Xiu moved through the boutique the way she moved through most spaces, like the space had been waiting for her specifically and was only now fulfilling its purpose.
She held up a dress. Put it back. Held up another. Assessed it with the critical eye of someone who understood that tonight was not a regular night and required not a regular dress but a statement, the kind of statement that ended conversations about other women by making those women temporarily irrelevant.
She bought it.
Standing outside the boutique with the bag in her hand she caught sight of a crowd, she saw Burajiru and Plum riding on top of a Dragon through the city sky.
Plum "Baby the feathers are pulling the hair on my legs." Burajiru's eyes shined through the mascot head and Plums pants instantly disappeared.
Xiu looked
She giggled. she though about Einstera and started laughing.
Not a small laugh. A full one, the kind that builds on itself.
"Wow, Einstera," she said to nobody. "What a big sister you are." She pressed her hand to her mouth. "You really convinced Plum to dress as a chicken." She lost it completely for a moment, leaning against the boutique wall with her bag swinging. "Wait until the school sees just how stupid she looks. Muwahahaha."
She composed herself.
She Straightened her tie " Einstera, you're such a naughty creepy, touching yourself to some weird hot gamer boy, not classy at all, not class at all, but I am a woman of my word.
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Xiu scrolled through her phone and deleted the video.
She walked toward the salon with the satisfaction of someone whose plan had executed cleanly.
Xiu walked into the apartment, the silence suddenly broken as a clock on the wall began to howl, a guttural, mechanical sound that vibrated through the floorboards. "Howl." She paused, her face expressionless, almost hollow, staring at the clock for a long moment.
"Oh, I forgot today is my idiot father's birthday," she muttered to herself, her voice devoid of warmth. "I wonder what that abusive prick is up to."
She went into the bathroom and took a shower, scrubbing her skin until it was red.
She stepped out and put on her dress. It was white and absolutely fabulous, clinging to her curves. She looked in the mirror, running her hand over her cheek. "Wow, I'm so beautiful," she whispered. "Roxer, I hope you will see me for me."
She went into her room and lay on her bed, smiling, then dragged herself over to the closet. She threw the doors open and stared into the darkness of the shrine she had built. Her eyes separated, pupils drifting in opposite directions as she looked at the mountain of debris.
"The first time I touched him," she said, her voice trembling, reaching out to touch a crumpled gum wrapper. "The sweat on his neck caught when he walked passed me last year in track. This is the napkin he sneezed on. The broken watch from the lockers. The wrapper of the gum he chewed, she threw a piece gum in her mouth "The actual gum" She started moaning while chewing.
I kept the wrapper. I kept the wrapper."
She grabbed a pair of boxers she had stolen from his locker months ago and buried her face in the fabric, inhaling deeply. "Smells like him. Smells like victory."
Her eyes rolled back, her body bending unnaturally as she arched her spine at a ninety-degree angle. She had an orgasm just thinking about him, her body convulsing in a spasm of pure, unadulterated lust. She stayed there, twisted and contorted, staring at the ceiling.
"They say brothers trinity belongs to sisters trinity, Scytherains belong to Hammerians, Amazons belong to Herculeans, and Morphers to Gamblers," she rasped, her voice distorted by the pleasure. "But I think Amazons are perfect for Hammerians."
I can't wait to feel the big European hands around my neck "Hammer me baby."
She collapsed onto the floor convulsing and the lights went out.