Dane had told Kyle and every other boy in our grade that I had a problem with body odor, and to a thirteen-year-old boy that was a pretty big deal, but to a twelve-year-old girl it was one of the most humiliating things ever. Charlie had found me crying in the middle of my bed, and tried his hardest to comfort me. His efforts weren’t completely in vain but Dane had still managed to make me feel small, and insignificant. Though his pranks had gotten worse over the years, I made a promise to myself that he would never make me feel so worthless again, and for the most part I succeeded.

Until today.

Hearing what Ashley had said made me feel like that twelve-year-old girl again. And the absolute worst part? I couldn’t even be angry with Dane when I was to blame. He’d made me no promises, yet I was dumb enough to go against my better judgment and sleep with him anyway.

No, this wasn’t his fault.

It was all on me.

As I walked around campus aimlessly, mulling it over in my head, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I pulled it out, and checked to see that I’d received a text message from Jade.

We’re hitting Kolony tonight with Ash and Grady for the Pimps & Ho’s party. Tell me you’re in?

It was a Friday night, and Kolony was bound to be insane. An idea popped into my head, and the need to let go of everything ‘Dane’ related, roared to life inside me. I typed out a response, smiling.

First round is on me ;)

I had a plan, and if I was lucky, it would make me forget about Dane long enough to rid myself of any shame or lingering humiliation. He might have seen me as nothing more than a one night stand, but I was determined to see him as nothing more than a speed bump on the long, windy road that was my life.

GRADY WALKED INTO my bedroom and let out a low whistle. “Good God, honey bee, you’re going to give the guys at Kolony an aneurism dressed like that.”

I smiled, and applied the rest of my mascara before turning to face him. “Isn’t that the whole point of the ‘Pimps & Hoes’ theme?”

His brows shot up, and he crossed his arms over his chest. “This,” he waved his hand in my direction, “my little tootsie roll, is more like high end escort instead of street corner hooker. Those boys are going to be falling over their tongues when they see you.”

My eyes rolled. “Please, the girls will take one look at you, and wish you played for our team. That suit is very Christian Grey.”

I straightened and twisted around facing my floor length mirror. I had to admit that my little black dress was kind of short, but it still covered the important bits, and also made me feel sexy. The smooth black material hugged my body, ending mid-thigh with a low back, and a flattering sweetheart neckline that worked well with my new push up bra. I curled my hair, and allowed it to hang over my shoulders to show off my exposed back.

“Looking at you right now, I wished I batted for your team. I wasn’t kidding when I said tongues are going to wag,” replied Grady.

I laughed, and applied some red lipstick as the finishing touch. “I just want to have fun,” I said. “You’re the only guy I plan on going home with anyway.” I winked and he simply shook it off with a chuckle.

“Okay, deuces, let’s get this party on the road!” Jade shouted from the kitchen. Despite my earlier mood, I was excited to have a night out with my friends.

“Where’s Ashley?” I asked as soon as we were in the kitchen.

“She bailed last minute. Something to do with a biochemistry assignment gone wrong,” replied Jade.

“That’s too bad,” said Grady, waving his hand in dismissal. “We’ll send her pictures from the club. Now let’s get the hell out of here so I can go find me a Pimp.”

BY THE TIME we arrived at the club, it was already well on its way to being filled to the brim.  People queued outside, and from the looks of it the line ran all the way around the corner. It wasn’t unusual for a Friday night, but the ‘Pimps & Hoes’ theme was so popular that many people drove an hour from Brighton just to attend.

I slipped my hand into the crook of Grady’s arm, and we followed Jade to the door where the bouncer, Bobby, let us in. They’d definitely gone all out with the décor, and had even gone so far as to have stripper poles situated throughout the large space.

There was very little room to move around, but after a few shoves, and some elbows to the ribs, we made it to the bar. Jade ordered us some tequila shots to get the night going, and included a few bottles of water to help us pace ourselves.

“We drink to those who love us, we drink to those who don’t. We drink to those who fuck us, and fuck those who don’t!” Shouted Jade.

Grady replied, “Amen to that!” And we clinked our shot glasses, and swallowed back the vile clear liquid. I coughed, and blinked back the way my eyes immediately teared up.

“You okay, honey bee?” Grady rubbed my back, and I nodded.

He surveyed the crowd, and when his eyes stopped on someone in the middle of the dance floor, he kissed each of us on the cheek, and made his way out into the crowd. He looked good in a light grey tailored Armani suit, black button up shirt, and just to stand out, a red silk tie. His hair was perfectly coifed, as it always was, and tonight he had a glint in his eye that I’d never noticed before.

Jade came up to my side, and I noticed that she too was scanning the crowd. When she came up empty, she turned to face me. “I need to ask you something, but I don’t want you to be angry with me.”

I looked at her, and saw genuine apprehension on her face. She nibbled at her lip, and the nervousness radiating from her was unusual. She was always so confident, and never hesitated to tell me, or anyone for that matter, what was on her mind.

“You can ask me anything,” I replied honestly.

“Well,” she hesitated, looking around the room before turning back to me. “Did something happen between you and Dane the other night? At the Halloween party?”

I schooled my expression as well as I could. Jade would know if I was lying. “What makes you say that?”

“You’ve been acting really weird since then, and according to Reid, Dane has been too.”

“Yeah, sure.” I rolled my eyes. “Having a new ‘chew toy’ is hardly weird behavior for him.”

Jade’s eyes remained fixed on my face, but they were searching. “You know, for what it’s worth, I don’t believe a word Ash said.”

Lifting a shoulder in a shrug, I replied, “Doesn’t matter to me.”

“That’s just it, Kennedy. I think it does. I saw the way you reacted at lunch.”

This conversation was messing with my plan, and I needed to divert. “I’ve just had a lot on my mind, and tonight is about letting our hair down. Can we forget about him and everything Ash said, please?”

Jade remained quiet for a moment, and for a second I thought she’d seen through my bullshit. She always had an uncanny ability to read me, and I hoped that she’d drop it, even if it were just for tonight.

“On one condition,” she finally said.

“And that would be?”

“You tell me if anything happens. I don’t want you to think you can’t come to me just because I’m friends with Reid.”

“Of course I’d tell you,” I lied. “Not that anything will happen.”