Chapter 25

Shane did her best to disappear from Carmen’s field of view as soon as they re-entered DEW. She was there, holding her hand, and a minute later Carmen couldn’t find her anymore. Shane seemed evaporated.

The club was still full of people, Prince playing in the background, the dance floor packed as a hive.

There was a dim, violet light covering everything. The air felt thick, dense, solidly filled with a smell of alcohol and sweat and various different kinds of cologne. The song in the background filled Shane’s ears as she glanced around rapidly, looking for Melissa.

”I never meant 2 cause u any sorrow
I never meant 2 cause u any pain
I only wanted 2 one time see u laughing
I only wanted 2 see u laughing in the purple rain…”

And there she was. Tossing her head back, laughing hard, her elbows rested on the counter and a bourbon in her hand, flirting shamelessly with a girl that Shane didn’t know. Melissa’s red hair reverberated in the dim light, her white teeth shone, and Shane narrowed her eyes, breathing rapidly through her nostrils.

She didn’t know it, but she was clenching her fists, her arms hanging loosely to her sides.

She bent her head a little and looked up, and watched her again, excluding everything else from her view. She tried hard to remember the promise she had made to Carmen but practically nothing came out. Everything was blurry, indefinite, hidden, so far away from her.

Keep your cool, Shane said to herself, though, and eventually walked toward the coldly attractive woman that was threatening to disintegrate her new life.

“Can I talk to you for a second?”, Shane said, her voice low and muffled by a rage that was barely repressed.

Melissa didn’t bother to turn around.

Shane placed her hand on her shoulder and made her stool spin.

“Can I talk to you for a second?”, she repeated, darkly.

Melissa stared at her with no fear at all. She seemed almost amused by Shane’s attitude, but her blue eyes were floating in a pool of alcohol. She mustered a grin.

“I’m busy, now. Where’s your Carmen?”.

“I need to talk to you, and I need to do it now. You’ll continue your conversation later”.