The Lonely Hearts Club

Chapter 57: Girl Code (Bree)

I'm going out tonight, I have no other choice.

After that brief, spontaneous, and incredibly pointless trip Hades and I embarked on, I would like to just move forward with my life.

No more questions about it.

Lana is going to pick me up at eight after I assured her several times that I'd be fine getting ready by myself.

Part of me feels strange.

The effects of whatever sedative Nicks used is still not completely out of my system. I'll feel extra tired and if I don't lay down, I'll be riddled with nausea and dizziness and I'll become all disoriented.

I'm currently laying on the lounge, holding my hands over my eyes to block the light. I don't want any incidents tonight, so I think it's best if I spend all day resting.

"Are you busy?" Nicks asks me.

Ever since he kidnapped us, he's been hanging around a lot more than usual. I don't mind that much, he's kind of like a well-behaved dog that does what I say.

While Hades is away doing whatever he does, he poses as a servant and because he's so guilty about almost killing me, whatever I want, I get.

"No," I say, pulling my hands away from my eyes.

Both Nicks and Hades are staring down at me and I feel a little intimidated, so I force myself to sit up.

"Hades has something to tell you," Nicks says, looking at a very uncomfortable-looking Hades.

"Go on." Nicks prompts when he doesn't say anything.

"Uh, so I have this fight, yeah?" Hades clears his throat.

"Yeah?" I frown.

"But it's kind of life or death." He says.

I get vivid flashbacks from my old apartment and strangely feel a pang of sadness as I remember it.

I recall Mr Ian saying something about how if the opponent kills—well I now officially know it's Hades—they get a million dollars.

"I already know that," I say. "I know you fight someone and if they kill you, they get a million dollars."

"You do?" He wrinkles his nose. "How?"

"One of my old neighbors told me."

"Well, this went better than expected, I'll leave you to it," Nicks says, creeping away.

"Alright, and what do you think about it?" He asks.

"I don't want you to die, so you better win." I don't know what else to say, I've had time to think about this for a while now. It's self-defense. At least, that's what I'm telling myself.

Hades hesitates and looks like he's about to say more.

"Everything okay?" I ask.

"Yeah," he says too quickly. "Yeah."

He's being so weird.

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" I say. 

He opens his mouth but the apartment door busts open and Savvy appears.

"Bree!" She says in a sing-song voice. I haven't seen her in a while, but, when I was partially comatose, she apparently checked on me regularly.

"What are you wearing tonight?" She asks, rather demandingly.

"I don't know," I admit.

"Then come to my place, we can choose together."

I glance at Hades, I don't want to just leave him.