An Unexpected Girl

chapter six

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whoisadi69:

i'm outside.

Iris' heart began beating faster than it already was.

"Fuck," Iris mumbled to herself, bringing her face into her palms and pulling at her hair. What was she thinking? Iris was sobering up and realizing just how stupid her drunk actions were.

Part of Iris wanted to just hide and not come outside. But chickening away from something she started was a new low that Iris wasn't willing to stoop.

So, with a final gulp out of her wineglass, Iris steps outside, leaving the safety of her apartment.

Sure enough, Adi is standing there waiting for her. The orange-haired girl was dressed in shorts, revealing her toned thighs and a simple blank tank top. Her sleeve of tattoos seemed to glow in the light.

It didn't take long for Adi to notice Iris. Once she did, she put her phone away in her back pocket and began approaching Iris.

"Just so you know, if you hit me, I'm going to report you to the school," Iris said, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly. "In fact, I will pursue criminal charges for physical assault."

Adi stopped in her tracks, a few feet from Iris.

"Oh, so that counts as physical assault, but you almost dropping a weight on my head, and cracking my skull open doesn't?"

"That was a mistake," Iris said stubbornly. "Besides, almost doesn't kill a bird."

Adi laughed then. But it wasn't really a laugh. It was more of a scoff, combined with a laugh.

Under different circumstances, Iris might have commented on how nice Adi's laugh sounded, despite how sarcastic it was. But it wasn't under different circumstances, so she kept her lips sealed, keeping her eyes glued closely on Adi in case of any sudden movements.

Something in Iris told her ‌she probably should have texted Korra before leaving the apartment. She could end up really hurt, and it'd be good if at least one person knew what was happening.

"Really?" Adi asked. "You talked all that big shit over the phone just for me to come here and for you to do this?"

Iris just shrugged. Sure, she was a wuss, but a smart one at that. She knew when she was defeated and she knew which battles she stood a chance at. This one was not one of them.

Adi scratched the back of her head, looking more annoyed than ever.

"Look, I really don't even have your time. I've got shit I need to do. So all I ask is that you just give me a hundred dollars and I will be on my way."

Iris couldn't believe the words that came out of Adi's mouth. She was asking Iris for a hundred dollars as if it was the most casual thing ever.

"Who even has a hundred-dollar water bottle?" Iris asked instead, deflecting.

"I do. Well, at least I did before someone decided to break it."

"Why is that even a thing?" Iris gushed exasperatedly, "like what was wrong with a regular 20-dollar water bottle, huh? Or are you too good for that?"

From the look on Adi's face, Iris could tell she was definitely pushing her buttons. The sober part of Iris' brain informed her that probably wasn't the smartest thing to do, given the situation.

But unfortunately, the sober part of Iris' brain was on standby. The drunker, bolder, and possibly more irrational part of her brain was running things for the time being.

"Come on, then. Tell me what's so special about this hundred-dollar water bottle of yours."

"It wasn't just a water bottle," Adi finally said, irritation clear in her voice. "I used it for my protein shakes and my other gym drinks. It had premium insulation. It could keep things cold for up to 24 hours, and things hot for 12 hours. It was made from titanium and was self-cleaning, and even has a special technology that eliminates up to 99% of bio-contaminants. Do you know how rare it is to find a bottle that does that?"

Iris stared at the girl before her, blinking blankly. She scratched her braids slightly, trying to process everything that Adi had just said to her.

So Adi wasn't only a gym rat, but also some sort of water bottle nerd.

"Um, no?" Iris finally replied. "Is that something I should know?"

Adi groaned loudly, raising her tatted arm up to run it through her curly hair. She clenched her jaw, and Iris noticed couldn't help but notice just how firm her jawline was.

"Great, I'm dealing with a fucking idiot," Adi whispered to herself, but loud enough for Iris to hear.

Iris scoffed. Just who exactly did this girl think she was?

"I am not an idiot," Iris retorted, if there was one thing she hated, it was people that tried to undermine or insult her intelligence, "I'm sorry that I broke your nerd bottle, so you can't go do your nerd gym stuff."

It was a really weak comeback, a childish one, even. But Adi seemed to take offense.

However, even the rage building up on Adi's face wasn't enough for Iris to take the hint and shut the fuck up. Instead, it filled her with a sort of adrenaline and ecstasy.

"If anything, I think you're the idiot seeing as you're the one that bought a bottle worth a hundred dollars but didn't get insurance on it."

The little distance between the girls was closed by Adi in a few steps. Iris shrunk back, fear overcoming her, not at all sure what she should do.

"Oh, so now you're a financial advisor?" Adi cocked her head to the side as she spoke, as if trying to look at Iris from a different angle. "Are you going to recommend stocks for me to invest in next?"

Iris was staring straight up at Adi, and could almost feel the aura of rage that was radiating off from the taller girl, even despite her sarcasm. The logical thing to do then was to just apologize, but Iris was too stubborn for that. It was something that Iris just couldn't bring herself to do, drunk or not.

Instead, Iris began planning on getting the first hit in.

It wouldn't be much, but she would have the element of surprise on her side, so maybe it could buy her enough time to run away. Or better yet, maybe she should just start screaming, drag attention to them-

"Have you been drinking?"

Adi's question interrupted Iris' thoughts.

"Um, no?" Iris lied, but it came out sounding like a question, making it clear that she had, in fact, been drinking.

"I can smell the alcohol on your breath," Adi simply said, "it's 4 pm on a Wednesday. Why are you drinking? Alone at that."

The judgment coming from Adi was so heavy in the air that Iris could almost touch it. A newfound feeling of embarrassment came over her and she desperately ransacked her brain, looking for an appropriate comeback.

But nothing came to mind. Iris was left silent, fumbling for words.

Adi sighed, taking a couple of steps back from Iris.

"I really don't even have time for this. Message me when you're sober, so we can figure this whole thing out."

Adi didn't wait for a response, but turned on her heels and walked away.

Iris was left standing, looking after her. She had been wanting the girl to get away from her just a few seconds ago, but not like this. Adi had walked away as if Iris wasn't even worth her time, as if she were beneath her. This only annoyed Iris even more.

Turning on her heels, Iris stomped back into her apartment, slamming the door shut behind her. She picked up her phone, which was lying idly on the couch, and opening up the Instagram app, she blocked Adi.