She gave us a quick smile and then disappeared back into the apartment and into her room. I could hear her sighing in annoyance as she went.

Dex eyed me with a twinkle, shaking his head but smiling. “You just ruined her whole night, you know.”

“I know,” I said, returning the smile. And I was just getting started.

CHAPTER TWENTY

At six o’ clock on the dot, the buzzer from downstairs sounded. Dex had been working for the last six hours getting the episode ready and it seemed like it was good to go and ready to be uploaded.

“I still would have preferred to have done an original soundtrack,” he said as he crossed the apartment, stretching his arms out at his side, shaking off the cramps from sitting before pressing the buzzer for Rebecca and Emily to come in.

Jenn was standing in the kitchen, hastily (and begrudgingly) pasting goat cheese on a bunch of organic crackers that had the look and appeal of cardboard. I had thought about helping her with stuff but decided against it. Instead I drank a glass of the wine she bought and watched her as she worked. She was uncomfortable as anything, all fidgety and nervous, probably from my watchful eyes and the fact that she was going to be surrounded by a bunch of women she didn’t like.

Focusing my attention on Jenn and watching Dex work his magic in the editing studio kept my mind blissfully occupied for the day. The questions that arose on the tape(who was Declan O’Shea? Dex? And why would my parents know him? And how did Dex know Creepy Clown Lady, or Pippa?) were kept in the corner of my mind for the most part and the more of the wine I drank, the more I wasn’t dwelling on it. The only thing on my radar was the evening. That was it. I was going to have fun at the party, that was the goal, and watching Jenn squirm already was putting the night on the right path.

Something was missing though…

“We need music!” I exclaimed and booted it over to the stereo.

“No Lady Gaga!” Jenn called out. I actually wanted to put it on out of spite but instead I put on Peeping Tom. I thought some of the songs were acerbically appropriate. But she still sneered as the first song came on.

“This weird crap, figures. You’re just like Dex, you know,” she said, finishing off the last cracker and washing her hands in the sink.

Dex and I exchanged a smirk.

“So I’ve been told,” I said, joining him at the door.

There was a quick knock at the door and some giggles followed from the other side. Dex flung it open, revealing Rebecca and a cute, small blonde girl who must have been Emily. They both smiled at us and Rebecca let out a holler, holding a bottle of Jagermeister high in the air. Oh, God.

“Are you ready to party!?” she yelped, and then threw her arms around Dex, giving him a quick hug. She turned to me and did the same, smelling like all sorts of heavenly things.

She released me and looked over my shoulder at Jenn.

“Hey Jenny Jenn,” she greeted her with the slightest trace of amusement.

Jenn smiled, close-lipped. “Becky. Emily. I made some appies.”

She gestured to the plate on the bar counter but made no move to bring it over to us.

“So domestic, Jenn,” Rebecca said humorously. Dex took her and Emily’s coats from them (of course Rebecca’s was a luxurious black velvet that matched her hair) while Rebecca put her arm around Emily and brought her up to me.

“Perry, I’d like you to meet my partner Emily,” she said. I looked at Emily and offered my hand. She was about my height, maybe an inch or two higher, had a sweet round face and very pale blonde hair. Her eyes were an eerie shade of robin’s egg blue that seized your attention. I couldn’t make out if they were contacts or not, but they were mesmerizing.

She took my hand politely, but then pulled me into her and gave me a quick hug.

“I think we’re on hugging terms already,” she said in an angelic, breathy voice.

I looked the couple over. Rebecca was wearing a sequined red shift dress and fishnets while Emily was dressed a little plainer in a black skirt and patterned blouse.

“Are you guys dressed all ready? I thought we were going to get ready together?” I asked.

“Don’t you worry,” Rebecca said, picking up a huge pebbled leather bag from the floor. “I’ve got my clothes in here and I just need to convince Emily to put on something else.”

Emily rolled her eyes but smiled. “I like this.”

“For a job interview, sure,” Rebecca said, kissing her on the cheek. I noticed her maroon lips didn’t leave a mark. “But this is the party of the year!”

“OK, Rebecca,” Dex said with a chuckle as he walked over to the fridge and pulled a beer out of it. “I think you’re overselling this party just a bit. Don’t you remember last year?”

“What happened last year?” Jenn asked.

“Well of course you don’t remember, you passed out in the bathroom an hour into the party,” Dex said.

Rebecca laughed sharply and Jenn glared at them both.

“Like you guys were any better,” she sniveled. “I just remember it being boring.”

“It was boring,” Rebecca said. “Until Dean brought out the 151 he snuck in the restaurant. We didn’t have to pay for any drinks after that.”

I grimaced at the idea of drinking 151 under the table. Even the bottle of Jagermeister looked sinister. I couldn’t let myself get too drunk tonight. I felt like I needed my wits about me.

“Don’t worry,” Emily said, noticing my expression. “We’ll both be Shownet party virgins.”

“Good,” I said. “Because I have no idea what to expect.”

“Don’t expect much,” Dex advised us, eying us both. “Jimmy is cheap as hell. I guess you already know that, kiddo.”

“Kiddo,” Jenn repeated. “Why do you always call her that? She’s not that young.”

Dex slowly turned his head to look at her. She was leaning back against the stove, sipping daintily from her glass of red wine. She raised her thin brows at him.

“It’s a term of endearment,” he said deliberately. “Jennifer.”

While Dex and Jenn had a weird little staring match, I looked over at Rebecca and Emily. They looked as awkward as I felt. Rebecca bit her lip briefly and raised her eyes in a “yikes” gesture. Then she lifted up her heavy bag and said, “OK then, how about we start getting ready. That way we don’t have to rush later.”

“Sounds good,” I said, and the three of us went over to the den as Rebecca added, “Let’s see what you have planned to wear, Perry.”

I could feel Jenn and Dex’s eyes on us and as I closed the door to shut them out, I heard Jenn mutter under her breath to him, “I bet they’re all going in there to make out.”

I rolled my eyes in annoyance and shut the door. Honestly, I didn’t know how Rebecca was still a Wine Babe after all of that.

In the room, Emily was staring up at the posters on the wall while Rebecca was already perched on the bed and staring at me expectantly.

“What the hell is going on out there?” she cried out in a hush.

“I…” I started; then wasn’t sure what to say. Did I want to tell Rebecca that I told Dex about her theory? “It’s a long story.”

“You can cut that tension with a butter knife,” she said. “It better be a long story.”

I leaned against the door and sighed until my body was more relaxed. “Dex knows about Jenn and Bradley.”

Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What about Jenn and Bradley?”

“Well, I kind of told him you had a theory about them.”

“I never told you what the theory was.”

“I guessed. I’m not dumb.”

“No, darling, you’re not dumb.” She didn’t look mad. I explained to them what happened when I went clubbing with Jenn on Wednesday.

“And last night when we were locked in the basement,” I continued, “she wasn’t answering the phone. And it all kind of came out. Verbal diarrhea.”

“Oh boy,” Rebecca said. She exchanged a look with Emily then looked back at me expectantly. “Do you know what he’s going to do? I mean, he has to break up with her now if he knows.”

I shrugged. “That…that I have no freaking idea. I wish I did. I told him he should but…”

“He’s a scared little boy,” she put in. “Honestly, I don’t know how you’re dealing with this. It can’t be easy.”

I eyed Emily nervously. She caught it and smiled reassuringly. “Bex told me about…your crush. It’s cool. I only just met you, but for what it’s worth, I think he’s an idiot if he doesn’t feel the same way back.”

I blushed at her kind words.

“OK, Ems, you’re turning her into an awkward pile of mush,” Rebecca said, getting off the bed and rifling through her overflowing bag. “And we can’t have mushy Perry tonight. We’re getting sexy Perry, isn’t that right, darling?”

I nodded slowly, feeling a bit on the spot. About an hour earlier, Ada had texted me with last-minute advice about tonight. Mainly to “just work the shit out of the dress.”

“So what are you wearing?” Rebecca asked with her hands on her hips and a carrying kit of makeup in front of her.

I walked over to a stack of boxes where I had laid out the dress so it wouldn’t get wrinkled. I picked it up and showed it to her, the teal color catching the light, making it look inviting enough to swim in.

“Ooh, that is gorgeous. And with the shoes, too! Good choice.”

I beamed at that. Finally, it seemed I had fashion sense.

She touched Emily’s arm and pointed at the door. “We’re going to go into the bathroom and get that all ready with hair tools and makeup. The gorgeous station, we’ll call it. Come out, shoes and all, when you’re done and we’ll finish you off.”

They both left the room, and I was alone for the first time today.

I locked the door behind them in case Dex decided to mosey on in, and I stripped down until I was totally naked. I couldn’t wear a bra with the dress but thankfully there was enough support in the corset that I didn’t need one (a first) and the material was that shiny, thin kind that picked up every bump. I was very (and surprisingly) fortunate that I didn’t have a lick of cellulite anywhere on my body but it did mean I wouldn’t be wearing any underwear. Oh well, no one had to know I was going commando.

I slipped the dress over my head and to my surprise, it fit even better than when I first tried it on. I guess it came from not eating much this whole week. I had originally feared I would have gained weight from not working out but that didn’t seem to be the case at all. I was able to reach behind and do up the zipper on my own and without holding my breath.

Next came the shoes. Unfortunately, I knew they weren’t going to get more comfortable, unlike the dress. But I managed to stand in them now without wobbling and I made sure to stash a bunch of Band-Aids in my evening bag in case I got a bunch of blisters.

I walked to the door and poked my head out, not wanting Jenn or Dex to see me until I was absolutely ready. The door to their bedroom was closed and no one was in the apartment. The idea that they could be having sex in there made me feel momentarily sick. Rebecca had said that was what their relationship often came down to, just sex.