The following day, Constance headed to the liquor shop to stock up on sparkling wine. Right after lunch, she opened a bottle and put on the show Kendra was currently watching. She felt at peace with herself, watching mind-numbing shows while getting buzzed. Many hours passed, and Constance did nothing but feed her brain with gossip and drama. Afterward, she called Kendra and spent another hour talking about what she had watched.
From then on, Constance ignored her college assignments and classes entirely. She was obsessed with catching up on reality tv while emptying bottle after bottle of sparkling wine. It was perfect for making her forget about the life she was supposed to live. Instead, she marveled at the simple lives many reality show personalities lived and wished she could be like them.
In addition to calling Kendra daily, Constance often hung out at her apartment. They watched TV together, gossiped, and laughed. It was her happy place where she felt right at home.
They were watching a show where a woman went shopping for a hot pink top when Kendra looked at Constance.
“You know, with your blonde hair and blue eyes, pink would look really good on you. Have you ever thought about getting your nails done?”
The thought alone made Constance shiver with excitement. “I haven’t, to be honest. Do you have anything specific in mind?”
“Well, if you want, I could call my friend and the nail salon and ask her if she has any free slots on short notice.”
“That sounds fun. Let’s do it!”
Kendra got out her phone and, after a short call, smiled at Constance. “Get ready. We’re about to make you look a whole lot hotter.”
***
The salon was just around the corner and did not look any better than the hair salon Constance had gotten her hair done in.
After Constance sat down, Kendra’s friend brought a color palette, and they pointed out the hot pink they wanted Constance’s nails to be.
“What length should we go with?” the nail artists asked. “Do you want them the same length as Kendra?”
“Oh, I have to keep mine shorter for work,” Kendra interjected, “she doesn’t have that problem, so you can give her a proper length.”
Constance gulped. In her opinion, Kendra’s nails were at an impractical length already. She couldn’t imagine how much longer hers would turn out. But she had promised herself to value Kendra’s opinion more since she was clearly living a more exciting life.
“Sounds great!” she responded.
“I think you made the right choice. That color will go great with long nails. Now, enjoy yourself, and I’ll take care of everything.”
Constance decided to lean back and distract herself by talking with Kendra. She didn’t want to look at her hands to see the progress, letting the result be a surprise instead. They started gossiping about the latest shows and forgot the time until their nail stylist interrupted them.
“All done! How do you like them?”
Constance held her hands before her face and was stunned, barely recognizing them. Her nails now stuck out almost twice as far as Kendra’s. You could tell from a mile away that there was nothing natural about them. The hot pink screamed for attention, and Constance found it hard to look away.
“They…look…so hot,” she stammered while still staring at them.
Kendra laughed at her reaction. “I knew you would love them.” She turned to her friend and smiled. “I’m sure you will see her regularly from now on.”
Constance barely listened, still mesmerized by her nails. She struggled to pull out her card to pay and felt a tingle between her thighs. She couldn’t stop looking at her nails and feeling giddy throughout her entire way home.
They fit her new persona perfectly, and she knew she would keep this style for a long time.
Once she made it home, she grabbed her phone and took pictures of her piano. Then she put it online for sale.