CHAPTER 1
"Okay, back it up now!" I screamed, waving my hand to Stephanie, signaling how much room she had left before she slammed into a van parked behind her.
We'd just ended an epic road trip from our small home town in Missouri with our friend Nicole and were in front of our new apartment in Dallas. Ultimately, moving to Dallas hadn't been a hard decision. Leaving our families wasn't easy, but the freedom of our own apartment while still in college was incentive enough.
We were used to parking lots where we were from; however, I'm sure our new neighbors were impressed by the twenty minute display we'd just put on, zipping back and forth, blocking traffic and narrowly side swiping a couple of parked cars.
"Hot damn, I think we did it! Thank you, Piper." Stephanie hit the steering wheel in celebration. Nic and I laughed. Parking was our first obstacle and we'd conquered it.
Once we'd gathered all of our bags, we finally we made it inside. Stephanie's mother and aunt had brought a moving truck last week when she'd put the first and last month's rent down on the apartment. Steph's family had money and they we're happily footing our rent as long as we all stayed in college. It took most of the pressure off financially. My mother certainly didn't have it to give and Nic's dad was still raising her two brothers. We we're all appreciative.
The space was bigger than I thought it would be. The floor plan was open, and the apartment was filled with dark furniture and hardwood floors. There were many windows providing a lot of light. The living room was fully furnished and opened to the kitchen and small breakfast nook.
"I freaking love it!" I squealed.
"Let's pick out our bedrooms," Steph suggested.
"I think you should get the master, since your folks are paying the rent," Nic said and I agreed.
"All right, which one are you guys taking?" Steph asked.
I made my way to the end of the hallway. This room was the smallest, but it was farther away from the other rooms in the apartment. I loved my girls, but out of all three of us, I would say I was the moodiest. Sometimes, I needed to be by myself, and luckily, they understood. This would be perfect for me.
The room was painted light beige, with white accents. The bed was iron, and the chest was white. I was a very simple girl. I didn't much care for decorations; all I needed was a bed, a closet, and somewhere to put my guitar. I ran down the hall to see if Nic liked her room and ran right into her.
"I love—"we both started at the same time, then burst out laughing.
"Girls, we are about to start one of the greatest journeys of our lives. Are you guys ready?" Steph asked, running up to us and hugging us both close.
"I'm so ready. What shall we do on our first night here in Dallas, ladies?" I wagged my eyebrows.
"I say we party tonight and worry about jobs tomorrow," Steph suggested, throwing her arms up in the air.
We all knew that we should be getting everything unpacked and arranged, but the excitement overtook the moment.
"I knew we were friends for a reason. You're a freakin' genius."
We each went into our own rooms to dig through clothes we hadn't unpacked yet. We didn't need to get dressed in the same room for me to be able to tell what my best friends were going to be wearing, as we had spent high school and the last two years at college together. All three of us were different in personality and style. I think that's one of the things I loved about us best. None of us were alike, and we were okay with that.
When I stepped out of my room, I had to smile a little. Stephanie looked like a model. Her perfect body was squeezed into a hot-pink mini-skirt, and her one-shoulder top showed the perfect amount of cleavage. Her hair, which I would compare to "the Rachel" that Jennifer Aniston wore for a couple of years on Friends, looked amazing. I had tried the layered look in ninth grade and I'd looked more like a dude or a lesbian that was trying too hard. I was told both, so needless to say, I kept my hair long.
Nic wore simple skinny jeans, a purple sequined tank, and the cutest pair of brown wedges, which I know for a fact Steph picked out. Nothing against our poor Nicole, but she wasn't really into fashion. She was just more focused on her studies. She was going to be a pediatrician, and trust me—no one was going to get in her way. Nic was very determined. She graduated at the top of our class and was voted "Most Likely to Succeed". She was almost too nice. Steph and I had to step in when someone was being rude to her or taking advantage of her because she would fold like a cheap suit.
I was feeling free tonight, due to us finally having our own place, so I went with a long, flowing dress with sandals. I didn't wear heels too often because I was five foot seven, the tallest out of all three of us, and I hated towering over everyone. My dress was pretty colorful, so I was able to keep my jewelry simple, with a plain silver chain. I left my long, blonde hair straight. I'd thought about wearing my hair up, but I didn't want to draw too much attention to my back. I had two small angel wings tattooed on my shoulder blades, nothing too extravagant, but they were a real douchebag attractor.
I was the only one out of the three of us who had any ink or piercings. My navel, ears, and eyebrow were the only piercings though; it wasn't like I was a wild child. My mom didn't mind too much about the piercings because she knew they weren't permanent. The tattoos—she didn't really care for. Every now and then, Steph would mention getting her navel pierced, but she hadn't done it yet. I couldn't see Nicole doing either.
"Piper, do we know where we're going?" Nic asked.
"I don't have a clue. Let's just go downtown and pick a place," I suggested.
"Girls, y'all look gorgeous!" Steph gushed.
We really did look good, and I knew we were about to get ten times the attention any of us had ever had in Missouri. This place was way bigger than anything we were used to. I knew Steph and I would have to stick close to Nicole until she got used to the atmosphere. We headed downtown, and from the minute I saw what Dallas had to offer, I knew I was going to love it. I couldn't wait to see what the future held for us.
Everything was bigger and brighter. There were people all over, and they were each focused on where they were going for the night. I loved the buzz in the air. It was electric, like whatever we chose to do, it would be fun.
We were all single and ready to mingle. Nicole had never really had a boyfriend before, unless you counted learning the difference between protons, neutrons, and electrons on Friday nights with Tristan Hays a relationship—and I didn't.
Stephanie, of course, dated Nathan, the most popular jock in school for three years. Everyone thought they were going to get married, until Nathan cheated on her with a college slut at a party he attended one night with his buddies. He probably would've gotten away with it, but with technology these days, it was on the Internet before he even got home. The lucky girl he hooked up with had some amazing friends who posted their fun on Facebook. Steph was a wreck for a while, but soon decided that a fresh start was exactly what she needed.
At that point, Steph talked more about leaving. It wasn't that we didn't enjoy the small college in Missouri, but we wanted to experience more. The situation with Nathan finally gave her the nudge she needed to go ahead with our plan to move. I wasn't glad my friend had to go through that, but I was happy that we were finally here. Honestly, I thought she was better off, but I knew for a fact he was still begging her for a second chance through text messages every now and then.
I, on the other hand, had had many boyfriends. I guess I had a certain opinion of guys, and let's just say that Steph's ex solidified my point. They all cheated, they all lied, and they were all selfish. I was smart enough to realize that's a pretty shallow way of thinking, but I wasn't trying to spend my nights locked in my bedroom crying myself into dehydration over a boy. I watched my mom and Stephanie do it, and I wasn't into self-deprivation—although, some pain would be okay, I guess. I was a true believer in actually feeling your emotions. Not that I was a masochist, but I would try most anything at least once.
"What about this place guys?" I suggested, walking up to a bar at the end of the street. It had rock on the outside walls, where all the other pubs had brick. I looked up to the neon sign which read, On the Rocks. I chuckled. "At least we know the owner has a sense of humor, right?"
"Let's check it out." Steph shrugged opening the door.
We all walked in, and immediately we loved it. At first glance, it looked like a normal bar, but as we made our way past the bar area and to the back room, there were all kinds of pool tables and dart boards. People were everywhere, and it looked really cool. On the second floor, they had a DJ, and lights of every color of the rainbow were shooting across the ceiling like lasers. Before I knew it, Steph was dragging Nic and me onto the dance floor.
"Uh no, I need a drink first," I said.
"I don't know guys. I'm too nervous I think. They will be able to see right through me," Nic whined.
"Nic, chillax. It's not capital murder here. Just relax." I laughed.
"Damn, if we could just get a couple of drinks down her, she'd be able to pull it off, no problem," Steph said.
"Next time, we have a couple of shots before we leave the apartment. This time? We improvise," I said, pulling Nicole behind me.
"I'm going to buy a shot, and you are going to take it, ma'am. After we repeat this process twice, you are going to grow some balls and buy your own, you got me?"
"Ugh, I guess. You know I get nervous with stuff like this. I don't like lying."
"Nic, here." I shoved the shot of Jägermeister at her. "Just down it. You won't like it, but next time we'll get you a fruity drink or something."
She downed it while Steph and I took our shots. The bartender was super hot and nice to boot. I thought I'd have to flirt a little bit so he would keep waiting on us instead of making his way down the bar, but I didn't. Alright then, I really like this place now. After three shots, the dance floor was calling our names. It was so much fun to be out with my friends dancing and sweating, not caring who was around us because we didn't know anyone. We had a couple of guys dancing behind us, and we all let them because they didn't get too grabby. That annoyed me when guys just walked up and put their hands wherever they wanted. It was rude and disrespectful and a total turn-off.
After we finished dancing, Nicole got up enough nerve to buy her own drink. Steph and I sat back like two proud parents as she pulled the fake ID out and handed it to the bartender without any hesitation.
"What are you drinking, sweetheart?" Some no-name jackass asked from her left.
"Uh, I'm...," she stammered.
"I thought you said you wanted a Sex on the Beach, Nic?" I stepped in, giving her a little help.
She glared at me, and I knew from the look she thought I made it up to embarrass her. The cute bartender got busy making her drink, and no-name looked at me.
"What were you saying about sex?" He winked. Yeah, because that was going to get him into my pants.
"Step into my office—" I waited for him to give his name.
"Jackson."
"Right, come with me, Jackson." I didn't really have intentions of making out with him in the corner, but then one thing led to another and before I knew it, Steph was tapping on my shoulder telling me Nic felt sick.
"Sorry, Jason, my friend isn't feeling well." I pulled away.
He grabbed my arm. "Wait, when can I see you again?"
I tried to pull my arm away, but he had a firm grip. "Look, I don't know why you're acting like a prick, but you need to let go of me now."
"It's Jackson."
"What?"
"You called me Jason. My name is Jackson, remember that. You'll be screaming it later," he slurred.
"I don't think so," I snapped my arm back out of his hand and followed the girls out of the pub. I was sort of glad Stephanie had been pre-occupied with Nicole. My stomach tightened at the thought of either of them seeing that little show. It was our first night here, and I didn't want either of them upset. We made our way outside, and I noticed Nicole swaying.
"Hey Nic, you okay?"
She giggled. "Yes. I feel much better now that I'm out here with fresh air."
"All right, let's get you home then."
We all walked together and talked about everything we were going to do and how much fun we were going to have. I knew none of us were going to want to get up early in the morning, but we had to look for jobs.
Stumbling into the apartment, rambling about nonsense, we decided that taking off make-up and brushing our teeth were not important. Steph and I made sure Nicole was okay and made our way to our own rooms. I took off my dress and jewelry and climbed into bed. Stephanie's parents had not only paid our rent, but also furnished each of the rooms. I wasn't sure what kind of sheets Stephanie's mom got us, but I could already tell they were way better than the ones I had at home. This new era in our lives was going to be epic. I put on my iPod and let Damien Rice lull my inebriated mind to sleep.
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