Stars in our Hearts

Two

C

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I let myself wander away from the crowd and panic under the moonlight.

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The music bounced off the walls of the club, leaving me no choice but to cover my ears.

"You know... the bar is for getting loose and having fun. You look like a cat that lost his mouse."

Mara takes a seat on the stool beside me, she wasn't even supposed to be here. "I thought I told you to stop following me around." I gulp down the rest of my water. "You've been sober six months and this is the first time I've seen you enter a bar on your own."

"Don't you have something better to do... like I don't know, brush your hair?" She rolls her eyes, pinching my cheek. Her extra long nails almost digging into my perfect skin. "Fuck off, Mara."

"You fuck off. You've been acting real moody since you broke it off with your boyfriend."

"He was just a friend."

"Is that why he always kissed your ass?"

I glare at her and she offers me an annoyingly sweet smile. "But really, what happened?"

"He," I think of words to say. He was a dick? She already knew that... in fact, she warned me that he'd be the kind of guy who'd only be friends with me for clout. "Honestly Mara, it's none of your business."

"Crius," she pats me on the back. "He was your only friend. Now your best friend is your sister, it's sad."

"You are not my best friend, you're whatever the opposite of that is." I tap the bar table, getting the bartenders attention. "Another water."

The lanky old man narrows his eyes at me.

"This ain't your home boy, you either drink or get outta my bar." Mara gets off her chair, leaning against the table. "Listen here, boy. He's paying for the water so give him the fucking water."

Mara was two seconds from leaping over the table and beating the shit out of the bartender. So, I pull her away. I don't want the attention and I know, if she was in her right mind, she wouldn't want the attention either. He mutters something incoherent under his breath but takes out a bottle of water from the fridge.

"I don't need you to stand up for me anymore, Mara."

"Crius, the last time I listened to you, you got beat up in a stall." I twisted the cap, letting the cold liquid flow through my body like blood. "It was once."

"You were lucky it was only once."

"It's normal to get bullied in high school, Mara. It's like... like very normal."

"You sound like you're drunk off water."

"I think I am," I slur out my words. But I'm not drunk, I'm insanely tired. Some woman tried to touch me today and I reacted badly, throwing my coffee all over her blouse. She thought that was my way of saying, hey let's go in the closet so we can do "something" about it.