Meet up with friends

After eating, Mercy hurried to the gym to change into the athletic clothing she kept in her car. As she exited her vehicle, she paused, eyeing the eyeshadow palettes. There was a good chance she'd sweat or smudge the cheap stuff, and felt a paralyzing fear of the idea of being left unable to fix it.

She scooped a few cases into her workout bag for good measure: reds, yellows, oranges. Better to have them and not need them, and all that.

Because it was a need. Her new makeup choices were quickly becoming part of her identity. She'd feel worse than naked without it.

Darting inside, she went straight to the small locker room area to change. Her workout clothes were a simple pair of snug-fitting leggings that stretched appreciably over her strong thighs and nice firm ass, showcasing the work she'd been putting in. Her top was a simple sports bra she had to squeeze herself into. It offered excellent coverage and support, concealing her entire cleavage and keeping her girls firmly in place for her exercise.

She swapped her work heels for running shoes and headed out to the main area, where her three best friends were already gathered. They chatted amongst themselves and didn't see Mercy approach.

There was Tori, the green-eyed, freckled redhead. Mercy thought she was pretty with her round face and cute little nose, but only one description truly captured Tori: Phat. Ass. White. Girl. She was about 5'4” with large natural breasts with enough hips and ass to tempt anyone. She was proudly aware of her best feature and was dressed in the tightest little shorts that barely contained her cheeks. The girl was a notorious flirt, often having no trouble finding boys to take her home.

Adrienne came next. Dressed in a snug but modest outfit that covered everything but her arms and a tiny hint of her taut belly, she was one of the most beautiful women Mercy knew. Ethnically mysterious with bright blue eyes and olive skin, the multiple-mixed-race beauty was a professional model. A proper one, with an agency and everything. She's been in several high-profile, nation-wide ad campaigns. Tall and slender, with hair like a silken waterfall all the way to her tight ass, Mercy thought she was virtually perfect. She never seemed interested in boys at all, and kept a lot of her personal life private, even from the squad.

And then there was Emily. She was such a basic, standard white girl that she actually made Mercy look interesting by comparison. Straight brown hair to her shoulders, pretty brown eyes. The 5'6” athlete was fairly average all around. Very nice legs, though, thanks to playing soccer and volleyball for years. Mercy knew the poor girl wanted more attention, like Tori and Adrienne got, but she just didn't dress very stylishly or do much to stand out. She was boring, but dependable.

Adrienne was in a deep standing stretch, feet wide with her head between her ankles when Mercy pulled up to them. Nothing Mercy hadn't seen before, but a dude once fell off his wall trying to stare. His partner didn't even catch him.

Emily, with one hand on a low wall, leaned forward with a leg raised behind her, stretching against a hand on that ankle. She dropped her stretch and her jaw when she saw Mercy. "Woah, girl... What, uh, whatcha doing?" She gestured to her own face with a circular motion.

Tessa bounced back and forth on her bare feet, throwing her arms across her body and tilting her head from side to side. She looked at Mercy with amused approval. "Wild look, girl! What's the occasion?"

Adrienne stood upright and turned to see what the fuss was about. She paused before finally saying, "Mercy, did you lose a bet?"

Mercy knew they were all looking at her new makeup. That pleased her, but it wasn't until Emily scoffed and said. "She looks like a whore," that she remembered the weird app and its card.

Surprisingly, the word didn't repulse her like it once had. If anything, she kind of liked the way it sounded in her ears. It was sexy, scandalous. Was that the reason for her sudden interest in bold, bright makeup? That didn't seem to make sense, but it was too much of a coincidence to just ignore.