Sense of Reality (Alan Ashby)

Don't Let Me Fall

Diana

'What are you doing here?' I heard Jessica ask, her tongue sharp and her tone cold. A smirk etched its way over his features. His brown eyes sparkled and he got up from leaning against the bricks of my house. He passed his phone to Jessica.

'Are you sure you want me to regain my reputation?' He asked, completely ignoring Jess's question. I shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot.

'No.' I muttered.

'I can't hear you.'

'No! It hurts, seeing you kiss her. Even though we're not even official.' I stared into Alan's chocolate eyes, my own welling up. I hated jealousy; it was an ugly, selfish emotion. I tried so hard to fight it, but I guess it wasn't enough. He looked back into mine, his eyes softening.

'Thank you,' he said quietly, stepping close so that we were toe to toe. He leaned down and planted a kiss on my forehead. Jessica looked over at us and the fire in her eyes faded. 'Now, do you want to go on a date? It's a Friday night after all.'

I looked up at him, willing my tears not to shed. I nodded stiffly.

'I'll pick you up at seven. See you, Jess.' I closed my eyes as Alan once again leaned in to kiss my forehead. He walked down the path and along the street; presumably off to his house.

'You're going to forgive him that easily?' I nodded. After he had kissed me he had whispered something even lower, so that only I could hear,

'I didn't mean any of it.'

'Let's go inside,' I said, opening the door and dumping my bag in my room. Jess's bag landed neatly next to mine as she threw it in.

'Hi Kate,' she greeted my mum waltzing into the kitchen.

'Hello Jess, Diana.' She kissed my cheek before pulling away.

'I got some heat salve today for your bruises.' She said, holing out a small tub. It had a blue plastic lid.

'Thanks.' I said, accepting the container.

'We should probably apply that now.' Jess smiled at me and dragged me to the bathroom.

'Shirt, off.' Jess said, dumping me in the bathtub.

'Excuse me?'

I could see Jess rolling her eyes. 'I'll take it off for you.'

I grabbed the hem of my shirt and took it off gingerly, throwing it on the floor beside me. As I was doing so, Jess had climbed in the tub behind me, unscrewing the lid of the salve. She handed me the plastic and unhooked my bra, moving the straps out of the way. She dabbed three of her fingers in the salve and slowly inched her way down my back, massaging the salve in. It felt funny; but was also ridiculously sticky. Jess apologised every time I flinched. 

'Your back's done.' She said, wiping her fingers on a towel and handing me the salve.

'You can do your legs and face, right?'

'Yeah. I think mum's got snack or something, so just wonder out there.'

I removed my make up and rubbed the salve into my face and shins, screwing the lid on when I was finished.

I left my pants rolled up and threw my shirt back on quickly. My back had dried for the most part. 

 -  -  -

My mum and Jess were talking animatedly when I walked back out to the kitchen. Jess had a few cookies from the other day in her hand, slowly taking chunks out of them.

'There's more cookies in the cupboard.' My mum said as I placed the salve in the medicine cabinet.

'Thanks,' I said.

'Feel better.'

'Yeah, actually.' I poured myself an orange juice and sat down next to Jess.

'So, what's the plan for tonight, honey?'

'Um,' I shot Jess a look and she wiggled her eyebrows at me, 'it seems you already know, mum. Am I allowed to?'

'Yes! This is your first official date. I expect you to waltz home in a relationship.' My mum leaned over the bench and kissed my cheek.

'Want to watch something while I do your hair and makeup?' Jess asked, her eyes shining.

'I thought you didn't approve of Alan.'

'Your mum does and if you're going to forgive him that easily, of course I'll approve. I know you. You won't forgive people that easily without a reason. You don't hand out second chances very often.' Jess's eyes studied me and I withed under her scrutinizing look.

'You pick a TV show or something and I'll grab my makeup?' I suggested, taking my food and drink to the lounge room.

'Sure!' Jess bounced happily after me, running over to the DVD collection after putting her food and drink down too. I walked into the bathroom and grabbed my makeup collection.

I had tons of makeup, thanks to unknown relatives who sent me the stuff every birthday and Christmas.

Jess had put on The Simpsons and was finishing off her last cookie when I stumbled into the lounge room, a few cases of makeup in my arms.

'Woah,' Jess said, her eyes widening, 'I get to play around with all this?' I nodded.

'Do your worst.'

- - -

An episode of The Simpsons later and my face had been lightly dusted with foundation with extra care taken as to hide the purple bruise on my skin. Jessica had basically shoved every type of foundation on that area and blended it in to hide the huge colour difference. It looked much better than my failed attempt this morning. She had put a darker shade on the apples of my cheeks and then moved onto my eyes. She knew her way around an eye makeup palette and at the end of it my eyes had been rimmed with bright green eye liner - I had made it while she had done my foundation using clear liquid eyeliner and a crushed up eyeshadow - and had varying shades of grey decorating the lid, becoming darker as it spread out. My eyelashes looked longer and fuller without becoming a clumpy mess and a nude shade was applied to my lips.

My mum walked in and commented on my looks. 'Very nice.' She said, before walking back out again. Jessica and I laughed, before packing up the supplies and trooping into my room.

'Now, jewellery,' Jess announced, 'the lip combo you had the other day - the heart and the green hoop. Ears, just stick with simple gold for your lobes and this green one for your upper piercing,' she handed me a stud with a tiny green gem in the shape of a hexagon in the middle, 'and I don't think you need a nose ring.' I took it out and placed it in my jewellery box, before wiping the outside of my nose where the piercing was to make sure to gunk or blood had followed.

'Clothes!' Jess marched over to my closet and started grabbing out clothes. Dark skinny jeans, a belt and a - surprise, surprise - green top. She managed to extrapolate a black dress scarf from the mix and threw it at me. She turned away while I changed and handed me black socks. She rearranged the scarf around my neck and then walked over to my shoes.

'Are you going somewhere fancy or?'

'I don't know.'

'Give me your phone.' Jess rolled her eyes and held out her hand expectantly. She obviously texted Alan and held on to my phone as he texted her back. She deleted the messages and passed me my Vans.

'Here you go.'

'Thanks.' I smiled at her and sat down on my bed to put them on.

A/N

Title cred: Rolling Stone - Falling In Reverse