A Dangerous Friend

No Fire Without Smoke

Hi, welcome to our little dinner party, let me take your coat...

.

.

.

Jade hesitated as she stood before the apartment door. Last chance, West. Last chance to back out now, go back to the hotel and drink this little beauty straight from the bottle. Quick text to tell her you've come down with... I don't know, rabies.

But her brain was determined to see it through and she found her hand knocking on the door. A few seconds later, Tori opened it and pulled her into a hug before she had time to protest. "You came!"

"No, I'm just out of breath from the stairs," she said. "Now get off of me, you're creasing the dress."

Tori stood back and admired her in a way that made her feel like a six-year-old. "You look lovely."

"Er, thanks. So do you."

"Come on in."

Tori practically dragged her into the apartment, giving her less time to prepare than she'd have liked, and she found herself stood in the middle of the room, clutching her bottle like a teddy-bear in front of her, as Tori made the introductions.

"Carla, this is Jade..." she said, waving her hands to indicate Jade's precise location, in case she was difficult to spot against the carpet, "...and Jade, this is Carla." She beamed, as though having pulled off a particularly deft magic trick, and for a moment Jade thought she was going to bow.

Jade took her first proper look at Carla. Carla, it seemed, was not one to dress for dinner. Black combat boots, black tights, cut-off jeans and a band T-shirt probably older than she was. So far, so familiar. But it was the face. She began to see where Tori's drunken confusion had come from. The nose was narrower, the mouth more severe, and she clearly had a couple of years head start on Jade, but there was no doubt what she was looking at. Or rather who.

She was going to have words with Tori. Serious words.

"Carla," she said.

Jade's repertoire had never included much in the way of social skills, a fact that had come to haunt her over the past year. Guys had it easy. Guys just shook hands whatever the situation. But even that wasn't going to work, not from this distance, and she felt disinclined to move closer. So she just stood, and waited for Carla to close the gap.

Carla wasn't one to do that, either. She sat, enthroned in what was clearly 'her' armchair, legs crossed, eyebrow raised, gazing at Jade as though at any moment she might click her fingers and summon a henchman to drag her away to the salt mines. Finally she tipped the neck of her beer bottle almost imperceptibly in Jade's direction. "Hey," she drawled.

It looked like that was all the response there was going to be, so Jade cast around for something else to say.

"It's nice to meet you."

"Yeah."

She wasn't sure whether Carla was returning the compliment, or simply agreeing with her, and the silence dragged on until Tori broke the impasse with a kind of desperate enthusiasm. "So," she said, "Who wants a drink?"

Jade snapped out of it and remembered the bottle in her hand. "Here," she held it out, glad to be focusing on Tori for a change.

"Ooh." Tori took the bottle. "Thanks." She disappeared towards the kitchen looking for glasses.

"You be careful, babe." Jade jumped at the sound of Carla's voice. It seemed a little overprotective, considering the amount of damage even Tori could do to herself opening a wine bottle, until it became clear where Carla's concern lay. "You know what that stuff does to you."