Moving In With The Enemy

Chapter 22 ~ "Switch With Me"

"Can we go out tonight?" I ask, entering the living room and Mark and Dustin pause their show on Netflix.

"Are you sure you're up for it?" Mark asks, looking doubtful. "Because we definitely don't have to go anywhere and.....you haven't wanted to recently."

"Well that was when I thought someone died in my hands." I retort, sitting on the chair in the corner. "If you don't want to then we don't have to, but I'm ready to get back after it."

I still had my thesis presentation weighing on my mind and I wasn't too sure if going out was that great of an idea when Walker and I had kissed last night. But I was sick of staying home and feeling sad, I wanted to go out and have fun again.

"I mean yeah, I think we could." Mark shrugs.

"I'm down Annie." Dustin says, sounding confident. "If Mark wants to be a whiney bitch, I'll go out with you."

"I'm not being a whiney bitch." Mark retorts. "I'm just making sure that you want to, Annie."

"I do, I'm sick of being home. I want to do something fun." I assure him and he shrugs, turning off the TV.

"Well alright, I'll text the group chat and see who wants to come with us." He says and I smile, clapping my hands together.

"You're the best." I grin and he chuckles, rolling his eyes. 

"Let's do Apex, it'll be cheap." He shrugs and I nod.

"Okay, I'm going to pick something to wear!" I tell him and he laughs, looking amused with my behaviour. "Maybe I'll do my hair......wait, how much time do I have?" I ask and Mark laughs.

"Why don't you tell us when you're ready? We're pretty much ready as it is, so take all the time you want, Apex is open until 5 a.m." He says and I roll my eyes.

"Men." I mumble and the two of them chuckle. "Okay, I shouldn't take that long." I insist, hurrying back down the hall and heading into my bedroom.

I sit at my desk and plug in my straightener. I took a shower after work today and my hair was its wavy self. My skin was getting pale, I was so tanned after the summer and now it was fading back to its winter shade. Last week I finally gave up the ghost and put my winter foundation back into my drawers.

I put on some low music while I get ready, taking the time to carefully straighten each section of my hair and make it look sleek. Then I take the front pieces of my hair and pin them back under my hairline, making my hair have this slicked-back appearance. Then I do some light makeup, trying to deepen my features and not look so washed-out.

I then pick out an outfit suitable for a crappy student club. I selected dark loose jeans for the bottom and my old black sneakers, but I was stumped on the top. I figured it should be cute, but I never knew what to wear when I went out with the guys. I didn't want to be overdressed but I did want to wear something cute.

I settle on an extremely cropped black top with sheer short sleeves. The neck is quite low, so much that it only really covers my boobs. The back has a cut-out with a strap just below it, I haven't worn this before, I actually had to cut the tags off it. I bought it when I lived at home to try and cheer myself up, like I actually had places to wear it.

Then I grab my belt bag and smile, looking at it in the mirror. Cute, well done Annie. I add a necklace and some perfume to the look, heading out the door and back to the living room.

"Okay, I'm ready." I assure them.

They both do a double take and I instinctively wrap my arms around my stomach.

"What?" I ask and they shake their heads.

"Nothing, you look nice." Mark says politely and I smile. "You look like yourself again, I haven't seen you out of your fuzzy socks all week." He chuckles, turning off the TV and standing up to grab his keys.