The Switch

Chapter Nine | A Welcome Distraction

I woke up because the pillow beside me was vibrating. I was confused for a few moments before I realized it was my phone ringing. Still half-asleep, I picked it up and rolled onto my back, nearly dropping my phone on my face in the process.

"Hello?" I said, mid-yawn.

"Marina? Where the hell are you?"

My eyes shot open. Rachel.

I looked at the time on the clock next to me. 10:47. Shit.

"Oh my god, Rachel, I'm so sorry, I fell asleep. I promise I'm not standing you up," I said, already jumping out of bed and rummaging through the closet for a dress.
I could hear the disapproval in her voice. "Mmmhmm. Yeah, you better be here soon, or I'll kick your scaly ass all the way to the Indian Ocean."

"Give me fifteen minutes, and I'll be there. I promise."

She was quiet for a few seconds, and I could hear the pounding of the bass and the cacophony of voices in the background.

"Okay," she replied. "Fifteen minutes."

I hung up just as I pulled a black dress covered in sequins out of the closet, it was form-fitting, and short enough to keep things interesting, but not too short, with three-quarter long sleeves. I paired it with some high black pumps and large gold hoop earrings.

I fluffed my hair a couple more times, and applied some cherry red lip gloss. I grabbed a sleek black clutch with gold trim from the top of my dresser to complete the outfit.

I smiled at myself in the mirror by the door and tried to clear my head of thoughts of Nick. It was going to be a good night with my friends. We would drink and dance and maybe I would find another target.

I let out a breath and opened the door. I didn't need Nick. He was just a human guy. I could do this.

* * *

I couldn't do this.

Stepping into the bar, I was almost knocked over by the immense heat and din of voices. The music pulsated in my soul, and I could feel the beat matching my heartbeat. Normally that was my favorite feeling in the world, but right now I just wanted to run away to my quiet hotel room.

I walked up to the bar and ordered a margarita. Maybe if I drank a little bit, everything wouldn't seem quite as... noisy.

After ordering, I spun around to see if I could spot Rachel. I scanned the heads in the crowd, searching for golden hair. But I soon found myself looking for short brown hair on guys instead.

Snap out of it, Marina. He's not a part of your life anymore.

I sipped my margarita and walked toward the dance floor. A frantically waving arm to my left caught my eye, and I saw Rachel motioning me over, a giant grin on her face.

"There you are!" She said, a little too loudly. "Finally!"

I laughed. "Rachel, are you drunk?"

She swiped at my arm, tipping to one side. "No, I'm not drunk," she protested. She grabbed me and pulled me next to her. I could smell the rum and coke on her breath.

I laughed again, trying to keep my margarita upright as Rachel pulled me into a hug.

"You know what?" she said, tapping my nose with her finger, "You haven't had enough to drink. We need to get you drunk tonight. That will be my goal."

I grinned and studied my best friend. She certainly seemed to be having a good time. Maybe it was a good idea to get a little drunk tonight. Then I could have fun with my friends without thinking of cute, nerdy boys with floppy brown hair and glasses. I winked at Rachel and downed the rest of my drink in three gulps. I held it up so she could see.