Over a month later, the night of the big Jensen party came. The three girls met at Cully's house to get ready. Luckily, Maureen and Michael weren't home. She had all the beauty supplies and accessories you could imagine. It wouldn't be the first time Faye and Savana borrowed clothes and jewelry.

Though they weren't getting to the party until 9 p.m., they started getting ready at 4 p.m. They rarely got invited to parties like this and felt the need to dress up.

Cully straightened her long dark hair and wore gold hoop earrings. Her lipstick and eyeshadow were maroon. She decided to wear her zebra print sleeveless top with her cut-off jean shorts. The pockets were bejeweled like crazy. She chose black flats for her shoes.

Looking in her full-length mirror, Cully readjusted her bra again. She felt self-conscious about how much cleavage showed in that top, but that's how it was with most of her clothes. Although, she didn't necessarily want to cover up and feel like a prude.

Faye curled her short blonde hair tips. She tried teasing her bangs to make them look fuller, but it wasn't working. Cully helped and gassed them out of the bathroom with all the hairspray she used. Faye was disappointed with her hair but didn't want to waste more time on it. Sometimes she wondered if she should grow her hair to do more with it.

On the bed was Faye's outfit. A pair of ripped skinny black jeans and a metal band t-shirt cut into a V-neck. Faye quickly changed into them from her tank top and basketball shorts she wore at work. The August heat was ridiculously humid. But she felt more confident wearing those skinny jeans. It would be the first time she dressed in her preferred style in front of Ezra.

Faye gave her nails a fresh coat of red paint. She wore a black choker and a long chain necklace with a skull. Faye smudged her eyeliner around her eyes and called it good. She rarely wore any other makeup. Cully convinced her to buy a fake lip ring to test it out and see if she liked it enough to get the real deal. Faye put on the lip ring and instantly fell in love with it. Finally, she threw on her trusty pair of checkered Vans.

Savana was lost. She had minimal experience with hair and makeup. She only owned a couple of dresses and blouses. Otherwise, she owned dozens of plain t-shirts, hoodies, jeans, and basketball shorts.

Several t-shirts turned into cut-offs for the summer, and then she bought more t-shirts in the fall at garage sales. Always men's shirts. They fit her better. Women's shirts were short on her, and sleeves were too tight. She felt claustrophobic.

She was the tallest of the three and had a longer torso and broader hips. Cully was middle height and had wide shoulders and small hips. Faye was the shortest and had a thin, straight figure. Savana sometimes felt jealous of the other two.

"Oh my god Savana!" Cully shouted.

Savana jumped. "What? What?" She looked around her.

"That dress is adorable! Did you just buy that?" Cully asked.

Savana looked down at the white laced spaghetti strap dress she had put on. She was happy that it reached down to her knees. She fidgeted with the lace-covered buttons. "No, my mom helped me pick it out a week before she died. It was for my birthday. I never got the chance to wear it until now." Savana looked at herself in the mirror and felt like an imposter wearing this dress.

"So, I know you don't like to do much with your hair but I really want to curl it. You already have natural curls, they just need to be cleaned up." Cully smiled.

"And I know you don't wear makeup like at all, but I think just a tiny bit of eyeliner under your eyes and a light colored lipstick would be nice." Faye suggested.

Savana has had second thoughts about attending the party for weeks. They had noticed her acting strangely. Especially after she told them she thought someone might be following her.

When Gavin was out with Jacklyn, Savana would get a creepy feeling of being watched in her house. The black truck appeared several times in town when she was with the girls or sped by her house. She hadn't seen the driver at all.

The girls tried to tell her it was all in her head because she wasn't used to being alone. But then, one day, she got into her car, and it looked like someone had looked through her stuff. Savana sometimes left her purse in her car and never thought to lock it because who would drive to her house in the country to break into a car? She couldn't find a picture of her mom and Aunt Samara she kept there.

The week before, they were all hanging out with Ezra and Landon again, and Savana couldn't find her phone. Cully and Faye tried convincing her she had just misplaced things. A day later, she found it in her car.

The girls had a blast helping Savana get ready for the party. Once they were done, Savana grabbed her favorite pair of shoes, red high-top Converse. She stood in front of the mirror again and felt even more like an imposter. She didn't recognize herself.

Cully shook her head at Savana's choice of shoes, then gave her a necklace. "You can wear this too if you want." It was a bronze owl with green gems as eyes. She knew Savana loved that necklace even if she didn't like wearing jewelry.

Savana put the necklace around her neck and smiled at Cully and Faye. "Thanks guys. It will be a great night."

Later, the girls pulled up to Jansen's driveway. They lived a few miles outside Sumner. They were one of the wealthiest families in the area. The long blacktop driveway had solar lights along the sides. Large trees hung over the driveway. After a slight turn, the house came into view. They could hear the music booming already.

"Holy shit." Cully whispered to herself.

"Yo! They even have a pool!" Savana grinned. If she had known, she might have brought a swimsuit.

There was a large front lawn and a three-door garage. Cully parked along the driveway. There must have been over two dozen other cars there. At first glance, Faye counted at least fifty people outside and inside. The living room was visible through large, floor-to-ceiling windows.

"I didn't think it would be like this." Faye was anxious, especially for Cully. She hadn't seen anyone in Ivy's group yet.

"So, these are the parties I've been missing out on." Cully half smiled, thinking about how her old friends had been attending these parties since they kicked her out of the group. They liked to rub it in her face whenever they got the chance.

"Eh, if it's full of those douchebags then it can't be that great anyway," Savana said. The girls only came because Ezra invited them.

After they got out of the car, Savana checked her phone to see if Ezra had seen her message.

"There you are!" Ezra shouted from the front door. He ran over to them. Cully and Faye instantly played with their hair and smiled at him.

Savana noticed Damon walk behind Ezra. He smiled as he made eye contact and waved at her. She smiled and waved back. It was weird to see him again. They hung out two other times since they were alone at the lake. Both times, Ezra, Cully, and Faye were with them. They texted each other sometimes. Savana often wanted to text him more but felt she would bother him.

Suddenly Landon came running from the garage and got to Savana before Damon did. Landon was already drunk. "Savana!" He hugged her. She was caught off guard. The rest of them looked confused, while Damon looked angry.

He stepped back from Savana and looked over at Faye and Cully. "Hey ladies! You ready to party?" Landon winked at them.

Ezra stood between the two girls. Faye gazed at Ezra and smiled. Cully rolled her eyes at Landon and saw Faye looking up at Ezra.

Two weeks prior, Cully overheard Savana and Faye discussing Ezra while helping at the daycare. Faye mentioned she was worried about the party and wanted to make a good impression on Ezra. At first, Cully was mad that Savana knew about it and didn't tell her. But she understood how complicated things could get when two friends like the same guy. She planned to find someone at the party to help her get over her feelings for Ezra.

Faye was excited to see Ezra again. He looked so attractive wearing a bright orange cut-off shirt with worn jeans. His smile made the cutest dimples. She looked over at Cully, who seemed to be looking for someone. Faye has been nervous for weeks. She planned to tell Cully about liking Ezra but chickened out last minute.

"I see that you're having fun." Savana noticed Landon swaying a little.

"I always have fun at Zander's! Woohoo!" He lifted his plastic cup of beer in the air and chugged the rest of it.

"Good thing we're both off tomorrow. Jesimae would kill you coming in hungover." Savana chuckled.

"Nah. Your aunt loves me now." He smiled at Ezra. "Hear that? Your mommy loves me."

"Shut up." Ezra laughed and pushed him.

Landon laughed and ran back to the garage to get more beer. Damon was about to talk to Savana when Ezra gathered all three girls and walked them to the house.