“Kit, you are absolutely not allowed to use my body for sex.”
“Understood. I wasn’t planning on it. Just figured I’d throw the suggestion out there, since you’re awake. It could be fun,” he taunts.
“No.”
With no further argument, Kit makes his way to the dance floor where the beat is thumping so hard I feel it in my void. He starts to dance, moving so much I can hardly see what’s happening out there. And what I can see is making me dizzy. I put my head in my hands to get the void to stop spinning. When I pick my head back up, I see a man approaching. He moves out of sight, but I can tell what’s happening. Kit is grinding on him like we’re at a middle school dance.
“Get him off of me, Kit.”
Kit moves away without hesitation, still dancing with the man, just not grinding. Whatever. Kit is handed another drink and chugs it, another one appearing in his hand seconds later.
A shiver shoots up my spine as a freezing chill spreads over me. I peer down at my feet to see water surrounding them. I lean closer to inspect the water, taking a sniff. Oh. No. This is not water. This is vodka. Sure. With each sip Kit takes, the vodka at my feet is rising, rapidly smothering my shoes. I pick my feet up from the ground and hug my knees to my chest as I make myself as small as possible on the chair.
“My void is filling with vodka soda,” I inform him irately.
He doesn’t respond. He’s still dancing and still drinking, another vodka soda come and gone. I wish I had the ability to murder him, becauseoh my godI want to murder him. At least he’s not letting strange men touch me anymore.
The vodka is rising around the legs of my chair, almost reaching the seat. I glare out my window at the bouncing scene, the jewel-toned lights flashing. I stand on the chair as the vodka sea begins to overtake the seat, but I’m not standing for long. As Kit continues dancing, the liquid thrashes around my feet, creating waves and knocking the chair over and me with it. I splash into the liquid, struggling for breath more out of instinct than necessity. I get to my feet, hair dripping and clothes soaked, the vodka now at my hips.
I clench my fists at my sides. “Kit! My void is full of vodka! Go sober up!”
Still no response from him.Asshole.
I’m about to start yelling again when I hear, “Lacy?”
Except that isn’t Kit talking.
“Meggie?” I whisper, hope hitting me.
I press my face to the window, angling my head in an attempt to see my sister before Kit slowly swivels her into his viewpoint. Her shoulder-length, dark hair is straight, and sparkles adorn her eyelids. If I could, I’d tell her she looks pretty.
“Meggie!” I shout desperately.
She scolds, “You were supposed to call me today!”
“Do I know you?” Kit asks, slurring his words in my voice. He has had aboutseventeen vodka sodas.
I scream, “Yes! That’s my sister! We know her!” I bang on the glass of the window. “Meggie! That’s Meggie!”
Meggie wrinkles her nose and shouts over the music, “Hilarious! What are you doing? Are you here alone?”
“No,” Kit says to her. “No, no. I’m here with a friend.”
She narrows her eyes. “Which friend?”
“Lacy.”
Oh, good lord.
“That’s my sister!” I yell again, continuing to bang on the glass. “Megs! Help me!”
Meggie glares. “God, Lace, how drunk are you?” She grabs Kit’s arm, yanking him to walk. “Let’s get you home, okay? That’s enough for tonight.”
He wrenches his arm from her grasp, backing away.
I slam my hands on the window, the vodka now at waist level. “For fuck’s sake! That. Is. My. Sister! Go with her! Please! Let her take you home!”
Meggie scoffs loudly, ready to kill me. “What the hell?” She grabs Kit’s arm again, hard enough to bruise me. Hard enough,Ican feel her nails digging into my skin. I grasp at that pain, using it to ground me. “Let’s go, Lace.”
