Being Blinded

Chapter Two

If there is something I have always loved about the quiet sanctuary of our house is that over the last two years of living here, I have been able to count on one hand the amount of parties we have thrown within their walls.

Truthfully a lot of it comes from the fact that the couple we rent from don't give out the kind of leniency that other rentals do, especially when it comes to what is the inevitability of college parties. From what I have gathered, the deposit is obnoxiously large to account for the fact that mostly unruly and irresponsible young adults are living away from home for the first time. Some people say fuck the deposit and worry about everything that needs fixing when the lease breaks, I think we would get thrown from the townhouse if we tried anything like that.

It isn't terribly inconvenient when we think about it, it means that we get to enjoy the parties while not having to scrub spilt drinks from the sticky hardwood the next day. It's an awful thing to do anyway, tack on having a hangover and pounding headache? Yeah, that's enough to drive me away.

I was more than a little shocked when Claudie admitted that she wanted the party to be held here, mostly because she's never cared to host before. Quietly I think that she is a bit nervous to be away from home tonight, a mix of needing the comfort and not wanting to be away from the things that remind her of Bentley.

Although the diamond that hangs on around her neck, dyed a deep amber and made with a touch of Bentley's ashes means he never strays far. Hanging delicately in the middle of her chest, forever near her heart, she's rolling the gem between her fingers even now.

It's strange to watch, the heaviness in her shoulders and the glassiness that sheens her eyes as it rolls against the pads of her fingers. Centring herself as the world continues to spin around her and she's still looking for something to hold onto these days. Like Cassie, it's a touching relief to see her smiling again and having her laughter and crassness light up the room but none of us forget the pain that simmers under the surface.

I think all of us would be willing to walk across fire, lined with broken glass if that's what she wanted tonight.

"Did they believe you?" I ask Imogen, looking over her shoulder as we stand in front of my long mirror. Squashed in the small space between it and the end of my bed, that's cluttered with old and new clothes. "About our small get together?"

Dark eyes roll dramatically, and a smug smile pulls at the corners of Imogen's glossed lips. "There's a reason that I was the one who called to let them know, I'm an angel compared to the two of you"

"An angel dipped in darkness maybe!" Claudia chuckles, fingers dropping from her necklace and pulling at the wide fishnet stockings. The white of the string, and shine of gems standing out against the olive tan of her skin.

The delicately soft features of my best friend twist into a scowl directed at the glowing birthday girl, my fingers pull and twist at the smooth satin of the blue and white corset. "That is wildly inaccurate" She huffs, "And I don't think you should be poking fun when they would have advised against it, if either one of you had been the ones to call"

"They shouldn't have come by to fix the alarm system on a Sunday morning" Claudia refutes, arms pressed underneath her breasts and accentuating them through the top of her maroon dress. "Surely they can't have forgotten how they were at our age, their annoyance at my hangover was entirely unjustified"

"I get the impression that they were boring" Cassie shrugs, dragging her fingers through the tight black curls she's methodically curled for the last hour. "The fact that they're judging you for being hungover just proves the fact"

"And yet we'll all miss them when we aren't living her anymore" I frowns, eyes flickering to where Sophie is sat at my vanity against the opposite wall. "Maybe they'll get a really deceivingly quiet people and then be tortured with parties and rowdiness for the next year"