Brightly Grim

Stephanie: Catfight

Jessica pulls my hair with one hand, and slaps me with the other. My gaze flies sideways, and she leaps on me. I stumble and trip backwards, falling under her. Her hand swings up for another slap, then John stops her - grabbing her from behind and lifting her up.

"Who the hell do you think you are slapping me?" Jessica yells, her eyes wide, shooting flames at me.

Crazy bitch...

"What the hell is wrong with you John? Who breaks up a catfight?" Cassie calls from her seat.

"It's surely not the way I raised him." Roger lifts his hands.

John frowns at Roger as Jessica struggles to get past his arms with no real intention in it.

"Come on love, let's call it a night." Roger gets up from the armchair, comes beside Jessica, and wraps his arm around her.

"It's okay, she didn't mean it."

"Oh she didn't mean to slap me? It was a gust of wind from the window the lifted her hand and sweeped it to my face?" Jessica glares at me and struggles against Roger's attempts to drag her away.

"Don't take it like that. She just got too jealous over how pretty and successful you are." Roger says, and winks at me over Jessica's shoulder. I take the insult in silence, and it seems to calm Jessica a little.

My face and palm still tingle from the exchange of slaps. John puts his arm around me, guiding me to sit with him back on the couch.

"Good night guys. Pleasant surprise meeting you all here." Roger says, leading a more cooperative Jessica upstairs.

"Don't count on the master bedroom father. Me and Peter sleep there." Cassie calls after him.

"Sure love..." His voice answers defeated from upstairs.

"What a fucking bitch." Cassie announces as soon as they shut the door.

"Tell me about it." I roll my eyes.

"How does it feel to slap a popstar? I could only dream of it." She asks.

"Pretty good..." I say, and Cassie grins.

"Who does she think she is, coming in here like she owns everything." Cassie shakes her head.

"I'm definitely deleting her songs from my playlist. I've heard too much of her voice tonight." I say.

"Oh that's right, you played me a song of hers like last week." Cassie laughs at me.

"Let's see you laughing at the wedding." I smirk back at her.

"No way that wedding is happening." Cassie says firmly.

"With you on that." John says, and leans forward to sniff a line up his nostril.

"What makes you so sure?" I narrow my eyes at him.

"I just feel it. Don't bother buying a dress." John replies, settling back in the couch.

"I won't."

"How do you keep making life decisions for the people around you?" Peter looks from John to Cassie.

"I just know best. It takes them time, but they catch up." She smirks ever so smugly.

"I remember you told me John was the biggest asshole you know." I say.

"And did you catch up yet?" Cassie asks, and John laughs.

"Why am I an asshole?"

"Damien has a theory..."

"Of course he does." 

"I'm sure he will tell you when his new girlfriend give him some space." Cassie smirks.

"Like she's ever gonna do that." I say, and Cassie laughs.

"They're just the cutest." Cassie lights a cigarette.

"Give me one of those."

"Sure love." Cassie takes another from the pack and throws it to me. 

I light the cigarette, and take a deep drag. I haven't been in a fight since the second grade.. I think while rubbing my cheek.

"I really need to teach you how to fight, it was embarrassing." Cassie grins at me.

"You could've helped, you know?"

"Nah, you were fine."

"She was about to kill me.. Crazy bitch."

"She wasn't about to kill you. It was more of a slapping contest." Cassie laughs at me.

"Maybe from the couch it looked like that." I answer.

"Even from here she seemed rather mad..." Peter says.

"A slap tends to do that." John replies, eyeing the two lines left on the table.

"Do it already, it's painful to watch you." Cassie grins at him.

"You know best." John grins back at her, and does another line.