Chapter Seven
Ivy
Glancing at myself in the mirror, I still can’t believe she is me, and we are the same person.
“Well say something, chérie.” Cam says, watching me stand in the mirror looking dumbfounded.
“What can I say? I’m speechless.” I really am, and that doesn’t happen too often.
Gone are my puffy, cried-out eyes from days of crying. In their place… A shimmering, shiny, golden goddess.
I’ve worn eye make-up before but never to this magnitude. In no way shape or form am I any good at putting anything on my face other than eyeliner. To see the wings added to the edge of my eyes is extravagant and makes me look different but in a good way. What they’ve done for me is give me cat eyes rather than raccoon eyes.
Pink blush dusted across my cheeks with a hint of gold bronze underneath to highlight my blue eyes. My dark skin never shined so bright, and it makes me feel more beautiful than I’ve ever felt.
Stepping back so I can really see my outfit, I do a little twirl. “God, she’s acting like a princess.” Cam says regrettably, and I can practically feel him rolling his eyes at me.
“I am a princess and should be treated as such.” I say, ignoring him because I really do look like a princess. “Are you sure this outfit isn’t too much?” I ask, unsure where we’re going. Jake used to pick out my clothes for me.
I didn’t see that as a problem before, but now, I realize how controlling he was.
Thankfully, Cam has a great sense of taste when it comes to dressing me. While Jake and I dated, Cam would save me from some of his most heinous outfits by accentuating them with accessories or some form of jacket.
Cam always saves the day.
As I look in the mirror, admiring Cam’s handy work, I drink in my appearance. A gold, sequin halter top hugs my full breasts in all the right places, hanging loosely around my belly. The choker fits snugly around my neck like a hand necklace. A long, white skirt grips my hips, flowing down my sides, revealing panties underneath with each sway of my body. I’ve never worn a skort before, and I can see how I’ve definitely been missing out. Gold heels to match my top are the final touch. Instead of wearing my hair straight like I always do, I styled it in a large afro with a gold headband, giving very seventies vibes.
Over the top for some, but I love it.
“It’s perfect. I have an elegant spot picked out for us. So, if you’re quite done fawning over yourself, let’s high tail it to the car.” He says, giving my ass a little smack.
“Yeah, what he said, hot stuff.” Travis mimics Cam’s slap to my ass, kissing my cheek. “You really look gorgeous. I hope you find someone to dull your pain. At least for the night.” He winks.
Warmth grows in my cheeks, and I’m sure they are turning rosy red from his comment. Travis is really amazing.
They both are and I’d be completely lost without them.
Giving myself one last look, I grab the purse he tossed on my bed for me, stuff it with the essentials I’ll need for the night, and head to meet the guys.
“Alright, you two kids have fun tonight. Iv, do everything I would do and then some. Cam, keep our girl safe. I’ll text you both later tonight.” Travis mutters, turning into quite the mother hen.
“Thank you guys… For everything.” I always get emotional when it comes to things like this. They’ve both been there through my thick and thin.
I didn’t have a rough childhood, it just wasn’t the best.
Mom was great.
The most beautiful girl in the world.
I knew she loved me more than life itself.
She would shower me with hugs and kisses that felt like they were delivered from the angels themselves. I remember, whenever I would look at her, she always had a smile on her face.
I didn’t care what she was doing, it was always there.
She used to dress me in the cutest outfits, sometimes she dressed us alike so we could match for the day.
Those were the best days.
She would make a game out of it, even though she’d already had our outfits planned. We would play dress up and put on a fashion show.
Dad would get upset and leave the house, making mom sad.
One day, I guess she got tired of being a mother and left.
My dad didn’t want the responsibility of being a parent to begin with, so he dropped me off to my grandmother, and she raised me.
My nanna.
She was my everything until she died last year.
I resented both my parents for a long time, but my nanna wouldn’t allow me to do so when I was growing up. ‘You have to learn to forgive, baby. Nothing good comes from harboring feelings like those to grow and fester inside you until all you know is that pain.’ I can hear her wise words as if she were saying them to me right now.
God I miss her.
As it turns out, my father and I don’t speak. He still doesn’t acknowledge the fact that I’m his daughter.
I thought after I grew up and started to resemble him more than I did as a kid, he would want me, but that, like so many other childish dreams, never became a reality.
One day I hoped to bridge the gap that we built between us, but that day still hasn’t come.
It probably never will, but a girl can hope… Right.
Enough with the pity party, thanks Melanie Martinez. That’s one of the main reasons Cam and I are going out tonight.
He was fed up with me wallowing in sorrow for a failed relationship that was probably doomed from the beginning. Maybe I was in love with the idea of love.
I don’t know.
That’s a complete lie.
Our love was real, for me and him, even though he just threw it away in the same way Warner threw away Elle’s love in Legally Blonde.
Bastards!
I won’t let him ruin my night by dwelling on the past. I plan to get wasted and hopefully fucked tonight and nothing’s gonna stop me.
“Oh shit, I almost forgot.” Both the guys give me a knowing look because lately, I’ve been forgetting to take my meds like I’m supposed to.
“Look at you, you remembered all on your own this time.” Cam says, bringing me a bottled water for me to chug down my pills.
“Yes, I’m finally growing up to be the adult I’ve always dreamt of being.” My tone is flat as I mock myself. Wrapping my hand around the water, I mutter, “Thanks,” untwist the cap, pop the pills inside my mouth, and drink.
“Good girl, now let’s rock and roll.” Cam says, ready for the fun to begin.
“Have a good shift, Trav.” I say, pulling him in for a hug. “I made you a little something special for lunch earlier.” I wink, pulling away from him.
“You didn’t.” He gasps, getting super excited about what it could be.“I sure did, but you can’t open it until then.”
“Aww nuts.” His pout is so adorable.
With that, Cam and I head out the door.
“Well, that’s depressing.” Cam says, looking out as we pass by the first place he wanted to go. The line of people wrap around the building as we witness the bouncer getting into a shouting match with a group of girls that don’t look a day over eighteen.
“Yeah, we’ll be there all night waiting to get in just to be told they’ve hit their max for the night. No siree Bob.” Rolling my window down to get a glimpse of the conversation between the bouncer and those girls, I hear one of them shout, “You probably don’t know what ‘find a hole, fill a hole means, do you, asshole!”
“Jeez, that’s a lotta holes.” I say, looking at Cam, waiting for him to catch my joke.
Doesn’t take long and soon after, we’re howling with laughter. “You are such a whore.” He chuckles, eyes sparkling with mischief. “So, I know I said we were going to go to this club, well, the one we just passed, but since the line is out the door… We have to go elsewhere.” With his eyes still on the road, he swings a left, then a right, continuing down a different direction.
“Okay, so what are you thinking?” I shift in the seat, getting a giddy feeling from where we could be going next.
Once he pulls up, I see there are no lines or people waiting outside to be admitted in. Bikes line the side of the building while cars occupy the space in the back. “What is this place?”
“I heard about it from Travis. It’s new to us but has been around for a couple of years.” He says nonchalantly while pulling into an open space near the other cars. “It’s a classy dive bar, maybe, I don’t know. Let’s go check it out.” He does this little shimmy thing with his shoulders where he moves them back and forth while wagging his exceptionally arched eyebrows in my direction.
“A classy dive bar, huh? Well, I guess I’ll just have to see it for myself to believe it.” I mumble as he throws the car into park. Opening up my handbag, I pull out my tube of lipstick and apply a fresh coat of Vampire’s Kiss to my lips. Slamming them together, making a popping noise, I pull down the visor to check myself out. Still looking good. Putting everything back where it belongs, I snap my purse closed, feeling Cam’s eyes on me. “What?”
“Nothing. You just… Look really beautiful and happy. I like it when you’re happy.” Weirdo.
“I like when I’m happy, too, Cam.” I say, blowing a raspberry from my lips. “It’s just, I have a really good feeling about tonight. I’m done with all the sulking. Now, granted, I’m not entirely sure what my plan is after tonight, but I do have a great feeling that something big is gonna happen.”
“Oh, something’s definitely gonna happen with that outfit you’re wearing.” He says, opening his door and stepping out. He comes around the car, opens my door, and extends his hand to me. Slamming the door shut, he turns to me while smoothing over the wrinkles in his clothes and says, “And don’t start that bullshit about you not being able to stay with us and blah, blah, blah.” He presses a hand to my chest, stopping me in my tracks. “If you even think about leaving us, I’m gonna punch you in the tit.”
My mouth hits the ground, because he’s never threatened me before. “Punch me in the tit? Seriously, Camden? I worry about you sometimes.” I laugh, shoving his hand away, linking our arms together as we start walking again. “Now, come on. Fun awaits.”