Dark Lust

Ciaran

I grab Jolie's drink and my own. As I start to make my way back, some brunette bitch catches me by the arm. My fucking luck.

"Happy birthday, birthday boy." She purrs or at least tries to. Her anils rake up and down my arm.

"Thanks. Do I know you?"

"I go to Stratford. But I know all about you."

"That's great. Listen I got-"

"Bro," Joel grips my shoulder as he passes. "Did you know that Jolie is here?"

"Yeah. This is hers."

"If you're busy I can give that drink to her."

"Go ahead. Tell her I'll be there shortly."

"You guys cool with each other or something?"

"We are on speaking terms just for this weekend. Her birthday is tomorrow."

"No shit. We better give her a time she will never forget."

"Just make sure she gets this drink, alright?"

"You got it."

Joel leaves me with this random chick. She's still touching me. I shuffle back a little bit.

"So, is that girl your girlfriend?"

Girlfriend? Does this bitch think she's allowed to be in my business?

"No. She's just my-" What do I tell her? My own personal stripper? "Normally she's my enemy, but I'm taking the day off from the threats for my birthday."

"That is so kind of you."

"Look, I bet you're a terrific girl to fuck, but I'm not feeling it with you. So I'm going to walk away and leave you to snort whatever shit you have in your pocket."

I walk back to where Jolie was standing, only to see that she's missing. Why do I always need to chase this bitch around? I try to look for her through the crowd but come up empty. Jolie better not leave me hanging. If she left early I'm going to fucking scream and then go to her house to fuck some sense back into her. No one stands me up. Who does she think she is?

I notice her guy friend talking to a couple guys. "Have you seen Jolie?"

"I thought she was with you."

"Well, fuck. This house is so big, she could be anywhere."

"Maybe she's out smoking a cigarette. I know she hates crowded places. I think she's bound to punch someone in the face if one more person tries to touch her."

"I'll check the back. Thanks, man."

"Hey," He stops me. "You two can't fool me, but I understand the act you put up."

I nod in response and glance up to the stairs. And just in fucking time. Joel and Jolie are standing up there like they are about to come down. Jolie's back is facing the stairs. I can see her wobbling. She comes down the stairs, but not the way a person should.

She falls backwards. I can see her body hit the marble stairs hard. My body goes numb. Harlan screams her name, bringing me back to the party. I follow him through the crowd. Joel rushes down the stairs as I kneel above her.

"Jolie?" I yell her name, shaking her body lightly and hitting her cheeks. "Jolie, you gotta wake up for me."

I can feel panic rising within me the longer she doesn't move. I check for blood around her body. Thank fuck there isn't any. Jolie is knocked out cold. She also feels cold. That can't be good.

"EVERYBODY, GET THE FUCK OUT!" I shout at the top of my lungs.

"Dude, is that really necessary?" Joel asks.

"This is my fucking house! Get them all out!" Joel doesn't budge. "IF YOU DON'T GET OUT NOW, I WILL MAKE SURE THE POLICE DO IT FOR ME!"

I should have said that in the first place. Everyone starts making a run for it. Flora finds us and looks like she's about to cry.

"I need you to help me get her to my room." I ask her friends. Joel is a piece of shit and I couldn't give any more fucks what he does.

Harlan helps me move Jolie to the elevator and to my room.

"Is she going to be okay?" Flora starts to cry.

I grip her shoulders. "Look at me. She's going to be fine. I'm going to take good care of her. You two can stay in the guest rooms until she wakes up."

Joel inches toward Jolie and reaches for her. I run and pin him against the wall.

"What the fuck, bro!"

"What the fuck did you do?"

"I didn't do shit!"

"She fell down those fucking stairs backwards while she was talking to you. Did you fucking push her?"

My blood is at the boiling point where it could melt metals. I don't know who Joel thinks he is. I'm starting to think I need to ditch his ass. He seems to be the reason for all the fucked up shit going on in my life. He's a shitty best friend to begin with.

"Are you fucking crazy!"

"Yes I am! What did you do, Joel?"

"She lost her balance!"

"You didn't even try to catch her when she was about to fall down a fucking flight of marble stairs! You're lucky her skull didn't bust open and kill her."

"Isn't that what you want? For her to fucking die? You threaten to kill her enough-"

"If you think I want her fucking dead, you are blind. If I want anyone dead, it's going to be you."

"I'm your best friend."

"Not any more. Get the fuck away from me."

I throw Joel aside by the collar of his shirt. "You're making a big mistake."

"Oh really? I've already made the mistake of getting caught up with my father's shit. I might as well make another one. Go ahead and tell him everything. I'm ready for another beating."

Joel leaves without another word.

"Should we start cleaning up?" Flora is so innocent, if this wasn't a bad time, I would have laughed at her.

"I got maids for that. They will be here in the morning. There are two guest rooms down the hall. One is on the left and the other is on the right. They each have their own bathrooms and are stocked full with clothes for both male and female. Go relax. I got her."

"You better not be tricking us."

"I didn't realize the new look gave you a backbone. Drop the Jolie persona and go back to your old look. No one likes a follower."

"She said it would help me get the guy."

"Did it?"

"Far from it."

"So you tried it and it didn't work. Now go back to yourself and find someone who suits you."

"You're not that bad of a guy."

I give Flora a small chuckle. "You don't know me. I've seen shit that could throw you in the mental institution."

"Just because you've seen it doesn't mean you've done it."

Flora takes Harlan's hand and they leave me with an unconscious Jolie. Just because you've seen it doesn't mean you've done it. Not yet.