look like a bourgeoisie pig." Kiara cringes again, turning to her mom.

Everleigh stood silently, it was awkward just standing there when Kiara and her mom were arguing.

"Will you please not worry about socioeconomic injustice for one night?" Kiara's mom rolls her eyes.

"Mom, people not three miles from here have no power, no running water, and we're going to Midsummers. That's so tone-deaf." Kiara whines.

"Do you know how hard we had to work to get into the Island Club?" Kiara's mom asks.

"Yeah, Mom. How could I forget? You had to grovel for, like, ten years..." Kiara exaggerates.

"Twelve, and we also had to cough up a huge chunk of dough, and do you know why we did that?" Kiara's mom interrupts.

"To keep up with the Joneses?" Kiara also interrupts.

"No. So you could have the experiences that I had as a child. Honey, do you know what the Island Club is?" Kiara's mom asks, putting her hands on Kiara's shoulder.

"A factory farm for debutantes." Kiara mumbles, rolling her eyes.

Everleigh watched as the two argued back and forth.

"It is a nice place, with nice people, where you can do fun stuff." Her mom answers.

"With out-of-touch rich people, while the island sinks slowly into the ocean." Kiara says, pulling her lips to make a straight line.

"Okay, I want you to put on your party face, Kie, if you wanna live." Kiara's mom threatens, walking away, "Enjoy yourself Everleigh."

Once they got to the party, everywhere they looked were kooks, Everleigh knew absolutely nobody.

Everleigh spots Pope from across the room. She points to him and both girls walk behind him.

"Excuse me, sir. Do we have to shuck these ourselves?" Everleigh asks in an English accent.

"'Cause it might mess up my costume." Kiara finishes, mimicking the same accent.

Pope turns around to see Kiara, "We wouldn't want that now, would we?" Then he looks over and sees Everleigh.

He pulls her into a tight hug, "Ev, oh my god, thank you so much."

Everleigh just stands there and accepts the hug, "uh... you're welcome?" She says smiling. After she pulled away, she took a look around the room, "You ever seen this many Kooks in one place?" She asks.