In Katie's bedroom, she was touching up her makeup at the vanity while chatting on the phone with her new friends.
Down in a dimly lit basement, punk girl Janice—rocking heavy smokey eyeliner and a head full of messy dreads—was straddling a chair backward. Next to her, super effeminate Damien in his pink tee was leaning on the workbench, both dishing out advice to Katie.
"Listen up, Katie—if you really like Mike, you've gotta seize this chance and lock him down today," Janice said from the shadowy basement, laying out her plan.
"Totally!" Damien piped in, scooting closer to the phone all excited. "I heard Regina tried asking Mike to go shopping today, and he straight-up turned her down. If you snag him, it's like beating the devil-bodied crew without even trying. Just thinking about it gets me hyped...
Go get 'em, Katie. We're rooting for you!"
Damien got more and more worked up, cheering her on like her best girlfriend.
"It's not like that with Mike and me, you guys," Katie protested at first, blushing hard at how blunt they were being. Then, feeling a little guilty, she added, "I mean... hypothetically, if I wanted a boyfriend, what should I do?"
Yeah, that was basically admitting it.
The two in the basement exchanged a knowing glance. Janice took the lead: "First off, create some alone time. Atmosphere is everything... Trust me, guy and girl in a room by themselves? Mike won't be able to resist your charm."
"I told you, there's nothing going on with Mike and me..." Katie tried to play it off, but hearing their giggles on the other end, she knew denying it was pointless. "Fine, how exactly do I pull it off?"
"That's the spirit! You get to take down the devil-bodied crew—you should feel honored," Janice teased with a laugh. "High school boys? Their brains are wired for one thing. Dress a little spicy today. 'Accidentally' spill some soup or coffee on his shirt, then suggest he cleans up in the bathroom. Then you swoop in looking all sexy for the surprise attack...
And hey, Mike's got a killer bod from what I've seen. You definitely won't lose out..."
Janice painted the picture so vividly, she sounded like a full-on love guru.
Over on Katie's end, imagining Mike in the shower made her cheeks burn bright red. Her eyes got all misty, like she was daydreaming.
She fanned her face to cool down and finally said, "Okay, time's up—I gotta go."
After hanging up, Katie sat at the vanity for a while longer, waiting for her heart to chill out before heading downstairs.
In the living room, her mom had whipped up a huge spread for lunch, just waiting for the guest.
Her dad was parked on the couch looking all serious, pretending to read the newspaper to kill time.
The second Katie walked in, both parents zeroed in on her.
"Is our daughter dressed a little too casual today?" Dad muttered behind his paper.
"Compared to that tiny skirt yesterday, this oversized tee is an improvement," Mom whispered back. Then she got up and waved Katie over with a smile.
"Katie, are you okay? Your face is all flushed—did you sneak some booze in your room?" Mom asked worriedly once they sat down.
"Mooom~" Katie whined cutely. To shake off the awkwardness, she tugged at her baggy tee for some air and explained, "It's probably just the heat today. I'm still getting used to it."
It was August in Texas—sweltering hot—so that excuse flew.
Katie had chickened out a bit and skipped the tempting mini skirt she'd picked last night.
But this loose black tee? It was long enough to create that "missing bottoms" vibe—showing off her collarbones and those smooth, round thighs. Plenty of imagination fuel.
Total guy-magnet, still maxed out.
Just as Dad was about to subtly hint at her outfit, there was a knock at the door.
"I'll get it!" Katie bounced up, her long bare legs flashing as she dashed over.
Her poor old man watched her skip away all giddy, mouth half-open like he'd been frozen in place.
"Relax, this is the first time Katie's ever had a friend over. Don't scare the kid off," Mom said, patting her grumpy husband's arm.
"Hmph." Dad slapped the newspaper on the table, crossing his arms with a stern grandpa face to show his disapproval.
At the door, Mike did a quick double-take at Katie's look.
She had her hair in simple pigtails, light makeup that made her look cute and gorgeous at the same time.
But that wasn't the main event.
The oversized black tee showed off her delicate collarbones and those curvy thighs like nothing else—total tease for the eyes.
"This is Grandma Connie's special Texas brisket. Hope you like it," Mike said with a grin, holding up the wrapped package.
Up close and locking eyes with him, Katie's face went red again.
She grabbed the meat in a daze, avoiding his gaze as she stammered, "Come on in—my mom and dad are waiting."
Then she spun around quick to lead the way.
No need, really—as soon as Mike stepped inside, he spotted the middle-aged couple in the living room.
The mom had a warm, gentle smile. The dad next to her looked super old-school and stern.
Both were dressed sharp in work clothes, which clashed big time with Katie's chill vibe.
Katie brought Mike to the table, introducing him to her parents.
Then she handed the brisket to her mom.
"Mmm, smells amazing," Mom said, complimenting the gift first. "Mike, have a seat. I'll get this prepped, and we'll eat."
Gotta say, humans are visual creatures—Mike's handsome face already scored big points with her.
Seeing her mom being nice to him put a huge smile on Katie's face.
But standing next to Mike now had her all hyper-aware—her whole body felt hot, like there was a fire inside.
To avoid embarrassing herself, she blurted, "I'm gonna help in the kitchen!"
So the mom and daughter duo headed off, leaving the two guys staring at each other awkwardly.
"You're Mike, right? Same class as our Katie?" Dad asked, squinting like he was interrogating a suspect.
"I'm a junior—she's a senior, so a year below her," Mike replied. He could sense the guy's vibe and totally got why.
"So you're a year younger than our Katie?" Dad pressed, eyes full of suspicion.
Mike nodded without overthinking it.
Dad frowned like the age thing bugged him, then kept going: "You smoke or drink?"
"A little," Mike admitted modestly, pinching his fingers to show "just a bit."
"Want one?" Dad pulled out a pack like an old pro, offering a cigarette.
"Thanks, but I don't have the habit," Mike said, waving it off.
Dad's face softened a tad when Mike turned it down. He lit one for himself, holding it all brooding-like: "Who's in your family? What do they do for work?"
As Dad started digging like he was running a background check, Mike's expression got noticeably more serious.