Brightly Grim

Stephanie: Drop

"I think we'll go upstairs..." Damien says and Lora's sleepy head pops up from his shoulder.

"Do you want us to go back to the dorms?" Lora meets my eyes with sympathy.

"I got her." Cassie pats my back, and passes me the spliff. I smile at her, then at Lora.

"Thanks dear, I'll manage." I answer, and she gives me a hug goodnight before she and Damien go.

"Cheers." Cassie passes me the vodka as I blow out the smoke.

"Cheers." I raise the bottle for a sip, then let my head drop aside to Cassie's shoulder. She takes the bottle from me, then the spliff.

"Come on." She puts her arm around me, starting to urge me up from my melted pose in the couch. "Let's go upstairs too."

"Finnne..." I sway up to her pull, and trip over my own foot. My hands shoot to stop the fall against the coffee table. Cassie's drunken laughter rolls behind me.

I blink slowly, thankful that I haven't rammed my pinky toe into anything. Then I realize there's someone's cellphone under my palm. I lift it, and the glittering pink case leaves no room for doubt. Jessica's.

04:24 AM on the screen, and red taglines telling an absurd amount of missed calls.

19 Roger...

76 CAA Agency...

65 Mike Goldberg...

101 "James <3"... Jackpot.

"Oh, Cassie. Come look here..." I feel evil curl my lip in a smirk.

"What you're snooping at?" She asks, coming over beside me.

"Looks like Jessica has more than one boyfriend... Should we text him the address?"

"Oh you are bad..." Cassie bites down on her smirk. I swipe to discover Jessica didn't bother with a password. Got you bitch.

"I'm doing it." I tell Cassie as my fingers are already putting the address to text. I glance through bunch of 'where the hell are you' and 'why the fuck aren't you answering' messages from James.

"Do it. You know I won't stop you." Cassie answers, and I can't help my grin from becoming stupid wide.

'Fun here, pick me up whenever xoxo' I add after the address, and click send.

"Done." I put the cellphone back on the table.

"Feel better now?" Cassie asks, putting her arm around my shoulders as we dawdle up the stairs.

"I don't know. Depends of James' capabilities for drama." I answer, taking the spliff from her lips. Cassie laughs.

"I love evil you." She says, closing her room's door after us.

"I love you." The words slip out of my stupid drunken mouth. I slap my palms up to cover my lips, but it's too late. Cassie heard me.

"Stephanie... You don't love me."

"But... I think I do..." I say, shifting my palms from my mouth to my forehead.

"Listen, Stephanie." Cassie puts her hand on my shoulder, and sits me down on the bed. She opens her lips to speak, and I lean in to kiss her.

I feel her lips against mine, but not much else. We both break away with narrowed eyes.

"See? I told you to listen." Cassie frowns at me.

"Okay, sorry. What were you gonna say?"

"That you don't love me like that. You love me as a friend." She says.

I raise an eyebrow. "You think that? I always assumed you'd make a lousy friend..."

"Come on, give your lousy friend a big hug." Cassie spreads her arms with a laugh, and I sigh and let myself drop in her embrace.

"Thanks for fixing up my head..."

"That's what I'm here for."

"Sorry for being stupid..."

"That's what you're here for."

My mouth opens an O. "You bitch!" I start slapping her and laughing. She cackles like a devil, grabbing my wrists and rolling me backwards.

We lie side by side at the end of the struggle, catching our breath with a cigarette.

"So you threw Peter out..."

"Yup..."

"I really thought you liked this one."

"I liked the idea of Peter more than reality with him, I guess."

"I think I know what you're talking about..."

"Yeah, reality was rough on us tonight."

She says, and I sigh, taking off my bra before cuddling up to her.

"Let's give reality a break." I say, feeling my body relax. I see her smile before she closes the lights.

Maybe Cassie isn't such a lousy friend.