The boys in the band

Holly looked at herself in the mirror as she put the final touches on her makeup. It wasn't her in the mirror though, it was Laney that stared back at her. Her makeup wasn’t heavy, but it was enough to look different. Holly didn't do cat eyes or strong red lipstick. Holly definitely didn't wear a sheer top and bra. But Laney did. For Laney it was perfect. Even more Laney was the black thong she was wearing. It had taken a few times wearing it but she was finally getting used to the feel of it. Sadly she was getting used to the feeling of wearing short skirts too. It had been hard for her, constantly aware of people watching her, objectifying or judging her. Laney got used to it. Laney had even started to enjoy it. This skirt was short enough she couldn’t lean forward at all without showing her thong. Although for Laney, it might help. . .

“Not that we really need any of this.” Holly thought out loud. Nine months past her 25th birthday and the curse already seemed to be ratcheting things up another notch. Now when the curse was making her horny she noticed guys would start paying more attention to her. Her curse was making it easier to attract men, no matter what she was wearing. That had inspired Laney to wear even more revealing clothes. Clothes that a year ago Holly would have rejected and called slutty. Now she chose to wear them. It helped to keep some distance between Holly and Laney. A buffer between the person she really was, and the person the curse was forcing her to be.

Holly’s phone dinged, she reached over to look at it.

Holly wasn’t in the mood to be around her sister. Sadly, she didn't really like being around Maisie anymore. She felt bad about that, because Maisie and her had been very close when they were younger. They had stayed pretty close until Holly turned 25 and the Purest Peterson bullshit started. Actually, if Holly was being honest, it started before that. It started the day Maisie told her long-time friend-zoned guy about her curse, then tricked him into turning into her ideal guy and stealing his voice.

Holly didn’t know what bothered her more, that Maisie had tricked a guy that was actually good to her to evade the curse, or that Maisie was living her dream life with her curse resolved while Holly had to go through all this shit. Holly sighed. She didn’t want to see Maisie tonight. She’d just end up fighting with her again, and she hated that.

Maisie texted back they’d need to figure out a time to hang out. Holly lied and said she’d like that and the conversation was over. At least Holly's excuse to not meet up hadn't been a lie. A local band she actually liked was playing at a bar she had never gone to. It was perfect, Laney could get the curse dealt with and Holly could see a band she really liked.

Holly sighed and sat on her bed. She could try and do something like Maisie did. Find a guy she could trust and try to trick him into never using the curse on her. But when she thought of Maisie’s master, what Maisie had done to him, Holly couldn't imagine doing that. Maisie got away with it because she told a genuinely good guy about her curse then betrayed him. Sure she got everything she wanted out of it, but Holly couldn’t do that to someone and not have it eat away at her. It was bad enough that she knew Maisie’s secret. Of course she would never tell Maisie's master that he could still command her sister. She had seen what the other Peterson women suffered at the hands of their masters, and she couldn't be the one that put Maisie in that kind of relationship. But still, she felt bad about the guy not being able to talk. Not that he ever complained. He acted like he'd won the fucking lottery. So she let it go and just tried to avoid being around them. Holly sighed a second time, that life wasn't a viable option for her.

Hell, even if she pulled it off or got a guy like her dad who was good to her mom and barely ever used the curse, she'd be in the same boat her mom had been in. The curse would either make her have his baby and pass the curse on to another innocent girl, or she would have to keep having sex with other men just like she was now. She couldn't accept either of those. Finding a master that would be good to her and be okay with her sleeping around all the time wasn't a real option. And she wouldn’t have a daughter just to pass the curse down to her. She could still remember the first time her mother had sat her and Maisie down to explain the family curse. She couldn't do that, she wouldn't do that. The line of the Purest Peterson would end with her, no matter what the cost.

Holly looked at her clock. Her ride would be here shortly. She sighed again, pulled her fuck-me-pumps out of the closet and then looked at herself in the mirror one last time. She still hadn't gotten used to seeing Laney stare back at her. She knew what she was wearing, she had picked it out, bought it, put it on. It just never felt right when she saw herself.

. . .

Laney was having a great time, she had danced with a few men that were possible options for tonight, and one other guy that was far too nice for Laney. She hadn’t taken many good ones home, but she had regrets about every one of them. With enough experience dealing with her curse Laney appreciated a good fuck boy far more than Holly had ever thought possible. A guy who didn't care about her, wanted nothing more than to get off and get out had gone from the worst kind of man for Holly to the ideal target for Laney. There were a few more guys she had eyed as possible targets that she hadn't danced with, but secretly Laney was hoping one of the band members would be an option. She knew several of the band were taken, but the drummer she believed was single and she’d been doing her best to send him signals during the show. It was a rare crossover moment. Holly liked the band, but Holly would never hook up with one of them. But Laney? Laney was the exact girl that would.

Laney felt like she was making progress on that front too. She had worked her way closer to the front and had a sightline to the drummer. She was dancing and watching him. The curse was letting her know what it wanted too, so Laney was eye-fucking the hell out of him. He wasn’t even very good-looking, but a good drummer is cool even if he isn’t particularly handsome. Besides, just a quick fuck in the bathroom was all she needed tonight. It wasn’t like she looking to hit a double tonight. She wasn't looking for a man to stick around and give her round 2 in the morning.

When the band announced they were taking a break she worked her way to the side of the stage, she smiled at the drummer who smiled back at her. But before he could walk over to her Holly felt a hand on her shoulder.

“Holly, can we talk?” It was Maisie.

“It’s Laney.” Holly said bitterly.

“Sorry, Laney. But seriously, can we talk?”

Typical Maisie, once she got an idea in her head she wouldn’t stop till she got her way. Holly fumed but went with her, it wasn’t like she was going to pull the drummer with her little sister hanging off of her.

“How did you find me?” Holly asked when they stepped outside the bar.

“I just looked at what bands were playing locally and saw where Linus’ Blanket was playing.” Maisie said it casually, like stalking your own sister was a perfectly normal thing to do.

“Seriously though, how have they lasted this long with such a shit name?” Maisie asked, trying to lighten the mood. Holly didn’t have an answer for that, it was a crappy name, but mostly Holly wasn’t in the mood for small talk.

“What do you want, Maisie?” Holly asked. Her tone carried more animosity than she intended, and it showed in Maisie’s face.

“I want you to be my Maid of Honor.” She stated.

“What? You guys are getting married?”

Maisie nodded. "We are. And look, I know we aren’t as close as we used to be, Holls, but I can’t imagine anyone but you as my Maid of Honor.”

Holly didn't reply. It felt ironically appropriate that Maisie asked her like this, the two lives she was living intersecting with the worst of timing. She thought of the drummer inside, the one she had hoped to be fucking in a bar bathroom right now. How would being Maisie's Maid of Honor even work at this point? How could she be there for Maisie when she would end up spending her wedding trying to fuck one of the groomsmen or guests, let alone dress shopping, visiting caterers, or setting up and being at her bachelorette party. It was bound to go bad. She couldn't stay Holly all the time, and she didn't want to be Laney around her family.

“Holly?” She hadn’t answered Maisie. She knew the answer she wanted to give her. No she wouldn’t support her marrying her master. No, she wouldn’t support her marrying a guy she was actively deceiving. No, she wouldn’t stand next to Maisie and pretend to be the girl everyone knew as Holly Peterson. She wouldn't risk causing drama at the wedding with her damn curse making her fuck strangers every time she turned around. The girl Maisie wanted was gone, no one would want the girl she was now to be their Maid of Honor.

“Maisie, wouldn’t you rather have someone else?” Holly asked.

“No.” Maisie answered. “It has to be you.”

Holly wanted nothing to do with Maisie’s wedding, for many reasons. One of the big reasons being the lie her sister was making her man live. The other big one was the lie she was living herself. It felt like a disaster waiting to happen.

“Okay I’ll do it.” Holly chickened out. Maisie was still family, that still meant something.

Maisie hugged her, cried, said how happy she was, how important it was to have her standing by her side on the most important day of her life.

“Have you told him?” Holly cut her off. Or maybe it was Laney, it was hard to tell right now.

“Told him what?”

She stared back. Maisie knew exactly what she was talking about.

“Holly, I can’t. . .”

“I told you, it’s Laney.” Holly said then walked back into the bar. That had been mean of her. That hadn't been very Holly of her at all. But Laney didn't care. Laney didn't give a fuck about what she was supposed to do. Laney hated that she was carrying this burden while her sister lived her dream life. She was pissed off that her sister cheated and lied and got everything she wanted while Holly did everything right and got this fucked up life for the crime of being born first. Laney was pissed off. Laney didn't want to be here any more. But Laney needed to find somebody to fuck before she could go home and sleep tonight.

The band was already back on stage getting ready to continue playing when she walked back into the bar. She looked at the drummer and sighed. She could probably wait till after the set, but then the band would be tearing down, it wasn't like they had roadies.

“Oh wow, Holly?” A voice called. She turned to look, it was Jacob, a former coworker of hers. If she recalled correctly he was a college friend of one of the guitar players. She’d seen him at one or two shows in the past. She hadn’t thought about the possibility of running into him tonight, seeing someone who would recognize Holly when they saw Laney.

“You, I mean, damn, you look incredible.” Jacob said, looking her over and blushing.

Laney pointed to the drink in his hand. “You need that?” She asked. She was a mess and she really needed a drink.

“You want it, it’s yours.” He said, handing the drink to her.

Laney downed his old fashioned then grabbed his hand. “You want to get out of here?” She asked.

He looked to the stage then back to her. “Yeah, I guess, sure.” Laney led him out of the bar and to his car. Holly knew him but it wasn’t like they worked together anymore. She was pretty sure Jacob was the type of guy she could get to stay for breakfast too, and that mattered now. Holly was going to need some time alone this weekend.