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She couldn't see how it suited her. Sexy and her weren't words that were used together very often. But her boss had said she would do just fine with a few pointers from the other girls and a wardrobe that was meant to assist. Her hands slid over the fabric along her sides and she chewed on her lip. How a slinky dress could make her pull off sexy, she still had yet to figure out.
Kenny looked up at him and smiled, "It isn't quite as terrifying as the others were, I'll admit." And it wasn't suffocating her or pushing her breasts up into her face. Some girls could work that, but she was not one of them.
Her eyes narrowed at his question and she snorted, "Oh please. Your honest opinion is probably a mockery of what I'm doing. I need to feel confident, not awkward and shy. If only I knew how to actually feel that way." Her hands rested on her hips and she shifted her weight to one leg. "Tell me your secret, how do you do it, Isaac?"
She liked when he smiled. It was never really a full one, but just the hint of it was adorable and made her went to pinch his cheeks. He just had that oddly adorable air about him. Like she wanted to protect him at all costs, even though she was probably not that good of a protector. "Totally agree, you can never go overboard on marshmallows. Not ever."
He asked her about her home and she gave a wistful sigh, Louisiana was everything. New Orleans just had all of the good stuff that people needed. Food, music and gorgeous scenery. "I could go on for days. New Orleans is the most incredible place in the world. There's so much influence there with music and food. Plus it's beautiful and the people are exotic and wild. Basically, it's my favorite place that I've ever been and I miss it like no other." It made her sad to think about how little she went back compared to how much she wanted to. School made it hard and work would make it harder.
"Did you ever live anywhere else?" She felt like she'd gone back and forth between New Orleans and Los Angeles that she knew them both by heart, but she didn't know anywhere else. Other than where the academy had taken her.
The words that left Carter's mouth, had McKenna baffled. She didn't know how to react initially because she hadn't expected him to speak the words that she'd been thinking. It was a joke, she didn't actually want it said out loud. Her eyes snapped to her brother to gauge his reaction. He had to know it was a joke. Kenny was barely an adult! She was not old enough to be married. Let alone to the beautiful man beside her who she honestly couldn't see marrying anyone. He was a free spirit of sorts and while she truly adored him in so many ways, that way was not one of them.
"No. No no. No no no," She stood up quickly to stand in front of her brother. "Cameron, no. C'mon seriously? You had to know that was a joke." She glanced down at her best friend and narrowed her eyes before turning back to her brother. "It's not that, it's nothing like that. It's...okay, look." Kenny folded her hands and pressed them to her lips as she contemplated the best way to come out with it. It really wasn't as bad as she thought, was it?
"I'm working at a burlesque club as a performer, there, I said it. Let me have it, Cam. Go on," She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for his reaction.
Opening week for the club had been absolutely insane. Between rehearsals, class and a relatively packed social life (shockingly), Kenny was starting to think that she'd need to drop something. She loved her job, she really did, and she needed classes in order to graduate. Which left the social life. Of course she could have always asked her friends to come visit her at work, but while Isaac and Carter wouldn't have a problem with it, she wasn't sure any of her other friends would be willing. Not to mention, she couldn't allow for Cameron to come see her at work. That was a big no-no.
She'd just been given an intermission when she started outside and saw the bouncer struggling with a familiar face. She covered her mouth to repress the giggles that were bound to escape otherwise. Kenny put a hand on the bouncer's arm and gave a smile, "It's okay, he's my brother. You'll have to excuse his condition, it makes him hallucinate sometimes."
When the bouncer raised his arms in a surrendering gesture and shook his head, Kenny took hold of the other man's arm and led him inside, "You realize that he probably thought you were an obsessive stalker with the way you were trying to come in."
Her eyes caught the slightest glimpses at the first few dresses he held up. Her nose scrunched at all of them, but she supposed it wasn't a matter of her own personal taste. It was supposed to be about the men that she was looking to attract. Money, that's the whole reason she needed this kind of job. It was a step in the right direction of what she was going to do with her life. Perhaps not this sort of job, but she liked the experience of it all. It was out of her comfort zone.
When he turned with the last option, Kenny stared at it and chewed on the inside of her cheek. It fit the look of the club, despite it being a lighter color. She'd noted that most of the girls were going for dark and edgy, but she knew she didn't have the face for edgy, not really. Nor did she have the personality and her voice...well, she could go on forever about how not-so-edgy she was.
She was glad that Isaac knew as much without pointing it out directly.
McKenna took the dress from him and took a deep breath, "Alrighty, here it goes." She turned back to the dressing room and pulled the curtain. After a few moments, less struggling and just a few bows that needed adjusted, she emerged in the dress he picked out and held her arms out, twirling. "Whattaya think? Better? Still hot? Or just like...ya know, McKenna in another dress that doesn't look right on her?"
McKenna pursed her lips as she thought about it for a moment. The owner had been loose with his instructions on the exact attire, he was more looking for a feeling that it gave off. Something she still couldn't even understand as he explained it. But she figured that it was probably more fitting to go with dresses and skirts. That, and they were a little easier to dance in from her experience. "I think we should stick with dresses and skirts."
Just not the ones that she thought would work.
Kenny kept her arms wrapped tight around herself, still feeling very exposed as she waited for him. She was just glad that there weren't dozens of people around to stare at her. She probably would have hid in the dressing room if that were the case. She rocked on her heels and stood on her toes to peek over his shoulder. "Thanks again for coming with me, obviously I'd have been screwed otherwise."
His compliment had her expression softening into a more relaxed smile. She appreciated his confidence in her abilities, happy to know that she had least had a strong backing of support. She also knew that he was just good at flattery. McKenna couldn't even be upset that he solidified her own thoughts about the outfit. She was so used to having costumes made for a production, not being left to her own devices. She was lost when it came to this style and the fine line between classy and what she'd put on.
Kenny folded her hands in front of her and brought them up to her face with a pleading expression, "Yes. Do it. Please."
Her eyes followed to the rack of clothing and she watched to see what he'd linger on and what he'd quickly toss to the side. This was starting to make her question her own choices of clothing. Was she really this terrible at picking out an outfit? But then she had to remember, Isaac was a guy, he knew what guys liked far better than she did.
The grand opening of the new club that Kenny had been hired to work at was approaching at a sickening speed. Rehearsals had begun, set lists were being made and the girls were all in charge of picking their own costume pieces to go with their dances. Mr. Ivaskov, had given them guidelines of what to pick out and McKenna was fairly sure that she was screwed if she tried to do it all on her own.
Carter was preoccupied, he had been her initial go-to. But lucky for her, she at least had more than just one pretty blonde in her phone who was good for opinions on these sorts of things. Her friendship with Isaac was not nearly the same as the relationship she had with Carter, it was much less defined and a little rougher around the edges. While she and Carter had been strictly platonic since she met him, Isaac didn't seem to accept that status as graciously. Not that she minded much, he helped her feel better about herself, boosting the confidence she used to be lacking.
Stagfort was not quite meant for the club that was opening, so she had struggled to find stores that helped her find anything to wear. Once she did, she realized just how awkward she still felt when wearing such little clothing. After some general frustration and struggling to figure out how to put on one of the outfits she chose, she came out of the dressing room, her arms wrapped around her torso and her face beet red. "This is useless, I don't know what possessed me to take this job."
McKenna nodded slowly, absorbing the information. He didn't peg her as a hermit type, but she could have been reading it wrong. After all, she'd been pretty hermit-like a few years ago and for those who met her now, she was certain they wouldn't have believed it.
Reluctant as she was to release his hand, she gave a smile and a nod as she looked around for an open table that was good for some conversation. The cafeteria was mostly empty, so she supposed it didn't really matter. She chose a table nearest to the windows, away from the few other people that were lingering and speaking. Her eyes were locked on the scene outside. The snow had always been pretty to her, but she was not cut out for being in it for long.
She turned when she heard him approach and she smiled again, "Thanks. It's kind of crazy how good the hot chocolate here is, ya know? For being a cafeteria. I just remember my normal school never had good hot chocolate. It was always really watery." Kenny turned her nose up and grimaced.
Over the course of the last few years, Kenny had realized that she became very forward. When she was sixteen she could barely look at a boy, let alone grab his hand moments after learning his name. He didn't pull away though, and she accepted it as a small victory. The cute, dorky guy was holding her hand as if it were such a natural thing. He was a complete stranger, what did she think she was doing? But he felt familiar and she took comfort in that.
His smile and that laugh, she thought she might melt before even reaching the cafeteria. At his words, she felt shocked because they had likely been part of the same school for years without crossing paths even once. Of course, she had strayed far away from the opposite gender for a large portion of the time, but even so, she knew she'd have remembered seeing him in the halls. "Frozen reference, noted," Kenny giggled and bit down on her lower lip. "It's wild that I've never seen you around before, I've been part of Bellefonte since I was twelve."
When he offered to help teach her proper packing of a snowball, she grinned wide and nodded, "I look forward to it. Well, ya know, after I thaw out a bit. I'm from Louisiana before I manifested, it doesn't get like this there very often." She shivered involuntarily as if for emphasis.
When he started shrugging his coat off, she held her hands up, "Oh no, you really don't have to." But he seemed sure and she was freezing. Kenny slid off her coat and took his from him, pulling it around her shoulders as her eyes lifted back up to his. "Thank you, you're sweet."
He gave her his name and she smiled at him. It fit his face, she had to admit. He just looked like a Sam. Kenny's teeth sank into her lower lip when he suggested they go in for hot chocolate. She was never one to turn down anything warm in this kind of weather, least of all when it was chocolate. "Well, Sam, it's nice to meet you. I'd love to get hot chocolate with you."
Of course she could tell that he was uncomfortable, maybe nervous, it wasn't a secret. She wished that she had a way to ease his nerves without having to sing or something of the sort, so she did the only thing that she could think of and took his hand. She didn't make a big fuss over it and just started walking beside him, looking down at her feet as they walked. It was like he was magnetic, she found herself walking close beside him, although it could have been just to keep warm against the wind that blew snow off of the rooftops. Kenny followed him into the building and towards the cafeteria without question, "You must be used to the snow, your packing skills were far better than mine. Are you from around here?"
McKenna shrieked as she was covered in snow. Had she been paying attention, she was sure that she'd have had the time to tackle him to the ground and bury him, but she'd been oblivious to his approach and in turn ended up buried herself. She was not dressed properly for being covered; her peacoat was soaked within minutes as well as her hair. The gloves that she wore only protected her hands because they were leather. She was drenched from head to toe otherwise.
She sat there for a moment and watched him do his victory dance, observing that he was small enough that she could have easily tackled him and also that he was really cute in the most dorky way she could ever imagine. After her brief moment of distraction, she started brushing herself off. Her teeth started to chatter and she laughed through them.
"That w-was really s-smooth. Congratulations-s-s," Louisiana girls weren't meant for the cold and she felt like her fingers might fall off. "Aren't you f-freezing?" She stood up and brushed her coat off before smoothing down her hair and brushing it out of her eyes. "I'm Kenny, by the way. D'you have a name other than 'Mighty Victor'?" She giggled again and sniffled.
Kenny couldn't even think about snacks or drinks. Her stomach was in such a twist that she was fairly certain trying to force something in would only result in it just as quickly coming back up. She worried that she might have been squeezing Carter's hand too tight and she looked at him to assess whether she was right or not, loosening her grip on him the tiniest bit, but still not letting go. Why did it feel like she was about to tell her brother that she was pregnant or getting married to the man beside her? Surely this should have been easier than that.
"Cam, can you sit down, I need to talk to you about something," That sounded bad. "I mean, it's okay, everything is fine, I just, I've got some good news." Why did that sound worse? McKenna had no clue what she was getting herself into. "I just need you to focus for a second, yeah? And then I'll be out of your hair and all will be good. I'll take Cart with me, too," She glanced at him with a small smile.
Kenny was oblivious to her surroundings, focused all too hard on these damn snowballs. She'd grown up in warmer places that she hardly ever saw any snow, maybe twice in the whole time she'd lived in New Orleans, so it was all so new to her. She'd watched countless movies with snowball fights and they'd all made it look effortless. She wished that she could have been like Will Ferrel in Elf as she was looking to win and not get barraged with snow.
Just as she went to toss one, she got struck in the arm and squeaked. The boy she'd been aiming for asked if she was still alive and she brushed the snow from her arm. "Just barely!" She called back with a laugh. If she kept up at this pace, she was never going to win. Where was a cryo when she needed one?! Her ability was of little use in this situation, not unless she wanted to break out into song and make everyone feel like surrendering, but she wasn't even sure that would work.
She threw over another ball in the general direction the voice came from.
She'd been so certain that Carter would be on good behavior, although she couldn't figure out what gave her that delusional thought. Not even a minute in and he was already stirring the pot. McKenna glanced back at him and squeezed his hand, hoping to convey that this was not good behavior and she'd very much like him not to get into it with her brother.
As they stepped inside, she stretched up and kissed her brother's cheek, still holding fast to Carter's hand. If he was going to be a smart ass already, there was no way she was letting him go. "Hi, Cammy! Is it so bad that I just wanted to see you? And why should I have to call, it's not like you're doing anything?" She gave him an all too wide smile because she was nervous. She did not like lying to her brother, but it wasn't a total sham. She had wanted to see him and she was typically showing up at random times anyway. The only difference was that she didn't typically bring Carter with her.
When he came back to her mind, she looked at him with wide eyes, completely unsure of how to start the conversation about the club. She chewed on her lower lip and scooted closer to him when they sat down. "What are you doing exactly? Watching another crime show without me, I see. I'm telling Olivia that you're excluding us, bet she'll be offended, too."
