epiphany

III

SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2020
7:32 pm.

"I wanna look hot, but not desperate," Zoe wipes the smudge of her lipgloss off the edge of her bottom lip with the tip of her ring finger. She turns around to Angel, and scrutinizes the two dresses she holds up.

On the left hangs a dark red color, and on the right hangs a simplistic sundress.

"Aren't you always desperate?" She pokes fun at her best friend, and a smirk of humor flutters upon her lips when she notices the glower on Angel's face.

"The sundress. It's more your style." Angel lays the red dress back down onto Zoe's bed, and heads into the bathroom to get into her attire for the night.

"You know Benson, you're a real pain in the ass. I am never desperate," Clinks and clangs can be heard from behind her bathroom door as she undresses, and Zoe feels her head shake with disapproval.

"For someone who puts so much emphasis on 'never' are you sure you're not?" Silence trails after Zoe's remark, and then Angel comes out of the bathroom with ruffled hair and discomposed makeup.

"Why don't you just focus on how you're gonna blend in with the rest of the crowd tonight," Angel gestures to her black dress, and Zoe scowls at her with annoyance of her own.

"A black dress makes me stand out not blend in, I don't know how many times I have to tell you this." She runs her hands down the sides of her dress, just to ensure that no loose fuzz or lint stuck to her.

Once Angel fixes her makeup and brushes her hair out, she puts her arm out to Zoe while they stand at her bedroom door.

"Shall we?" Her arm is stuck out in front of Zoe as an offering for when they walk down the stairs, and Zoe dejects her offer with a wince.

"Shall I?" Zoe steps forward to open her bedroom door, and hears a gasp of shock drop from Angel's mouth.

"You're very rude Benson,"

[ —> ]

"It reeks," Angel squeezes her nostrils shut with her index finger and thumb, and Zoe feels a nasty shiver of regret run down her spine in agreement.

"You were the one who wanted to go to this party," Zoe counters, although she's not sure if she shouted loudly enough over the blaring techno music coming from the dj's booth.

"Yeah but I didn't think people were gonna be throwing up everywhere," Zoe lets her eyes inhale her surroundings, and there are indeed intoxicated people hurling up their insides from the left and the right.

"Jesus, do you think their drinks were spiked?" Angel shudders at Zoe's question, and grabs onto the outside of her wrist before stringing her along the crowds of people.

Despite their experience with drinking, the pair of friends had always been lightweights since day one. When they made their freshman year bet, they had only been drunk off of a couple of hard lemonades, but were already on the verge of blacking out. Ever since, they always promised each other to take it slow- even if their minds were trying to deceive them into doing everything but.

Angel ordered two shots from the bartender, and handed one to Zoe while her eyes squinted at hers. With much hesitance and little confidence, they both raised their shot glasses in the air while Angel- who usually started the night off- proposed a toast.

"To Batman and Robin," Zoe hadn't heard her audibly say those words, but she had gotten used to reading her lips in the party scene and she nodded in encouragement.