Ember Kate

Chapter:: Thirteen

I was sitting on Calla and Malc’s bed while she was pulling clothes out of her closet, trying not to pull my hair. Tommy is going to be my date? Besides the fact that he’s gorgeous and will probably expect sex, the thought made me feel like a whore. Even if I wasn’t planning on sleeping with him, he’d still be my date.

“Are your legs shaved?” Calla peaks her head out of the closet. I blush because I have to lean over and rub my hand on my leg, and decide I’m okay.

“Yeah, but I don’t really wear skirts.” I tell her with the blush still on my face.

“That’s good, because I don’t think we wear the same pant size but I have a really cute skirt for you if I can find it . . .” I cross my fingers, hoping she can’t find it, “ah, here it is!”

I try not to sigh loudly when she brings it out and throws it on the bed. It’s a blue jean skirt with white swirly flowers on the seams. Without another word, Calla goes back into her closet and comes back out not even five seconds later with a white woven styled looking tank top.

“You sure you want me to borrow your clothes?” I ask her doubtfully.

“Why?” She mockingly pulls back the top, “are you going to steal them from me?” she lays the top on the bed and lines the skirt under it. She then dives under her bed and pulls out white flip flops. “I have plenty of clothes, and this would look really good with your tan.”

Her statement makes me look at my arms. I haven’t been outside at all this summer, nonetheless tanning. “Well, I appreciate it. It’s not like I didn’t bring any clothes, they’re just . . .” I think back to the clothes I hurriedly packed. They definitely wouldn’t be my first choice; it was pretty obvious that I was anxious to get out of that house.

“Just bum looking? I understand.” Calla tells me reassuringly as she pats my arm before going back in her closet. I doubt she’d understand, from all the clothes piled on the bed she never had to wear a “bum” looking item of clothing in her life. “I’m going to make us pre-party drinks to unwind a little, what do you want?”

I think for a minute, trying to remember what my favorite drink was. I never really had a favorite, I liked one and all. “Rum and coke?” I ask her as I stand up and start untying my shoes, starting to get changed. Looking around the room, I see pictures of Malc and Calla pretty much everywhere. If they loved going places, Washington must mean a lot to them if they kept coming back. I noticed the orange or peach curtains, the brown covers on the bed, and the pictures crowding the walls so much that the color of the wallpaper didn’t even matter.

“A rum and coke for you,” Calla says as she hands me the drink. I watch as she quickly fish tail braids her hair and puts mascara on before going into her closet for another outfit. She comes out in two seconds dressed in this clingy dress. Is my sense of time off? I see Malc walk in the room quickly; he’s looking at me weirdly. He then walks up to Calla and starts shaking his finger in his face. I watch Calla’s expression, her confusion, which turns into a look of something like regret. She walks over to me and touches my leg, but I can’t feel it.

~

When I wake up, it doesn’t feel like waking up. It’s almost like I just blinked, but instead it’s obviously the next day and I’m under covers in what I assume is the guest bedroom.

The door is closed, lights off, but the sun is streaming through the window. I glance down to see what I’m wearing and I see the clothes that Calla picked out for me. I don’t remember putting them on, at all.

I get up and walk out of the bedroom, finding a funny taste in my mouth. Malc is sitting on the couch, flipping through the newspaper. “Hey party animal,” he says casually as he flips the page.

“Am I missing something? I don’t remember anything from last night.” I plop down on the couch next to him and close my eyes. I don’t have a hangover, I just feel normal.

“Well, we went to the bar after Calla finished getting dressed.” Malc moved over enough to where I opened my eyes to see what he was up to. He was clearly avoiding my eyes. “Tommy escorted you, like I suggested he should. He was a gentleman. But you seemed kind of tipsy when we were leaving. I guess you must be a lightweight?”

“I’m far from it, actually. I’m quite good with my drinks.” I draw my knees up to my chest. I remember Tommy swooping his head down to kiss my cheek. He knew my name because of Malc, and he told me that I looked cute in my outfit. I blushed and shoved him away playfully, not cluing him in that I was dressed in Calla’s clothes.

“We have some pretty strong rum.” He tells me and smiles at me like I don’t know what I’m talking about. That part bugs me a little bit. He still looks like somebody I know, but I still can’t think of it. I still don’t believe him. I would at least remember half of the night, but I don’t even remember getting off of their bed.

“Well, as long as I didn’t embarrass myself.” I try to see if I can remember anything from last night, still nothing. “I didn’t embarrass myself, did I?’

He looks up at me, “What? Oh, no you didn’t.”

“Well, that’s good at least. I just find it really weird because I usually remember at least half of the night, but I can’t remember anything.” I get up and make my way to the kitchen, “where’s Calla?”

Malc laughs a little. “Her remedy for a hangover is sleeping until dinner time.”

“Sounds like a good remedy to me.” I tell him while I look for cereal. I give up when I can’t find any in the regular spots I would look. “So, do you have a brother or a sister? You seem really familiar.”

Malc looks up at me, “that’s a really weird question. I have a younger brother who just graduated high school. He lives in Nevada, you probably wouldn’t know him.”

“What part of Nevada?” I ask him, not being able to keep my eyes off of him at this point.

“A little place called Beatty.”

I knew of that little town so well, and I knew exactly who he reminded me of.