Reisa was catching her breath upon arriving at the Luna bar. She ran so quickly as if her life depended on it. She saw from afar Luisa roaming around outside the bar door. She can guess that Luisa will give her an earful.
As Luisa spotted her, Luisa quickly walked toward her.
"You are late I texted you to be here at 10:30. It's already 10:32!" Luisa asserted as her eyes landed on Reisa's messy bun and frowned.
"Before you say something, I helped a mother who was carrying a lot of groceries and by the time we finished, when I look at my cell phone it was already 10:23. I immediately run to this place and that's why I tied my hair messily," Reisa explains as she breathes in deeply.
"Stop lying! I know the truth already!" Luisa yells softly which only Reisa can hear. She knew the real reason yet Reisa lied anyway. "Hurry up and fix yourself! I don't have an ugly best friend. Your target was already here and you look like crap!"
Good thing that there wasn't a single soul outside Luna bar at that time. Reisa wanted to retort back but her priority at that moment was to recover her breath.
"Hurry up!" Reisa comes back to reality upon hearing Luisa scream at her and turn her back to enter the bar.
Reisa sighs but she follows her inside and headed toward the restroom.
"Concentrate Reisa," she whisper to herself as she enters the restroom.
"I look like I have been raped," Reisa said to herself as she saw in the mirror her reflection. "No wonder why Luisa said that before." She removes her hair tie and reveals her straight black hair that falls below her shoulders.
While retouching, in the reflection of the mirror, a woman came out of one of the stalls. Reisa became stiff as the woman walked toward the sink and washed her hands. Reisa stood there as she watches her every movement until leaving Reisa alone in the restroom.
Reisa waits for a few seconds before she sighed in relief.
"Good thing that I always turn this on." She touched her earrings and smiled as she started to comb her hair neatly.
It was one of Luisa's inventions that were like a mask and a face changer combination.
Reisa remembers asking her back then if she wanted to sell that invention of hers while combing her hair.
'It's just a hobby. No more. Besides, it's such a hassle to reproduce it again and again. That is so stressful. Stress can make me ugly. I don't want to be ugly.' The thought of Luisa's reason back then brought a smile to Reisa.
After applying her makeup, she looks at the door seriously before walking towards and locking it so no one can enter. She quickly pulled out of her bag a wig and faces the mirror as she puts it on.
"There!" Reisa presses both her lips together while fixing her wig-ombre red hair and combing it.
Placing a pearl hairpin on the right side of her wig to secure it and still look pretty. She smiled evilly at the mirror as she quickly unlocks the door to the restroom and walks out.
The place screamed entertainment and luxury. Every element from the ceiling to the floor and every wall surrounding the place has sparkling decorations. The DJ played hot songs and beats while the bar has different drinks ranging from juices, shakes, and cocktails up to strong liquor. No wonder it was popular in Der City.
As she walked toward the counter where her other friends were sitting, she instantly noticed Luisa was preoccupied with drinking.
'That was new. I wonder what happened.' She thought as she watched Luisa drinking.
"Hello, friends! Sorry, I'm late! I was helping a mother carry a lot of groceries. I lend her a helping hand," Reisa lie with a smiling face upon reaching them but no one seems to have heard what she says. They were all preoccupied with what they were doing.
"They dance horribly. We are so much better than them!" Reisa heard Becca as she made a snide comment.
Rebecca is her name but they call her Becca. She is a stylish person among Reisa's friends.
"I agree with you, sis! You are so right!" agreed Tiffany and sipped at her tequila.
Tiffany is Becca's sister. Total opposite of Becca.
Reisa glanced towards the dance floor that was crowded with people. There's also a stage in front of the dance floor where a group of four women dressed in sparkling bikinis was dancing seductively to grab the attention of the men inside Luna Bar.
"Sir barista, can I get another glass of Boulevardier." Shiela raised her empty glass. Reisa looks at her as she chugs down her order and drinks it like water.
'How can she drink like that?' Reisa's jaws drop when Shiela finished her drink in no time. She shakes her head in disbelief.
"Another glass of Caviar martini." Luisa shows her empty glass. Reisa glances at her best friend filled with curiosity on her face.
"Hey, you're drinking! That's a first. What happened?" Reisa questioned which made Luisa stop what she was doing and look at her as she faked a smile.
"Nothing happened, silly!" Luisa lies as she leans closer to whisper. "The guy wearing a navy blue coat and having blue eyes is your target."
"You didn't answer my question. I'm your best friend. I want to know what is troubling you." Reisa ignored Luisa's attempt of changing the subject.
"Tell me," she insisted full of concern in her eyes.
Luisa sigh in defeat and signaled Reisa to come closer and the latter did.
"Go to hell my best friend!" She laughed loudly and grabbed the attention of their other friends. Reisa furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at Luisa. Dumbfounded by how Luisa acted.
"Does it involve your family?" That question from Reisa made Luisa stop laughing and pressed her lips tightly.
'Bullseye!'
"You know, alcohol can affect your skin complexion. You want to be ugly?" Reisa was persistent and knew that Luisa has a problem.
She knew that Luisa was too proud to admit what was bothering her.
"It's okay! I'll be the gorgeous one here and the fashionable one!" Becca stated that made Luisa look at her annoyed.
"No way in million years!" Luisa pushes away her drink and shyly smiles as she peeked a look at Reisa.
"What was wrong? Tell us," Reisa presses further not giving a chance for diversion.
"Tell us already," Tiffany said as she looked at Luisa.
"My father was cheating," Luisa confessed and the four of them fell silent. Not knowing what reaction or words to say.
"My mother witnessed dad kissing mother's sister intimately groping her breast inside their bedroom," Luisa continues. "My mom returned home from work abroad early to surprise dad but in the end, she's the one surprised. My mom told me that while crying. I didn't know what to do or say to her because I had never done such a thing as comfort. I'm only beautiful." Luisa looked at them after she confesses.
They were all silent. After a while, Shiela was the one that talk first. "That's some heavy news you have there. Whatever it was, drowning yourself with alcohol will not fix anything."
Shiela clutched her glass while fixing her eyeglasses. Among all of them, she's smart despite her preposterous way of a drinking habit.
"Coming from you talking about drowning yourself with alcohol. You drink alcohol like it was water," Becca made a sarcastic comment that made Shiela grin.
"Stay with your mom and comfort her. She needed you now," Tiffany advised.
"That's good advice, sis! Unlike others." Becca glanced at Shiela who was sipping her new order of drink.
Sheila didn't bother to answer back and look at Luisa, "We are here for you. We are your friends. Reisa was also here for you!" She genuinely smiles at Luisa and glances at Reisa.
"Reisa, you look good tonight! Did you color your hair?" Her eyes shifted to Reisa's hair.
"Just a wig. Does it suit me?" Reisa grin but her eyes briefly glance at Luisa who is now evaluating her clothes.
"It suits you," Shiela said and ordered a new glass of what she was drinking.
"Really? I'm glad to know. I want to color my hair with this shade," Reisa acted happily masking the real reason. She can't tell them.
Shiela scans the bar and spots a familiar figure sitting with his friends while looking at the stage.
"I've seen him before at daddy's party," Shiela blurts out as she grabs her drink and sips from it.