Glitter Glitches

Part 18 - A look of desire

It's strange how confused and in between states one's mind could be. The guy I once thought was my one and only had his arm around my waist. I should be happy, right? Yet, I only had eyes for the enigmatic stranger across from me.

Said stranger had his eyes on me as well. It was suffocating me, his coy little smiles and appreciative looks had me close to panting. I blushed at his forwardness, I had no idea he was such a friendly and flirty drunk. This scared me though, how much of this was authentic?

He is looking at you like you're the last piece of chocolate cake on earth, and he's about to lick the frosting off. Miss Priss pointed out, fanning herself.

Desperate for a distraction, I picked up one of the pink cupcake monstrosities and innocently licked the frosting off. It was sickly sweet, a clever disguise, but I could still taste the burn of the alcohol. Pink tequila cupmonsters—it didn't even surprise me—it was classic Bex.

Axel stood watching me with a raised eyebrow and a dirty little grin. "You can't possibly enjoy those?" Landon, to my right, asked stunned.

"I am used to her baking," I said genuinely with a shrug.

True, and it's not the first time some sort of liquor found its way onto the recipe. Miss Priss said, hissing at the cupcake.

Gabriel suddenly stood up, his movement caused the cupcake to fall from my hand, and to smear down the front of my top—a bright pink streak left by its descent. Jimmy-Choo gave it one sniff, hissed, and then walked away stiff-legged.

I groaned internally but my face must have shown my annoyance. "Don't be so dramatic babe, it was an accident. Besides, why stand over me with that disgusting thing?" Gabrielle said very don't care as if my reaction offended him.

It hit me square in the chest like a hoarder heading to a yard sale. Gabrielle did not change. He will never change.

It wasn't that he said anything utterly appalling or that I am beyond accepting that accidents happen. It was more the quick dismissal of his part in it and solely blaming it on me. For an instant, I was that glittery mess with a crown of naivety on my head, the spotlight upon me once again. Everyone stared at me, waiting to see what my next move was going to be.

I took a deep sigh. My comeback folder came up empty and my tantrum mode seemed to be disabled. Slowly, I turned on my heel to go gather myself in my room, and to get a clean shirt, but that was just the cover to go sulk in private. Fury only came once I was in my room and safely behind my closed door.

Why, did you back away? Why is it that all the best comebacks come too late? Miss Priss wondered at our cowardice.

A silly but frustrated chuckle escaped me. What was left but to laugh at myself? The disappointment of realizing that Gabrielle will never change was nothing compared to the realization that apparently neither did I.

I shot the stupid sparkly, plastic crown a savage look, blaming it for all the bad juju.

Slowly undressing, I dropped poor Lori's stained top in a sad heap on the floor and continued to do my usual wiggle to peel the pants off me. How I got them on in the first place defies physics. I just managed to pull my favourite old ratty AC/DC t-shirt over my head letting it drop to my thighs when the door swung open.

"Please, not now Bex," I started to whine, dreading the lecture.

There was no answer, confused I turned to face her. Axel stood at my door staring at my bare legs. He softly closed the door, drowning out the loud voices and music from the living room. The moment felt all the more intimate because of it, it only left the sound of our breathing in the room.