Despicable Desires

Episode 1

Adeline

"Please take care of yourself!"

After waving goodbye, my stepmother drives off at breakneck speed, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

"As talkative as ever", it seems, my friend Holly teases me next to her.

I shake my head gently, amused by the moment we just spent in the car. Mia, my father's new partner, has little free time to spend with her family, always holed up at her publishing company in downtown San Francisco. We don't see her very often, but when she does, we can't keep her from talking.

"For once, she's taking her head out of her books", I reply with a laugh. I'm not going to complain.

It's true that the moments I spend with her are few and far between. She moved in with my father more than three years ago. At first I was a little reluctant to let her into our family, but she quickly found her place. Partly because my little sister was starting to feel the need for a motherly presence, but also because she's such a lovely woman - despite her fondness for her professional life. Either way, she's taken the place my mother left behind many years ago, and for that I'm grateful.

I grab my friend's arm and pull her toward the entrance of Echo, the bar where we work on Fridays and Saturdays. It's by far the best paying job we've had since we were old enough to work. The tips on the weekends are all more exorbitant than the others, and with the summer holidays approaching, the bar's parties and private parties are multiplying.

"Hi, girls."

With a cash register in his hands, Austin, our boss, smiles as he passes us. After saying hello to the whole team, we sneak into the dressing rooms.

"Esther will pick us up at one o'clock."

With her nose buried in her phone, Holly taps vigorously on it, barely lifting her eyes in my direction as I change.

"Is she taking us home after the club?" I ask, pulling on my T-shirt with my name in all caps and the establishment's logo.

"Yes, she has a family dinner tomorrow and wants to avoid drinking," she replies, putting her phone in her purse and pulling on her fitted black skirt, just like me.

"Thanks to her, we'll get home safe and sound!"

I put the rest of my things in my assigned locker and lock it.

"Let's go!"

In two steps she pushes me towards the exit and we meet the rest of the staff in the large room.

***

It is well after midnight when we finally meet Esther in the parking lot. The third member of our trio is waiting patiently, leaning against her red Ford Focus.

"Why are you the only one with nights off again?" Holly asks, panting heavily. Her heels click against the concrete, and with every movement of her legs, a pleasant floral perfume wafts from her hair.

"Because I wanted to enjoy the beginning of summer and not have to work during the holidays!" Esther scoffs and comes to take us both in her arms. "Was it that bad tonight?"

"It was a bachelor party," I say exhausted. "They never stopped screaming and singing and drinking at the bar." I put my backpack in the trunk and sit in the back seat.

"My feet are killing me," I complain, massaging my ankles.

"That's why you're wearing sneakers?" the driver jokes, apparently wearing four-inch heels like Holly.