Page 2 of Savage Grace

Usually, there’s at least one.

And I pickhim, not the other way around.

Of course, I never let them know they’d been picked. I let them think that they’re in charge. Even though I know it’s a fucking lie.

After I literally could not dance to another song, me, Larissa, and my new best friend all collapsed into the closest booth in the corner of the club.

“Fucking hell,” Larissa groaned at the stickiness of the cheap vinyl material of the booth seats, wiping her hands on the side of her dress.

Club SVN was not our regular spot.

Not only because of its general stickiness, but also because the DJs were usually shit. They normally played a loop of wordless techno when I much preferred to poorly sing at the top of my lungs to cheesy rap music.

“I’m over this place,” I shouted over the beat.

Larissa and our adopted friend nodded in unison.

“Let’s go to Lilith’s!” I clapped.

“I’m going home, Zar,” Larissa finished the last of her drink and picked up her bag.

“No!”

“Zarina, it’s fucking one a.m.”

“Pleaaaase!” I begged, grabbing the hem of her dress.

My adopted friend also got up and wandered away, probably to find her own group of friends I had herded her away from, and also probably sensing that our night was coming to an end.

“Gohome,” Larissa scolded, swatting my hand away.

I sat back in the booth and pouted, crossing my arms.

“Don’t make me ring your brother.”

“Ugh!” I rolled my eyes again and got up, following her out of the club and into the cool, fresh air.

While we waited for the Uber to arrive, Larissa scrolled on her phone, ignoring me while I paced restlessly.

The black car eventually pulled up to the curb, waving us down with a wide smile that didn’t match the hour of the morning.

“Hurry the fuck up. Get in,” Larissa urged as she slid into the back seat.

“I’ll see you Monday,” I waved before slamming the door shut.

“Bitch—” she tried to catch it.

The car pulled away and Larissa rolled down her window to swear at me some more.

“Love you!” I blew her a kiss.

I could faintly hear her voice still yelling in the distance as her Uber turned into nothing but just another set of taillights in the traffic.

I wasn’t ready to go home. Not yet.

This was the only time I could be free of the role I was expected to play.

Here. Alone on a sidewalk in the middle of Melbourne. At one in the morning.

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