Frisson

[9] A Sleepover! Great!

I stand next to Macey as she rings Lindsey's doorbell.

"Macey! It's so good to see you, babe." Lindsey exclaims as she hugs Macey. "And Kathryn, it's so good to see you too! I'm glad you're here," she smiles at me, but her eyes seem to be scanning me up and down.

"It's good to see you too, Lindsey." I smile, but I can't shake the feeling that she's sizing me up.

"Please, come on in," she says, opening the door to her house.

As soon as we step inside, I realise that Lindsey's whole house is pink. Every single wall is a different shade of pink, and there are pink throw pillows and blankets on every piece of furniture. It's like I'm in a nightmare version of Barbie's dream house. One whole wall is covered in pictures of Lindsey alone, posing in different outfits. Some are selfies, some are candid shots, and some are clearly taken by a professional photographer. It's a little unsettling, to be honest.

"Sorry, I have to take this," Lindsey says when her phone rings, and rushes off to answer it.

"Her house is like, literal goals, isn't it?" Macey whispers to me and I can't help but shudder.

"Sorry about that. It was Sondra from the Pink Power Booster Club. She has the flu," Lindsey says as she returns.

"Does that mean tonight's meeting is cancelled?" Macey asks and Lindsey nods, looking disappointed.

"What's the Pink Power Booster Club?" I ask, curious.

"It's a club to boost our pink power!" Macey says excitedly. What does that even mean?

"We'd ask you to join but it's only for kids with single moms. I hope you understand," Lindsey says in a slightly condescending tone, raising her eyebrows.

"Um, yeah. Of course." I respond.

"We should give ourselves Mani-Pedis! Madison's waiting in my room," Lindsey says, and leads the way down the hallway.

As we enter, Madison runs up to Lindsey and whispers about some drama that's been going on at school. They're clearly enjoying gossiping about other people, and I can't help but wonder what they say about me when I'm not around.

"Hey guys!" Madison says happily as I wave to her and Macey gives her air kisses. "Kathryn! How are you liking Riverbrook High?"

"It's not bad. I don't think I've been here long enough to form a proper opinion. It definitely has some interesting people," I comment, trying to be polite.

"Ooh yeah, we heard all about your little brawl with Ashleigh McKnight," Lindsey chimes in.

"You did, huh?" I say, feeling a little defensive.

"Don't worry, we're completely on your side. Ashleigh is trash," Madison assures.

"We call her Trashleigh," Lindsey giggles. "Isn't that so funny?"

"I see what you did there," I say, trying to acknowledge her attempt at humor despite not finding it particularly amusing. I can't shake the feeling that these girls aren't as friendly as they seem.

Lindsey hands me a bottle of hot pink nail paint and says, "This will look so much better on you than the black you have on." I hate the color but use it anyway because I can't be bothered dealing with her.

"Kathryn, can I be honest with you?" She asks and I nod, bracing myself for whatever she's about to me. "This whole rocker chick, goth girl look? It's so 2005. Emos are so not in anymore," she sighs, looking at me like I'm a broken toy.

"Um, okay," I say in response to her unsolicited advice.

"Okay, glad that's settled," she smiles. The girls continue to do their nails and I struggle to keep myself from strangling Lindsey. I am not a 2005 emo girl!