A Comedy of Eros

Act IV

Where everyone is having a bad day, which only gets worse; but in the end, it is clear that something is amiss.

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Scene I

Juliet Club

It had been a bad Thursday for the Club ladies.

Luckily Piper, after hours of work at the uni, just had to go in briefly to finalize some arrangements for the following day; as did her colleagues.

"Cynthia, could you pass me that schedule, please?" she demanded haughtily.

The black woman's head lashed up and she let out a growl. It was no secret she hated her given name, and using it like that was just a low blow; precisely what Piper had been going for.

"Here," Cindy said, moving the papers to her end of the desk. "It ain't my fault your girlfriend was there y'know," she added.

Piper gave a start, hand going up to adjust the scarf around her neck. "There is no girlfriend."

"Yeah, yeah... so much for tryna be helpful. For no good deed shalt go unpunished, as the prophet preached!"

Just then their two friends came in. Flaca's eyes narrowed; "Which prophet was that?"

"Oh, one or the other," Cindy brushed it off, then had a better look at the newcomers' long faces. "Oy vey," she lamented; the emo army had not been dismantled yet from...

XXX

The previous day

"You are merrier than usual Morticia," had been her first words at seeing Flaca with more makeup than usual on, liner extra dark and a particularly sepulchral shade of purple lipstick. They'd met at the university cafeteria for lunch, together with Piper.

The other ordered a sandwich and gave her the finger.

"Rude," she mumbled. "OK, anyway. What time are we meeting tonight?"

Flaca stared at her like a madwoman.

"Come off it, we got free tickets! When this gonna happen again, ha?"

A shrug.

"Might be your chance to make up with the little hottie. I bet she was just PMSing last night."

"Wha... That's terribly sexist!" Piper protested.

"Why? PMS is a thing," she replied nonchalant as they sat down.

"Mh." Well that was true.

"Also," nom-nom as Cindy chomped on her food, "Chapman -"

"Could you please refrain from talking with your mouth full?" Piper hissed. "There's people around y'know."

Flaca tsked.

Chom... "A'right, a'right," Cindy raised her hands, and gulped down the mouthful of fries. "So I was saying, Chapman, could be interesting for your research too, right?"

"Well. It is somewhat relevant," she had to admit. "But..." she looked out at the grass and the faculty buildings beyond. After careful pondering she had reached the conclusion that there was probably nothing between Alex and Flaca's new friend; on Nichols the jury was still out. It was her studies, though; she couldn't let herself be deterred by such trivial matters. Moreover... she peeked to her left – Flaca was intently picking at her food.