22
ST. ANNABEL
“Harl people are going to start getting here!” I call out to her from the living room.
I smooth down my sparkly orange skirt and fix the wings on my back, staring at myself in the mirror.
I am going as one of the winx club girls.
Stella to be precise. It’s kinda lazy but this is my next option after MJ stole my catwoman idea (she’s never even opened a comic book in her life!).
I had the cutest leather outfit planned too.
I practice my smile in the mirror then close my eyes to breathe in and out, chanting to myself.
Tonight I will be happy. Tonight I will breathe and have fun.
Tonight the world will not end because I don't get my way. And more importantly, tonight, I’ll stop resenting my best friend because of a man.
My eyes snap open when I hear the clicking of heels behind, I do a double take instantly when I see Harley in her costume.
She is in a metallic two piece that consists of a cropped silver top and a mini skirt with a fringe at the bottom.
There is also glitter trailing down her left leg.
She looks phenomenal, I can’t help but wonder if I can coax her into dressing this way all the time.
“My God, you look so different.” Is the first thing that leaves my mouth after I get over the shock.
She scowls instinctively and rolls her eyes in usual fashion “Different good or different bad?”
“Don’t be daft, obviously different good. It’s just I don't think I’ve ever seen you so dolled up.” Her eyes flicker all around for a brief moment and the scowl deepens. She is terrible at taking compliments so I know this is making her uncomfortable.
“I went out a couple weeks ago and you said I looked good then too,” she says.
“True and you did but this is wow. What does this mean for the dresses that I bought you? Because honestly, you’re letting perfectly good Chanel go to waste,” I jokingly tell her and she glares.
“Don’t push it, Bel.”
I point to her new blonde highlights, “When did you have the time to get your hair dyed?”
“It's a wig,” she says plainly, inspecting her freshly done black and silver nails. She has put a lot of effort into this and it makes me smile. Our relationship had been strained for reasons that’s always been beyond our control but if I told the Harley from two months ago that she was doing this, she would’ve spat in my face.
“Who are you meant to be?” I ask, walking around the room ensuring everything needed for tonight was intact, trying to decipher her costume. She kinda looked like a fairy but she was wearing no wings, so I already ruled that out.
“God, you’re so uncultured.” she says in response, shaking her head.
Excuse me, I am the least uncultured person on this planet. I have a bookshelf just for my comic books and I religiously watch every award show. “What the fuck? Take that back. You’re the one who has never seen a play!”
“I thought you said people were here already. My skirt is starting to ride and I'm about two seconds away from changing it.” She keeps fiddling with the hem, tugging at it, and I’ll admit a small part of me took some satisfaction in it.
She always seems so confident. It’s nice to see that Harley Bass is just like the rest of us.
The bell rings the moment she says it.
“No, you don't. Let’s start,” I say, nudging her forwards, my hands on her shoulders, in the direction of the door.
“Just so you know,” she looks back at me, a warning incoming, “if at any point your friends start any crap I’m leaving and locking myself in my room.”
“Everyone likes you.” I reassure her, despite not being sure about the validity of my statement. Dan is the person she has spent the most amount of time with, but I know she is looking for an excuse. “Trust me, if they didn't, you wouldn’t have been invited.”
“You invited me,” she cuts in, her arms folded. I’d honestly forgotten that. Then, I think about it for a second longer, “Fine. Just… steer clear of Devon. You know she's a little prickly about, well, most things.”
“Kinda like you.” I throw in jokingly, before I open the door I remember what is still playing over in my mind. “Are you going to tell me who you’re dressed up as now?”
The house is packed in record time and I’m thankful Harley helped carry my art pieces upstairs, the music is loud enough to knock it off the walls.
When Daniel walks in the whole room cheers, every person in the room greets him with a happy birthday.
He looks absolutely brilliant. The extravagance of his outfit every year is one thing I look forward to.
He is covered in black mesh from head to toe, and the dark wings on his back are huge and hug his skin like they are really his own.
And that is without mentioning the horns on his head. The Devil.
He immediately spots Harley and I and waves, unlatching himself from Chloe York who has been caressing his arm and pressing herself a little too close. Ugh, what a sket .
“Happy birthday! You look fucking fabulous,” I say as he lifts and scoops me into a hug, his brown eyes glint with glee at the compliment.
“As always,” he replies, giving us a turn to show it all off.
“It looks really good,” Harley compliments.
“So do you, Beyonce,” Dan says as he takes in what Harley is wearing, giving her a once over as she gives me a look that says, See?
Honestly, how the hell was I supposed to know this?
“Happy birthday,” Harley says awkwardly as she hands over a bag.
“You didn't have to get me anything,” he says, grinning as he accepts it regardless. “Unlike this one, you are not yet contractually obliged.” He nods towards me as he opens it to reveal a vinyl.
“Figured it was the polite thing to do. And last time you said it was one of the few you didn’t own.” A small smile on her face.
“You remembered. I’d almost given up on looking for it.
Thank you.” He puts an arm around her in a side hug.
She peels his arms off, cringing at the physical contact, and he just laughs.
Dan is the easiest person to win over, impossible to offend and far too easy to like.
The fact that he feels comfortable enough to wind her up means she has officially taken the first step to being stuck with us.
“I invited a friend by the way if that’s okay with you…” she drags out the ‘you’ and my head snaps up the mention of this. Surprised, surely she doesn’t mean…
“It is your house but anyone is welcome” Dan replies, instantly like the social butterfly he was, not minding company whatsoever.
“Are you talking about Scarlett?” I butt in quickly, racking my head to figure out when this happened. I know what happened on comet day was weird. Harley narrows her eyes, giving me a flat look.
“Please, no. Scarlett Argent and I can’t be in the same room,” I add in. I continue to interrogate her on this but she refuses to release any information to me. And here I thought we were getting somewhere.
Harley rolls her eyes and lifts one shoulder in shrug, pretending to be nonchalant as she tells me, “Mind your business, and don't be weird when she gets here.” This is important to her, I can tell from the way she has gotten rigid at the thought of my prodding.
“I’m not being weird,” I say defensively, but she is right. Although I am well aware Harley can take care of herself it doesn’t stop the worry in the back of my head that there is something else to it.
“You’re being a little weird,” Dan joins in. I’d forgotten he is standing there despite the massive black wing that is inches away from my eye. He better than anyone should know why I don’t want her around.
“Whose side are you on?” I say as I whack his wing away for effect. He grins with mischief clouded in his eyes, “There are no sides, remember blondie, this is my birthday so you have to be nice to me.”
“Whatever,” I say dismissively, knowing I’m not going to get my way here.
“She’s already pouting, damn that might be a new record.”
“We should make a bet for next time,” Harley says.
“I’m down.”
They both snicker with one another and I can’t even stay mad at either of them because it is nice to see Harley let loose and it’s been fun watching how comfortable she has become with him.
As I watch her nose scrunch and the tip of her lips tick up simultaneously to reveal dimples, she looks just like our father. It is entirely uncanny.
They laugh their way to the bar where I have to yell after them to get me a drink. I take the opportunity to mingle with other people, but spot a couple of the students from the class I teach with David and screech away.
I hear MJ’s squeal before I even see her, she’s bouncing up and down, dragging her boyfriend behind her as they get closer to me.
I grin as she pounces on me with a hug, her scent enveloping me as warm as the hug itself.
My eyes connect with Arden’s, and my gaze trails over him almost without thinking.
He makes the batman costume work, his muscles choosing this moment to bulge.
And it fits him so well, I can’t tear my eyes away.
Even as MJ toys with the wings on my back, she gushes, “The wings are so cute, oh my god! Aren't they cute, Ard?”
Yeah, Ard arent they cute?
“Somewhat,” he says, his voice devoid of warmth. Disappointment stirs in my chest, and I finally take my eyes off him. It’s disconcerting how easily he can switch his care on and off.
I drift my attention towards MJ’s outfit especially compared to his.
She is wearing a mesh mask over her face and a leather one piece, paired nicely with black heels.
No tail, unsurprisingly, but the mask matches his perfectly.
“Your costumes are also so… cute,” I say, hoping I can keep the jealousy and sarcasm off the tip of my tongue, so I force a smile.
“We thought it best if we kept it nice and simple.” she sings songs, I have a feeling she had pre’s before getting here, most likely already tipsy. “Anyways, what are we drinking? And speaking of, where is the birthday boy?”