Promise Me to Please | Please Me #2

TWENTY FIVE

My bedroom was swarmed with makeup, curling irons, skimpy dresses, and the goddess-like voice of Rihanna. Leah was fussing over what top to wear whilst Cora finished applying her lipstick. Ezekiel had just finished tying half my hair back.

   "I've only been to The Incubus a few times." Cora told everyone.

   "It's Rya and I's favourite club of all time." Ezekiel smiled at me through the mirror.

  Cora eyed me tauntingly and I once again mentally begged her to not say anything. "It's a great atmosphere." I explained.

   "I can imagine." She sent me a subtle wink and I almost recoiled into myself.

  I tried to push back the image of a very drunk Cora spilling the secret that her mother owned a sex club, and I was a frequent visitor. Jesus, what would people think of me?

  Ezekiel glanced concerning over his shoulder at a very frantic Leah. "For the love of God, girl. Are you on crack?" we all swivelled our views to stare at Leah as she held two tops in each hand, her breathing a little erratic.

  She huffed and plopped the tops down on my bed. "I've never being clubbing before."

  Ezekiel's eyes popped out of his head, "I'm sorry what?!"

   "How?" Cora chuckled astonishedly. "What did you do for your 21st?"

   "We went to a Dive Bar." She explained. "Then I went home, cried, and finished a bottle of white wine."

   "You cried on your 21st birthday?" Ezekiel pointed a hairbrush in her direction.

   "Yes..." she sheepishly shrugged. "It was because of a boy." The way she said it made it sound like a perfect excuse. It wasn't.

   "And who in the Jake Gyllenhaal was that?" he asked.

  Leah took a shivering breath that I only seemed to notice, "No one important." She suddenly seemed sullen as she walked into the bathroom.

  That wasn't good. "Give me a second." I turned to Ezekiel and got up from the chair, following her.

   "Hey." I softly spoke as I closed the door behind me. Leah was busy securing the knot at the top of her head in the mirror. It reminded me of Pamela Anderson's iconic 90's messy bun.

   "Hey." She attempted to be absentminded, but I knew the stress of the club and the mention of what I can only assume was her ex ruining her 21st was putting her over the edge.

   "I thought you said you and Adam broke up the summer before Sophomore year." For some reason I believed that since then he'd been completely out of the picture.

   "We did." She frowned.

   "But he ruined your 21st?" the anger I held towards that guy only multiplied when I looked at Leah's facial expression.

  Sienna used to date Adam on and off for years. He completely toyed with her, calling it quits and hooking up with other girls, only to come crawling back to her when he felt sad. And she took him back. Every. Single. Time.

  I refused to comprehend the situation. Sure, the guy had a lot of issues. Some of which Sienna disclosed to me, many of which she didn't. Despite that, I couldn't imagine any of his secret issues being a reasonable excuse to act like a fuck-face of a human being.

   "How did you know –" and turned around and took one look at my knowing expression. "... He texted me." Her eyes became red. Panic started to thrum through me. I wasn't good at tears. Oh no. I shouldn't had brought this up.