My cell rang as I started down the stairs, heading for the kitchen. Whipping it out, I slid my finger across. “Hey, dude. I’m in for tonight.”

Deep laughter came back at me. “I didn’t even need to pull out my persuasive tone of voice,” Brad said.

I scoffed. “You know your tone doesn’t work on me. I’ve seen you naked and covered in paint.”

“I was three,” he said with a huff. “You can’t keep using our childhood against me.”

I shrugged, even though he couldn’t see me. “Perks of a friendship with me. A lifetime reminder of every mortifying moment you’ve had.”

It sounded like he was counting to ten – there was a lot of breathing – before finally, he said, “I’ll be there later. P.S. you’re a shit friend.” I laughed and we hung up at the same time.

Downstairs, I moved through the wide hallway and into our kitchen. The large room was designed for catering, because on occasion my parents hosted events here for the people they worked with. In secret. Only not always so secret because they all liked to eat hors d’oeuvres together. Francis, our chef, was already at work on dinner, but he’d popped a plate with my favorite afterschool snack on the bench.

“Thanks, Frannie,” I said, snatching up the sandwich.

“Out of here.” He waved me away. “I have dinner to prepare.”

I gave him a wink, because he was a cranky bastard, but he always made me my snack, so I was pretty sure he kind of liked me. Or at least tolerated me. Which for him was a big deal.

I bypassed the formal lounge – no food allowed in there – which was cool with me; I preferred the rumpus room. Gigantic flat screen, a bunch of squishy couches, a mini-fridge for my drinks and snacks, three different gaming consoles and more games than I could count.

What else could a girl need?

As a double bonus, it led into the outdoors games room, which had our pool table, ping pong, and all the pinball machines. The games room opened up to the pool, so ninety percent of the time this is where I hung out with my friends.

As I ate, I tried not to think about all the schoolwork waiting for me upstairs. It felt like a waste. I couldn’t for the life of me decide on a career path I was interested in. I should just pick a college, hopefully get accepted, and then worry about the rest later. That would get my parents off my case. I just … kept waiting for a sign to point me in the right direction.

At some point in my deep contemplation I must have dozed off, because when I opened my eyes again, it was dark. Shit! I jumped up, my eyes flicking across to my watch. 7:15 P.M.

Double shit! I had two hours to get ready for tonight, and considering I hadn’t even showered yet, that was barely going to be enough time. Just my hair took forty minutes to dry and style. I rushed past Gracie as I took the stairs two at a time. “Slow down,” she called after me. “You’re going to break your neck.”

“Why didn’t you wake me?” I shouted back, almost up the stairs.

Her laughter followed me. “I tried. You were so out of it, I figured you needed the rest.”

“Ugh.” I threw my hands in the air and she laughed again.

Running into my room, I was already stripping and flinging clothes around as I crossed to the bathroom. Quickest shower in history, shaved my legs and all the other hairy essentials. I might meet my soul mate tonight. Always had to be prepared for that.

Once I was out, I battled with the hair dryer. Having hair almost to my waist was a real pain at times, but I couldn’t imagine cutting it. My childhood goal had been to be Rapunzel when I grew up, and I’d given it my best shot. I no longer wanted her life, though, thanks to Brad who had almost scalped me when we were ten by trying to use my hair to climb over a fence.

When my hair was dry, hanging in thick lengths over my shoulders, I used a bit of product to keep it smooth and shiny. Then it was makeup time. The winged eyeliner took me the longest, but after all the years of practice, I had a very firm hand. Within fifteen minutes, my almond-shaped eyes were lined, mascaraed, shadowed, and … I was ready to go.

I expected Brad to be waiting for me when I got downstairs, but apparently he was late, too. I really shouldn’t be surprised; he spent almost as long on his hair as I did. Gracie strolled out of her office, a small room off the formal living area where she did all of the coordination of schedules and other bits and pieces for the entire family. “Have you got everything?” she asked, looking over my outfit.

I was wearing a black skirt with black knee-high socks. I’d put my boots on when I stepped outside. I was short, so I loved to wear the highest heels I could. Tonight, the ones I’d chosen were only four inches … so I’d be almost average height. My top was a dark gray shirt dress, with long sleeves to combat the cold.

It was casual but dance-ready. My bag was small. I could only fit in my phone, cash, some cards, and lip gloss.

“I’ve got everything,” I told her.

She smiled, rubbing her hand across her eyes. She hadn’t taken any time off this year at all – she needed a holiday. Maybe this year she’d go to her parents’ place for Christmas, back to California. “Text me periodically,” she finally said. “Home by one, and don’t drink anything except what you poured.” She turned to go into her office, before pausing and looking back. “You look beautiful,” she added, and then pointed her finger at me. “Be careful. Stay close to Brad.”