Surprises and Anxieties

True to her word, we find Trish in the Cafeteria, killing time on her phone. After the chaos that was my mind over the last couple of hours, she looks oddly serene.

"Whasssup?" Chirps Elise, sitting down next to Trish, making her look up with a badly-hidden smirk.

"Well, some wierdo came up to me and used 20-year-old slang, so I ran for my life" She chortles, meeting Elise's stare.

"Oh no, how scary!" She responds, pulling a face of wide-eyed concern and putting her hand on Trish's shoulder.

"I powered through for you guys!" At this point all of us can't resist chuckling. What was I stressed about? Who cares?

A cold voice cuts through the laughter. "Why did I agree to this again?" Rouge asks, approaching the table. Her words say one thing, but I know Rouge, she wouldn't be here if she didn't want to be.

"As if you'd rather be anywhere than spending time with your favourite sister!" I joke. Only sister, who's counting though? Not me, I'll take first place out of one. We make our way out of the school and reach Trish's car, Elise and I pile in the back, leaving Rouge with radio privileges. Unsurprisingly, she selects music to match her signature grunge look, honestly, I don't mind it, though I've heard it so much living next to her that I've probably developed an immunity. Elise doesn't seem to acknowledge it, but Trish decides to lean into it, singing along to the heavy vocals as she drives.

Soon enough, we arrive. Rouge graciously moves the seat forward to let us out, and I finally get a proper look at Elise's house. I'd seen it yesterday but it really dawns on me how idyllic it really is. It looks about three stories tall, with a garden the size of another house. It literally has a white-picket fence. Our host leads us to the front door and welcomes us in.

The entrance opens up into a hallway, with stairs on one side and what looks like a lounge at the end. "You can put your bags in the front room." Elise confirms, pointing towards the end of the hall. She then turns to me "If you want to use my shower, I'll use my parents' instead." Came the explanation, gesturing up the stairs. I nod and she leads me to one of the white doors on the first floor.

Elise's room. It looks like a palace, a cork board covered in post cards adorns the nearby wall, while a 4-poster bed takes pride of place in the centre of the room. The other side of the room is covered in various musical instruments, keyboards, guitars, a violin, most I don't even know the names of. There's still a couple of boxes yet to be completely unpacked, pushed against a nearby wardrobe.

"Feel free to use the soaps or anything!" Elise explains, opening a door within the room, looking inside I realise this leads to a small bathroom. I say small. It's about the size of our bathroom at home. I try and maintain my composure, but I think my envy is obvious to Elise. "Have fun!" she jokes as she leaves.

The shower is nothing like the one at home, the pressure's perfect, the temperature feels so soothing, I could stay here for days, but I fight the urge. It doesn't stop my mind wondering if Elise has used this showerhead the same way I've used mine. Not the time. I'll consider that when I'm home and behind a locked door. I step out and dry myself off before reaching for my over-night bag. I won't lie, I've never stayed at someone's house, apart from family, I wasn't entirely sure what I'd need when I packed it, so all I've got are some clothes to sleep in, a toothbrush, and a hairbrush. Still, that's all I need right now, I'm sure I'll realise I forgot something important later.

I pull on my knickers and shorts, before reaching for my bra out of habit. No chance. Sleeping in that thing is like trying to nap with someone sitting on your ribs. Besides, all I've got is my sports bra. No way. I pull on my plain black T-shirt and put my other clothes away in my bag. I make an effort to brush my hair, before tying it back, and realising the first thing I've forgotten. Make-up. It sounds melodramatic, but this is devastating for me. Elise and Trish have never seen me without at least a little on. I'm not so embarrassed by my freckles, but I usually just try not to think about them. How was changing in front of Elise less daunting than going downstairs like this?

I pick up my bag and slowly make my way back down, my heart beating way too fast as I enter the front room. Then I see Trish, and it gets worse. She's wearing a tank top than looks at least one size too small, and shorts so short they make mine look like hammer pants. Her golden brown legs on full display, and a cleavage that I have to keep my eyes away from, like a solar eclipse. She's sitting on one side of a sofa, next to a recliner holding Rouge, who's in a much less revealing pair of leggings, and a T-shirt of some band I don't recognise.

"Aren't you cold?" I can't help but ask as I enter. Probably should have started with hello. I put my bag down with the others and sit down on the sofa next to Trish.

"You kidding?" Trish snorts. "My parents freak out if I show any skin at home, I'm always wrapped up, it's like sleeping in napalm, this feels way more comfy!" She explains, leaning back into the sofa and looking at me. "Woah!" Oh no. She's noticed my face. She leans forwards to assess the situation from various angles. "I never realised how freckly you are! It's so cute!"

Cute. Sure. Okay. I'll take a cute face. I mean, I'd prefer hot. Or sexy. Or the perfect place to sit. But cute works too.

"She hates them." Rouge interjects. "Even I don't see them very often." She's not wrong, but there's a hint of offense in her voice. Like she's annoyed that I try to hide them. I suppose she has the same blemishes, maybe she feels like they bring us together? Maybe she's just bragging about how confident she is by comparison. It's hard to tell with Rouge.

"Aww, but they're so pretty!" Trish squeaks, before a realisation hits her. "I guess that's partly my fault isn't it?" She asks, dejectedly. Not really, it's not like the freckles were the main source of Amanda's insults. And it's not like they wouldn't have taken the piss out of me anyway.

"It's not your fault, I wasn't self-conscious about my hair and freckles because of those two picking on me, they picked on me because I was self-conscious about it." I explain. "At a certain point I figured changing anything about me wouldn't stop them, so I still hide them because I don't know any other way."

This clarification sparks new life in Trish's depressed face, she bounds to her feet and goes to her bag. "I know!" She shouts. "I'm gonna do your make-up, but I'm going to make it enhance your features rather than hide them, feels like the least I can do!" Before I can answer she's already sat down with an assortment of brushes and products. She tucks a rogue strand of hair behind my ear and suddenly I can't say no. Not actually sure I can breathe. I seem to have lost all control of my body.

Rouge responds for me. "You do that. I'm going to the bathroom." Wait. No. You can't leave me like this. Trish goes to work with a determined look on her face. This means that I can't do anything but stare directly at her face. Not to complain about observing true art, but this is cruel and unusual ****.

Thankfully Trish breaks the silence. "Stop me if I'm crossing a line, but I did wonder, why didn't you ever change your hair? If you went so far to hide your freckles, why not dye it?" I guess that's a reasonable question, though, we both know it wouldn't have stopped Amanda and Jenny.

"My mother would have killed me!" I respond, having regained the use of my tongue at long last. It's true, Mum's really proud of how how similar our hair is, she didn't name us all red for nothing. "If I'm honest, I'd like to, but it'd have felt like I was saying they were right." Also true.

"Fuck them." Trish responds. Fuck me, I think as she gently pushes up on my chin to tilt my head back. "If you want to do something it should be for you. It's why I never dyed mine blonde like the others, I'd love to change the colour, but not for them."

"We should do it." I blurt out. Hang on. Not like that. Explain yourself. "We should dye our hair, but just for us." Trish's focused face forms a smile.

"I'll hold you to that!"

You can hold me any time.

Eventually, Rouge wanders in, followed by a refreshed looking Elise. She's wearing an oversized T-shirt that hangs off of one shoulder, along with shorts similar to mine, though they're barely visible as her T-shirt goes so far down it almost looks like a dress. She takes a moment to examine Trish's progress on my face, before a wide smile appears.

Well, this just isn't fair.

"Voila!" Trish announces, turning to Elise. "What do you think?"

"Très bien!" Elise responds enthusiastically, clapping her hands together. "I never noticed your freckles!" Well, mission accomplished, Trish.

"It's missing something." Rouge responds calmly. "Let me." She adds, gesturing Trish aside and taking her seat on the sofa.

"Are you doing your-" Elise begins, before a glare from Rouge forces her to silence, then to a different subject. "Well... I need to go grab something, Trish, can you help?" I'd ask what they're going for, but I'm more worried what Rouge is planning to do to my face as they exit the room.

"So which one?" Rouge asks. That's vague, is she asking what look I want? I stay silent until she elaborates. "Which one of them are you crushing on, I mean?"

WHAT?

WHAT?

WHAT?

Rouge apparently notices my hesitation. "Yes. I know you're gay. No. I don't care. But you appear to be drooling over both of them and it's annoying." She does? She doesn't? I am? No. No way. This is a test. There's no way she could know. I never told anyone. This can't be happening. Not now. Not her. "Stop that. No crying. You'll ruin my work." Rouge's words snap me back into the room.

"I... Don't know..." Are the only words I can get out. Fuck. That's not going to get any of the answers I want. How does she know? How long? I need something else. Anything else. "Why?" Okay, more than that, that's too vague.

"You talked to me about Gabriel. It only seemed fair we discuss your love life too." She explains. Is she intentionally torturing me? Is this some sort of vengeance for interrupting them this morning? "Seems like you've got yourself in quite the state. Joan of Arc's got a boyfriend, and Bimbo's been wrecking your life for years. I'm guessing neither of them know you prefer the fairer sex?"

Isn't coming out supposed to be.. I dunno... Me explaining things? It feels like I'm being briefed on my own situation. Maybe she really is torturing me.

"Look." She says directly. "I really don't care who you're fucking. Or who you want to fuck. But you're my sister. If you're in pain, so am I. So you're going to figure it out. Even if I have to walk you through every step." She continues, presenting a hand mirror to reveal my completed face. Trish's work is obvious, my skin seems to glow with my freckles darkness scattered and pronounced. Like a colour-inverted night sky. But what is more obvious is Rouge's gift. I look at her deep, smoky eyeshadow, now adorning my own eyes. "No more solo runs." She explains. "We're a team now."

I'm dumbstruck by this revelation. It feels for the first time in a long time like we're actually on the same page. Rouge isn't any nicer, but it's obvious that she at least cares about my wellbeing. It's more than I ever thought I'd hear from her. I still have a hundred questions, but the other girls returning puts paid to them. Rouge takes the time to return to her recliner, and await the judges' comments.

"I knew it!" Elise brags, taking a long look ay my new make-up. "It suits you!" Trish nods and smiles in agreement.

"But, in other news, look what we found!" Trish announces and they both reveal the several glass bottles they had hidden behind their backs. Wine. Lots and lots of wine. They pop the bottles on the table and Elise sits down next to me, while Trish quickly retrieves something from her bag. "Not to mention, I brought this in case Elise didn't have anything!" Whisky. Of course she has whisky. "Now it's a party!"

"Don't be stupid." Rouge responds coldly, shooting an annoyed look at Trish and standing up, reaching for her bag. "Now it's a party!" She smirks, revealing a different bottle. Vodka. Am I the only one that didn't bring booze? The reveal is met by cheers from Trish and Elise.

These girls are gonna get me killed.