Chapter 4 - Cover Ups

The party was scheduled to begin at 7pm. Kenzie and Jillian began getting ready around 5. They'd hardly said a word to each other on the drive home, and hadn't gone to other stores as planned, but after a while, like old times, it blew over.

Kenzie had just put on her new dress when Jillian knocked on her door.

"Come in," Kenzie answered.

Jillian walked in wearing her new outfit, and she'd straightened her hair and put a barrette in it.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Jillian said as she sat down on Kenzie's bed. "It's just, I have the worst luck with guys. You know that. But I've never had one that treated me like that afterward."

"I can understand that, but, no offense, your choice in men hasn't been the best in all the time I've known you."

"Yeah, I don't know what it is that draws me to the losers. I guess I have this hidden bad-boy yearning in my blood."

"Can't say I've experienced that, but my relationships haven't been that great either. Not that I've had that many."

Jillian stood up and looked Kenzie in the eyes. "You're my best friend, and the way I treated you is unforgivable. I shouldn't have blown up at you just because of some dumb guy."

"Want to talk about it?"

"All I really can, er, want, to say, is that I met him at the beach a few months ago, and things were okay, but it just didn't work out. He turned out to not be the person I thought he was. What's new, right? So I told him we were over. And he basically went crazy. He'll sometimes call or send me letters, but I never read them. And thanks to caller ID, I don't answer the phone either. The only time I can't avoid him is in public, like today."

"Well, why don't you get a restraining order then?"

"Because it won't stop him. The guy's obsessed. If I do that, it'll just make him even more angry, and who knows what he'll do. It's just easier to try to avoid him."

"You can't live in a bubble and walk on egg shells because you might run into him, Jill. You have to do something."

"I know, I guess I'm just scared of what he might do."

"What's his name, anyway?"

"Drake."

"Okay...what, is he an ancient lizard?"

Jillian cracked a smile.

"He's got a thing for dragons, that's for sure."

"Oh great, he's into Asian stuff like me."

"No, just dragons."

"Well, I mean this in the best possible way, but you can do a lot better than all the guys you've dated combined."

"I'm starting to realize that."

The two were silent for a moment before Jillian said, "Hey, I think we should do something with your hair for this party."

"My hair?"

"Sure, I've got a cute idea."

"Well, okay. You're the fashion expert."

"Yeah, I've been thinking of going into fashion design too."

"That would be great! I'd be sure to buy all the clothes you made."

"I'll make sure women of every size can wear them, because I love you so much."

"Oh thanks," Kenzie said with a sarcastic laugh.

Jillian laughed too before instructing Kenzie to sit at the desk chair. She didn't just fix up Kenzie's hair (she even managed to push Kenzie's stubborn bangs off to the side); she did her makeup too. Kenzie should have known. But she did come out looking pretty good, even if she did say so herself, since Jillian fixed her hair nicely and applied subtle yet eye-catching makeup.

"Now if you would just wear contacts," Jillian said, "you could show off your pretty blue eyes."

"Well, I'm afraid that'll never happen," Kenzie replied. "I hate anything going near my eyes. I don't know how you managed to put that eyeliner on me."

The two friends laughed together.

There would be food served at the party, so Kenzie and Jillian didn't eat prior to leaving. They instead hopped into Jillian's car and sped off to the beach.

The temperature had dropped to the point that swimming would be too cold, so the two left their swimsuits behind. When they arrived, people were already piling in. Jillian was right - the beach looked great and very inviting.

There was a high deck area for a band to play and for people to eat while enjoying the music. Underneath were bathrooms with showers inside as well as an arcade game area. Then there was the sand area where a small playground occupied the kids, and there were lounge chairs for soaking up the sun as well as dressing rooms. There were also several fire pits where people were roasting marshmallows, and three prize booths awaited anxious children. The whole place had a tiki and pirate vibe to it.

"Wow, this place looks great!" Kenzie exclaimed as she looked around in wonder.

"Yeah, I'm so glad they redid it. It was pretty boring before; the biggest thing you could do here is swim, and with pools in town, why go out and swim in the sea? Now the place is booming."

Kenzie wasn't sure where to start, so Jillian led her to the band area, where a small band was already beginning to play. Or perhaps it was a jam session; it was hard to tell in the crowd.

"This is an open party, right?" Kenzie asked.

"Yeah, I just had a friend call and remind me that it was happening. Anyone's welcome here tonight."

"Good, because I wouldn't want to be a party crasher."

"Don't worry about it, it's all good."

The music was pretty catchy, so Kenzie and Jillian began dancing together. It was just like old times again. Kenzie was having fun, but the earlier argument was still nagging in the back of her mind. It was obvious that Jillian hadn't been completely truthful with her. There was more to the story than she was telling. But she wasn't going to push it. If Jillian wanted to tell her, she would.

The two danced for quite a while before they decided to take a break. They went down to the beach and lit a fire in one of the seaside fire pits. Someone had brought marshmallows and offered them to the friends. They both happily accepted the treats and began roasting them.

The band continued to play in the background while many partygoers continued to dance and enjoy themselves. Some were hitting the bars while others also migrated down to the beach to enjoy the fire pit during the cool evening.

"So, when did you get your tattoo?" Kenzie asked as they ate their marshmallows.

"Not long after I moved here," Jillian replied as she took a bite. "Why? You just now noticed it?"

"No, I was just meaning to ask you about it before, and I forgot."

"Oh, yeah, well I love the beach, and one of the designs was a dolphin. I had to get it. I love dolphins."
"Have you seen one?"

"No, not in person yet. But I want to. Hey, you should get a tattoo. They have wolf patterns."

"No, thanks. I have too low of a pain tolerance for that."

"Well, I'll be honest, it isn't the best feeling in the world."

"No offense, but I'm not too keen on the idea of having ink permanently injected under my skin."

"None taken. It was just a thought."

The two finished off their marshmallows before heading to the bathroom. Jillian was slightly in front of Kenzie, but Kenzie actually got stopped by some people asking if she was, indeed, the Kenzie Howell from the newspapers. How they recognized her all fixed up, she didn't know. So she stopped to chat with them.

When Kenzie finally made it to the bathroom, she was shocked to see Jillian walking away from her, right behind none other than her ex-boyfriend, Drake. The one who'd argued with her at the consignment store earlier, who'd practically made her cry.

Against her better judgment, Kenzie snuck behind them both and followed them.

Drake led Jillian to a more secluded area of the beach, away from the main events. It was times like these Kenzie wished the police department issued her a gun, just in case it was needed for protection.

Though their voices were inaudible, there was no mistaking that Drake was once again angry with Jillian, for reasons she couldn't comprehend. Jillian had broken things off with Drake, so why didn't he just move on? Yes, Jillian was drop dead gorgeous and a great catch, but this was too much.

Kenzie scooted a little closer so she could hear what was being said. She couldn't make out too much, but some things were perfectly clear.

"I swear she doesn't know anything. I haven't told her a thing."

"Good, then keep it that way and there won't be any problems."

What were they talking about? Maybe she was being paranoid, but Kenzie had to wonder if they were talking about her. Tell her what? She knows nothing about what?

Drake finally seemed satisfied and took off. Kenzie rushed to the bathroom before Jillian could see that she'd been spying on her. Even if it was for her best interests, Kenzie was sure that Jillian wouldn't be too thrilled.
When she came out of the bathroom, Kenzie saw Jillian at the bar having a drink. Kenzie wasn't big on drinking, and she didn't know Jillian was either. So she sat at the bar where she was and figured this would be a nonchalant way to inquire about what she'd seen. After all, anyone could see Jillian drinking; she wasn't doing it in private.

"Hey, what's up?" Kenzie asked casually.

Jillian lowered her glass and said, "Not much. Did you just now get out of the bathroom?"

"Well, a couple of girls stopped me and wanted to talk to me. They wanted to make sure I was the actual Kenzie Howell they read about in the papers."

"Cool, you're not exactly a celeb, but you still have fans."

"I prefer it that way. I'm doing something to make a difference, and the celebrities, well, they bring entertainment, but that's it. Of course, they make a lot more money than I do, but money isn't everything."

Jillian somewhat choked on her drink.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fine. I think I just drank too much."

"Since when do you drink, anyway?"

"I do sometimes on special occasions, but not very often."

"Some people drink when something' s bothering them. I hope you don't do that."

"No, just parties."

Kenzie noticed Jillian didn't make eye contact while making that statement. But she didn't push the issue. Once again, she knew Jillian was hiding something from her. But what was it? And why? Why didn't she trust her best friend enough to confide in her about something like this, even if it was as trivial as an ex-boyfriend's idiocy?

It was after midnight when the party finally died down and Jillian and Kenzie headed home. Jillian still didn't mention Drake at all, and Kenzie didn't bring it up. But she wasn't about to forget it. Something was going on, and she was determined to find out what it was. Even if it meant going behind her best friend's back.

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