New Scene: Preparations

Alexis held up the shirt to Hope, and the red-headed girl gasped.

"It's gorgeous, Alexis!" Hope exclaimed, "Perfect for the club tonight!"

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Please, no. This is for you to wear tonight. I've seen your closet, girl, and nothing you have in their screams 'first date'."

Hope raised an eyebrow skeptically and turned to her own collection of clothes, hanging in her closet. "Sure, I've got something!"

"You want something that says 'I'm not easy, but I'm sexy as hell'," her roommate continued, "You've got 'sexy as hell', and you've got 'not easy', and you've even got some 'easy' in there, but nothing is the right combination."

"How do you know what I've got in here so well?" Hope asked, more than a little creeped out.

Alexis smirked. "I may have taken a mental inventory when I helped you unpack. You have to get ready, hurry up and put this on! I want to see it before I go!"

While Hope put on the clothes, Alexis sorted through her own for what she was wearing. Settling on a stunning black top she'd made and a pair of low rise pants she'd bought from Wet Seal.

Hope's cell phone rang just as she pulled the sweater down to her waist. She grabbed it and smiled. She flipped the device open and answered. "Hello?"

"Hey you," Nick's voice came, "So, I'm running a little early actually. Don't rush or anything, but I'll be outside your dorm whenever you're ready."

"Alright, I'll see you in a few minutes then," Hope replied. She closed her phone then rolled her eyes to Alexis. "This early thing doesn't work for me. On time or fashionably late, seriously."

"Trouble in paradise already?" Alexis smirked, stripping off the shirt she had been wearing.

Hope smiled, walking around Alexis to look at herself in the mirror that was hung on the back of their door. "I wouldn't call it paradise to begin with, we don't even know each other." She glanced back at her roomie. "What is that on your back?"

The immediate tension that filled the air was startling. Alexis' body tensed, and she hastily yanked the shirt she had picked out over her head and pulled it down onto her body. "Nothing."

Hope put her hands up in defeat. "Ooookay, sorry," she replied, clearly surprised by the other girl's reaction. She turned her attention back to the mirror. "Are these jeans okay?" Almost as quickly as it had filled the room, the tense atmosphere disappeared.

"Oh, they're great," Alexis answered, "But I think they need a belt. I have just the thing here." The two girls examined a few belts before deciding on a sash-like cloth belt, which Hope quickly wrapped around her waist and tied.

They both stood in front of the mirror for a second and smiled. "Perfection," Alexis said, "All we need is modesty."

"And fragrance," Hope pointed out, returning to her dresser, "You have got to smell this one. It's fabulous. I picked it up at J.C. Penny, but don't tell anyone that."

Alexis leaned in for a sniff. "Oh my, that does smell good, can I borrow that for tonight?"

Hope laughed, "I thought you'd like it. You're not trying to get Terry to jump you in the club, are you? Because he will."

A mischievous smile spread across Alexis' face. "No, I'm trying to get him on the dance floor, that's all. And I may or may not leave him out there with a boy, just for a laugh."

"You devil, I love it," Hope said, "I wish I could go with you guys, I love clubs."

"Nathanial goes a few times every week, it's not like this is a once in a lifetime opportunity," Alexis commented, as the two girls headed for the door, "Go, have fun on your date, and...be careful."

"I'll be fine, mother," Hope quipped as she exited the room and headed down the hall. Nick hadn't mentioned what he had planned, but they'd see soon enough.