Recovery (Sequel to Been You)

Chapter 39: Girls' Night In With Me

ELYSANDRA'S POV:

Atifa picks me up from Justin's shortly after I finish getting dressed. "Yikes," she comments at my appearance when I get in the car. Once Ti pulls off, I look in the rear view mirror to assess the damage. My hair is straight but frizzy, with a few emerging curls around my hairline. My eyes have dark circles and my neck is covered in bruises. I'm wearing a sweater and sweats many sizes too big, and over all, I look jacked up. "The sex must've been good if you look like that. Yesterday, you were slayed, boo."

"It was so good," I gush. "Until Justin went and fucked up," I mutter.

"No," she replies. "What'd that boy do?"

"I fell asleep next to Ryan and he totally bugged out, like threatening to beat him up," I explain. I don't hear her agreeing with me, so I look over to see her grimacing at the wheel. "What? He's totally overreacting, right?"

"Ehhh..." Atifa counters. "Ryan does have a thing for you. And you did show interest in Ryan and not Justin when you woke up. I mean, if Za fell asleep on some girl, best believe I'd tell that girl what's what. Are you telling me you wouldn't feel some type of way if like... Selena fell asleep on Justin?"

"That's different, Selena kissed him!" I defend.

"Yeah, and Justin still didn't want her. You wanted Ryan. You know, if it were the other way around, you'd be pissed," Atifa responds. And she's right.

"Damn. I need to call him," I realize.

"Nope, not until after girls night. Now get out, we have some serious work to do," Atifa commands when we pull up to the house, giving me a once over.

She and I both go inside, and the house is structurally identical to the hockey house. The interior decoration, however, is entirely different. Here, the decor is much more cohesive and editorial, each piece thoughtful. Almost every room has a new cheerleader in it, but I don't bother to remember their names. Atifa takes me straight up to her room. "Take off the boy clothes," she orders.

"Why?" I wonder.

"We're going out and you're not embarrassing us by wearing that," she asserts.

"Who's 'we?' And where exactly are we going to on a Monday?" I question.

"Clubbing, duh. Monday is girls get in free night," she says as if it were obvious. "And it's just the girls. Obviously." Oh.

"You're going clubbing? Without your boyfriend?" I ask.

"We're going clubbing without our boyfriends. It's fun, and every once in a while it's nice to remind yourself that you're popping on your own, and even though you love your man, you don't need him. It's nice to get out with the girls every now and then."

"Okay," I agree apprehensively.

"Now off with the boy clothes." I strip down, not wearing underwear. "Ooh, look at you, you little thot," she jokes. I laugh in response. She pulls out a pretty, scrappy black dress with cut outs, handing it to me. "Put this on." I do and it's a little tight, considering it's Atifa's, but it's still flattering. "Have a seat, so I can do something with this hair," she orders, pulling out her flat iron. As she touches up the edges of my hair, she makes me give her a play by play of last night with Justin, making me blush at her vanity. Her explicit comments don't help much either. Now that my hair is flattened to perfection, Ti does my face. While doing so, she gives me tips on what to do next time Justin and I are intimate. It's nice having a girlfriend like Atifa. She's like the big sister I never had. I'm finally ready when I slide on my heels from last night.

"Thank you so much, Ti. It really means so much to me," I appreciate.

"Girl, shut up. You know I love you," she teases, pulling me into a hug. "Now go downstairs and get acquainted with the rest of the girls while I get ready. I do not need you acting all awkward when we get to the club. Fun only, no bullshit," she demands.

"Okay, Ti," I giggle. Tonight should be good.