Chapter Two
Kelsi
“Are you excited for your 15-year class reunion?” Hannah asked as we shoveled hay for the horses.
“Not really. I went to my 10-year reunion, and it wasn’t all that exciting. It was fun to see the teachers that were still there, though. Not many people actually came back for that one. I don’t expect too many will be here for this one either.”
My high school had been filled with people who wanted to take off and leave Rainbow as fast as possible. But I enjoyed our small town. I loved it there, and I couldn’t see why people felt the need to take off and leave right after school. There were a few other people who had stuck close to home, but mostly our class was spread across the country which made it difficult to get them back for reunions.
“Maybe they are waiting for the 20-year reunion; that one is probably bigger. Since you are in town, though, you might as well go to this one.”
“Yeah, I didn’t even know we had a 15-year, but I’ve got nothing else to do. Life is a little boring for me compared to everyone else.”
“Kelsi, you’ve got plenty to do, and you’re constantly doing it. I’m glad you’re taking a night off to go to the dance. I’m a little concerned that you’re still shoveling hay and poop though. Don’t you think you should start getting ready?”
“You’re funny. I’m not getting all dolled up. I’ll just shower and brush my hair out. Maybe I’ll add a little mascara. There’s no one who I want to impress at these things. I’ll just go and visit with all the same people who showed up last time and call it a night. I’ll probably be back here before nine.”
“What are you talking about?” Kendall screamed as she stormed into the barn looking mortified. “You’ve got to get ready. You can’t go looking like a farm hand. Tyler is coming.”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at the mention of Tyler. He certainly hadn’t turned out to be the troll I had hoped he would. Last I heard, he was working in the south at some marketing firm and making tons of money. It was a little grinding for me to think he ended up successful after all he had put me through in high school.
“Who’s Tyler?” Hannah asked.
“No one…” I started to say before Kendall interrupted me.
“He’s Kelsi’s high school boyfriend. A total dream boat. Sexy as hell. Light brown hair and glorious blue eyes that could grab a woman and suck her right into them. He’s muscular and built like a dream; oh, and he happens to be a friggin’ billionaire.”
“Wow, I feel like I should have been informed of this man’s existence a long time ago,” Hannah said as she looked at me with stern eyes.
“Not wow; he’s a self-absorbed jerk who didn’t even stand up for me in high school. Don’t go filling Hannah’s head with ideas that he’s some great guy. He was just like all the other loser high school boys and not worth me getting dressed up for.”
“Oh no? You don’t think so?” Kendall asked as she pulled out her phone and started typing away. “He’s not worth getting dressed up for at all, is he, Hannah?”
“I think I’ll get divorced and come to your reunion as your date.” Hannah laughed.
“No, I don’t think he’s worth the trouble. I have no urge at all to impress Tyler. I probably won’t even talk with him. I doubt he’s actually showing up. Who told you he would be coming?” I asked.
There was a twinge in my stomach, and I did want to know if Tyler was coming, but only so I could prepare myself. I didn’t want to see him. I had no urge at all to be near him or his dreamy eyes and rock-hard body. No matter what he looked like or how he had turned out, I was over him, and the last thing I was worried about was looking cute for the reunion because he was going to be there.
“Bryce and Robert were talking about Tyler flying in this afternoon, and by the way, this is the man, Hannah. I don’t know about you, but I’d be getting dressed up to see this guy if I was Kelsi.”
“Holy hell! You dated him?” Hannah asked.
“Let me see…” I said as I grabbed my sister’s phone. “Kendall, he doesn’t look any different than high school; I don’t know what you’re fussing over,” I lied as I stared at Tyler’s amazing picture.
“You mean he looks better, right? Because he looks damn fine.”
“Kendall, it doesn’t matter. Looks aren’t everything, and he was a jerk,” I said as I tried to defend my disdain for him.
Tyler did look good, though. He looked sexy, and his smile melted me as I looked at the picture on my sister’s phone. I didn’t remember Tyler looking that sexy when we dated, but then again, it had been more than 15 years before and I had a broken heart out of the deal.
As much as I wanted to stay angry at Tyler, though, I still remembered our time together as one of the best times of my life. We dated throughout high school, and even though it ended badly, he was my partner in crime throughout most of my high school years. Tyler was the man by my side as I tried out for my first school play. In fact, he had been the boy opposite me as I read for the part of Juliet.
I had seen him in the school and knew him from around town, but it was that day on stage that really threw me for a loop. His eyes looked deep into mine as we read our parts, and for that small moment, I felt like the entire world had melted away. We felt meant to be together, and we had been pretty inseparable, until the end of it all.
“Did you see his picture is on Dating the Rich?” Kendall asked as she pulled her phone away and updated the website. “Because he’s a millionaire. The man you dated in high school is a sexy-as-hell millionaire; wait, billionaire, I think he is a billionaire. What’s the difference? It’s a lot of friggin’ money! He’s single, and going to be at your reunion. Now tell me again how you’re not going to get dressed up?”
“Oh, come on, Kendall. It wouldn’t matter if I got dressed up. He’s dating starlets and models. Tyler isn’t going to care what I look like because he’s not going to care that I’m there. A guy like him just comes back to his hometown so he can post some photos on social media and play it off like he’s a regular guy.”
“I’m sorry, have you seen yourself?” Kendall said as she pulled me towards her. “Hannah, isn’t Kelsi the most beautiful redhead you know? Really, one of the most beautiful women in all of Rainbow, besides me of course.”
“Most beautiful woman I know. Hands down, and I’m not just saying that because she’s my boss.”
“That’s nice of you to say, Hannah, but it doesn’t matter how pretty I am, Tyler won’t be interested. Trust me on this one. He’s not coming back to talk to me. He hates me.”
I tried to keep the emotion out of my voice, but I just couldn’t help it. Just thinking about how much I had cared about Tyler and how he let his friends destroy what we had, it had me close to tears. I didn’t think that Tyler purposely wanted to make me feel bad, but he never defended me. He never stood up to his friends and told them to knock it off when his friends made crude jokes about the two of us getting caught together. It was silly to even worry about it now, but at the time, I felt like those jokes had ruined my life.
“Why won’t he be interested? He’s single, you’re single. You two would make one hell of a couple.”
“Don’t mind my sister, Hannah. She’s just sulking from her heartbreak in her high school daze. Kelsi, what you don’t understand is that this is your opportunity to make him crazy with desire. You should be getting dolled up so he is begging to be with you and you can turn him down,” Kendall said in her usual mischievous way. “Or don’t turn him down and instead take him home for a night of primal lovemaking. Make him wish he had stayed with you. Make him hate every woman who comes after you because he’ll be thinking only of you.”
“So, you think I should spend hours getting ready so I can impress a man who I don’t care about? Then I should take him to bed, here at my parents’ house where I live?” I laughed so hard my side actually started to hurt.
It seemed a little juvenile to me. What possible good could come out of me spending hours on my hair and makeup in an effort to get Tyler to notice me? Then after he noticed me and wanted to talk to me, I was supposed to just turn my back on him and ignore him? It wasn’t like me at all.
Plus, I didn’t want to admit to Kendall that I would have liked to have the attention from Tyler. It was a weird place for me to be in. I wanted him to be excited to see me and to talk to me, but I also really wanted an apology for everything that had gone on when we were together.
“I think your sister’s right, Kelsi,” Hannah added. “It doesn’t matter what happened back in high school. One of the best parts of a reunion is looking drop-dead gorgeous and having everyone turn jealous of you. You want to be the center of attention so you don’t end up a wallflower in the corner of the room. I know you; you’ll just stand there sipping wine and talking to the local people who show up. I think we should get you glammed up like a movie star so everyone’s jaw drops to the ground when they see you.”
“You two are impossible.” I sulked at their idea. “I don’t have anything to wear even if I wanted to get dressed up. Plus, I seriously doubt anyone is going to look at me and be jealous. You two might be good with the makeup, but you’re not that good.”
“I’ve got a dress in my closet,” Kendall said as she ran back to the house without waiting to see if I was going to say yes.
“Hannah, I thought you were on my side. How did you end up on team Kendall?” I joked. “I appreciate you two making the effort, but I don’t know how much help it’s going to be having a pretty dress and makeup on. I’ve been working the ranch for years. This face isn’t meant to have makeup on.”
“Hey, you are strikingly beautiful, and you know it. You could show up to this dance without a stitch of makeup on and still wow them. I think you should go after this guy. Even if it’s just for one night of fun like in the old days. It might be fun to sleep with him again and see if he’s learned any new tricks over the years.”
“I never slept with him in high school,” I admitted.
“What? I thought you two dated?”
“Yes, we did for a couple years. But one night our senior year, we were naked and just about to make love when the police showed up to break up a party at his friend Mike’s house. Mike and Bryce busted in on us and we were fumbling with a condom and didn’t know how to use it. The police ended up letting us go, but Mike and Bryce saw me naked and hounded me about it the rest of the year. They teased me about condoms, too, and Tyler never stood up for me. We ended up breaking up and didn’t talk to each other after high school. His friend Mike was especially brutal, and I couldn’t stand that he wouldn’t say something to them.”
“Wow, that’s a really sad story, and his friends seem like jerks. I can see why you wouldn’t want to date the guy. But you should still want to look amazing for the reunion. It’s not just about him. It’s about everyone there, and it will be fun to knock their socks off.”
“His friend Bryce isn’t all that bad. He’s married now and a decent guy, I’m not sure about Mike. I heard he’s just as much of a jerk as he ever was, but he did play professional football for awhile, and I think he’s come back a few times.”
“Bryce is just a nerdy old guy now,” Kendall added, back from inside the house with an armful of dresses. “When Robert and I stop by Bryce’s house, he’s more concerned with what’s going on in their yard than anything interesting. He’s basically turned into Dad.” We both laughed at the idea of anyone being as obsessed with their lawn as our father was.
“I’m not going to turn Tyler’s head. He dates models and actresses. How about we just concentrate on getting me looking as good as I can so I’m confident and can have some fun?”
“Then don’t worry about him, you’re right. Let’s just get you looking amazing so you can have a fun night. Screw all the loser guys from high school,” Hannah said, full of empowerment. “A woman doesn’t need to get dressed up for a man. You can get dressed up because you want to look smoking hot for yourself.”
“If I was doing this night for myself, I’d be home in my pajamas drinking a bottle of white wine.” I snickered. “But if you two want to waste your afternoon playing dress up with me, then I’ll let you.
“Really?” Kendall screamed with excitement. “You’ll let us make you over?”
“Don’t make it sound like I’m some homeless person you need to help. I’m not that bad off.” I twirled around playfully. “A little primer and paint and I’ll clean up just fine.”
“See, that’s the kind of confidence I want to see, Kelsi. You are kick ass, and you know it; stop playing like you don’t know how beautiful you are,” Kendall said as she grabbed all her things she needed to make me over.
“Let’s get this old clunker made over into a sports car.” I laughed.
The girls laughed with me, but I was serious. I knew how to do my own hair and makeup, and my body was banging hot, if I did say so myself. It was silly that they thought I needed a full-on makeover to wow my old high school classmates. But if they wanted to do the work and I could just sit back and relax, who was I to argue?
“Hannah, go grab your makeup and some false eyelashes. I’m going to run home and get this amazing black dress I bought on clearance. Oh, and some heels. Kelsi doesn’t own any sexy heels. Do you own a strapless bra?”
“I thought you already had a dress?” I said in total confusion. “You literally have tons of stuff in your arms. That’s not enough? What about that dress?”
“There’s a better one,” Kendall said as she almost ignored my comment.
“What kind of dress is this anyway?” I protested.
“It’s a dress that needs a strapless bra. Do you own one?”
I had to picture my drawer full of bras and panties, and I couldn’t for the life of me remember if I still owned one. It wasn’t like I ran around in strapless tops all summer long or anything like that.
“Of course I own one,” I lied; I had no idea if there was still one in my drawer.
“Okay, Kelsi, we will be back in an hour. Finish your chores and be ready for a revolutionary look.”
“Kendall, I feel like you’re just trying to get me to do all the work today,” I teased.
“We are.” Hannah laughed as she left with Kendall.
As much trouble as the two of them were, I was damn lucky to have them. Not only did they keep me grounded in who I wanted to be in life, but they were the best friends a girl could ask for. Kendall had been a pain in my ass growing up—she didn’t like it in Rainbow, Texas and talked all the time about moving away to New York or Los Angeles—but she was a good sister to me. I wasn’t all that bad of a sister myself. Together we made one hell of a team.
The reunion didn’t matter all that much to me at all. High school was a part of my past that I tried not to think about very often. I had been filled with self-doubt and shyness back then. I could hardly walk into a room without looking for Tyler and making sure he was there to keep me by his side. Having a boyfriend during those formative years took away the sting of learning to socialize in groups, but as soon as he was out of my life, I had to learn all those skills anyway.
Life was different for me now. I could be the life of the party if I wanted to, but I chose not to be. Kendall and Hannah made fun of my interest in being a wallflower at parties, but I didn’t need to be the center of attention. I enjoyed sipping my wine and hanging out at the edge of the craziness. Talking all night long to people I didn’t know was not my idea of fun.
By four o’clock, the girls weren’t back yet, but I knew I had to jump into the shower if I was going to get ready before the dance started. The excitement of the evening hit me when I climbed out of the shower, wrapped myself in a towel, and walked out of my bathroom to a room full of beauty equipment and Kendall and Hannah waiting for me.
“Ready?” Hannah said as she held up a blow-dryer.
“You look like some sort of hair Nazi with that thing. Do you think you could have brought a bigger hairdryer? I’m not sure that one is big enough.”
“You joke now, but when your hair has perfect finger waves in it, you won’t be joking any longer,” Hannah said with a completely serious look on her face.
“I think I might.” I laughed.
“Just get in the chair and let us get to work. We’ve decided on your look for the night and will need at least two hours to accomplish what we are trying to do,” Kendall said seriously.
“Fine, I’ll let you do what you’d like.”
“Hannah, get the body glue, hot iron, and primer out of my bag,” Kendall said as if she was getting ready to build some sort of bookshelf.
“I’m not a building project.”
“Are you going to trust us or not? I can’t have you second guessing everything that’s going on here.”
“You’re scaring me.”
“Look at me. Do I look like someone who would let you go into this event looking horrible? No, the answer is no. You have to relax.”
Kendall was much more fashion forward than I was and I knew she wasn’t going to let me look like a maniac. We didn’t have that typical sisterly competition because we had been interested in entirely different worlds. I loved the artistic world of opera and theater combined with the rugged world of horseback riding and our ranch. Kendall loved the glitzy world of fashion and the latest trends. She got bored with theater but put up with it in our small town since it was all we had, but she really wanted to get involved in television commercials, modeling, or film.
Growing up, Kendall tagged along with me every now and then, but mostly she had her own friends and her own life. We stayed away from each other and didn’t end up fighting or annoying each other like many sisters did. I knew I could trust her on this night. All joking aside, Kendall was really good with fashion and makeup styling.
“I’m all yours; make me look like a movie star,” I joked.
It took longer than two hours, closer to three hours, before I was finally finished. There were face masks, cleansers, primers, and a variety of shading and highlighting that went into my makeup. The surprise to me was how young and vibrant I looked and not at all like I’d spent so much time on my look.
My hair was in perfect finger waves and looked elegant, yet a little casual. It certainly seemed appropriate for our small reunion. Then there was the dress. Kendall knew fashion and had found this couture dress at a resale store. It was a deep emerald green, but looked more like a black, with piping in all the right areas to show off my figure. The plunging neckline required that I wore some special tape to keep my breasts looking perky and prevent the dress from falling open when I moved.
“I’m pretty,” I joked as I stood up straight and admired myself in the mirror.
“You are stunning,” Hanna added.
“I just worked with the amazing canvas I had in you. Kelsi, you are a striking woman. I really wish you didn’t hide yourself in those t-shirts and jeans all the time. We need to get you a new wardrobe.”
“One thing at a time,” I said as I continued to look at myself in the mirror. “I think I like this look, though. Wow, I’d even date me.”
The girls and I all laughed as we finished securing me into the dress and I slid the amazing shoes on. I had to practice walking in the shoes for a little bit, though, since I had not worn heels in several months.
My lifestyle was a casual ranch life; I didn’t have a need for doing my hair and makeup. The horses certainly didn’t care what I looked like, and neither did the locals who boarded their horses with us. It wasn’t like I was going on dates or even looking to date someone. Our town was too small, and I already knew every single guy in it and had turned them down already. No, I had no dating prospects in my town.
Even going to my reunion all dolled up wasn’t about finding a man to date. I didn’t want to date Tyler. I just wanted him to see what a knockout he gave up on. He needed to know that I wasn’t missing him. I didn’t care about him or that he was some handsome millionaire. None of that mattered to me. I was doing just fine, and he was going to see me at the reunion and be jealous as hell that I looked so damn good, and he couldn’t have me.
“Do a model walk – let’s see how those shoes work for you,” Kendall said as she and Hannah went to sit in the living room.
With one hand on my hip, I walked as I watched each step I took. I kept my head up high but couldn’t seem to take my eyes off my own feet for fear that I would tumble and fall. My four inch heels weren’t as easy as I remembered them being.
“Look up,” Hannah yelled at me.
I looked up and felt my ankles wobble as I tried to keep my balance. Then just as I hit the carpet of the living room, my right ankle gave out, and I tumbled forward onto the floor. Luckily, I landed on the soft carpet, but I looked ridiculous as I lay there in my fancy dress with my hair and makeup looking perfect.
“Are you all right?” Kendall asked.
Hannah and Kendall grabbed my hands and pulled me up onto the couch. My ankle was a little sore, but it didn’t seem to be in that bad of shape, but all my confidence had slipped right out from under me, and now I felt like that awkward high school girl I once was.
“This is a bad idea. What if no one else is dressed up? I don’t want to go in there looking like this if everyone else is just in a cocktail dress or casual. I should change.”
“Kelsi Lynn Sullivan, you will not change!” Kendall yelled. “You look amazing. This is a black-tie event, and you’re going there looking like a movie star. If anyone else shows up in a cocktail dress, it will be them who looks ridiculous, not you.”
“It’s all about the confidence, Kelsi; you have to own the look. You know those celebrities who wear torn jeans and heels; they own it. Sure, they look odd when compared to people in their sweatpants, but everyone is still looking at the confidence the celebrity has. They are wishing they had that kind of confidence. You are the celebrity.”
“Be the celebrity,” Kendall added onto Hannah’s pep talk.
“But, I’m not a celebrity.”
“Tonight, you’re a drop-dead gorgeous woman who all those old high school guys are going to be fighting over.”
“Kendall, most of the people who are going to show up already know what I look like every day. They aren’t going to be impressed.”
Kendall reached over and placed her hands right in front of my breasts as she dramatically looked at them and then back up at me.
“What are you talking about? These girls have never been out like this. Every guy is going to be tripping over himself to talk to you. Even the ones who see you every day here in town. Trust us, Kelsi. The key is in your confidence. You know when you acted in that community theater show and you played the vixen?”
“Yeah, the red-headed vixen who distracted the killer?” I asked.
“Yes, you are her tonight. Don’t be you, be her!”
“Oh my God! Kendall is right. You have to be her. Think of tonight as a community theater production and you are the vixen. Commit to it. You have to commit to the part,” Hannah said as she stood up and dramatically started moving around my living room.
“You two do know you’re crazy, right?” I laughed.
“Yes, and I also know you’re going to drive those men wild tonight. No matter how you think you’re feeling. Play the vixen. Keep your shoulders back, chest out, and look them all in the eyes. Don’t get stuck standing in the corner. Let the guys talk to you and ask them questions so they keep talking. You are in control. You are the vixen,” Kendall said.
“Exactly, you are the vixen,” Hannah added. “Now say it with us. I am the vixen.”
“I am the vixen,” I said quietly as I rolled my eyes.
“No. More convincingly.”
“I…am…the…vixen,” I said stronger.
“Again,” they both demanded.
“I AM THE VIXEN. I AM THE VIXEN. I AM THE VIXEN,” I repeated until I actually started to believe I could play the part.