Lux
"Hello?" I said groggily, answering the phone call that had woken me up at one in the morning.
"Rise and shine you fucking fake ass bitch."
I sat up straight in bed. "Ava?"
"Yeah, who the fuck else would it be?"
"What's got you all fired up?"
"Maybe you should check the biggest headline in the United States of fucking America."
Realization dawned on me. "You're mad about me not posting our selfie."
She groaned. "No, dumbass. It's your fucking caption."
"What's your favorite word?"
"What?"
"It must be fuck." She didn't laugh at my joke. "What's wrong with my caption?"
She hung up on me.
I let out a laugh and prepared to go back to sleep when the phone rang again.
"I hate you," she said.
"I think it's quite the opposite, I mean considering how you're calling me so late, you must not have been able to stop thinking about me."
"I called you this late to interrupt your sleep and make you miserable tomorrow morning," she said.
"I don't see why you're so mad."
"Because you're out here posting about my favorite book saving your life when you couldn't even read the first sentence."
"It may have been a small white lie, but I thought you'd be happy about it."
"Well I'm not, and I hope you can't fall back asleep and spend the next six hours in pure restless agony."
"Wait," I said just before she hung up. "You might as well stay since we're already both awake."
"Why?"
"Why not?"
"Because I'm mad at you and don't want to waste precious time in which I could be sleeping."
I completely ignored her efforts to excuse herself and started a conversation that I knew she wouldn't be able to resist. "Beside Pride and Prejudice, what's your favorite book?"
"That's a hard choice but maybe Jane Eyre."
"You read sci-fi?" I asked.
"What?"
"Isn't she like the sorceress of air or something?"
She let out a long, and rather harsh, sigh. "No."
"Oh. Well you should read it to me after we finish Pride and Prejudice."
"With your IQ, I don't think that's possible."
I ignored her negativity and continued my questionnaire. "So when did you start liking books?"
"I don't know, around the time that I was sixteen."
"Oh, that's a lot later than I thought. For some reason I always pictured you coming out of the womb with a mini Welcome-to-Life handbook."
"Your fantasies are weird."
"What got you into reading then?" I asked.
"I don't know, can we not talk about this?"
Her tone surprised me a bit and I got the sense that something was wrong. "But you love reading and you love talking about reading."
"Okay well, just talk about yourself for once and stop asking me all of these questions."
I got quiet for a moment, "Ava."
"What?"
"Did something happen?"
There was a moment of silence on her end when I heard faint sounds of sniffles. "No."
"What's your address, I'm coming over."
"No you're not," she quickly defended with a weak voice. "Daniel's sleeping and that's really unnecessary."
"I'm going to-"
"Lux," she interrupted, "it's fine. Having you on the phone is enough."
Although the timing was a bit inappropriate, I found myself smiling.
"And stop smiling because I know you are."
I laughed. "Caught me."
A comfortable silence broke over us for what had to of been at least five minutes before Ava eventually spoke again. "I'm glad we're friends. And before you say some snarky little comment, I still find you to be the most annoying person on Earth."
"You're so in love with me."
"No I'm not."
"Yes you-"
She hung up.
+++
"Oh my god, this one's amazing." Mikayla said, wide eyed, mouth stuffed.
The three of us were on a wedding cake tasting marathon. Although I, only assuming the thousands of calories in each slice, made sure to take only the slightest sliver necessary.
"I agree, this is the best one yet," I said.
"Too bad my future grandmother-in-law is allergic to coconut."
"Fuck that old hag, she'll be dead soon anyway," I found myself saying, suddenly realizing how much time I'd been spending with Ava for her pessimism to rub off on me.
"Lux!" Mikayla said in her high pitched kid-like voice. "That's so mean."
"She's so mean. She called me a Hollywood whore when she heard the news about Colton."
Drew laughed. "That woman really is a bitch; not sure how she gave birth to such a perfect man."
"Woah, who is that?" Mikayla said, eye fucking what looked to be one of the bakers.
"Whore."
"Slut."
Drew and I said between coughs. Of course, Mikayla knew we were always joking when it came to things like this.
"Once we decide on a cake, I know exactly what I'll be eating next."
"Ew," I complained, making a sour face, "that's disgusting."
"Oh, shut up. At least I'm getting some."
"Yeah, well, I have more important things to focus on than 'getting some'."
The two of them looked at each other and then back at me. "How's your hair and makeup girl doing?" Drew asked.
"Good."
"Can we meet her?"
"Why?"
"Because you seem to be spending a lot of time with her," Mikayla said. "Sucking thumbs and reading ancient writings, so we figured we should all get together sometime."
"That's probably not the best idea."
"Why not?" Mikayla's eyebrow raised in suspicion.
"Because she doesn't really like famous people. Or people in general."
"But you're a famous person, and she likes you."
"Duh, everyone likes me," I said.
"Cocky much?"
Drew brought my attention back to the matter at hand. "It doesn't have to be something formal, we could all just go to the club together."
"She has a boyfriend."
"And I have a fiancé."
I groaned. "Ugh, fine. But don't say I didn't warn you when she ends up hating you guys."
I stood up to head into the bathroom and call Ava. "Wow, you're obsessed with me," was the first thing she said.
"No, my friends are. They want to hang out with you."
"You told your friends about me? I knew you had a big fat crush."
I rolled my eyes. "Do is that a yes or no?"
"Who are you friends?"
"Drew Monroe, the platinum record, alternative rock artist; and Mikayla Paek from ROYAL CROWN, which is a Kpop group."
"Cool, I don't know who either of them are," she said.
"They want to go clubbing."
"When."
"Probably Friday night since that's the only time they won't have concerts."
"So we'll go after work?"
"Yeah."
"Okay."
I was shocked at her lack of resistance. "Really?"
"Yeah."
"Is this some sort of trap? Were you hired by the FBI to spy and kill them?"
"No."
My brows furrowed in confusion. "Then why are you agreeing?"
"Because Daniel is going out of town for some sort of mentorship and I don't want to spend Friday night pathetically alone, like you."
"I'm just going to pretend that's a cover up for the real reason being how you want to meet and impress my friends because you actually care about me and our friendship."
She laughed. "You're delusional."
"You're a bitch."
"You're annoying."
"You're a nerd."
"You're funny sometimes."
"You're gorgeous."
"You're adorable."
"You're so in love with me."
She paused for a moment. "That's the last time I'm ever answering the phone when I see your name on my screen."
"We both know that's a complete lie. See you tomorrow, bestie."
"Never say that word again. You sound like my sister."
I gasped. "You have a sister?"
"Yeah."
"How old is she?"
"Fifteen."
"Oh my god," I said, "that's so cute. When am I going to meet her?"
"At my funeral."
"Which will be tomorrow if you don't shut up."
She chuckled. "See you at work, bye."
"Wait."
"Yeah?"
"You have to give me more than just 'bye', that's so dry."
"So you'd prefer me wet?" I could imagine the smirk she'd most likely had her lips.
"Never mind, bye."
"Hey! You hypocrite. You can't just say 'bye' to me either."
"Fine," I said. "Goodbye. And although I know how much you love my company, please don't wake me up at one in the morning again."
"I'm going to do it just because you said that," she said.
"Fuck you."
"Love you too."
I hung up.
+++
Ava
I'd woken up Friday with the intention of making a perfect first impression on Lux's friends. I'd even brought a sexy—but not too revealing—dress with me to work to change into at the end of the day. I'd also gone through every possible situation of how the night could go in my head. I was prepared, to say the least.
"You ready?" Lux asked me once she'd been done filming for the day (it was around 6:30).
"Yeah, hold on, let me just change," I said, taking my purse with me into the trailer's bathroom.
I'd put in a little extra effort into my hair before work—using curly hair products that I'd had to dig up from the depths of my bathroom closet. It certainly made a distinct difference.
I shimmied myself into the skin tight dress—glittery black, falling just above my knees. It had been the first time I'd dressed up in a long time which made me a bit uncomfortable, but I was confident regardless.
I stepped out of the bathroom. "Ready."
Lux, who had been stuffing her purse with her belongings, stopped to look up at me. "Holy fuck." Her face, I noticed, turned a shade of pinkish red. "Wow, you look beautiful."
"I was expecting you to say something mean, but you didn't... so, thank you."
She came over to where I was standing and looked at me continuously for a while. It was incredibly awkward and I wasn't sure whether or not she judging or appraising me.
Finally, after some time, she gasped. "Are you wearing mascara?"
"Maybe."
Her jaw dropped. "You really do love me."
"There are makeup wipes less than five steps away, so I would suggest you shut the fuck up and never mention it again."
"Fine, fine, I'll be quiet." She went over to the door I'd just come from. "Now I'm going to change so you can bombard me with heartfelt compliments."
"That's not happening."
"What did you say?"
"That's not-" She shut the bathroom door before I had the chance to repeat myself.
After a few minutes, she came out wearing a long, also skin tight, navy blue dress. There was a slit down the right side, showing off her lengthy legs. She quite frankly looked like she was on her way to the red carpet of some fancy award show. As much as I hated to admit it, she looked really good.
She did a little spin and I couldn't help but laugh.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing," I said, still giggling a bit.
She came toward me, getting quite close, probably trying to intimidate me or something along those lines. "Do I look bad or something?"
"No."
"Then why were you laughing?"
I rolled my eyes at her nagging persistence. "Because of your little spin. It was funny; kinda cute."
"Oh," she said, physically resting into ease.
I smiled, "You look really nice, Lux."
"I don't look like a gremlin?"
"You do."
"Fuck you." She turned around to grab her purse and lead us through the exit.
"A cute gremlin, though."
"Those don't exist."
"Actually," I began to lecture as we walked through the studio's parking lot, "it's very rare to come across them, and most are extinct, but there is one singular survivor of that species. And guess what? It's you!"
"You suck at giving compliments."
"And that's why I don't."
We got into her car—she'd driven the expensive Ghost Car thing again.
"Let me give you a run down of what to expect," she said, pulling out of the parking lot. "Mikayla is the crazier one of the two. She doesn't really have a filter and will probably ask you something inappropriate; just ignore her. Drew is the rational one of the three of us. She's calm and always knows how to handle any situation."
"Sounds like a respectable trio."
"It is," she said. "But anyway, just be prepared for whatever they might throw at you."
"You're gonna stay with me the whole time right?"
She glanced over at me with a smug look on her face. "Are you nervous?"
"Well with the way you're making things sound, how could I not be."
She chuckled, "Unless you'd like to assist me in using the bathroom, you don't have to worry about me leaving your side."
An unexpected sense of relief came over me. "Thanks."
Shortly after, we'd arrived at what seemed to be an exclusive nightclub. I'd never seen it before; not that I went out much.
"You ready?" Lux asked as we walked across the parking lot—I almost fell over with my heels against the rocky asphalt.
"No, I'm scared."
She stopped walking to turn and face me. "They're really nice, you seriously don't have anything to worry about, okay? I'll be right with you."
I smiled, "You're going soft on me."
She rolled her eyes and started walking again. When we got to the door, the bouncer recognized her immediately. "Good evening, Ms. Dalton."
She gave the guy an extremely fake grin. "Hey, I brought my friend tonight, Ava De La Cruz."
He nodded, "Evening Ms. De La Cruz."
I felt important.
As we walked inside, I took in the scenery. It was an old theater by the looks of it; a gold and red color scheme, huge chandelier, old murals on the tall ceilings. It was the fanciest place to get drunk that I'd ever been to.
Lux led us to the bar where, what I would have guessed to be her two best friends, greeted her with hugs. Lux turned to introduce me, "This is Ava."
I smiled and gave an awkward wave.
"Ava, this is Drew," she said, pointing to a woman with a rather edgy look. She had black hair with chunky highlights, a few piercings and tattoos, and she wore a small black dress with fish nets.
"And this is Mikayla." She was the opposite of her counterpart. She sported a flowy pink dress. Her black hair was in pigtails and her face was painted with colorful eye shadow and lipstick (she didn't do too horribly). It looked like she was one of the characters from Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures.
"It's nice to meet you," I said, feeling the uncomfortable tension.
"You too," Mikayla smiled. "Out of curiosity, do you know who we are?"
"Uhm... Drew and Mikayla?"
The two looked at each other in shock, then back to me. "Wow, Lux was right, you really don't give a shit about pop culture."
I shrugged. "Not of interest to me."
Drew's eyebrows raised. "Then what is of interest to you?"
"Books," Lux and I said at the same time. I turned to look at her, but before I could say anything, Mikayla swooped in.
"Do you read any smut by chance? Because if you do, I have a lot of recommendations-"
"Mikayla, shut up," Lux said, thankfully saving me from another awkward situation. But of course, she was dumb enough to do the very thing she said she wouldn't. "I'll be right back, I'm gonna go get us some shots."
I tried to follow but was quickly grabbed by Lux's friends. "Now that she's gone, tell us the truth." Mikayla said.
"What?"
"We know something's going on between you two," Drew filled in. "I mean she sucked your fingers and constantly talks about you."
My eyes widened. "Oh god, no. No, no, no. I have a boyfriend that I am very much committed to. And I'm straight. And even if I wasn't, I would never go for her. Our relationship is strictly on a friendship level, trust me."
They, again, looked at each other and then back at me. Mikayla smiled wickedly, "Well, whether she knows it or not, Lux definitely has a big fat crush on you."
My eyes widened even further, as if that were possible. "I-I don't think so."
"Hey, don't freak the girl out," Lux laughed, coming back with a tray of an uncountable amount of shots. She set them down on the counter beside us and placed her hand on my back, rubbing softly. "I'm sorry if they interrogated you. Feel free to completely ignore any and all questions."
I laughed uncomfortably and reached for the tray of shots, taking a few before looking back to see the three of them staring at me; Lux in confusion and her friends in amusement.
I took one more before excusing myself. "I'm gonna go use the bathroom."
I weaved carefully through the crowd of most likely famous people and found my way to the fancy bathroom. The lighting was warm and created a safe environment.
I found my way to an empty stall and sat on the toilet, contemplating whether what Drew and Mikayla said was true or not. I didn't have much time to think, however, because I was interrupted by my name being called by a familiar voice.
I sighed and opened my stall for Lux to come in. She gave me a sympathetic smile and locked the door behind her. "Are you alright?"
Feeling the alcohol start to affect me, I tried my best not to say anything stupid. "Yeah."
"Are you sure? Did they say something rude?"
I chuckled. "No."
"Well they clearly said something uncalled for."
I put both hands on her shoulders for emphasis. "Lux, they didn't say anything like that. I'm fine. Let's just go back out there and have some fun."
She hesitated to respond. "Okay."
+++
Lux
"That was so fun!" Ava said, slouched in the passenger's seat.
I laughed, "Yeah, it was. I mean, you're shit-faced."
"Your friends are crazy. I can't believe they're famous."
"Why's that?"
"Because they're not stuck-up assholes like you."
"Fair enough."
She turned her entire body in the seat to face me. "I'm just joking. Don't take that to heart."
"I didn't."
She continued to stare at my side profile and I was starting to lose concentration on the road. "I think they liked you."
She grinned. "Really?"
"Yeah."
"I liked them too."
"See? There was nothing to worry about. I told you you'd get along."
There was a moment of silence—her gaze on myself only intensified, as did my awkwardness. "Have you ever liked a woman?" she asked.
"No. Why?"
She shrugged and finally returned her original position: facing the windshield.
Shortly after, we'd arrived at my house where I parked the car in my garage of many other cars.
Ava sat up straight. "Why are we here?"
"Because I'm not letting you stay home alone when you're this hammered."
"I know how to take care of myself," she whined.
I got out of the car and went around to the other side to open the door for her. "I know you can. But just in case-"
"Why are you being so nice?"
"I don't know... Because we're friends?"
A hint of a smile played at her lips as she held out her hand. I took it and helped pull her out of the car, closing the door behind her.
We headed inside and I stood closely behind her, making sure she wouldn't fall—being drunk and in those heels.
When we got upstairs I placed her purse on my nightstand and handed her a pair of pajamas to wear. "I'll be across the hall in the guest bedroom if you need anything."
"Okay."
I closed the door behind me and changed into a pair of shorts and a tee shirt, getting ready to hop into bed when I heard a knock on the door. "Yeah?"
"Can you tuck me in?"
I laughed, thinking it was a joke. "What are you? Seven?"
She ignored me and instead dragged me by the hand into my usual bedroom. She got under the covers and looked up at me.
"I don't know what to do."
"Your mom never tucked you in before?"
I swallowed hard, not having thought about my mother in a while. "Uhm... no."
She smiled and took my hand, leading it to the side of her face. "You have to tuck my hair behind my ear, kiss my forehead, say goodnight, and turn off the light."
"Okay."
I slowly and carefully pushed the stray pieces of hair behind her hot ear. She looked directly at me as I did so which made it a bit awkward.
"You should never be drunk around me," I felt the need to say.
"Why?"
"Because you're acting weird and you'll probably be mortified in the morning."
She laughed. "Probably."
I chuckled and brought my lips to her forehead—in which I might note that her skin was flawless; not a single blemish.
When I pulled back I noticed her cheeks taking a faint pink color. Before I had the chance to say goodnight, she swept in. "I can't believe you're famous."
"Why's that?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. You just seem so normal to me."
Surprisingly, I felt her statement to be quite nice. I was so used to everyone treating me like a God that I forgot what it felt like to be a regular human being.
I tucked one last hair behind her ear and turned off the lamp. "Goodnight," I said, making my exit.
A/N
You guys ever look at pictures and listen to songs from a year ago and start crying because of how amazing that era was?