Brütal • Mötley Crüe •

Eight • Choices

Warnings: Vulgar & Smutty Language, Drug Use

The ride back to the Strip was one of the most unpleasant experiences Halston had ever been a part of, awkwardly squished into a seat between her best friend and the man that was slowly ruining her life.

It was a short bus ride, only about fifteen minutes in its entirety, but it felt more like fifteen years.

She was forced into the middle of the seat by the way the three had filed onto the bus, and she thought she could power through it- until the metal support bar situated under the thin cushion protruded upward uncomfortably into her tailbone.

She was shivering from still being half-soaked, and the wind whipping through the open window next to Nikki was doing its very best to freeze her out completely.

Her muscles were screaming at her for fighting the powerful morning current of the ocean for at least six hours, off-and-on, and she made a quick promise to herself that she would get back into following a normal workout routine and get back into shape.

She couldn't deny that the excessive cocaine use and minimized diet had started to whittle away at the strength she'd been building since she was eight years old.

She also hadn't slept in over twenty-four hours and her body was slowly starting to shut down.

The physical aspects of the ride were nothing compared to the storm that was utterly ripping her mind to shreds, though.

Her social anxiety hit its peak with the sound of dozens of people all talking over each other on the crammed bus, and the synchronistic tap of the emergency door hitting the back of the vehicle because it wasn't closed all the way wasn't helping at all.

She didn't understand how it was safe to have the door dubbed as the back up plan in an event of a disaster not properly latched.

But that wasn't what was really bothering her.

Halston's mind was at war trying to figure out what the previous night had meant and where to go next. She was so mad and disappointed with herself that she could barely see straight.

It wasn't the sex itself that she regretted. In fact, it was quite a step up from their previous rendezvous since Nikki had seemed to catch on to what she liked, and she had to admit it was one of the best sexual encounters she'd ever had.

Which raised its own questions.

Was repeated sex beneficial because you could learn how to please your partner more successfully?

She hadn't considered that idea when she created her 'one time only' rule.

Halston had never experienced the somersaulting confusion that was rolling through every inch of her mind, body, and soul.

She knew without a doubt that there was something there for Nikki, but it went against every single one of her beliefs to do anything about it.

The way she saw it, she had two choices:

Choice A: Go against everything she'd ever stood for and tell him about her budding admiration, which could possibly lead to some sort of relationship, which would then certainly end in a varying degree of heart break that would only serve to remind her why she didn't do shit like relationships in the first place.