The music pounded around me, thick smoke clawing at my throat, and strobe lights burning my eyes every time they flashed.
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My head felt heavy, everything around me foggy and too nonexistent for me to care about.
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All I focused on were my lips loosely spread into a smile I could barely control, blinking heavily as I swayed to the music.
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"River," her voice echoed before I felt the sharpness of her nails dig into my arms, pulling me closer to her.
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I curved into her smaller frame, wrapping my arms around my best friend's neck.
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"For you," Kai said as she stuck her tongue out, flashing the small heart-shaped pill.
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I leaned in, tilting my heavy head as I slid my tongue out—pressing it directly to hers.
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Kai's hands grabbed my ass as her tongue slid past my lips, transferring the pill between us.
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Then she pulled away, leaning past my face into my ear.
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"I want us to fuck tonight," Kai said in my ear, her tone as blunt as usual.
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This was just what we did—fuck each other when no one else around was worth the effort.
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It always went unsaid the next morning, shifting back into our typical best-friend dynamic.
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Aside from discussing if we could arch better or moan more attractively.
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It was like practice for whenever we fucked anyone else, leaving anyone who touched us wanting more.
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We usually keep up with our hook-ups, always discussing them the morning after.
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"I call top," I said, my words heavy and sticking together as we swayed in sync.
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Kai chuckled, her lips still by my ear, "You had top last time—tonight's my turn," she said, gripping my ass again.
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Before her hands subtly shifted down further, sliding under my obnoxiously short leopard skirt from behind.
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I felt my lips breathlessly part, feeling her fingers against my underwear before my brain could catch up with it.
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"We're..." I trailed off, feeling my head growing heavier and a tingly pulse between my thighs, "In public, Kai," I tried to finish my statement, my words slurred as I gripped her tighter.
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"We love public," she said, reminding me of how many public places or bathrooms we had fucked in.
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"You know my mom is in the middle of re-election," I nearly moaned out, feeling her fingers rub me through my underwear.
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Fuck, that feels good
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"Fuck her—we hate her, remember?" Kai said in my ear, rubbing me quicker and easily making me grow wetter.
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Even through my underwear.
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"Yeah, we do," I breathed out, feeling so high on everything around me.
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The music, the strobe lights, even the drugs themselves.
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"Your grinds are sloppy," Kai reminded me, earning a groan from me as I quickly corrected my pace,
"Better," she breathed out, swaying slightly as she rested her head against my shoulder.
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"Kai," I said, unconsciously turning my head.
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Which happened to be at the right time, noticing a camera flash go off.
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Fuck.
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Kai immediately let me go, turning to the guy who took a picture of us.
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"Fucking pervert, delete that shit!" Kai shouted, immediately nearing him.
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I stumbled as I followed behind her, knowing I needed that picture deleted.
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Or else it has a chance of leaking.
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And that would be it.
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I would be fucked.
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And not in the way I like it.
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"We're in a public place," he pointed out, leaning his phone away as his friend laughed like a fucking prick, "I'm free to take any pictures I want."
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"Bro I bet that shit will trend on Twitter," his friend said, earning a few laughs from the man with the phone.
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My eyes widened immediately, and that's when my instincts kicked in.
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Drunk instincts I should add.
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Because the first thing I did was grab the bottle on the nearby section table—lunging toward him and smashing it over his head.
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Which immediately shattered against him, making him stumble back before he collapsed.
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"Fucking bitch!" his friend yelled out, his deep voice growing over the music.
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Earning more attention than we needed.
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People circled around us quicker than I could process, phone flashes nearly blinding me and making me stumble into Kai beside me.
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This had all escalated so quickly.
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"Oh shit," Kai said as she glanced past the crowd, noticing security approaching us all.
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"Kai Kai get his phone!" I shouted, my voice loud and heavy in my pounding ears.
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Kai immediately lunged forward, not even caring about the shattered glass on the floor as she tried to get his phone.
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Meanwhile, his friend lunged towards me, causing me to instinctively punch him straight in the nose—kneeing him directly between his legs.
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Those annoying self-defense lessons my mother forced me to take are suddenly a blessing.
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"Fuck!" Kai gritted as she tried to sift through the glass on the floor for his phone, shoving his limp body aside.
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I couldn't tell if he was still breathing—a major red flag.
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But somehow below the picture he got of us.
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That felt more important—then again, this entire situation is fucked.
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And there are so many phone flashes around me—I'll definitely be trending tomorrow.
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My mother might just bury me herself and erase all the evidence after this.
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I wish I was fucking joking.
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But murder was probably the least inhumane thing Mary Romero has done.
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I jerked as soon as I felt someone grab my arms and restrain them behind my back.
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And that's when I processed that it was a security guard—noticing another one reach for Kai before she could grab the phone slung across the floor.
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"Fuck this," I muttered, letting the security guard drag me out by my arms while I tried not to trip over my own feet.
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One was laid clean out and the other seemed to be gripping at his balls that I kicked in.
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At least they got what they deserved, fucking perverts.
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But one of the many downsides to this was the cop cars waiting outside the downtown club.
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And the amount of digital footage that came from this night.
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Somehow I was less worried about getting booked, given my mother usually has me bailed out and the charges dropped in under thirty minutes.
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"Wait until you find out who the fuck my mother is," I said, jerking away from the police officer as she shoved me into the community cell of different washed up people.
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Kai already sat on the disgusting bench, eyeing everyone around her skeptically.
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At least until she noticed me, letting out a visible breath.
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"I'm so sorry, Ri, I tried to get the phone—"
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"It's okay, really," I quickly assured her as I sat down on the bench beside her.
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My buzz and high were long gone, feeling painfully sober under the bright fluorescent lights.
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"Thank you for trying" I said, glancing down to her knees scraped from the glass, noticing her palms covered in dried blood.
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"Of course," Kai said, holding up her pinky, "I'm your ride-or-die bitch."
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I smiled slightly even in these insane fucking circumstances, "And I'm yours" I said as I looped my pinky with hers, "The baddest bitch of course."
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Kai threw her head back with a bubbly laugh, "We're the baddest of bitches" she emphasized, nudging me as I laughed once with her.
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At least until I noticed an officer approaching the cell, his eyes zoned in on me, "River Romero, you made bail" he said, unlocking the cell as he motioned me up.
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I naturally glanced over to Kai, not wanting to leave her behind.
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But she quickly waved me off, "You go on—just come the fuck back for me" she told me, nudging me away with her usual smile.
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I nodded almost hesitantly, "I'll have my mother handle it" I determined, wanting Kai's charges dropped too.
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"Mommy always does it best" Kai said, flashing me a smile.
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I rolled my eyes as I walked toward the opening in the large cell, "You're not fucking my mom, Kai" I reminded her for what felt like the hundredth time.
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Kai dramatically sighed, "Oh come on —she'd love to bail me out after she sees what I can do on my knees" she tried to negotiate.
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"You're a whore" I jokingly said, naturally making the officer's brows raise as he closed the cell behind me.
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Meanwhile, my best friend laughed, "The biggest and best baby" she called out as I flicked her off, walking with the officer out to the main part of the station.
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They gave me all my belongings back on the way through, letting me pass through the controlled double doors that unlocked with a loud buzz after the officer scanned his card.
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And there stood two men and one woman in crisp black suits with annoyingly straight postures.
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Their earpieces and serious expressions immediately clued me in on who sent them.
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My mother is always steps ahead.
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"Miss Romero" the brunette man spoke, nodding his head once, "We have clear instructions to escort you to your apartment."
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I lazily raised my brows, "It's really fucking messy, but be my guest" I said, recalling how I quite literally tornado through my room as I got ready.
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My double bathroom sink is somehow clattered with hair and makeup products and then there's clothes and heels thrown everywhere.
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I always have to clean it up in the morning—after nursing my hangover.
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"Your mother told us to inform you that she'll be flying in tomorrow morning" the blonde man said.
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My brows quickly raised, feeling my stomach growing unbelievably hollow.
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Fuck.
Fuck, oh my god.
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If she's flying in to deal with this herself, I'm one hundred percent fucked.
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I mean I already do enough for her.
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Juggling her expectations and school is exhausting enough.
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I'm only one semester away from graduating with my bachelor's degree, and classes start next week-peak January, when it's cold and miserable, but for once, I'm actually prepared.
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Still, she never seems to notice.
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No "thank you" no acknowledgment.
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She never acknowledges me.
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The least she could do is appreciate the fact that I've made it this far after how royally fucked up she's left me.
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But no, my life is just a reflection of her career.
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A stain on her image.
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I let out a deep sigh as I slid into the backseat of the SUV, knowing that no argument would ever be enough.
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And no point I make will ever contribute anything.
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She always has to be right.
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And maybe she is this one time.
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Maybe I did fuck up really badly—and my digital footprint might just be fucked too.
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I still blame it on her.
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Isn't it always the parent's fault?
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