Addict

“You can come to my place and borrow some of my clothes for the night. That’s no reason to worry! I have a whole closet that’ll fit you! You’re, what, a size twelve-ish?” Clapping her hands together in excitement at the sigh of defeat I gave, she bounced on her toes. “So you’ll go?”

Taking a deep breath, I rubbed my forehead. “Sure. What time?” I didn’t really want to go, but it hadn’t been that long ago that I’d been thinking I needed to make friends. Plus, who knew, maybe a change of scenery would be what I needed to get Suit Man off my mind for a bit.

Letting out a squeal that made my ears want to bleed, Je

Talking a mile a minute, gesturing wildly with her hands, she started moving around behind the counter. “Right now, well, after work, but I get off in, like, five minutes so that’s almost now. I can’t tell you how excited I am that you agreed. I’ve been looking forward to this party for weeks. Now I just have to figure out what we’re going to dress you in.”

Even though I tracked her with my eyes, I couldn’t keep up with her rapid speech. Her mouth kept moving even as she gathered a few small items off the counter, shoving them into a purse she pulled from a cabinet under the desk.

Walking around the counter, she looped her arm around one of mine and waved at the woman that worked the counter at night. Trying to keep up with her, I stumbled along as she made a stop to let the manager know she was leaving. After the brief pause, she proceeded to pull me towards the front door of the building. “You know how long I’ve been trying to build up the courage to ask you to come out with me?” Je

I hadn’t been able to keep up with most of her chattering. Thankfully the chilly air outside seemed to slow her speech and speed. I nodded even though I wasn’t entirely sure what she was talking about. I wasn’t used to someone talking so fast, and definitely wasn’t used to someone pulling me around by the arm while doing it.

“If you knew, then why didn’t you say something silly?” She stopped walking and gawked at me. Laughing loudly, she slapped playfully at my arm and shook her head as if I’d made a joke.

I shrugged in reply hoping it’d give me a pass. I needed at least ten cups of coffee to get up to the same speed she was at.

“Seriously, girl, you have got to learn to speak up. You sit there in your office all day looking out at everyone. We all wonder if it’s because you’re shy or if you think you’re better than the rest of us. I’ve always been on your side, saying that you’re just shy. I can tell when you talk to customers that you’re a total blast to hang out with though. I’m so glad you agreed to come out with me tonight,” Je

I wasn’t sure how to react to the bit of information she’d just laid on me. I had never in my life been called stuck-up; that wasn’t me at all. I had never been called a blast to hang out with either. Feeling a bit put off by the whole direction of the conversation, I frowned and slowed my pace.

“You aren’t changing your mind, are you? You can’t! I won’t allow it. Look, there’s my car,” Je

After a short, thankfully silent drive, we pulled up to a small house. Je

I got out much more slowly, not nearly as enthusiastic about the night as she seemed to be. Excited, maybe. Curious, yes. Nervous, absolutely.

Once inside the house, Je

Giving myself a pep talk and knowing it’d be hell to get out of going, I slipped off my clothes and tugged on a skin-tight, neon pink dress that was on the top of the pile. Closing my eyes, not even chancing a glance in the mirror, I flung open the door and let Je

Je

After numerous disappointing ensembles, I became frustrated, not to mention as sweaty as if I were working out. Finally, though, Je

Gathering my courage, I took a deep breath and turned to look at myself in the mirror. I released a breath of relief at my reflection. It wasn’t as bad as I had expected. Perhaps it was the glint of determination that shimmered in my eyes or the cut of the dress, but it looked like it had been made just for me. Either way, we decided that the dress was what I was wearing and I was okay with the choice.

“Beautiful. I knew you had a luscious, curvy body under those boring work clothes you always wear. I wish I was  as tall as you.” Je

I knew she would for sure. Her pleather dress left little to the imagination. It wasn’t see-through, but it may as well have been. She continued to talk about how excited she was for the party and how she’d barely managed to get an invitation this month. Apparently it only happened once a month, and only those with an invitation could get in. From what I caught, she had slept with a man who got her an invitation. She’d said much more, but I’d barely managed to catch bits and pieces as she drove manically through the city. Finally she turned off the main streets and slowed.

Parking in a dimly-lit lot, she wiggled her eyebrows at me before climbing out of the car. I followed suit, swallowing hard when there seemed to be no one around.

“This way.” Je