Leaving Lennon to perform her wizardry with makeup in the bathroom, I went into my room and started getting into my outfit for the club. She had music playing softly from her phone in the bathroom, but I wasn’t paying much attention to it as I mulled over my new look and Lennon’s words. Tossing back another shot, I put on a pair of fishnet stockings and shimmied on a pair of cuffed black high-waisted shorts.
Careful not to smudge my makeup, I put on a low-cut white scooped-neck crop top with a crow in flight splashed across my boobs. My ass-stomper boots and butterfly knife completed the ensemble. Doing your own makeup must be easier than someone else’s because Lennon came out of the bathroom looking stunning after a few short minutes. Her long dark hair was up in an artfully messy bun, with wisps of hair framing her heart-shaped face. Her lips were stained the same cherry-bomb red as her nails, and her face looked flawless. Her dark eyes danced as she nodded at my outfit.
“You definitely look like a biker chick now, Girl. Gimmie one sec, I have a moto jacket that would look killer on you. I’ll change and be right back with your jacket, then we can head out!” Lennon skipped out the door before I could say anything, returning a few minutes later in a black bodycon minidress and heels. She wore a pair of silver hoop earrings and a black lace choker, and held a leather jacket and a pair of studded heels in her hand with a pleading look on her face. I shook my head and backed away.
“Oh hell no, no heels! I told you I want to be able to curb stomp someone if I need to and running in heels is annoying. My boots are fine!” Lennon rolled her eyes in exasperation.
“What kind of club do you think I’m taking you to? There will be dancing and drinks, no curb stomping required. Plus, in a pinch, you could always take one off and stab someone with the heel.”
“Good idea, my Sith apprentice. The answer is still no. I’m a boots or sneakers kind of gal, but I appreciate your dedication to fashion. Together, we can stomp or stab the night away!”
Lennon cackled merrily, taking another shot of vodka.“Okay, Girl, you win.”
“About that…” I said.
Lennon turned away from her reflection, where she was checking for eyeliner smudges, and quirked her brow in question, waiting for me to continue.
“I don’t want to go by Girl anymore. That’s not who I am. I mean, I am a woman, but I’m not Girl. I don’t want to just beGirl. I’ve thought about choosing a name for myself for a long time, but nothing ever seemed to fit me. Until now. I… I want to be called Indigo. It suits me, I think.”
Lennon’s eyes softened as she nodded, giving me a hug. “It does suit you. It’s perfect. It’syou.” My eyes started feeling shiny, and as she pulled back, Lennon could see I was feeling squishy feelings.
“Nuh-uh, no ma’am, Indigo. No crying! You’ll wreck your makeup, and I didn’t work my fairy godmother magic just for it to end up on a tissue! A pillowcase, maybe,” she added with a wink, “but not a tissue.”
I threw my head back and laughed, thankful for the break in tension. I felt like a goddess right now, and this girl right here was the reason. Ever since we first met, Lennon just accepted me as I was. The exhilarating rush her friendship and acceptance brought me was unparalleled. I could be raw and unfiltered and unapologetically me for the first time, and not worry about getting smacked back down into the dirt for the sheer audacity of being myself. I’d never had anything close to a friend like this before, and it was everything. I didn’t think I could ever thank Lennon enough for her friendship, and I already knew enough about who she was to know she’d never accept thanks for it anyway. It was just who she was.
I fanned my face to dry up my tears while Lennon dabbed the corners of my eyes with a wad of tissue. Lennon handed me the jacket, which Islipped on, fluffing my hair out and over my shoulders. We each took one more slug of vodka, and then Lennon snapped a quick selfie of us both grinning like loons for her Instagram. Lennon yanked my bedroom door open and stood on the threshold, her hand on her hip.
“Are you ready?” Her serious tone surprised me before a sinfully wicked smile stretched across her face. “It’s time for your debut, Indigo. The guys are gonna eat their fuckin’ hearts out.”
I pulled my shoulders back and tipped my chin up, feeling fierce and ready. I felt like there was no limit to what I could be now, like I was leaping into a land of infinite possibilities.
“Hell yeah, bestie. Let’s burn this candle!”
Priest
Bones and Ace were seated at one of the booths in the clubhouse, nursing beers and conversing. I walked over, dodging the new club girl, Winnie, who had been trying to catch my eye for the past few weeks. She was good-looking and everything, but she had a clingy vibe about her that I couldn’t stand. Hopefully, she’d take my avoidance as the gentle letdown it was meant to be and set her sights on a brother who’d be more interested in what she had to offer. I slid into the booth beside Bones, across from a seemingly agitated Ace.
“Ace has been filling me in on what’s been going on with Pyro. You’re gonna want to hear this,amigo.” Bones shook his head and took a long drink from his beer. I quirked my eyebrow up.
“Oh yeah? Well, what’s crawled up your ass then, Ace? I’ve never seen you so…loquacious.”
Ace chuffed a small laugh, the corner of one lip quirking up in the closest thing to a smile I’d seen on Ace’s face since the day he posed for Ellis’s and Lennon’s prom photos.
“I wasn’t spying, you know. Or eavesdroppin’. You know Duke’s got me doing odd jobs and whatnot, keeping myself busy.” I nodded along, knowing full well that Ace was the club’s jack-of-all-trades. He did odd jobs and maintenance around the compound and lived in a small apartment in Sagebrush. The Vietnam War had claimed a piece of Ace’s soul that he’d never been able to reclaim, and as long as I’d known him, he’d been on the outer fringes of things. That was where he liked it, though. He fought his demons every day, but he’d always been there for this club whenever needed. We were his family now, and I trusted his judgment.
“No one could accuse you of being nosy, you grumpy old bastard. What did you overhear?”
“Pyro…and the girl.”
My jaw dropped. I cleared my throat, trying to mask my shock.“Well, Ace, they’re adults. Why the fuck should I care who she spreads her legs for?”
Bones shot me a glare before Ace cut in, “Jesus, man. No. She’s not sleepin’ with him.”
A feeling shot through my chest that I refused to acknowledge was relief. Honestly, I didn’t want any of my brothers sleeping with her simply because she was enough of a problem as it was. Add in feelings that came from regular access to pussy, and she could become even more of a distraction. Which was the last thing I needed right now.
“Okay, well, what were they doing, then? Why is this an issue?”
“I noticed him watchin’ her. Didn’t think anything of it at first because everyone was kinda keepin’ an eye on her. One night, I was in the club late, restocking the bar, when I heard somethin’ from upstairs. When I went to check, Pyro was in her room…” Ace’s hand clenched his beer bottle in his fist. “He must have picked the lock or maybe she forgot, though that doesn’t seem likely. Pyro was going through her clothes and touchin’ her…things.” He widened his eyes in emphasis, like Bones and I could possibly misunderstand. Ace had caught Pyro in her panty drawer. “I called his name, and when he saw me, he madesome excuse about stumblin’ into the wrong room, but that was a complete load of horse shit.”
