"Ouch!"
The tip of the hair straightener grazed Carmela's thumb and she turned it off. Her hair looked good enough, sleek and shinier from the pressed heat. She smothered on some lipstick and pushed a pair of white pearls into her ears. Looking at herself in the mirror, she felt jittery and excited at what the night would bring.
Suddenly her phone rang. She looked at the caller and her heart jerked as she saw who it was.
*Curly Haired Asshole*
Taking a deep breath, she picked up the phone and brought it to her ear.
"Tae? What's up?" She said.
But she could only hear music and a loud crowd in the background. Was he at a party? Well.
"Carmela... hey, babe... not you Carmela, I'm talkin to this babe at my feet... I waz jus callin to ask.... how's your date goin? Good so far? Hehehe..." Tae's drunken slur growled in her ears, and she gasped.
"T-Tae! What the-- who's at your fee--"
The call hung up and Carmela peeled it away from her ear. Whatever. He can go fuck whoever he wants. Any 'single' person should. Just shut up Carmela. Just go on your fucking date with Jackson.
She stomped out of the room, shoving her phone and wallet into her white mini backpack on the way to the door.
"JEROME? I NEED A RIDE!" Carmela shouted through the house.
Minutes later, the quiet man stepped out into the garage and started up the car. Sometimes Carmela felt bad for him, always ordering him to give her a ride. But hey, that's what you get for living in a house for free.
"Carmela? Where are you going, love?" Aunt Kass said. Heather popped in beside her, smiling.
"Hm... you look beautiful! I have a feeling you're going on a date!" Heather said, as Aunt Kass's eyes went wide.
"WHAT?! YES CARMELA, YES MY GIRL! GO AND GET THAT BOY--"
Aunt Kass ran towards Carmela for a hug but Carmela quickly spun around and opened the door, running out before her aunt could crash into her. She popped her head back in though, grinning.
"Te amo Aunt Kass! Love you Heather! See ya!" She waved her hand and hurried over to the car.
She sat in the back seat, and Jerome drove them out along the street.
Hm. How was tonight's date gonna be like? Who fucking knows. Carmela was just planning on drinking and dancing a bit and then leaving. She didn't really want to touch Jackson though. It would feel... sort of guilty or... wrong. Is this how it feels when you like someone? Wait... did she really like Tae?
"Carmela?" Jerome's voice scared her out of her thoughts.
"Y-yes Jerome?"
"I... well, is everything okay with Heather's family?" He asked nervously.
"What? What do you mean?" The fuuuuck... ?
"I mean-- is everything okay with Jules?"
"What the hell Jerome? Why wouldn't it be? And what do you know about Jules or Heather anyways?"
Carmela was confused out of her mind. Jerome had talked to Heather and Jules like maybe three times, so what was he going on about?
"Sorry if I've offended you. I just wanted to make sure Jules was okay." Jerome cleared his throat, as Carmela leaned forwards in surprise. What--
"Wait, why do you care if Jules is okay? Did something happen?"
"Well.. n-no! Forget it Carmela, it's justsomethingIsawbut-- Whatever! It doesn't matter..." Jerome stumbled over his words and Carmela couldn't really understand him.
She huffed in frustration. This man was so weird. Did doing nothing with your life turn you into a crazy person?
"Okay then. But Jerome, when you talk to me, I want you to talk to me CLEARLY. Understand? I don't fuck with that mumbling around shit, okay?" Carmela said, staring out the window.
"Right." Jerome replied.
Did something really happen to Jules? She was different than normal... What the hell was going on?
.....
Carmela got out of the car as soon as it pulled up in front of the club, and walked inside the building. She quickly showed the woman her ID and entered the booming dance floor. She sighed. It had been a long time since she came to a party. Two whole weeks. Now, where was Jackson?
She weaved in and out of the people and approached the bar. The woman at the counter smiled at her, and Carmela sat on the stool pulling her phone out. A tiny part of her had hoped HE would be here... he did work here anyways. But, oh right! Date with Jackson, date with Jackson! Come on, get that in your stupid head!
Just as she was about to text her date, she felt a light tap on her bare shoulder.
"Boo!" Jackson said behind her.
She smiled as he came and sat next to her.
"Was that supposed to scare me?" Carmela asked.
"Not really. I don't think you're the type of girl to get scared easily." He flashed a white-toothed smile, scratching the thick ginger stubble on his chin.
"You're right. I'm not anymore, but I definitely was." She smiled back.
"What, really? You? Scared?"
"Yeah! I was scared of clowns, actually."
"Clowns? How'd you get over it?"
"Oh, it's pretty simple. I just dressed up as one for Halloween when I was like 12. I scared literally everyone with that costume on and realized it was hella fun to scare people. I mean how could you blame the clowns. I finally understood them. I'm not scared when I understand something." Carmela blabbered on.
"Sorry, I think I'm just stupid, but that didn't make any sense to me. Like at all." He laughed, doubling over on the seat.
Carmela pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes.
"Hahahaha." She 'laughed'.
"Want a drink?" Jackson asked.
"Sure."
They ordered a couple of shots and talked some more about their fears and Halloween costumes. Turns out Jackson was afraid of (surprise, surprise) spiders.
After a few drinks, Carmela felt her head airy and dizzy, and lifted her body from the stool. She felt Jackson grab her hand and they stumbled over to the dance floor. Carmela whooped and danced with the booming base, circling around Jackson. The broad, redheaded man laughed and placed his hands on Carmela's hips. She was in a drunken daze of alcohol but she could feel the roughness of his strength against her body. His hands trailed down to her butt and his fingers rubbed against her, squeezing. Hard.
Carmela felt a sick feeling in her stomach and pushed the thoughts of Tae out of her mind. She pushed the uncomfortable vibe she got from Jackson and continued bobbing to the loud beat. Her hair fell all over her face, and she sucked in a breath as Jackson moved one hand up to her neck. He held her tight against him as they moved to the music, and Carmela suddenly felt suffocated. She stiffened as Jackson's lips slid over her neck and his hand pushed against her butt. Hell, this was too uncomfortable. Feeling a little sober, she tried to push her off him, trying to get away from his body. But he held her tight, his face stuffed in her neck.
"Jackson... stop... stop..." She put her fingers in his hair and yanked him away, but he kept sliding his tongue on her skin, moaning against her neck.
"Jackson... stop!" Carmela squirmed again, feeling scared. What the fuck had she gotten herself into? What the fuck was this pervert doing?
"Jackson! STOP--"
Suddenly, Jackson's body was pulled off of hers and she blinked in surprise at the sudden action.
Her eyes searched for Jackson's red hair and his square figure, but all she could see in front of her was a blur...
A blur of...
Of dark hair...
Dark curly hair...
Tae's eyes were red and drunk, and he stepped closer to her, until all she could see were his lips.