Acting Out [Student/Teacher, GxG]

Bittersweet, Undefeated Creature

Looking intently into my small compact mirror, I made a show of reapplying my lipstick, feeling awfully smug about how much I'd managed to piss off the starlet sitting beside me in such a short amount of time. Sure, it was a little cruel, but I certainly had nothing better to do with my evening than be a pain in the ass.

I had to commend Brielle for her valiant effort to send me home; she had actually made it difficult for me to stick it out without dropping the naïve façade and giving up the fact that I was purposely being stubborn. After listening to her drone on apologetically about how we wouldn't have time to drive to my apartment for a change of clothes, I came to the conclusion that no matter how socially stunted I'd look by the end of the night, I wouldn't even give off the slightest hint that I knew she was trying to get rid of me, and I definitely wasn't going home. This admittedly petty plan had brought me first to Brielle's apartment to borrow something to wear, where I was met with the unfortunate reality that I was quite a bit taller than the small-statured girl. Not one to be dissuaded so easily, I'd grabbed my coat and slipped on my heels despite the dangerously short length of the scarlet silk dress and hid my discomfort as Brielle indiscreetly gawked in what I can only imagine was horror that I was about to go out in public looking like a wanna-be porn star. Guess I'm keeping my jacket on.

When we finally reached the nightclub and exited the car, I noticed just how on-edge Brielle was, like she wasn't sure what was going to happen when we entered the club. Maybe this was a mistake.

I spotted Nina waiting in line, nearly at the front, and alerted Brielle who called out to her, a forced smile on her face. I pulled my jacket tightly around my frame as we made our way over to the new bride.

"Just us?" Brielle asked, her tone questioning.

Nina looked at the ground, and I could almost feel Brielle tensing up. "Likely." She replied, a hint of bitterness in her voice.

"Let's hope so." Brielle practically growled.

"Bri, don't be difficult. Not today."

If I'd thought the furious look on the brunette's face was jarring, it was nothing compared to the moment we entered the crowded club. Brown eyes shot to the bar and she practically ran, her heels banging against the floor, the impact resounding like gunshots.

"You fucking cunt!" She growled, her hand coming down hard against the cheek of a woman I couldn't quite make out, knocking her clear out of her chair. My jaw dropped. Jesus fucking Christ. My aversion to confrontation told me to stay back, but whatever weak conscience I had was screaming at me to go stop this from escalating before someone got hurt. Resolute, I marched toward the two women.

"Brielle, what the absolute fuck is the meaning of this?" I hissed, pulling her back by the arm and roughly turning her to face me. I shot the concerned-looking bartender an apologetic glance before speaking again. "Are you trying to get us kicked out?"

I huffed, exasperated. "Fuck that, actually, that was assault, Brielle! I don't know what world you're living in, but here on Earth we don't just run at people and slap them when we're —" I stopped mid-sentence at the sound of a woman sniffling. Shit. I hadn't even checked to see if the poor girl was okay before I ripped into Brielle.

I turned around to assess the damage, still holding Brielle's arm in a vice grip.

There, sitting crumpled on the ground with teary eyes and her reddened cheek cupped in her hand was Miss Lane. My hand fell from Brielle's shoulder and I found myself speechless.

Nina ran up beside me and dropped to the ground, crouching down next to Miss Lane. "Klara! Are you okay?" She gasped, and I felt my head spin as if I'd been the one slapped. Miss Lane's eyes were locked on mine, and it was as if I was staring right through her. Klara. The name echoed in my head as I watched the scene unfold in front of me. I couldn't hear what was being said between Brielle and Nina — I didn't know if Miss Lane had excused herself before disappearing in the direction of the washroom. I felt like I was in the aftermath of a nuclear explosion. Staring blankly at the empty space the blonde used to occupy, I was at a loss for what to do, so I chose what was arguably the worst option; I asked the bartender for a bag of ice, and I followed her.