A Bit Of Luck
[08]
Scarlett skipped down the stairs, heading towards the door. The doorbell had just been rung, and she was expecting guests to start arriving.
She pulled the door open and stood staring at the person on her doorstep. After a few moments, she closed her mouth, regained composure and dignity and spoke.
“What the fuck did you do?”
Cobe’s hair, which had always been ‘auburn’ or whatever the politically correct name was, had been dyed a light platinum blonde and had an icy blue streak through it. Scarlett loved it instantly, but still felt she has to ask what Cobe had done.
Cobe just smiled and walked past Scarlett into the house, murmuring, “Nice outfit,” in an amused tone. Scarlett cast her eyes over her outfit, smiling smugly at Cobe’s comment.
She had her “I hope something eats you” t-shirt on, with a black mini-skirt, fishnet tights and black high heels. Her hair was back in the punky pigtails that she adored, making the purple streak more visible. All her piercings were in, earlobes, two on the top of her left ear, the bit in the middle of her right ear and her lip. A life of hospital visits had left Scarlett with a very non-existent fear of needles, she didn’t even dislike them. They were part of her life.
She looked at her wrist, the tattoo inked into her skin visible more than ever on the inside her bare arm. It was a lily and a rose entwined, the stems twisting around her wrist and turning from green to black. Along the side of the black bit, there was the writing, “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” That tattoo was dedicated to her mum, Lily-Rose, the wording was the clearest memory Scarlett had of the turmoil surrounding her mother’s death. Her funeral, when the priest said that and a strange sense of acceptance settled around Scarlett.
She shook herself from her thoughts and went to sit with Cobe in anticipation of all the guests that were still to come. Glancing at her watch fleetingly, she saw that Cobe had come half an hour early.
x-x-x
The guests had been arriving steadily for an hour. All in all, 100 people had been invited. It was her 21st after all. Music pumped loudly from the speakers, the bass making the whole house vibrate and Scarlett was sure you could hear it several streets away.
The doorbell went again and Scarlett opened the door. A smile spread over her cheeks as she recognised Frank standing there, a bunch of flowers in his hand and a shy smile adorning his lips.
“Hey…” Scarlett started, but ended up stepping outside and closing the door behind her. “Hey,” she said again, this time being able to hear herself say it.
“Hiya,” Frank replied happily.
“Stalking me now?”
“Oh no. Your friend… mentioned you were having a party for your birthday and I thought I’d bring some flowers and a… present,” Frank explained, his cheeks reddening at the end.
“Cobe?”
“That’s the one!” he said, recognising the unique name.
“You really didn’t have to…”
“I wanted to,” he said seriously.
Scarlett lunged at him, hugging him tightly. “You are too nice, did you know that?” She pecked him lightly on the cheek, making him blush more. He handed her the flowers and her present, she smiled at him again.
“Come in and have a drink?” Scarlett asked, semi-hopefully.
“My girlfriend’s in the car… and… I shouldn’t intrude and…”
“Jeez, just go get her, kay?” Scarlett said and pushed Frank lightly in the direction of his car.
x-x-x
Scanning the room, Scarlett saw Frank sitting in a chair, his girlfriend sitting in his lap, well, it was more draped all over him.
She walked over and sat down beside him, striking up a conversation and ignoring the dirty looks that his girlfriend was sending in her direction. However, after a while it grated her last nerve and she stood up and excused herself.
Walking away, she heard Frank say, “Susan! Can you just try and be nice?” to his girlfriend, who was obviously called Susan. She stopped where she was, blending into the crowd of people dancing in the centre of the room.
“I was being nice. There’s a difference between being nice and being flirty, which you obviously don’t know,” Susan replied snidely.
“Well, if you think I’m so flirty, why are you dating me?” Frank replied, anger obvious in his voice.
Susan smiled smugly at him and stood up. She went to walk away, but stopped, “Because you were good in bed.” And she walked past, making sure to bang roughly into Scarlett on the way past, making her spill her drink all down her front.
“Oh shit,” Scarlett swore, making a run to her bathroom to get a cloth.
She dabbed at the liquid on the front of her t-shirt, another t-shirt in her hand to put on. Getting enough out of the t-shirt, she pulled it off. A gasp came from behind her and she turned to see Frank wide eyed at the door. He had obviously thought she was upset and come to see if she was alright.
Seeing his expression, she started to giggle uncontrollably, holding onto the side of the bath for support. When she stopped, she realised she was still t-shirtless and pulled the dry one on. It was her, “Forget ‘with Stupid’ I am Stupid” one.
“Like what you saw?” she asked, putting on hand on her hip and looking at Frank again. He had gone a deep shade of red and was speechless. She smiled at him and walked past, patting him on the back as she did so.
“Come on, let’s go get you another drink,” she said with another small laugh. Seeing Frank's face, she made him sit down on the side of her bed. they sat in silence for a while, then Scarlett decided to break it.
"You okay?"
She pulled the door open and stood staring at the person on her doorstep. After a few moments, she closed her mouth, regained composure and dignity and spoke.
“What the fuck did you do?”
Cobe’s hair, which had always been ‘auburn’ or whatever the politically correct name was, had been dyed a light platinum blonde and had an icy blue streak through it. Scarlett loved it instantly, but still felt she has to ask what Cobe had done.
Cobe just smiled and walked past Scarlett into the house, murmuring, “Nice outfit,” in an amused tone. Scarlett cast her eyes over her outfit, smiling smugly at Cobe’s comment.
She had her “I hope something eats you” t-shirt on, with a black mini-skirt, fishnet tights and black high heels. Her hair was back in the punky pigtails that she adored, making the purple streak more visible. All her piercings were in, earlobes, two on the top of her left ear, the bit in the middle of her right ear and her lip. A life of hospital visits had left Scarlett with a very non-existent fear of needles, she didn’t even dislike them. They were part of her life.
She looked at her wrist, the tattoo inked into her skin visible more than ever on the inside her bare arm. It was a lily and a rose entwined, the stems twisting around her wrist and turning from green to black. Along the side of the black bit, there was the writing, “Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.” That tattoo was dedicated to her mum, Lily-Rose, the wording was the clearest memory Scarlett had of the turmoil surrounding her mother’s death. Her funeral, when the priest said that and a strange sense of acceptance settled around Scarlett.
She shook herself from her thoughts and went to sit with Cobe in anticipation of all the guests that were still to come. Glancing at her watch fleetingly, she saw that Cobe had come half an hour early.
x-x-x
The guests had been arriving steadily for an hour. All in all, 100 people had been invited. It was her 21st after all. Music pumped loudly from the speakers, the bass making the whole house vibrate and Scarlett was sure you could hear it several streets away.
The doorbell went again and Scarlett opened the door. A smile spread over her cheeks as she recognised Frank standing there, a bunch of flowers in his hand and a shy smile adorning his lips.
“Hey…” Scarlett started, but ended up stepping outside and closing the door behind her. “Hey,” she said again, this time being able to hear herself say it.
“Hiya,” Frank replied happily.
“Stalking me now?”
“Oh no. Your friend… mentioned you were having a party for your birthday and I thought I’d bring some flowers and a… present,” Frank explained, his cheeks reddening at the end.
“Cobe?”
“That’s the one!” he said, recognising the unique name.
“You really didn’t have to…”
“I wanted to,” he said seriously.
Scarlett lunged at him, hugging him tightly. “You are too nice, did you know that?” She pecked him lightly on the cheek, making him blush more. He handed her the flowers and her present, she smiled at him again.
“Come in and have a drink?” Scarlett asked, semi-hopefully.
“My girlfriend’s in the car… and… I shouldn’t intrude and…”
“Jeez, just go get her, kay?” Scarlett said and pushed Frank lightly in the direction of his car.
x-x-x
Scanning the room, Scarlett saw Frank sitting in a chair, his girlfriend sitting in his lap, well, it was more draped all over him.
She walked over and sat down beside him, striking up a conversation and ignoring the dirty looks that his girlfriend was sending in her direction. However, after a while it grated her last nerve and she stood up and excused herself.
Walking away, she heard Frank say, “Susan! Can you just try and be nice?” to his girlfriend, who was obviously called Susan. She stopped where she was, blending into the crowd of people dancing in the centre of the room.
“I was being nice. There’s a difference between being nice and being flirty, which you obviously don’t know,” Susan replied snidely.
“Well, if you think I’m so flirty, why are you dating me?” Frank replied, anger obvious in his voice.
Susan smiled smugly at him and stood up. She went to walk away, but stopped, “Because you were good in bed.” And she walked past, making sure to bang roughly into Scarlett on the way past, making her spill her drink all down her front.
“Oh shit,” Scarlett swore, making a run to her bathroom to get a cloth.
She dabbed at the liquid on the front of her t-shirt, another t-shirt in her hand to put on. Getting enough out of the t-shirt, she pulled it off. A gasp came from behind her and she turned to see Frank wide eyed at the door. He had obviously thought she was upset and come to see if she was alright.
Seeing his expression, she started to giggle uncontrollably, holding onto the side of the bath for support. When she stopped, she realised she was still t-shirtless and pulled the dry one on. It was her, “Forget ‘with Stupid’ I am Stupid” one.
“Like what you saw?” she asked, putting on hand on her hip and looking at Frank again. He had gone a deep shade of red and was speechless. She smiled at him and walked past, patting him on the back as she did so.
“Come on, let’s go get you another drink,” she said with another small laugh. Seeing Frank's face, she made him sit down on the side of her bed. they sat in silence for a while, then Scarlett decided to break it.
"You okay?"