The Ballerina & The Devil

Fifty. A Devil in the Dark

"It wasn't cheap, it was the opposite actually," I shook my head slowly. "He spent half a grand on tickets to the ballet. Box seats."

Majesty's jaw dropped. "He what?"

"This is a problem?" Kenzie asked at the same time.

I gave her a look. "Kenzie."

"What? Call me crazy, but I don't really see how your boyfriend going all out on your birthday present is a bad thing," she crossed her arms across her chest. "I hope you didn't reject it, Demi because that's very poor manners."

"Because you should lecture anyone on their manners," Majesty snorted.

"Would you shut up?" She snapped. "Stop coming for me."

"Demi isn't stupid enough to hand back box seats to one of those ballet shows she's always dragging us to," Majesty flicked a strand of hair over her shoulder. "Right, D?"

I examined my nails silently and picked at the pale pink nail polish peeling off.

"Right, D?"

"Ummmm..."

"Oh my god," Kenzie exclaimed. "You actually gave them back!?"

"It was too much money!"

"Oh my god, Demi," Majesty looked appalled. "You are so rude. You don't throw someone's five hundred dollar gift back in their face."

"And people call me a bitch," Kenzie scoffed.

"I am not a bitch," I curled my fists in anger and agitation. "Why on Earth would I keep that? I don't need a pair of five hundred dollar tickets."

"You are completely missing the point," Majesty said in exasperation. "It's not about the money. It's the thought of the gift. You love ballet, Aidan is in love with you-"

"Wait a secon-"

"So obviously," she continued loudly. "He would have spent a lot of time thinking about something he could get you, something that would make you so ridiculously happy, and when he finally thinks he's got it...you throw it back in his face."

I opened my mouth to protest, but Kenzie cut in.

"You probably really hurt the poor guy's feelings."

"Oh stop it," I rolled my eyes, but I started to feel the guilt creeping up on me. "I did not. I mean- he didn't look hurt."

"I'm sorry are we talking about the same guy here? The same Aidan Benson? The guy who has the emotional range of a tree?"

I tugged on a strand of my hair, realizing Kenzie made a point, and a good one at that. Aidan was never one to display how he was actually feeling. I always had to dig more than a bit to get an indication of his emotions.

"You guys are making me feel really guilty."

"You should feel guilty," Majesty said. "You're a bitch."

"Would you two stop saying that?" I snapped. "I didn't do it to be a bitch! I was just- that's a lot of money. Who the hell spends that much money on a present?"