CASUAL AFFAIR; brendon urie

Chapter Forty-Seven

"So nice of you to show up." Jessa said drolly, as I joined her in the sizeable line outside the bar, waiting to go in. All of five minutes late. For all her vices, lateness was not one of them. She hated it when people didn't turn up on time, and if she was so much as a couple of minutes late, she freaked out. In fact, Jessa was so punctual that it should be her middle name. In fact, at homecoming, her date, Alex Chabozky turned up all of ten minutes late, she refused to speak to him at all during the limo journey there - and every time he'd tried to talk to her, she'd snap her fingers and go 'A-ah.'.

Aside from her disapproving look, she looked suitably gig in a bar ready. She had her hair pulled up in a messy topknot, her eyeliner sharp and black, making her blue eyes appear even bluer and startlingly pretty, her lips painted a pale pink, that, on anyone else, wouldn't have worked. She was wearing a black muscle tank top emblazoned with a picture of Cyndi Lauper along with dark denim skinny jeans, one leg covered in rips with the other intact, and black creepers. Her wrists were adorned with black jelly bracelets, and a couple of studded and spiked ones, matching the necklace that said LOVE covered in little spikes around her neck, floating above Cyndi, and the nails I'd painstakingly done that morning - black lacquer covered in mini teensy little studs. Basically - she looked damned good, and worked that grunge like no other girl could.

I ran my fingers through my own hair, straightening my outfit - a suitably less punk white t-shirt tucked into black denim short shorts, a light denim over-shirt, and black pumps covered in studs. I hadn't even bothered with make-up, but I'd done my nails, a simple plain light blue, with black tips. "Yeah, sorry. Time sort of got away from me."

Without a word, but a raised eyebrow, Jessa handed me a hair tie, hidden under all the bracelets, from around her wrist, and I thanked her, scooping my hair into a messy, high ponytail. When I was done, I gestured to the line. "You have to queue to get in now?"

She hugged her hands to her hips. "Didn't use to. Turns out Tommy boy is quite the attraction."

I could feel my jaw drop. "All these people are here for him?"

She nodded. "Though it pains me to say this..." she held up a finger in warning. "And don't you dare breathe a word to him, but ... he ain't half bad. In fact, he's pretty darn good."

"Wow." I shook my head.

"I know, right." She nodded again. "He's like the acoustic male version of Alanis Morissette."

As far as Jessa and compliments and Tommy went, that was pretty huge. "Wow." I repeated.

"So, uh." I nudged the toe of my shoe against the ground. "How are things ... With you and him?" I hooked my thumb toward the club.

She shrugged nonchalantly, twirling a loose piece of hair around her finger. I waited for her to go on, or elaborate, but she did neither.

After an unusually long period of silence (for Jessa anyway) she cleared her throat, and held her chin high, like she was preparing to be socked in the jaw. "I'm still seeing Jack."

"Jessa..."

"I know, I know." she shook her head. "But can you call me an idiot later? I'm not in the mood."

"I don't think you're an idiot." I said, and Jessa gave me a look. "Alright. I think it's messed up. But ... It's your decision, no matter what I, or anybody else, thinks about it anyhow."

"He got me yellow roses." she lowered her head and said quietly, like a child that's been caught doing something naughty might. "After that night. Yellow roses and a super fluffy white teddy bear. He said he was sorry and he wanted to make it up to me."