Makeout Club
The Not-okay Kids.
She ran her hands down her waist, her fingers catching on the crushed black velvet of her above knee length dress. Her leg's were clad with maliciously torn tights, ripped to within an inch of their thin life. Her short boyish brown hair was the "just-got-out-of-bed" look, quite literally. It was nearly 7pm and she had barely been awake for an hour. Bending over to adjust the satin laces of her ankle boots, a meek voice from behind her spoke.
"Nice to see you're wearing underwear today, sweetie," The younger girl leaned on the door frame of their shared bedroom, hands on non-existent hips, pouting in a way that made her utterly adorable. At 16 she stood at almost 6 feet tall, lanky, and awkward looking, with mysterious dark eyes that no one really got a chance to look into.The older girl, now looking at her reflection in the dresser mirror, smearing lipstick around her lips messily, was 21, and her legal guardian.
"Don't ignore me, Dru," she tittered, "Why do you wear your lippy like that? It makes you look trashy."
Dru looked up, glaring mischievously at her friend.
"Shal, honey, trashy is my middle name."
Shalisa chewed on her knuckle, thinking for a moment.
"No it isn't, loser, you don't have a middle name," she sighed. "So where are you going, anyway?"
"You sound like my mother."
"Just tell me."
"Gabe's coming over in like 5 minutes. I don't know, we're just going out for the night." Druscilla's eyes dragged alone the floor, not making contact with Shalisa's.
"Gabe?"
"Yes, Gabe."
Shalisa sighed again. Gabe was the definition of everything that could go wrong, although somehow Dru always managed to make legitimate excuses for him. Lately the excuses were running dry. He was destructive, and he was slowly destroying her.
"What are you doing tonight, poppet?" she said, walking past Shalisa and patting her head gently.
"I think William's coming over."
"Woot woo," Druscilla nudged her arm playfully, "You're in Shal!"
"Shut up, he's just my friend."
"He wasn't just your friend on New Year's Eve."
"That was one time," she shifted uncomfortably.
"Sure. That one time that you had several times."
Shalisa was silent. "And anyway, he might be bringing Alix."
"Alix?"
"Yeah," Shalisa started chewing her knuckles again.
"That dyke from Kristen's party?"
"Dru!"
"What? She was a good kisser!"
The girls laughed. A car horn beeped outside.
"That will be Gabe," Shalisa's mouth went dry.
"Yeah..."
"Don't be back too late, please."
"Alright alright. Don't wait up for me." On her way out Druscilla kissed the younger girls for-head, hurrying outside.
***
When William and Alix walked through the front door, they were positively glowing. William looked unsettled, but content in his mood. Alix oozed energy, powerful, seductive, in control. Shalisa struggled to draw her eyes away from her.
For the most part of the evening, they sat, dazed, their eyes lolling in their sockets, staring into a mindless late night sitcom, not really understanding the punchline.
"Hey, Shalisa? Can I talk to you outside for a bit?" Alix was the first to break the silence that had engulfed the room. It wasn't an awkward silence, it was calm, soothing. Shalisa enjoyed silence, although being called by her full name startled her. Only two people in the world call her that - Dru, when she's drunk, or angry, and William, that night when they...
"Yeah, sure," she shrugged, shooting William a stunned look.
Outside the winter air bit at her skin, her forearms dancing with goosebumps.
"Would you like my jacket?" Alix asked, concern creasing up her nose.
"N-no thanks." She shivered.
"I know that you and William are close, but the truth is, I like him, alot, and I wanted to, um, ask you if it was okay if we like, dated. Me and William. He's a nice guy, and you can't expect him to wait around forever for you."
"I never 'expected' anything of him," Shalisa's words were surpassing the iciness around them, "We're just friends," She turned on her heel to walk back inside, "Nothing more."
***
Alix and William were asleep, entwined together on the sofa, blissfully rapt in their own world.
We're just friends. Just friends. Just friends. Just friends. Shalisa had to keep reassuring herself.
At 6.30 AM the front door clicked open, Druscilla and Gabe stumbled in, on the verge of hysterics, and reeking of stale pot and a concoction of alcohol.
"Shh," Dru giggled, fumbling her way through the hallway to their bedroom, dragging Gabe by the hand. Shalisa sat on their bathroom floor, playing with the knife she kept stashed behind the Xanax in the drug-cabinet, waiting the confrontation that was bound to follow.
She left the knife on the porcelain tiles, and walked into the bedroom, standing almost toe to toe with Gabe.
"Where the fuck have you been?!" she spat angrily.
"Relax, doll, its no big deal."
"No big deal? She's fucking wasted!"
"What are you, her mother?"
"Someone has to look out for her."
"Guys, I don't feel so good," Dru was clutching her stomach, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"What the fuck did she take?"
"Nothing," Gabe rolled his eyes.
"What the fuck did she take, asshole?"
Dru staggered hurriedly into the bathroom, and heaved her shoulders over the vanity, her body shuddering with each gag. Shalisa rushed by her side, resting her arm around her back and scraping her hair out of her face. Another shudder, and the contents of her stomach spilled into the sink.
"Great fucking work," she was increasingly agitated. "Just fuck off Gabe, you've done enough."
Dru started sobbing, spluttering bile and God-knows what else "I'm so sorry, Shalisa." she heaved once again.
William and Alix appeared at the door, her arm was draped around his shoulders. A pang of jealousy.
"Come one, Gabe, let's go." William smiled reassuringly at Shalisa, pulling him by the arm.
"She's such a bitch," he slurred. And they left, Shal's hand rubbing circles around Dru's back. She sniffled, and then collapsed on the floor, wailing and sobbing and cursing and crying.
Shalisa's arms curled around Dru's waist, pulling their bodies close, and she rocked her gently, humming.
"I'm sorry. So... sorry." Tears ran like river's down her blotched cheeks.
"It's okay baby, every things going to be okay."
"No it's not okay. I'm your guardian. I'm supposed to look after you."
They sat for what felt like hours. Finally, they got up.
"Here, baby, let me get you cleaned up," Shalisa said, reaching for the cloth. She wiped Dru's mouth, and cleaned her eyes, before re-dressing her in a baggy t-shirt and panties.
"I love you, Shalshal, m'kay?"
"I love you too, Dru," Shalisa said, tucking Dru into the clean cotton sheets.
The hangover subsided substantially longer than usual. Druscilla continued to vomit of a morning. She moped around the house, slept all day, barely ate. It wasn't until nearly 3 weeks later that thing's changed.
"Shalisa?" she queried, hoping not to disturb the young girl from her sleep.
"Yeah?"
"Can I er... sleep with you tonight? I'm scared."
"Sure baby," Shalisa squished over, making room for her friend.
"Shal?" The air was heavy.
"Yes?"
"I think I'm pregnant."
"Nice to see you're wearing underwear today, sweetie," The younger girl leaned on the door frame of their shared bedroom, hands on non-existent hips, pouting in a way that made her utterly adorable. At 16 she stood at almost 6 feet tall, lanky, and awkward looking, with mysterious dark eyes that no one really got a chance to look into.The older girl, now looking at her reflection in the dresser mirror, smearing lipstick around her lips messily, was 21, and her legal guardian.
"Don't ignore me, Dru," she tittered, "Why do you wear your lippy like that? It makes you look trashy."
Dru looked up, glaring mischievously at her friend.
"Shal, honey, trashy is my middle name."
Shalisa chewed on her knuckle, thinking for a moment.
"No it isn't, loser, you don't have a middle name," she sighed. "So where are you going, anyway?"
"You sound like my mother."
"Just tell me."
"Gabe's coming over in like 5 minutes. I don't know, we're just going out for the night." Druscilla's eyes dragged alone the floor, not making contact with Shalisa's.
"Gabe?"
"Yes, Gabe."
Shalisa sighed again. Gabe was the definition of everything that could go wrong, although somehow Dru always managed to make legitimate excuses for him. Lately the excuses were running dry. He was destructive, and he was slowly destroying her.
"What are you doing tonight, poppet?" she said, walking past Shalisa and patting her head gently.
"I think William's coming over."
"Woot woo," Druscilla nudged her arm playfully, "You're in Shal!"
"Shut up, he's just my friend."
"He wasn't just your friend on New Year's Eve."
"That was one time," she shifted uncomfortably.
"Sure. That one time that you had several times."
Shalisa was silent. "And anyway, he might be bringing Alix."
"Alix?"
"Yeah," Shalisa started chewing her knuckles again.
"That dyke from Kristen's party?"
"Dru!"
"What? She was a good kisser!"
The girls laughed. A car horn beeped outside.
"That will be Gabe," Shalisa's mouth went dry.
"Yeah..."
"Don't be back too late, please."
"Alright alright. Don't wait up for me." On her way out Druscilla kissed the younger girls for-head, hurrying outside.
***
When William and Alix walked through the front door, they were positively glowing. William looked unsettled, but content in his mood. Alix oozed energy, powerful, seductive, in control. Shalisa struggled to draw her eyes away from her.
For the most part of the evening, they sat, dazed, their eyes lolling in their sockets, staring into a mindless late night sitcom, not really understanding the punchline.
"Hey, Shalisa? Can I talk to you outside for a bit?" Alix was the first to break the silence that had engulfed the room. It wasn't an awkward silence, it was calm, soothing. Shalisa enjoyed silence, although being called by her full name startled her. Only two people in the world call her that - Dru, when she's drunk, or angry, and William, that night when they...
"Yeah, sure," she shrugged, shooting William a stunned look.
Outside the winter air bit at her skin, her forearms dancing with goosebumps.
"Would you like my jacket?" Alix asked, concern creasing up her nose.
"N-no thanks." She shivered.
"I know that you and William are close, but the truth is, I like him, alot, and I wanted to, um, ask you if it was okay if we like, dated. Me and William. He's a nice guy, and you can't expect him to wait around forever for you."
"I never 'expected' anything of him," Shalisa's words were surpassing the iciness around them, "We're just friends," She turned on her heel to walk back inside, "Nothing more."
***
Alix and William were asleep, entwined together on the sofa, blissfully rapt in their own world.
We're just friends. Just friends. Just friends. Just friends. Shalisa had to keep reassuring herself.
At 6.30 AM the front door clicked open, Druscilla and Gabe stumbled in, on the verge of hysterics, and reeking of stale pot and a concoction of alcohol.
"Shh," Dru giggled, fumbling her way through the hallway to their bedroom, dragging Gabe by the hand. Shalisa sat on their bathroom floor, playing with the knife she kept stashed behind the Xanax in the drug-cabinet, waiting the confrontation that was bound to follow.
She left the knife on the porcelain tiles, and walked into the bedroom, standing almost toe to toe with Gabe.
"Where the fuck have you been?!" she spat angrily.
"Relax, doll, its no big deal."
"No big deal? She's fucking wasted!"
"What are you, her mother?"
"Someone has to look out for her."
"Guys, I don't feel so good," Dru was clutching her stomach, sitting on the edge of the bed.
"What the fuck did she take?"
"Nothing," Gabe rolled his eyes.
"What the fuck did she take, asshole?"
Dru staggered hurriedly into the bathroom, and heaved her shoulders over the vanity, her body shuddering with each gag. Shalisa rushed by her side, resting her arm around her back and scraping her hair out of her face. Another shudder, and the contents of her stomach spilled into the sink.
"Great fucking work," she was increasingly agitated. "Just fuck off Gabe, you've done enough."
Dru started sobbing, spluttering bile and God-knows what else "I'm so sorry, Shalisa." she heaved once again.
William and Alix appeared at the door, her arm was draped around his shoulders. A pang of jealousy.
"Come one, Gabe, let's go." William smiled reassuringly at Shalisa, pulling him by the arm.
"She's such a bitch," he slurred. And they left, Shal's hand rubbing circles around Dru's back. She sniffled, and then collapsed on the floor, wailing and sobbing and cursing and crying.
Shalisa's arms curled around Dru's waist, pulling their bodies close, and she rocked her gently, humming.
"I'm sorry. So... sorry." Tears ran like river's down her blotched cheeks.
"It's okay baby, every things going to be okay."
"No it's not okay. I'm your guardian. I'm supposed to look after you."
They sat for what felt like hours. Finally, they got up.
"Here, baby, let me get you cleaned up," Shalisa said, reaching for the cloth. She wiped Dru's mouth, and cleaned her eyes, before re-dressing her in a baggy t-shirt and panties.
"I love you, Shalshal, m'kay?"
"I love you too, Dru," Shalisa said, tucking Dru into the clean cotton sheets.
The hangover subsided substantially longer than usual. Druscilla continued to vomit of a morning. She moped around the house, slept all day, barely ate. It wasn't until nearly 3 weeks later that thing's changed.
"Shalisa?" she queried, hoping not to disturb the young girl from her sleep.
"Yeah?"
"Can I er... sleep with you tonight? I'm scared."
"Sure baby," Shalisa squished over, making room for her friend.
"Shal?" The air was heavy.
"Yes?"
"I think I'm pregnant."