Pretty Young Thing

chapter one

            "Come on! Let's go out! Let's celebrate!" Vincentia bounced around the almost empty apartment. Two dirty plates sat alone on the counter next to the coffee pot. We didn't even have a microwave yet. This place was so big with an open floor plan which sounds appealing when you have furniture to fill it. All we had was a depressing futon we found for free on Facebook Marketplace a few years back.

"You've got a great new job; I've got a great new office and we've got this great new place to live."

"One," I held up a finger, "I'm working in the mailroom. I'm not exactly living the editorial dream quite yet. And two, we only got this place because your parents refused to come visit after what happened last time."

"Can you really blame them when the stairs went out like that? And the whole in the floor, not to mention last time the shower backed up."

I waved her off, "I'm sure Kenny would have fixed all of that...eventually."

Walking over, Vincentia planted her hands firmly on my shoulders, "Let's not look a gift horse in the mouth right now, okay? Let's just celebrate a little bit."

I rolled my eyes playfully. That was just like Vincentia. Always wanted to have fun and celebrate the littlest things. And then there was me. Filling the role as the serious one of the two. Making sure we were on time and taken care of.

Shaking my head, I sighed, "You just want to go out and get drunk."

"Yes!" She punched the air, spinning in a circle, "And, you know, making out with someone wouldn't hurt either."

I raised a brow at her. Grabbing my shoulders again, she shook me hard and a laugh came rushing up my throat, "Come on. Live a little before you die, Augusta. There is so much more to life than this endless cycle. Plus, I know this really underground place that just opened up. It's one of those 'who you know' places. It's not just something you stumble across."

"Yeah? Then how did you learn about it?"

Vincentia took a step back, her nose scrunching just slightly. That was never good. I struck a nerve with that one. Her nose scrunches were never a good thing, "Do you remember Isaac?"

I thought about it for a moment, going through the roster of people she's either talked to or dated, "Was that the Vet Tech or the surfer?"

She shook her head, "No, the Vet Tech was Cameron and the surfer was James... Or was that, Rafael? Anyways," she waved her hands, "doesn't matter. Isaac was the guy with the brow piercing who drank too much Cherry Coke."

"Nope," I shrugged. "Can't say that I remember him, sorry."

"You know..." Vincentia sighed, her shoulders slouching, "The bartender who was really into close up magic."