Page 34 of Deck of Scarlets
“Did lover boy slay you yet?” he asked, handing Nickie our signature silver flask.
I smacked him hard on the arm. “No!”
“He better lay the pipe soon. You’re getting rigid,” Jeremy stated.
Nickie smacked him upside the head. “She knows; don’t remind her.”
“Wow, thanks for that,” I said to both of them.
“We love you and want what’s best,” she reminded me, and then gave me a weird look after her eyes scanned my outfit. “Excuse my French, but what the fuck are you wearing?”
“What?” I gazed down at my attire. Sure, it wasn’t my typical tight black dress, but I’d had a long day, and she was lucky I put in the effort with my makeup. Eight a.m. classes tended to catch up to someone if they were used to staying out past midnight on weekdays, and I refused to nap.
“You look like you just got off a shift at Old Navy,” said Jeremy. His facial expression of horror matched Nickie’s.
“I’ll go if we’re going to make fun of me all night,” I suggested, stepping away from them.
Nickie and Jeremy both pulled me back in line.
“We’re sorry. Just surprised, that’s all. A week of school and you already dress differently,” said Nickie sadly.
“It’s one outfit, not a whole personality change,” I grumbled. We hadn’t even entered the club yet, and they were already getting on my nerves. The feeling of jealousy subsided with each snide remark, and I was in no mood to deal with any of it.
“But that’s just it, soon you’ll change your hair, the music you like, and the next thing you know, you’re a part of some tacky sorority where girls pose drinking from a wine bag, thinking it’s trendy,” Jeremy explained while he fiddled with his collar.
The line moved, and they followed suit, but I stepped aside. “I think I’m gonna go.”
“What?” they shouted together.
The look on their confused faces not only pissed me off more, but they played it off like it was a shock I’d be leaving before we hit the doors. Sometimes their remarks went too far, and I’d felt crappy lately.
“I think I need to be alone tonight,” I announced.
“No, girl, come on! We were just kidding!” panicked Nickie.
“We only half meant the Old Navy comment,” confessed Jeremy.
“I’m going to walk back to my place. I’ll text you guys later,” I said over my shoulder, escaping before it got ugly.
I could hear them both in the distance yelling at one another for whose fault it was for making me leave early. It was equal but hearing them hash it out on the busiest street in New York City was priceless. All eyes were on them, and at one point, someone yelled at them to shut up. But their negativity struck a chord, and I needed space to think.
I let my feet carry me to a familiar location in my neighborhood, only two blocks from Electric Haze. The summer heat seemed to take an early vacation, and I welcomed the cool breeze. The only parts of the city that didn’t have excessive amounts of trash and random druggies in back alleys, the only time I felt somewhat safe walking home, were these two blocks.
Keeping my focus forward, I let my mind wander to all the events leading up to tonight. Maybe they were right; perhaps I had changed in a week, but had it been that major? I found my outfit a minor alteration, and I overreacted a little to their comments, but damn, they hadn’t seen me in a week and were already freaking out over dumb shit. A simple outfit that didn’t match their aesthetic sent them into a tizzy; I could only imagine what a month would do and how bad their words might be.
For now, I just needed the space to think.
I took extra time getting back home, wanting to bask in the crazy buzz of the city. All the smells of overly fried food, the occasional hot dog stand, and I could never forget the city performers that appeared randomly to put on a show until they harassed you for money.
I hadn’t seen Kal since our little rendezvous in the janitor’s closet. No matter how hot the interaction between us became, his disgusting comment at the end left a shitty taste in my mouth. Of course I wanted no strings attached; the issue was I never made it known to him.
Maybe I’m the problem?
It shouldn’t excuse what he said, and I had a bad habit of making excuses for others.
Heather, on the other hand… I had no idea how to approach this society’s bullshit. She still didn’t know I had been invited, and part of me wanted to tell her the other night, but how did I come out and say it? It wasn’t something to have a normal conversation about, let alone one I wanted to have, but it might help me understand why we were chosen, if she knew anything at all. And how would I go about telling her I found it under her bed, potentially snooping in her personal belongings?
My options were slim, just like my patience with Nickie and Jeremy.