Neon Darkness

Chapter 1

I hate the rain. Icy cold in the winter or lukewarm in the summer, it never fails to pour down the minute I step outside on the nights I've been extra careful in applying my makeup. My clear plastic umbrella does little to stave off the torrential downpour of summer rain, soaking my sandal clad feet and splashing the hem of my sundress. Tonight's theme is "young and carefree", the makeup light and the clothes carefully picked for me to look summer fresh. A sigh blows a curled lock of hair out of my face. I can always go back upstairs and change, but that would make me late, later than I already am. Nikola will only wait for so long, before finding another girl to take his mind off things.

I scan the street for a taxi, making sure I'm far enough away from the curb to not get completely soaked when a car passes. No free cabs, just my luck. I hope the rain makes Nikola late too. Maybe we'll arrive at the same time. He will see me being all cute and put his arm over my shoulder, leading me to a table at the back and offer to buy me a drink. Then we'll laugh and talk and at one point he'll lean into me to whisper in my ear all the things I want to hear. And he'll kiss me, softly at first and then passionately, to finally ask me to come home with him. Replaying the favorite scene from my most recently purchased sim-stim, but cast with Nikola and myself, I have to fight to keep the sappy smile off my face.

Nikola Holbach is perfect, just like sim-stim stars, with shoulder length brown hair I so desperately want to touch and tuck behind his ear. I love his light blue eyes and crooked nose. There is a rumor going around that his nose has been busted by someone from the Yakuza, but that doesn't seem plausible. The Yakuza would never settle for a broken nose. He probably got it in a barroom brawl. Still, it gives a certain danger to his otherwise pretty face, so I don't really care how it happened. I've based a fair share of my sim-stim anime characters on him and he's not disappointed me, or my income yet.

"Hey Jen!" A blue haired petite woman waves at me from the shelter of a noodle wagon. I hurry over, thankful that the owner of the now stationary noodle shop has bothered with a proper roof of corrugated steel instead of sheets of plastic. The noise from the rain is overwhelming, but getting a break from the it is wonderful. Paulette leans into my ear. "You off to The Gentleman Loser?"
"Yeah. I have a date!" Half shouting I give her biggest grin and wiggle my eyebrows.
Paulette's curly blue hair bounces as she shakes her head and laughs. "Does Nikola know that you're on a date?" My smile slips a little and Paulette pats my cheek affectionately. "His loss, darling."
Shaking my head I force any negative thoughts out of my mind. "How about you? Is your ex leaving you alone?" The rain has changed to a slight drizzle, I lower my voice and look my friend in the eye.
Paulette looks away, her eyebrows drawn together as if in pain. "Yeah. I saw him the other day and he turned right around when he noticed me."
"But that's good!" I grab her arm.
"I guess. I miss him though. He used to be good to me."
Feeling frustration bubble within I force Paulette to look at me. "He's a drug addict, he pimped you out to get money for drugs! He hasn't given shit about you for years! You. Are. Much. Better. Off. Without. Him." I can't stop myself from shaking her slightly. "I will smack your face if you ever let him near you again." Paulette nods.
"I know, I know." The smile is back in my friend's face, but it doesn't reach her eyes. "You better be off, you don't want to be late!" Smiling I open my umbrella again and with a wave I start walking the five blocks to my favorite bar.

By the time I arrive at The Gentleman Loser it has stopped raining completely. It continues to drip from rooftops and overhanging signs, big drops that can ruin a perfectly drawn winged liner with one splash. There aren't that many people out and about, the rain has scared them off. So I don't have to worry about poking someone in the eye with my umbrella as I hurry my steps, jumping over puddles in the street to get to the bar quickly. Pausing to close my umbrella and shake my hair out I take a deep breath, Nikola won't be impressed if I show up all flustered and uncool. He's very peculiar about things that might taint his image. I only want to add to it.