WHITE STAR-A Short Story

I’m dancing, happy to be around all my friends, pleased with the way my costume turned out, and ignoring the stare of my ex from across the room. He always did like the way I move. My friends all laugh around me as they attempt, and fail miserably, to execute complicated moves we’ve seen in movies recently. My hips sway to the song and I giggle along with them.

Exhausted from the last four hours of partying, I weave my way off of the dance floor and towards the flimsy refreshment table put out by our hostess, planning to grab a water bottle. I had no warning for what happened next. Turning my head in the direction of my ex-boyfriend as I search for my best friend, who seems to have disappeared a while ago, a petite blonde girl catches my eye.

Frowning, I hurriedly snatch up the closest bottle and begin to make my way over to her, being as subtle as I can. As I slowly near her, she strikes up a conversation with my ex and I realize she’s trying to flirt with him. Good luck with that; he doesn’t realize when girls flirt with him. I smile as memories of us come back, but quickly squash them, focusing on my mission.

Suddenly, as if she has been aware of my approach the whole time, she whips her head around to me; her grin turns into a grimace as she narrows her eyes and I gasp in shock. There’s no way! Not caring if anyone is looking, I grab her arm, spinning her body around to face me, and practically growl through gritted teeth at her.

Laughing, she slips my hand off her tiny bicep. “Look what the proverbial cat dragged in.” She sneers at me, putting a hand on her hip. “Fancy meeting YOU here.”

“What the hell are YOU doing here?!” I glare at her. “You’re supposed to be DEAD!”

“What, you didn’t want to see me again?” Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she spits at the ground in front of me.

“Wasn’t planning on it, no.” I scoff back at her, crossing my arms.

“Tough. I’m here in all my golden glory and there’s no chance in hell you’re beating me again.” She sashays over to my ex. “Besides, I’m having SUCH a good time getting to know…uh, what’s your name again?”

“Garret.” He looks down at her, confused. “What’s going on?” He looks at me. “Everything okay?”

“Oh everything’s just fine and dandy, don’t you worry handsome.” The brat pats his arm condescendingly and the smile that had been thinking about showing itself to Garret runs away.

“Get your filthy, freaking, pansy hands off him!” My hands clench and my brain spins, trying to make sense of the figure in front of me.

“Oh, look who’s jealous!” She lifts an eyebrow. “Thought you two broke up.”

I grit my teeth again and consider just taking her out like I did the first time. “We did but that doesn’t mean someone like YOU gets to be with him.”

“Tsk, tsk; didn’t your mother teach you manners?” She waggles her finger in front of my face and then her face lights up, like she just remembered something, and places it on her cheek. “Oh wait, you didn’t HAVE a mother!”

Refusing to rise to the bait, my hands clench and I spit a question out at her. “I’m going to ask you one. last. time. What the HELL are you doing here?”

She shrugs and acts like I should already know the answer. “Oh you know, the usual: making your life miserable and showing you up for what you truly are.”

I narrow my eyes at her. “Well how about I make things easier on you and officially remove you from that post?” The shiny blonde shifts her balance and begins to walk around me. By this time a semi-circle of my peers has formed behind us and they stare curiously at the commotion happening. I wince inwardly; apparently we weren’t being as low-key as I’d believed.