TEMPTATION - trainspotting

name

Soft music played from silence, on cue as ever from the radio next to the mattress on the floor. The flat was cold and half empty.

Cracked lips parted. Eyelids heavy. Breathe slow. These mornings, where she felt the most real were the only thing she truly hated. Half of her time was spent intoxicated in some way and so the mornings that followed, when she felt like a real person, an adult, were always a kick in the teeth.

Opening one eye fully, the coast was clear. The blonde boy she came home with the night before was no where to be seen.

Slowly peeling herself out of bed and into a loose T-shirt on the floor. Nothing was arranged or put away as usual, barely spending any time there anyway it didn't ever seem to matter. Peering round the corner the flat appeared empty and so she made her way through to the kitchen.

"Ah, she's risen from the dead." Her 'best friend' spoke in a seemingly booming voice. Sam was put together, dressed in a white button up shirt, a pencil skirt and her auburn hair up in a work appropriate style. With sore eyes the far less dressed hushed her friend.

"Michelle, you look a mess."

"You don't think I know." She replied, fishing through their kitchen cupboards for a glass.

"Oh by the way I saw your one night stand leave, he left something on the table for you, I didn't bother looking don't worry." Sam smiled, turning to her own bag.

"What are you talking about." After downing a glass of water, her head began to lift. Wincing, Michelle walked with bare feet across their cold floors to meet the table central in the small apartment. Atop sat a crumpled receipt and a neon yellow lighter, the receipt had written a sloppy message on the back.

"Keep it, sickboy." She read aloud with a confused expression. "Sickboy, what kind of name is that?"

"I don't know, you're the one that slept with him." Sam answered before removing herself from the apartment, presumably to Michelle to got to work, yet she never actually said when she had work or what she actually did for a living, she must have known at some point but she didn't remember now.

Michelle however had plans of nothing topped with another night out for good measure. To Michelle this lifestyle became too easy, adult life slipped past her as she dressed up going to bars waiting for people to buy her drinks.

The two had completely separate lives. While Samantha was working Michelle watched daytime tv and crafted her alter ego, a sparkly extroverted overlay of her regular personality that ensured the attention she wanted as she bounced from bar to bar.

Along the years Michelle had hoarded quite a collection of short sparkly dresses. Todays pick was pink with smaller sequins than the day before.

By the evening she was almost ready, hair placed in a purposefully messy heap on her head, and a newly shaped sparse fringe that she took upon herself to cut with the kitchen scissors. Makeup was pink as the dress, light glitter eyeshadow and lipgloss as to solidify the shiny look. Her heels were the same as ever, silver strappy things that she found easy to dance in.

And with the return of her friend, she made change into a black cocktail dress and brush her hair down, they were equally ready for their second round.

It wasn't long before they were in a nightclub, darting for the bar. Michelle didn't need to wait till happy hour ever, all she did was flash her bright grin and lean ever so slightly suggestively over the bar. Sam didn't naturally approve of her friends behaviour yet she knew Michelle could take care of herself.

After finishing the first round of drinks, Sam sat uneasy in her seat. "I've actually got a bit of a headache, 'chelle, I think I might leave early tonight."

"No, no you can't leave me. The nights only just begun." Michelle's eyes opened widely along with her broad smile, she seemed crazed. "Don't worry I'll get another round then we'll dance."

She sauntered back to the bar, leaving her friend sat small in the crowded place. Another free round this time came from a sleezy looking pair of men dressed in iridescent shirts on the opposite end of the bar, she would smile a response and clasp the drinks close to her.

"Hey, you need some help?!" A voice emerged over the general buzz around her.

"Nah I'm good." Her smaller voice replied.

"You're that English girl, aren't ya?" The voice came closer as she steadily headed back to their seats.

"What's it to you?"

"Nothing, just mad to see the only English girl in Scotland two nights in a row."

"I'm not exactly fucking big foot am I?" She snapped, turning to face who she'd been making conversation with. With the same stupid smirk from the night before, the blonde boy looked down upon her.

"You lost?" He remarked, knowing it'd annoy her further.

"Maybe this time." She muttered, just loud enough for him to hear.

Without even a word more he took two of the four drinks in her hands and made his way in the same direction she originally headed. Unwillingly she followed along, somehow seeing Sam again at the other end.

"Oh my god, you took your time." The already seated girl spoke. Yet Michelle had no reply, her mind busy trying to figure out who the slightly ill looking boy was next to Sam.

"Who's this?" Both the girl with long grown out roots and the freshly bleached boy asked their respective friends.

"Samantha." The boy spoke, "Renton" the girl replied. Looking as if they expected the same interaction from the other two. Yet neither replied, just sat slightly stunned, waiting for someone else to say something.

"Well, Renton this is my roommate Michelle." Sam's soft voice took lead.

"Sickboy, my uh mate." Renton replied, introducing his friend.

"Do you two not have real names?" Michelle commented, earning only an awkward laugh from her own friend. The four sat in a sort of awkward silence for a moment more before Renton and Sam began to chat again.

Michelle quietly sat sipping her drink. Sickboy sat with his arms spread wide over the back of the seats. Dramatically holding eye contact for longer than either wanted.

"So, Sickboy. Interesting name."

"Yeah. It's Simon really but don't get used to it." After breaking the silence, he turned his attention to the rest of the club rather than her eyes.

"I went to school here." She spoke loudly over the music, continuing the conversation despite his fading attention. "But I dropped out. Mum and Dad were pretty pissed but Sam let me stay with her instead of facing their wrath."

"Lovely."

"Thanks for the lighter."

"No problem."

"I thought you'd have a lot more to say to be honest."

She was right, he always had more to say. But in this instance Sickboy was calculating his next move. Turning to his left he was met with Renton busy eating the face off of the small red haired girl Michelle came with.

"Do you want to come back to mine?!" Michelle chanced. "I don't think she'll mind if we smoke indoors, at least not until the morning."