Blended TML Ch 32

Piper looks online: this party at the Diamond is just a long, happy-hour-style event at the pool and lakeside facilities. A steel drum band will be there, which Piper likes. Mary has nothing to wear, and Piper doesn’t love her options. She packed for cleaning and spa day, not to look hot at a party. This isn’t a club situation. There might be a dance floor, but that presentation isn’t the right vibe, especially if Tiffany is there. Piper likes the idea of making that cougar drool, but ego has to come first. Everything must be casual and effortless; everyone knows there’s nothing worse than someone else believing one actually cares about something.

“What do I have to get you into a crop top?” Piper asks as they pull in at Kohls.

“Put a gun to my head,” Mary replies.

“Oh, please. Like you never wore one.”

“When I was your age. Pretty much stopped when I got to law school.”

“What were you wearing the first time my mom saw you?”

Mary snorts. “I don’t . Nothing special.”

It was probably linen joggers and a polo shirt or something. “What would you wear to this when you were still fun?”

Mary makes her mouth into a line and her eyes turn unfriendly. Then she relents. “I guess either whatever I wore to school or… probably a dress.”

“Gonna wear a dress tonight?”

“Maybe. I guess. It’s pretty hot, so maybe.”

“You know, a lot of 90s stuff is in right now.”

“What do you know about 90s stuff?”

“Just what I see on Insta.”

“Man, it was crazy. Crazy,” Mary repeats, eyes distant. “Be glad you didn’t have to live through JNCOs.”

“Yet. Time is a flat circle. Stop stalling. Let’s go inside.”

“It’s hot,” Mary complains as they cross the parking lot.

“You sound like Patty.”

“Sometimes I feel like I am Patty, and I just don’t get to act like it,” Mary grumbles as they stroll into the chemical-smelling, cool air. “Are people really going to wear this now?” She asks as they some clearly 90s-influenced displays.

“Why not? I think we should be twins. Hot goth twins in crop tops.”

“You didn’t get enough sun yet today? I still feel weird,” Mary mutters. “And why goth?”

“I don’t know. Should we just be spring break bimbos instead?”

“I mean…” Mary trails off, shaken. “That kind of was us in undergrad, honestly.”

“I was going to say, I can’t believe you and Jess never got your tops off for Mardi Gras or something.”

“We never did. I never flashed anybody. Jess might’ve. I don’t . We drank a lot.”

“And you were judging those chicks last night.”

“I was not,” Mary protests. “Much. And they’re older than we were. Me and Jess were like twenty-one when we did all that. Those two are actually adults, even if they don’t act like it.”

“Twins?”

“Oh my god. If we’re doing twins, we’re doing cheesy 90s twins.”

“Cheesy 90s slutty goth chicks?”

Mary pinches the bridge of her nose. Piper waits a moment, then pokes her in the side. “Oh my god!”

“Flip you for it.”

“If that’s what it takes for this to end.”

Mary and Piper simultaneously situate their purses to rummage. Mary has a coin purse.

Determine the outcome of the toss: Cheesy 90s twins or slutty goth chick twins?

[ Poll - without doing a whole news post about it, I am slow and a bit behind right now. I can't guarantee that we'll be back straightaway Monday, but Blended 2 should resume sometime next week. We might have WJC as filler. Thanks for your patience. ]