Toni laughs. "Everyone is gay for the right person."
"Nah, I'm just kidding," Flick interjects. "Seriously though, Stacey doesn't like labels. She likes me. I happen to be a girl."
"Wasn't Stacey dating Xander?" Toni asks.
She scoffs. "Hell no. They're just besties. No sex as far as I'm aware."
Toni sips his cocktail and studies Flick. "Wouldn't you hate it if she had, though? 'Cause like, I'm not sure a girl could come back from that boy and what's snuggled up in his boxers."
Flick rolls her eyes. "I have ten dicks on my hands and an intimate knowledge of what's between a girl's legs. I think I'm fine."
Toni looks at me. "Maybe you can tell Cassidy what's between a girl's legs. She's an asexual pigeon."
I feign a chuckle and coo, and then steer straight away from that topic. "Are the rumours true? The ones about Max and Xander and their brothers?"
"I don't know. I doubt it. But we're new mates, Cassidy. We haven't traded diaries yet."
Toni pretends to read a diary. "Max's diary: Had sex. Had sex. Had sex. Played rugby. Bit a guy's thumb off. Had sex."
I giggle. "Flick's diary: Did hair. Did nails. Did Stacey?—"
Flick interrupts, "Cassidy's diary: Danced. Danced. Danced. Ignored my obvious beauty and played the part of a hermit. Danced."
I scoff and stand to get another drink. "Cassidy's diary: Danced. Where are my tits? Help, I've been robbed. Danced."
"You do have tits!" Flick exclaims. "They're pretty perfect actually. You're only a little person."
"They're pretty frickin' small." I giggle, grabbing a glass of champagne from the cart and quickly moving back to my spot beside Toni.
Toni bounces and slaps his thighs. "Oh, do me next. Do me. Do me."
Flick obliges before I can. "Toni's diary: Entry 1,000,005: I love cock. I love myself. Good day, sir. I said good day!"
As laughter erupts from me, I grip my stomach. We all crack up.
Toni beams. "That sounds just like me!"
My face begins to tingle. "Come on, I need to dance before I get too tingly."
A lot of alcohol passes my lips over the next few hours and even more strangers wish me, 'Happy birthday.' I'm surprised at how smooth and velvety a Flatlinerbecomes after a while.
My birthday party quickly becomes a mirage of smiling faces, cuddles, and alcoholic beverages. It's not until I stumble away to get a moment of quiet and my feet cross in an awkward manner, sending me to the ground, that I realise just how drunk I am. I pull myself up and brush my legs clean. I vaguely remember someone telling me I'm wasted... just a few minutes ago. I can’t remember who.
Pressing my back against the outside wall of my house, I relax. This is the first moment of silence I've had since before my performance started this afternoon. Down the side of the house, in the direction I've just stumbled from, I can see the flicker of multicoloured lights. I can still hear the music, but it's more bass than drum from this distance. Severalstragglers are sitting on the grass a little further from the building, but I'm all alone over here. The cool air surrounds me, making me shiver. I wrap my arms around my waist. It's nice to get a breather. Gather my thoughts...
I try to focus on objects ahead of me, but they're all circled in a ring of haze.
I'm squinting at what I'm pretty sure is a dog when an aggressive female voice draws my attention towards the front of my house. Curious, I navigate my way along the edge of the render in order to get a better position. I stop walking when I see a guy and a girl arguing near the turning circle. A red sports car idles nearby.
"Frick." I cover my mouth and press my back into the wall. Although a bush conceals me, I have to peer around it to see the commotion. I should just leave. But I hesitate when I hear her tone and I find myself leaning around the shrubbery to watch them. He has his back to me. She is seriously angry. Thrusting her hands around, she yells at him. Her face is tight and twisted in anger. Her lips are a red line of aggression that moves and snarls.
The guy is all cool and calm, and oh my God, I think that's Max. Leaning a little closer, my foot kicks a rock and it rolls out from behind the wall.
Oh, frick!
My breath gets lodged in my throat, and I straighten out of view. I breathe for a few minutes and then hear the red-lipped woman say something like, 'Look at me' or 'So you're not even going to look at me' or something like that. After a few seconds, I peer back around and watch as she pokes him in the chest.
Woah.
