Stitches

0.5

I plop down onto the floor, rifling through another drawer, while Mia's splayed out on my bed, practically buried in a pile of my clothes. On FaceTime, Ada's holding up a metallic pink top to her chest, grinning like she's ready for a fashion show, but I'm nowhere near as settled. The excitement is there, bubbling underneath, but the nerves keep poking through. I'm still figuring out how to balance them, especially after everything this past week. But for tonight, I just want to let loose a little.

"You know what?" Ada's voice crackles a bit through the phone as she squints at me. "That black top you wore ages ago, the tight one—do you still have it?"

"Oh!" I frown, remembering. "I think it's somewhere in here. That could work!" Relief floods through me as I dig through my clothes and pull it out, holding it up to Ada and Mia. The fitted leather pants on my bed catch my eye, and I feel like I can finally picture something I might feel good in.

But then Mia sits up, rolling her eyes. "Pipes, come on. We can't go basic tonight. Club 27 has standards," she insists, shooting a dramatic look at my ensemble.

"Excuse me?" I laugh. "This is not basic. It's..." I hesitate, but she's already in my closet, rummaging through the back. Within seconds, she's brandishing a black dress I've only ever looked at as a "maybe someday." It's tiny. Sleek. The kind of thing that leaves almost nothing to the imagination.

"Mia, no. That'll never fit." I shake my head, trying not to sound panicked, even though I can practically hear my heart stuttering at the thought of actually wearing it. "And if it does, my boobs are bound to pop out. Probably all of it."

"Perfect" Mia's grinning like the Cheshire cat, ignoring my protests as she flings the dress my way. "Look, all eyes on you when you walk in. It's a vibe, trust me." She continues popping herself down back on the bed.

Ada's laughing on the other end, encouraging Mia, and the two of them make it sound so easy—like I'm supposed to just slip into this ultra-slinky dress and magically transform into someone who doesn't have an ounce of self-doubt.

I hold the dress up, staring at it like it's my enemy. But then again... maybe this could be exactly what I need tonight. Maybe if I'm bold on the outside, I'll feel that way on the inside too. I have this longing to shake off the serious, even if it's just for a few hours. Besides, Mia's expression is so determined that part of me wants to prove to her that I can do it.

"Alright." I finally sigh, feeling both excitement and nervousness ripple through me. "But you both need to be on nipple watch all night"

Mia practically squeals, pushing me toward the mirror. She starts fussing over my hair, while I struggle to zip the dress up without cutting off my circulation. It's tight, the material sits just a smidge bellow my bum, giving myself a mental note to not sit down tonight, the fabric clings to my hips, and my boobs are pressed tightly together, almost spilling out of the top of the dress. After a few minutes of primping, a girl who actually looks confident stares back from the mirror. I glance at Mia, who's wearing her own slinky number in emerald green, her confidence practically pouring out of her.

"Alright, ladies, Club 27 better be ready for us," Ada declares on the phone, her grin lighting up the screen, before saying bye and she'll meet us by the entrance 

Just as I'm finishing up my makeup, Mia sticks her head back into the room, yelling, "Piper! Car's outside! Hurry up before it leaves!"

I fumble around on my bed for my bag, scrambling as the adrenaline rushes through me. ID, lip gloss, a bit of cash... I shove them all in, feeling slightly ridiculous. A part of me just wants to settle into a blanket fort tonight, but Mia would never allow it. She'd haul me out, blanket and all.

Then, just as I'm about to turn and leave, I glance out the window. The streetlight casts a dim glow on the car parked just down the block, the one I'm pretty sure has been shadowing me these past few days. The same black car, same spot. I freeze, my stomach twisting. I tell myself it's probably nothing—just paranoia. But somehow, my brain is already running wild. It's silly, I'm being so stupid, I mean, who would bother following me?

"Piper! Move it!" Mia's voice slices through my thoughts, dragging me back to reality.

"Coming!" I yell, though my feet feel like they're stuck in place. I tear myself away from the window and hurry out, Mia already waiting impatiently by the apartment door. We're five flights up, and our voices echo through the stairwell as we stumble our way down.

Each step is like a countdown, drawing me closer to the street, closer to the car I can't seem to shake from my mind. The hallway buzzes with our laughter, but under it all, my heart's hammering like I've just run a mile. Mia's chatting non-stop, her voice excited and carefree, completely oblivious to my inner monologue of mild panic. Meanwhile, my brain's going down a big dark rabbit hole, imagining every crime show scenario I've ever seen.

The closer we get to the street, the more I'm certain that I'll see that car still sitting there, headlights gleaming like a warning. But when Mia pushes the door open, I stop dead in my tracks. The car is gone. There's only an empty spot the streetlight shining onto the road where it was parked. My eyes dart left, then right, searching for any sign of it.

"Uh... earth to Piper?" Mia waves a hand in front of my face, jolting me out of my trance. "You good?"

"Yeah, yeah, just thought I saw... something," I mutter, trying to shake off the creeping sense of unease. 

We climb into the back of our rideshare, Mia chattering away to the driver as she pulls out her phone to check something on Instagram. I settle in beside her, trying to convince myself that I'm just being paranoid. But the thump of the car's engine isn't helping, nor is the way Mia's talking a mile a minute, leaving my thoughts to drift back to the dark street and that empty spot where the car was.

Mia nudges me, oblivious to the fact that I'm about five seconds away from declaring myself Officially Spooked. "Are you okay babe?" she asks quizzingly. 

"I'm fine" I reply giving her a nudge and a smile, she gleams at me excitedly. As she goes back to flicking through her phone.

As we pull up to the club, we're greeted by a long line of shivering, impatient partygoers stretching down the block. Everyone's decked out in tight dresses and sharp blazers, checking their watches or scrolling through their phones with exaggerated boredom. The club itself looms above, with a neon "27" flashing ominously over the doors in a murky, blood-red glow. It's almost enough to make me consider turning around—but Mia's already marching toward the entrance, her head held high like she owns the place.

"Mia..." I hiss, trailing after her, feeling the eyes of people in line shooting daggers at us as we bypass the entire queue. The two girls behind me are already muttering under their breath, clearly unimpressed with our confidence.

Mia just flips her hair over her shoulder, puffing out her chest as we reach the bouncer, a giant of a man with tattoos running down his arms and a look on his face that could make us drop dead.

"Our group is inside, can we just?" Mia says, just as she'd rehearsed. 

He raises a bushy eyebrow, barely glancing at Mia before his gaze slides over to me. His dark eyes narrow as he studies me, his gaze lingering like he's trying to place me.

I shift awkwardly, feeling his scrutiny. "Uh, is there a problem?" I ask, though the last thing I want is more attention. I can practically feel the cold stare of every girl in line burning a hole into the back of my head.

The bouncer's eyes flick over my face once more, and for a second, I swear I see a flicker of recognition, but it's gone as fast as it came. With a small nod, he steps aside and gestures for us to enter.

Behind us, a wave of annoyed groans and exclamations rises from the crowd, but I barely hear them over my own bewilderment. "Did that just...?"

"Girl, who fucking cares, it worked!" Mia laughs, grabbing my arm and pulling me inside.