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I held my glass up in cheers to the bartender, whose eyes flicked over my outfit. “Making a change, Wrennie?”
“Making a point,” I countered, gulping down half my margarita for liquid courage before the object of my anxieties arrived.
“I didn’t realize Halloween came early this year,” Bex’s dry voice preceded her, the lessons Dev had been giving her on sneaking working a little too well. “You look like a fucking Asian Wednesday Addams.”
I flicked my hair over my shoulder, ignoring the harsh tone of the words and instead taking them as the compliment they sounded like. “Thanks. That was the goal, in case the braids didn’t make it obvious.” The braids might’ve been a bit much, to be honest, but the black satin ribbons I tied at the ends were too cute to pass up.
“You look ridiculous.”
“The employees where I bought this outfit disagree with you. It’s too bad I’m not into men, or else I’d be drowning in cock.”
Dev let out a choked laugh, and Ames piped up from where she was now sitting on the island, Alex standing between her thighs, “She’s not joking, either. When she came out of the dressing room, a bunch of these hot punk-y guys were all over her. Eyes popping out of skulls, tongues lolling out of mouths, the whole nine yards. I had to pretend to be her girlfriend just to get us out of there in one piece.”
“Hotguys?” I heard Alex growl under his breath as his hands squeezed Ames’s thighs tighter, but Ames brushed off his jealousy with a nip of his lower lip.
Ignoring their blatant but familiar PDA, I piped up. “I offered to make out with her to really sell it, but Ames thought it was ‘unnecessary.’” I put air quotes around the word, Ames and the boys laughing and shaking their heads as I pouted.
As the rest of them became distracted making margaritas at the bar cart in the corner of the kitchen, Bex stepped close enough that the toes of our boots touched, frown crossing her face briefly before she snuffed it out. Rather than the heels or sandals I usually wore, a pair of black combat boots encased my feet, matching Bex’s perfectly.
“Change.”
“Why would I change? I thought you’d enjoy this outfit, what with me finally looking like I fit in.”
“Fucking change,” Even though her face still looked bored, I could almost hear her teeth grinding as she muttered out the words under her breath.
I ignored her command, licking the cinnamon-sugar rim of my margarita with the flat of my tongue. Bex’s eyes followed the motion, frown growing deeper as her fists clenched at her sides. I watched as she took a closer look at my outfit, my chest heating at the intensity of her stare as her eyes traveled up my body.
A pair of sheer black stockings covered most of my leg, stopping just above the knee to reveal a short expanse of skin. The tops of my thighs were covered by a black plaid skirt, a long side slit revealing the attached pair of skin-tight black shorts. The asymmetrical skirt was finished off with a few chains and buckles that clinked when I walked, a sound that usually followed Bex when she wasn’t working on her sneaking.
The black, long-sleeve top tucked into the top of the skirt, a faded symbol from my favorite bandThe Living Deadprinted across the chest. I almost thought I caught a flinch when Bex glanced at the shirt, but it faded too quickly, eaten up by the bored-yet-still-disgruntled expression she usually wore in my presence.
Before she could repeat herself, I set my drink down and called out to the rest of the group, “I’ll start the fire.” It was as good an excuse as any to get some space from the angry eyes I felt building up energy for some sort of retaliation to my defiance.
Despite my false bravado with this outfit, I couldn’t help but remember what happened the last time I stood up to Bex. Telling her she didn’t scare me led to a cold, lonely walk in the dark. Defying direct commands seemed like something she wouldn’t let slide, so I attempted the classic technique of out of sight, out of mind. It worked throughout my teenage years with booming success, bullies forgetting my exuberant - to the extent that some found it off-putting - personality as soon as my small frame was out of sight.
Unfortunately, Bex refused to let me blend into the shadows, mumbling something about helping me, and I rolled my eyes as we walked through the french doors onto the patio, her heavy bootsteps echoing mine.
“One last chance,” Bex warned from behind me, the threat in her words sending a shiver down my spine. I spun around as I reached the edge of the pool, having to skirt it to reach the fire pit, and pointed a finger at the chest that now rested inches from my own.
“You want me to change?” I stepped closer, chest brushing hers as I whispered as menacingly as I could, “Fucking make me.”
I spun back around, eyes on the fire pit a few yards away, when my balance was suddenly upset by a sharp shove to my shoulder. The water engulfed me before I could brace for it. Water rushed up my nose and left me sputtering for air as I burst to the surface.
Voices overlapped as I swam to the edge, pulse pounding in my ears as I looked up into Bex’s eyes, the only evidence of her guilt an amused look in her eyes. Just behind her, the rest of our group came rushing out of the house, equally surprised looks on their faces.
“What happened?” A concerned question from Ames, though her narrowed eyes in Bex’s direction had me wondering if she knew the answer already.
“Wren, are you alright?” This question from Dev, who went to crouch at the edge of the pool, reaching out a hand to pull me up. But before he could get close, Bex crouched down, pulling me out in a smooth motion that betrayed the broad muscles she hid under her baggy clothes.
I couldn’t remember Bex having enough muscle to pull me out of the pool without even a grunt of effort. I only had a short glimpse before, in this same pool, mind reeling too much over the sudden show of skin to take in enough detail. I made note to pay better attention the next time I saw her naked and immediately brushed off that thought, hoping the chill of the water hid the heat I felt rising to my cheeks.
“Must’ve slipped,” Bex answered, bringing my focus back to my soaked clothes and the reason they were wet. She stepped slightly in front of my body so I couldn’t escape unless I wanted another dip in the pool. She shook her head, glancing over her shoulder at my now-drenched outfit as she smirked, “Those combat boots take some getting used to walking in.”
“Just means I’ll have to wear them more,” I quipped, my smile widening when Bex’s turned to a frown.
Ames heaved a long-suffering sigh, as if we were two children that needed to be sent to time-out. “Whatever happened,” she met Bex’s eyes with clear disappointment, the look causing Bex to break eye contact, instead looking down at the puddle slowly forming around our feet, “Wren you need to change. Run upstairs -”
“No.” Ames’s brows came together at the sudden interruption from her sister, who continued on casually, “She can borrow my clothes. I have to change anyway.” She gestured down at the wet spots on her clothes from pulling me out of the pool.
