Chapter Four

After the hundredth trial, the makeup finally stuck on my face without mascara running down.

"Damn girlllll… you look hot." Tess squealed from behind me, already dressed in a silver sequined dress that caught the light like fish scales, and before I could change my mind she grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door.

The club was called The Onyx Lounge; it had neon purple letters on the doorway that gleamed from miles away.

It must be quite popular because a line of people stretched halfway down the block from the entrance, girls in glittering dresses, guys in tight shirts, all of them laughing too loud and already drunk but Tessa knew the bouncer.

She waved at him like he was an old friend, and he lifted the velvet rope without even checking our IDs earning a lot of angry complaints from those around us.

"You're doing this," Tessa said, grabbing my hand and pulling me forward.

"I'm doing this," I repeated, because saying it out loud made it better.

The place was loud with music that vibrated through your soul and filled with bodies pressed together.

The air was thick with cheap perfume and sweat…. We moved past people and made our way to the bar.

"Two shots of your strongest drink and keep them coming," she told the bartender, then turned to me. "You don't have to be okay tonight. Just be here."

I nodded and threw back the first shot. The tequila scorched my throat and tears pricked my eyes

"Fuck him," I whispered my voice cracking.

Tessa clinked her glass against mine. "Louder."

"Fuck him!" I said again, louder this time.

The words tasted good and another shot went down. "Fuck both of them. Eight years and he was screwing my sister behind my back. I hope it rots him from the inside."

The tears kept coming but I was laughing through them now ugly, messy laughter that made people glance over.

Tessa just rubbed my back and ordered another round.

"To Marcus," she said, raising her glass.

"To Marcus," I echoed.

"What are we toasting?"

I thought about it for a second. "To him being a lying piece of shit." I said whipping my face with the back of my hand "and to no more crying for a lying piece of shit"

Tessa grinned so wide her whole face lit up. "I'll drink to that."

We clinked glasses, and I drank half of mine in one go.

The drinks kept coming and somewhere between the fourth or fifth drink my eyes began to burn again and I could feel the tears rolling down my face.

"Hey," Tessa said, grabbing my arm and pulling me close. "Hey, no. Don't you dare cry."

"I'm not crying," I said with a chuckle.

"Yeah right….you are having fun and you'll be happy."

I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. The mascara didn't smear Tessa had used the waterproof kind.

She always thought ahead, even when I didn't.

"I loved him, Tess," I said. "Eight years. Eight years of my life."

"I know, babe."

"And he threw it away for her. My sister. In my bed."

Tessa's jaw tightened, and I could see her fighting the urge to leave this place, find Marcus and give him a piece of her mind and maybe her fist too if she gets the chance."I know," was all she said.

"I want to hate him."

"So hate him."

"I can't."

After a while and a few shots, Tessa stood up and pulled me towards the dance floor

"I don't want to dance," I complained

"You're going to dance, and you're going to enjoy it. Come on." Tessa said, refusing to listen to my excuse.

She pulled me onto the floor, and the crowd parted around us. The DJ changed the music as soon as we got on the dance floor to Good as hell by Lizzo

"Ahhhhh this is our song" Tessa screamed, shaking me. "Come on let's dance."

I threw my hands up and began moving to the rhythm and singing along to the lyrics at the top of my voice.

Tess and I didn't care about the weird stares we were getting.

Tessa laughed, and I laughed too we kept laughing like maniacs but at least it was better than tears.

"THAT'S MY GIRL!" she screamed over the music.

I spun around and nearly lost my balance but she caught me before I fell.

For a few minutes I forgot everything. The engagement, the betrayal, the way Marcus had looked at me when he said I was exhausting, the way Sophia had smiled from my bed.

All of it melted into the music and the lights and the sweat on my skin, and I was just a body in a dark room dancing to the rhythm.

Then a slow song came on, and the energy shifted. The crowd pressed closer and couples wrapped their arms around each other.

Tessa pulled me into a hug, and we swayed together as we had at every school dance since we were twelve.

"You okay?" she asked.

"I'm okay," I said.

"You're lying."

"I'm lying," I admitted. "But I'm better than I was."

Tessa squeezed me tighter. "That's progress."

I rested my head on her shoulder, and for a long moment, neither of us spoke.

The music wrapped around us, soft and warm, and I let myself feel the simple comfort of someone who loved me without conditions.

"Tess?" I said.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you for not leaving me alone."

"Never," she said. "Never."

After the song we returned to the bar

"I need to pee," Tessa said after a while, squeezing my hand. "Don't move."

She turned to the bartender " Take care of her….if anything happens… " she threatened, making the bartender chuckle.

She disappeared into the crowd before I could protest, leaving me alone at the bar with my empty shot glass and the pounding bass that seemed to be getting louder by the minute.

"You look like you're having a rough night."