Chapter 9: Friends
There are really moments in your life where you just want to run away from something and spend the rest of it reminiscing all your life choices and just hope that you could turn back time and choose from the other choices that life throw at you instead of what you had chosen previously. Have you ever had that moment? Well, I'm experiencing mine right now.
With a pull there and a pull here, Jodie made me feel like I'd been trampled by a bunch of elephants, been bit again and again by her evil Chihuahua named Precious, and had my skin feel as if it had been ripped off me over and over again. Beauty comes with a price, literally. If I didn't stop her, she would have shaved my eyebrows off and cut my hair up to my shoulders.
Four hours left before we meet up with our friends and she was fussing about which dress would look good on me even though it looked the same. I wanted to leave the room so badly but she had her eyes on me like a hawk even though she had her back on me.
She finished dressing up before me and she absolutely rocked it. She just kept her hair down and ironed it straight which made her natural raven-colored hair stand out and speaking of standing out, her choice of clothes was casually elegant.
She wore a glittery gold bandeau that ended above her navel and paired it with white sailor pants and a golden metallic 4-inch stiletto which she found no problem walking around with. At first glance, it'd look casual but the way Jodie bring herself was beyond casual, it was party-worthy and she was so ready.
Her fussing didn't ruin her whole getup and honestly, I wished she would just trip and finally set her mind on what I was going to wear.
"Aha! Found it!"
And finally, she's done. If I didn't know Jodie, I swear I could have labeled her as someone crazy which isn't actually a lie. She had that crazed look in her eyes while she prepped me up and nearly burned my face with the hair curler and attempted to tape my head to the floor just to stop me from moving around all the time.
Once I saw myself in the mirror, my jaw just dropped. I feel like I never knew the person looking right back at me in the mirror at all. My dark brown hair was tied in a bun with a few loose strands curled in front of my face which outlined my face. I was wearing a loose navy blue glittery halter dress that stopped mid-thigh and showed off my back. Jodie also insisted that I wear a pair of white ballet sandals which I took willingly after she showed me a few stilettoes to match my look; I'd rather die in flats than walking in those death heels she had.
"You outdid yourself this time Jodie," I smiled and she grinned at me, "I'm not done yet if that's what you're thinking," she said, "You need one final touch,"
"I think I can't handle more of this," I grumbled.
She waves her hand and rummaged through her vanity table, "It'll only take a second…I just need to–Ha! Found it," she turned to look at me with a small jewelry box in hand, "I think this would finish it," she clipped a silver collar necklace around my neck. "There, all done, oh and you can use this clutch," she said and handed me a silver clutch, "I don't know what to say, this seems to be too much,"
Jodie scoffs and pats me on the back, "Come on, let's go. I can't wait to see them," she squeals and saunters out of the room.
I guess owning one of the hottest clubs in the city had its perks and all Jodie had to do was pull a few strings and I found myself sitting on a VIP lounge with its own private indoor pool and an unlimited supply of cold buckets of beer. Jodie was in the mini bar in the VIP lounge, sipping her third glass of martini while talking with the bartender about business stuff.
I was casually sipping my can of soda when Jodie came to me and shove my shoulders. "Ruth texted that they're coming," she grinned and I shared her enthusiasm with a grin of my own. "What do you suppose they look like right now?" I asked and Jodie grinned at me, "Probably very different," she replied and looked over the sweaty bodies grinding on the dancefloor below us.
The soft squeak of the door hinges brought Jodie and I's attention to a red-haired woman standing on the entrance, "'scuse me, do you, by any chance, know where the–" Jodie suddenly surprised me when she let out her signature squeals and threw her arms around the woman who looked very much taken back by the sudden greeting.
"Ruth! Oh my God, I love what you have done with your hair," Jodie rants and my eyes widened to see who it really was.
"I hope I'm not crashing the party," a familiar blonde followed Ruth in and it was my turn to throw my arms around the guy with the same loud squeal that Jodie had omitted seconds ago. "Kaleb! Jesus, it's been long," I laughed as he caught me and hugged me back, twice as tight as I did, "Look at you, all grown up," he laughs along with me. Someone clearing their throat made us pull away from each other and I look down to see Ruth glaring at me, oh and did I mention that Ruth was the smallest in our group? Well, she was, and even without wearing any heels, she was still below my shoulders.
"I don't really appreciate brunettes who clings randomly on my man," she scowled and crossed her arms, glaring at me. Kaleb started laughing and I joined in too, "This is hilarious," Kaleb howls in laughter while I clutch Jodie's arm for support. Ruth tapped her shoes on the ground and shoved Kaleb who didn't even move an inch from where he was standing.
"You know her or something Kaleb?"
Kaleb wiped a tear from his eye and slung his arm on my shoulder, pulling me closer to him, "Yeah I know her…very, very much," he said mischievously which made Ruth's face twice as red as her hair, "She used to come to my place back then and we would talk closely…very, very close," Kaleb's voice turned lower and lower which seems to aggravate Ruth more and before she could start pulling my hair or something, I shoved Kaleb off and started laughing.
"Stop it, Kale, she looks like she's about to blow,"
Ruth was still staring at me intensely and Kaleb threw his arms in the air and groaned. "It's Temper Ruthy, Temper, Temp? Temperance?" Kaleb clapped his hands in front of her and recognition flashes on her face, "Oh. My. God. Is it really you? I hardly knew you. Wow! Five years does really change somebody, I mean, look at you," she squeezes me in a tight hug which I returned genuinely.
A knock came from the front door and Percy with his signature copper hair entered with a small smile, "Hey guys," he greeted and waved at us. Jodie and I went straight for him and hugged him, "Is that my kid Jodie?" Kaleb shouted over the music which earned him a light punch from Percy, "I'm only a few months younger than all of you guys," Percy grumbled and plopped on the couch with a sigh, "This place rocks Jodie, it's kinda hard to get here when people are trying to push me back to the entrance," Percy popped open a beer and took a swig.
The rest of us followed him and started popping our own bottle of beer. "How's your career going on Perc?" I asked and he swallowed the beer he was playing in his mouth, "Fine actually," he shrugs while Ruth slaps him behind his head, "He's too modest to say it but he's three steps away from owning his own restaurant, I heard from a few friends of mine that he's dishes are out of this world," Ruth said and Percy's cheeks reddened, "Awww, look at him blushing," Jodie cooed and pinched his cheeks.
"How about you Jodie? How are you going on with your businesses?" Ruth asked and Jodie motioned her hand around the room, "It's going better actually," she grins and we all cheered for her and clinked our bottles together.
"Speaking of going better, when are you planning to propose?" Percy asked Kaleb as he pointed his bottle to both him and Ruth. Ruth walked over to Kaleb and sat on his lap, "Well…" she drawled and raised a hand that showed an engagement ring around her ring finger. Jodie squealed and shook my shoulders furiously, "We're having a wedding!" she screams enthusiastically and I mirrored her, raising my drink with a cheer.
"You're becoming a man Kale, congratulations to you both," I pat his back and laughed. We talked a bit more and drank more when someone knocked on the door. We all turn to look and Jodie gave me a worried look. Her red lips pulled down in a frown.
"Am I late?"