Stumbling Fast.

I had never really thought slasher movies to be comforting until now. Strewn across my couch for the length of time of my mother’s nap, swaddled in blankets with Diablo, I watched as the non-existent plot line continued. Just as my favorite scene-the incompetent blonde being slayed-began, the front door slammed open. I quickly hushed the intruder, keeping my eyes fixated on the screen as they shut the door.

I ignored the interrupter of my moments to sulk as they fell atop my lain form, making the couch and I jump at the added weight. I finally tore my eyes from the screen, narrowing them as I glanced up at Michael, a beaming grin on his face.

“Are you pretending the victims are real life people again?” Mike chuckled.

“Shut up,” I swatted at him.

“Georgia’s still alive and kicking, baby girl.” He breathed, resting his head lazily on my chest like the pervert he was. “Vic told me you came by yesterday…”

“Alaina thought it would be a good idea,” I muttered.

“How’d it go?” He mumbled, boredom evident as one of his own tattooed fingers began tracing the exposed ink my cami showed.

“Small talk mostly, then I told him I missed him.” My voice became weaker and more strangled towards the end, nearly choking in the humiliation that I’d confessed such a thing.

“Adriana,” Mike breathed sharply through his nose.

“Look, I know it was wrong to do; you don’t have to tell me.” I swallowed the lump in my throat, turning my attention back to the television.

“Maybe it’s time the Old Adriana paid a visit.” I could hear the smirk in his voice and I shook my head, scoffing.

“I’m still the same,” I defended, Diablo releasing a low growl next to me.

“Really? Because the old Adriana wouldn’t have even allowed Georgia to get in her way in the first place.” Michael’s words were kerosene to an awaiting flame that had been flickering out for quite some time. After opening and closing my mouth twice, debating the words, I shoved his weight off of me and onto the floor.

“Fuck you,” I muttered, taking off for my room and ripping the tie out of my hair as I did so. Diablo was immediately nipping at my ankles in desperation for activity, but I was already on a mission. Mike chuckled from the doorway as I scrutinized myself in the mirror. “Have I changed that much?” I stayed focused on my reflection, jutting my bottom lip out, knowing he could see it as well.

He gave a slight tip of his head, padding over to mine and Alaina’s bed, collapsing on it. “How’d you get Vic the first time?”

“By being bad,” I squeaked. My face flushed a horrendous shade of red that only made Mike’s point that much more apparent.

“I’m trying to talk Vic into going to En Fuego tonight to chill out after recording…” Once more the mischievous playful tone could be heard in his voice.

“I heard that place gets pretty crazy at night…” I murmured, turning to face him.

Mike licked his lips, his smirk widening, “Perfect.” Before I could protest further, he was tapping away at the screen of his iPhone, most likely annoying Vic.

“You’re incredible,” I shook my head, “Do you have a date for tonight?”

“No…” It took him a few seconds, “No! Bad!” He chuckled, pointing an inked finger at me.

“Please, Mikey.” I pouted, dropping to my knees in front of where he lay, pouting to the best of my abilities. He let out an exaggerated sigh that I whined in return to. “Just one night, Mikey, just one.”

After a few too long moments of staring each other down, he gave in, an over dramatized sigh falling from his lips. “Fine, fine! I’ll fucking do it,” He groaned. I let out a too-loud squeal that surely woke my mother as I jumped upon him in an embrace.

“You won’t regret it,” I promised, placing a sloppy, wet kiss upon his cheek. He grimaced, wiping off the saliva and gripping my sides as he shoved my weight off of him.

“I’ll see you tonight, then?” He waggled his brows, sliding off the bed and slinking towards the door. I gave no answer, far too deep into preparations for a night that needed to run smoothly and as planned.

There was something both incredibly self-empowering and self-conscious making with the ditching of tights. Mike chuckled from the passenger’s seat of my mustang, watching in enjoyment as I struggled. Hooking a garter belt to thigh highs never seemed to be so tedious, but managing ditching tights and then replacing them with such while in a driver’s seat and attempting to not flash my nearly related date my “goods” made me want to give up all together. The dress I wore—really more of a shirt with its length—covered nothing at all, but then again that was my own fault.

I finally clipped the second one, tugging down my dress as quickly as possible and hoping Mike hadn’t been paying too much attention. I exhaled loudly, causing wispy waves to fly up from where they had fallen into my face.

“Are we good, now?” He was still chuckling, and I swatted at him as I grabbed my clutch. Georgia’s car had pulled up next to us almost as soon as I had done so, and he had no problem pointing it out as I attempted to pull myself together. I strode out of the car with grace, better off walking in pumps than I was bare footed. Mike waited for me on the other side, extending an arm that sickeningly wound around my waist as Vic and Georgia followed us in the same fashion.

The last time I’d wanted to puke so intensely was watching the two of them kiss, but now with Mike’s arm around me, his hand sliding lower as we entered En Fuego; it was as if my worst nightmare was coming true. Georgia was on my right side, and took more than full notice of my thigh tattoos—now exposed. I only half listened as she described getting the exact same but on a different area of her body—a major pet peeve of mine at the thought of someone getting someone else’s exact work.

“I think that’d be lovely, Georg,” I forced through clenched teeth. I hopped up on the bar stool next to Mike, who had practically auto-ordered the both of us tall glasses of whiskey—not that I was complaining. I shook my head at him, an alluring look in my eye as I sipped from the straw that had been stuck in it. The stool next to me quickly became occupied, and I couldn’t help the mischievous grin that spread across my lips when I noted exactly who it was.

“You look really…good, tonight,” Vic murmured, his head tipped my way so I could hear him. I kept my gaze straight ahead, eyes locked on the bartender’s as I grinned wider and he did the same.

“Don’t let your girlfriend hear you,” I returned at the same volume, teasingly toying with my straw as I was observed.

“She’s not my girlfriend, Addy—Addy!” Vic snapped when he realized what I was doing, his hand smacking down against my thigh. I nearly fell out of my chair at the contact, narrowing my eyes as my head snapped his way. “Stop saying that, we’re…we’re not-” He paused, licking his lips, “We go on dates, that doesn’t mean we’re together .”

I merely tipped my head in agreement, turning my attention back to where it was, the bartender now missing. “I’m on a date with Mikey, in case you haven’t noticed.” I waved my hand airily Vic’s way.

“Looks like your date found someone else.” My head snapped once more until I located what he’d been speaking of, a scowl crossing my features at the blonde he was nearly fucking just a few feet away. I muttered a few choice curse words, resisting the urge to go claim territory. “What was the purpose of this?”

“Excuse me?” I snapped, my voice far too high to pull off convincingly.

“We both know you’d never date Mike, so why pretend?” I felt even sicker, if possible.

“Looks like your girlfriend is looking for you,” I spat, eyes directed at Georgia as she appeared once more, squealing over how she’d been looking for Vic. He opened his mouth but was dragged away before much could make its way out. I hurriedly spun around in my stool, demanding another whiskey.

I wasn’t quite sure when things began getting hazy, maybe after the third or fourth time the bartender had fixed me a new drink. I could feel the everlasting pressure of a warm hand against my upper thigh, but between the booze and my emotions nearly every suitor was Vic Fuentes.

“C’mon baby girl, you’ve had enough,” Mike slurred in my ear. I swatted at his hands as they wrapped around my small frame, attempting to drag me along when he was nearly as gone as I was.

“Stop!” I whined, dragging out the word like a child. “Vic” was arguing with Mike about taking me when the real Vic’s voice could be heard.

“He’s twenty years older than you and bald,” He breathed on the opposite side of “Vic”, chuckling as he did so. I was immediately scrambling away in disgust, tripping over my own feet when hands firmly gripped my hips. Heat immediately surged through my body, a strange pins and needles feeling that I couldn’t shake as it burned through my veins. “I’ve got you,” He murmured, myself giving a small nod in return. I was pulled into his chest protectively before burying myself in his shirt.

“Where’re your keys?” Mike forced me to glance his way, a question that took quite a few moments to answer.

“Clutch,” I mumbled back, rubbing my eyes and forgetting the amount of makeup that coated them. When I pulled my hands back they were coated in the dark mess, and I could only continue to rub at my eyelids.

“I’m going to pick you up…alright?” Vic murmured once more. I kicked off my pumps—the highest I owned—that had made me nearly as tall as he was, hooking a finger in the heel of each. I swung my arms around Vic’s neck, the heels dangling from my fingers as I did so. His hands slid cautiously from my hips to the back of my thighs before I was hoisted upwards, my head spinning momentarily at the added height.

“I’m s-sleepy, Vic.” I pressed my face into his shoulder, squeezing my eyes shut tightly as the movement became both dizzying and pacifying.

“I know, baby, just stay awake ‘til we get back to the apartment, okay? Can you do that for me?”

“D-Don’t ca-call m-me baby,” I squeaked, hot tears welling up in my eyes, already burning from the makeup that had slipped into them. “Wh-Where’s Georg, go ha-have sex with her or s-something.” I attempted to slip from his grip, only managing to cause my dress to slip up to the small of my back, eliciting whistles from those we passed. Vic attempted tugging it down the best he could.

“Stop squirming or I’ll drop you,” He warned, “Georg had to leave already, she has work in the morning.” I pursed my lips, out of things to say as the passenger door to my car was yanked open and I was abruptly dropped down into it. Vic took the driver’s seat, Mike in the back stretched out—possibly passed out as well. I rested my throbbing head against the cold of the window, Vic rolling it down as he whipped out of the parking lot, the wind smacking me in the face like my mother would had she seen the way I was acting.

Vic drove the same all the way to their apartment complex, weaving lanes and going far over the speed limit the way he did whenever I stressed him out. I didn’t have it in me to yell at him the way I usually would, and instead took the silent treatment over the wounds I knew words would cause on both ends. He took a rather sharp turn into a parking spot at such a high speed I was nearly ready to drop to my knees and pray for my mustang—and my life if need be.

Mike was dragged from the back seat, just until he got to his feet, and then left to make it the rest of the way himself. Vic didn’t waste any energy in helping me, shoving my keys in his pocket and setting off for his apartment. With a good few moments of focusing that eventually resulted in letting go the tears I’d been barricading back, I stumbled my way towards the complex. My body ached and the streams of eyeliner and mascara coated tears ruined my sight, making the task much more complicated than it should have been.

Upon entry, Mike had already managed to get a movie in the DVD player before collapsing onto his makeshift bed on the floor. Nights like these were so routine I doubted he’d ever really slept in his bed outside of fucking randoms in it. I wiped sloppily away at my eyes, shutting the front door as loudly as I could. At the noise, Vic emerged pants-less, making his way to the fridge in boxer briefs to chuck a water bottle at Mike’s nearly comatose form.

I crossed my arms over my chest, leaning back against the door I’d just slammed. He held out a bottle to myself as well, looking everywhere but directly at me as he did so, before gesturing at me to follow him. Something had hard-wired itself deep inside when it came to Vic, and I found myself following in the most obedient fashion.

“Bathroom’s first door on the left,” His voice came out strained and exhausted sounding and he took the first right into what had to be his room. I took his directions, having to run my palms against the walls in order to find it and not fall on the way with the lack of light.

Once I managed to find the light switch and flick it on, there were clothes set out specifically for me to change into, the tears slowly stopping their once never-ending stream. I managed to find a towel not covered in disease and quickly splashed off all remnants of the ten pounds of makeup I’d applied earlier that evening. I was quick in my movements of donning the pair of boxers and shirt left for me, and after bunching up the past night’s clothing, headed towards the room Vic had slipped into.

The light was off, and I dropped and kicked my clothes aside, reminding myself to get them in the morning. I shut the door tightly behind myself, taking careful steps into the room. The ride home and dragging myself to the apartment had been excruciating and incredibly sobering, aiding in my maneuvering atop his bed. It was a familiar feeling, crawling across a mattress in the dark towards Vic, one that caused a nauseating twist in my gut. He was awake, I noted, as I attempted to collapse as gently as possible without shifting the bed too much.

I’d put space between us, but it was futile as he shifted towards my side. His eyes were focused intently on mine, an act that had me biting my lower lip with the highest of insecurities. Vic took a shaky sounding breath in, hesitating before finally breaking the silence,

“Is it something I didn’t do?” I shook my head almost immediately. “So it’s something I did do?”

“I never said—” I began, but he cut me off, still nowhere near done.

“Then what?” His voice ached as he spoke, with an intensity that made me unsure of which one of us was going to start crying first.

“Just—Just go to sleep,” I murmured, twisting around to face the opposite way.

“I deserve to know, Adriana, I at least deserve that much,” He continued as I forced my eyes shut, trying to call upon sleep that wouldn’t come.

“I never said you didn’t,” I retorted. I could imagine him behind me, easy, glaring at the back of my head with his jaw clenching at each of my words as I spoke them. The damn beaten puppy look was surely upon his face, as if it even mattered with my head turned. “Goodnight, Victor.”