Laura
Laura took a deep breath. She wasn’t quite ready to walk through Jeff Haskell’s front door, especially since, from the sounds of it, the party was already in full swing and it was only ten o’clock. She peered down at the billowy, Aztec-print crop top and ripped jeans she’d chosen for this very first EHS social event, wondering if it would make her stand out even more. I’m not supposed to care, Laura thought to herself, but that was tricky now that there was Charlie to impress and Amanda to avoid. Neither would happen if she continued to stand on the Haskells’ front stoop. Laura turned the knob and walked in, head held high.
It was Amanda who greeted her the minute she entered the packed living room. “You came!” she said. “Charlie said you might! Let’s get you something to drink!”
Amanda didn’t know that Laura had heard what she said to Charlie after lunch that first day of school, so she didn’t know that Laura would see right through this welcome-wagon routine. But the best friend act benefitted Laura in more ways than one. She could meet the senior class on the arm of their lady leader and carefully dig for some clues about Amanda’s deal with Charlie.
Laura had to hand it to Amanda; she was an expert escort. “Hey! Johnny, T, Kev. Come here. You need to know Laura immediately. She’s brand new, from California, and couldn’t be cuter. Come fight over her.”
Every intro was just as quick, cute, and smooth, so that by the time Laura made one lap around the house, her number was officially entered into ten guys’ phones. On more than one occasion she actually heard Amanda shut down someone’s whisper about the Sarah similarities.
“So what,” she said to some super-muscly dude wearing a way-too-tight tank top, “You look like half the cast of Jersey Shore and you don’t see anyone staring at you. Get over it.”
Thanks to Amanda, Laura started to actually feel the confidence she was channeling when she’d walked into to Jeff’s house. She could be herself in her funky print top with her California attitude and find a way to fit in with this tight-knit group that had been partying together for years.
It wasn’t until Laura was finally guided out to the fire pit tucked to the left of the pool that she got part two of the Amanda treatment.
“So, which guy would you like?” Amanda said. She was barely even looking at Laura as she took what seemed like a thousand photos of her bare feet dangling in front of the fire pit.
“What do you mean?” Laura said.
“You met like a dozen guys tonight. Who do you want to date?”
“Oh. Um. I’m not sure,” Laura said. “Do I have to pick one right now?”
“Yes.” The sweetness in Amanda’s voice was officially gone, replaced with that bossy tone Laura heard her use with Charlie.
“And why is that?” Laura said. Dealing with Amanda required an equally direct approach.
“Because it will help you keep your mind off my boyfriend.”
With that, Laura understood everything that had happened for the past hour. It was the classic mean-girl power play. The only thing that made her feel better was the knowledge that Amanda viewed her as enough of a threat to spend time pretending to be her friend. Laura didn’t respond for a moment, which Amanda took as an invitation to explain herself further.
“Listen, Laura, Charlie is damaged goods. Seriously damaged. Even if you could have him, you wouldn’t want him.” Now Amanda actually seemed genuine.
“What’s wrong with him?” Laura asked.
“It’s not my place to tell you, but let’s just say he’s been through a really hard time, and he’s only just getting over it all.”
“So then why do you want him?” Laura asked. Amanda’s eyebrows almost shot out of her head. It took her another second or so to respond, and when she did it was with a tone so scary that Laura’s skin actually tingled.
“I’ll just say that Charlie and I are eternally bound, and nothing can change that.”