Wrenly POV:
"Come on, Wrenly! You promised me that you would go! I have been looking forward to this for weeks! It's going to be fun! When was the last time you had fun?"
"Trevor, please stop whining! You don't need me to go. You have been to many clubs and parties without me."
"But you need to be my winghag!"
"Ugh. Work has been crazy, and I am drained. I just want to binge The Masked Singer, eat chocolate fudge ice cream, and use my vibrator till my clit goes numb." I pulled my blanket up over my head.
"Whoa! Sugar Pop! That's not only TMI that's sad."
"Please don't make me feel bad. You know that my actual physical sex life is not my priority. Unlike you, who gets more dick than I ever have."
"That's not completely accurate."
I flipped the blanket down so I could see him. "Oh, please. I hear you at least twice a week. Oh, Trevor! Yes! Yes! Fuck me, baby! Just like that! Pull my balls! Come on my ass. Like seriously."
"You are so foul-mouthed, Sugar Pop!"
"Hey, I'm not the one who is pulling on someone's balls. By the way, does that really make a difference?"
"You have no idea! Lick the tip and pull the balls! Now, get up and get dressed. Show some class and move your ass."
"I have nothing to wear. The last time I went out to a club, I was a size 8. Now, I am not."
"There has got to be something we can put you in," Trevor said, disappearing into my closet. And stop making it sound like you are a size 72! You have put on a few extra pounds, but you are not bedbound!" He bounded out of the closet. How about this! It's stretchy, cute, and short—just like you, Sugar Pop!"
"Are you out of your mind? That is my Halloween costume! Remember I went as Tinkerbell? I am not wearing that. Nope."
"Then you come and find something."
"No! I am not the one who wants to go out. I am not going to make the effort."
"Come on, Wrenly. Please!" He was in full-on toddler mode. "I want to go out and get fucked up, and I never went to the singles mixer before!"
"Wait! A what? You never said this was a singles mixer! Nope, not going. You never put that in the sales pitch!"
He ran his hand down his face and let out an exasperated sigh. "Wren, come on! You have to get yourself back out there. You are alive. He's not coming back. It's over. You are too beautiful, smart, and funny to stay locked away in this house! No matter how nice it is."
"You're not going to let this go, are you?"
"Like a dog with a bone, Sugar Pop."
"What if I gave you a thousand dollars?"
"Nope."
"I'll buy you a new car."
"No. Jesus Christ, it's not that bad! How about this, give me two hours. If you are miserable, you can leave and say I told you so."
I shook my head. "Fine. Two hours, that's it!"
"Yeah, but you must try to at least tolerate the place. Try to have an enjoyable time. So, no sitting in the corner sulking."
I rolled my eyes. "Alright. But that still doesn't change the fact that I have nothing to wear."
"You don't walk around work naked. You must have something that will fit you."
"I have business clothes. I don't want to wear my suit to a nightclub."
He held up the little green dress. "Then I guess this is the only option."
"Fuck." I snatched the dress out of his hands. "Leave and let me get ready."
"Whatever you need, Sugar Pop."
I sat down at my vanity table. I don't know why I had one. I barely ever wear makeup, so I don't know why I had a designated place to put it on. I stared at my reflection. I hated the way I looked. I used to be fit, happy, and confident. Now, I am chubby, depressed, and a recluse. I leave the house to go to work, and that's it. That's how it has been for the last year, and I like it that way. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing with, as Trevor would say, having a little more cushion for the pushin.′ My issue is not about the weight, per se, but the reason I have gained the weight.
I pulled my hair up into a tight donut bun, with a few tendrils hanging down, framing my face. I put on a subtle amount of makeup—nothing dark or drastic.
I stripped out of my sweatpants and my oversized t-shirt. I stood in front of my full-length mirror to examine my recently acquired figure. My stretch marks were purple and looked like bruises. My tits have gone up a cup size or two, and my pants have gone up a size or three. I was curvy, to say the least.
I shimmied into the green dress and pulled it up my stubby little body. It fit me differently than it did when I wore it on Halloween. Now my boobs were spilling out. My ass was supple and full. I didn't mind that part of me getting a little bigger, it did however make the dress bunch up higher on my thighs. The fabric on the stomach bunched up, so it hid my little rolls and my love handles really well. I didn't look too bad, but there is no way in hell I am going to let Trevor know that he would gloat... and gloat... and gloat.
"Wrenly! Are you ready yet? By the time we get there, there won't even be two hours left!"
"I'm coming! Christ!" I walked down the hall into my living room. "Well, how do I look?"
Trevor looked at me. His eyes popped open, and his jaw dropped. "Wow, I do believe in fairies! You look fantastic, Sugar Pop!"
"Very funny. You have to say that. You don't want me to raise your rent." I smoothed out the dress. "Do I really look okay?"
"You look amazing. Do you have any other costumes hanging around in your closet?"
"Even if I did, I am not going wear them to go out to another club with you. And I think the only other one that I do have is a witch."
I put on a pair of two-inch heels. I'm trying my best not to fall over.
"Well, depending on what time of the month we go, it could be very appropriate."
"Kiss my ass, Trevor."
"Thanks for the offer, Love. But that is a hard pass. The right part is the wrong gender. Now, let's go. If we leave now, I may be able to get home to catch a few of my shows before I pass out."
"You are already determined to have a shitty time."
"Can we please just go? The quicker we get there, the faster we leave."
"Alright. But in all seriousness, you do look really hot."
"No, I look like a stripper in a whorehouse in Disneyland."
"At least you're confident enough to see yourself as a stripper! Positive aspect!" He gave me a big cheesy smile. "Now, let's go find you a quality man and give that vibrator a break before you burn it out."
"I hate you."
"I know. I hate you too, Sugar Pop!" He blew me a kiss. I caught it and slapped it on my ass.
When the Uber pulled up to the club, I could already tell that I was not going to have a good time. The number of people was already making me uncomfortable, and the parking lot was almost full.
Club Indigo was a college town bar. I hated places like this, full of people who peaked already. It's like, for the love of God, rent a truck, pack it up, and move the fuck on! But, from what I remember the bartenders have a very heavy hand. I have no idea how they even stay in business.
When we opened the door, I was face to face with my biggest fear. We pressed our way through the crowd. There were so many people. The smell of various colognes and perfumes mixed with liquor and sweat was going to make me sick.
"I'm going to the bar!" Trevor yelled at me over the crowd.
"I'll come with you," I shouted back. Not sure if he heard me but we started walking in the right direction.
This place was filled up way past the maximum capacity set by the city fire department. I lost sight of Trevor fairly quickly. I was bounced around like a pinball. The fact I was so short didn't help the cause. I felt the panic start to set in. I need to get the fuck out of here. I'll just sit in the parking lot for the next two hours. I am just not ready to be in this environment. Too many people. Too much touching. I felt hands all over me. I know that they were not touching me on purpose, at least I hope they weren't.
As soon as I turned back towards the exit and began to wade through the crowd, I felt a cold jolt down my back. The liquid soaked into the cheap fabric. The strong smell of alcohol hit my nostrils.
"WHAT THE FUCK! WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING YOU ASS--" I turned around and came face to chest with a very tall man. He was solid like a brick wall. He wasn't big or bulky, but he was toned and did have a good amount of muscle. He was wearing a white T-shirt with a gold chain resting around the neckline. It had an Italian horn and what looked like a full moon on it. I could see the definition of his muscles and the dozens of tattoos that adorned his aesthetic body. I could smell him about all the other scents in the crowded room. He smelled of freshly baked bread and red wine.
When I looked up at his beautiful sage eyes, they were looking down on me. He had long dark lashes so thick that it looked like he had mascara and eyeliner on. His cheekbones were high and defined. A jawline that reminded me of Henry Cavill. His lips were full and a light pink color. He licked his bottom lip while staring down at my breasts. Holy mother of pearl. I would love to feel those lips on my... Wait what! Focus. I just stood there silently, waiting for him to say he was sorry for the Long Island Iced Tea shower.
"Excuse me! Are you going to stop looking at my tits long enough to apologize for spilling your drink down my back?"
"Me? You're the one who made me spill it! You need to apologize to me and offer to buy me another drink, Sunshine."
"Are you shitting me right now? You have got to be shitting me right now."
"No. You bumped into me, causing me to spill my drink. It's not my fault it landed on you! "
I couldn't speak. My words were stuck in my throat. I was completely dumbfounded. Who the fuck did this guy think he was!
"Well? Are you going to buy me a new drink or what?"
"You are the most arrogant, obnoxious man-child I have ever had the displeasure of meeting. And I have had my fair share of meeting a lot of assholes in my time." I turned to walk away when I heard him.
"You know you have a little something on the back of your dress!"
I threw my middle finger over my shoulder. "FUCK YOU, STRONZO! CONARD! KLOOTZACK!" I shouted as I made my way through to the crowd in an attempt to find Trevor.
"Dude, did she just call you an asshole in three different languages! What did you do to her?"
"I accidentally spilled my drink down her back."
"Well, if it was an accident, then--"
"And then I placed the blame on her."
"WHAT! Fuck man. She should have called you an asshole in four languages!"
"Fuck you, Scott!"
"Why did you do that?"
"Because she looked so cute when she's angry." He watched her as she was swallowed up by the sea of people. I liked the way it made me feel too.
I pushed my way through the crowd to find Trevor. I found him aggressively flirting with a handsome young man. "Trevor! I don't know what I was thinking. I have to go. I'm not ready to be with this many people."
"Oh, Sugar Pop, I am so sorry. I should have known better. I feel like--"
"No, Trevor! It's okay. Please. Don't place any kind of blame on yourself. Now, tell me. Who's your friend?"
"Oh! Sorry! This is Teddy. He's a senior studying Chemical Engineering."
"Very nice to meet you, Teddy."
"Teddy, this is my beautiful roommate Wrenly."
"Wrenly. Unique."
"Just like me." I smiled the best fake smile I could muster.
Trevor stood up and put his arms around me. "Wrenly. Why is your back all wet?"
My gaze locked on him. He was standing at the end of the bar. He was 6′4 and sexy as fuck. He was ridiculously hard to miss. He was laughing with a leggy bottle blonde. He was gently running his fingers along her cheek with the pad of his thumb. One word came to mind, PLAYER. She was running her finger up and down his chest, pouting her lips and batting her false eyelashes. I saw her laughing at something he said and then lightly swatted him on the arm.
It made me want to vomit. Why would it make me want to vomit? I don't care who he flirts with. For the love of GOD, the asshole just spilled his entire drink on me. I bet if I looked more like her and a lot less like me, I would have gotten an apology.
Trevor followed my gaze. "What are you looking... Oooh. Who is that tall drink of Raspberry Crown Royal?"
I folded my arms across my chest. "More like a spilled Long Island Iced Tea," I mumbled.
"You mean Decker?" Teddy said, popping a cashew in his mouth.
"Who?" Trevor asked.
"The guy your friend is staring at."
"What kind of a name is DECKER?" I said with a snark.
"A sexy one," Trevor said, propping his head on his fist.
"Well, Teddy, your friend Decker spilled an entire drink down my back, and then he BLAMED IT ON ME!"
"He's not my friend. He's my roommate and an unpleasant pain in my ass. On his behalf, I am sorry for his assholish behavior. He's one of those guys who believes that he is--"
"God?" I said, rolling my eyes.
"Entitled. I'm not sure I have ever heard him apologize to anyone... ever. He's also not the relationship type, so don't bother. I think he brings home a new victim at least twice a week. It's totally despicable."
I looked at Trevor and pursed my lips. "Please. You and I both know it's not every week, and I do repeat performances. It's not always a new guy." He picked up his drink looking around everywhere but me and Teddy.
"Well, Teddy, it was nice to meet you, and Trevor is an exceptionally good guy and a great roommate. Please don't believe me when I basically said he was a man-ho. Now if you excuse me, I need to get out of here."
"It was nice to meet you too, Wrenly."
I spun around, and my face slammed into a muscular brick wall... again.
He felt his insides lurch like he was in a rollercoaster. "What about me?" He smiled, and that damn dimple popped out. "Was it nice to meet me?
Fuck! I love dimples! Why does he have to have dimples?
"Well, a rude little ray of sunshine which made me spill my nine-dollar drink."
"Sure. If you drop dead right now, I will be more than elated to have met you." I tried to push past him, but I couldn't walk through walls. I'm not fucking Harry Potter.
He put his hand over his heart. "That cut me real deep, Sunshine. My heart is breaking."
"If I thought you had a heart, I would apologize! Now, get out of my way, you fucking sasquatch."
"Damn. I like this girl," Teddy said, covering his mouth to keep from laughing.
Decker glared at me. He waggled his fingers. "Toodles Sunshine! Don't forget to wash your dress!"
"Non dimenticare di andare farti fottere cazzo!" I started walking backward to the exit. I shouted at him, flipping him off with both fingers this time.
I think I'm in love, he thought as he watched her ass as she walked away.
Third Person POV:
"What did she just say to him?" Trevor asked.
"She told him, 'Don't forget to go fuck yourself, prick!' Like I said, I like her! Nobody dares to talk to him like that." Teddy exclaimed. He scowled at Decker. "Exactly what the hell did you do!"
"What?" He had a cocky grin as he took a drink of his rum and coke. He shrugged. "I didn't do anything! She ran into me and spilled my drink. She didn't even apologize or offer to buy me a new drink! How rude is that?"
"It spilled down her back, Decker! How did she spill it down her own back! Are you really that big of an asshole? She seems like a really like nice girl."
He put his drink down on the table. "MAYBE it was partially my fault."
"You need to go say you are sorry for not only spilling that drink on her but for being a gigantic asshole!"
He grinned. "Teddy, I don't apologize. That is a sign of weakness. That is admitting I was wrong, and I am not weak, nor am I ever going to admit that I am wrong. You know me better than that."
Teddy got off the stool and aggressively pulled Decker away from Trevor. "Look, I have put up with your shit for a long time! It's not my fault you got kicked out of the frat house and that your daddy won't pay for private housing, but I have never complained about the girls, or you are stumbling in at three in the morning when I am trying to sleep or any of the other fucked up shit you have done. Do this one fucking thing for me! Just this one fucking thing. That girl is best friends and roommates with that incredibly yummy man over there. He's local, he's single, he's funny, he's charming, and I would really like to get to know him. Just remember who exactly I am to you."
"Get real Teddy. Maybe if she was the least bit attractive, I would make an exception this one time. But have you seen her? She is chunky, average-looking, hot-headed, and doesn't know how to respect a man."
"She, whose name is Wrenly, by the way, is a nice, kind, smart, funny girl who deserves respect."
"Of course, she's nice and kind and smart and funny; all the ingredients for the perfect DUFF!"
"BAD FORM!"
"Come on. She is the perfect girl to be the designated ugly fat friend." I'm so going to hell.
Teddy put his hands on his hips. "Decker Donafrio I am about five seconds away from bitch slapping the living piss out of you and telling this entire club how you wet the bed."
"HEY! I was passed out drunk, not to mention I was in eighth grade!"
"Well, you shouldn't have played drunk confessions the last time I had people over. We were all sworn to secrecy, but I am willing to break that promise. So, what's it going to be Deck?"
"You're lucky I like you."
"You're lucky I tolerate you because no one else on this planet would put up with you."
"You know you are contractually obligated by blood."
"Don't remind me. Now I know I am supposed to be with that guy... DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" He growled at me.
"Oh. I do now."
Decker downed the rest of Teddy's drink and headed to the exit.
"Well?" Trevor asked as Teddy sat back down.
"He's going to apologize for being an absolute cunt to her."
"She's not going to accept it now. Wren is stubborn, but she's... troubled. She's fragile; like a bomb. But not as strong as she appears.
"She has a story, doesn't she?"
"She does."
"Can I ask what happened?"
"It's not my story to tell. I will say this. She is a genuinely nice person, considering. But he's not your average jackass," Trevor said. "For him, she might make an exception."
"You have no idea." Teddy should his head. "I'm getting another drink."
"Good idea. In fact, why don't we go get one next weekend? Without your jackass roommate."
"I would love that."