Jealousy Best Served Devious (Clash Of Cliches Book 1)

Chapter 27- Drastic Measures

I returned to an empty, silent house and sat at the foot of the stairs, deciding to call Shelley and see what she was up to. "You've reached IHop, what's your order?"

"Knock it off, Shelley," I said impatiently. One of these days, she would get tired of answering phone calls like that.

With a hearty laugh, she exclaimed, "Kaylee! How's the party?"

"I didn't go."

Distantly, I heard Janessa say, "Hayden texted me and said he talked to you. Or at least I think that's what he was saying."

"It's a long story," I admitted. "What are you guys doing?"

Excitedly, Shelley told me, "Suzi gave Janessa her old makeup kit, so we're giving each other YouTube makeovers. Come over, let's have a sleepover!"

Say no more.

I didn't want to be alone, and I knew that some straight-talk from Shelley and Janessa would help me.

*****

"Why do you look so sad?" was the first thing Shelley said to me as I trudged into her room, my favorite blankie under one arm and my overnight bag in my other.

Gaping at the pancake makeup on both of my best friends faces, I managed to say, "I do?"

"You look like a kicked puppy," Janessa supplied, busily braiding Shelley's thick brown hair.

Rolling my eyes, I dropped myself into Shelley's comfy desk chair. "Well, you guys look ridiculous!"

"I'm supposed to be a butterfly, thank you very much," Janessa said in indignation.

Tossing her hair into Janessa's face, Shelley said, "And I'm a woodland fairy."

"Kaylee can be a unicorn, and we can take a selfie for Instagram!" Janessa exclaimed cheerfully, patting the spot next to her on Shelley's Hello Kitty bed. "Come, sit."

With that much enthusiasm, how could I say no?

I settled onto the bed, and Shelley turned to face me while Janessa looked up 'unicorn makeup' on YouTube.

"What's with you, Kaylee?" Shelley asked curiously, wiggling her green tinted eyebrows at me.

Shrugging, I replied, "I dunno."

"Why didn't you and Tyler go to the party?" Janessa put in, slathering something on my face. "Wasn't it thrown partially for his benefit?"

Trying to sneak a glance at the laptop screen to see what Janessa was going to turn me into, I said, "He said he didn't feel like it, so we just watched a movie and had dinner at his place, and then Dianne called to say Celeste was passed out drunk."

"Oh, shit." Shelley's eyes widened.

I nodded. "Yeah. And apparently Ryder took off because she was dancing on some college guy."

"Took off because he's a perennial fuck boy," Janessa muttered under her breath, a wicked grin on her face.

Like I can't hear you?

Trying to glower at her and then realizing that my face was stiff with whatever makeup Janessa was industriously putting on my face, I asked her, "Do you wanna tell the story, Nessa?"

"Sorry." Janessa smiled sheepishly. "Continue."

"So Tyler and I went to pick her up because apparently she's done this before and her parents are strict so Tyler always takes her back to his house," I finished.