Alright so, I don't really know what this is, ha. I guess that's what happens when you're too invested in certain things.
Anyways, I've been having this story on my mind for quite some time and I don't know if it's good or bad or horrible or if anybody wants to read I thought it was worth a shot and yeah... To my readers of my other Fic. Don't worry, I didn't abandon it, I'll post a new chapter this weekend.
Xx
Chapter 1: Lonely Star
Blood that would roll over her swollen lips and would drip from her nose and would wake her up at night.
Sweat that would trickle from her hairline and down along her forehead.
Tears that would not fall from her emerald eyes because she didn't know pain.
At least not this kind of pain. Punches could be as hard as possible and yet she would take them nevertheless. Without a whimper. Without flinching. Without breaking down. People would call her animalic. Because no human being was capable of suffering such physical pain. People would call her a fucking asshole. Because no human being but her had this cocky smirk and this arrogant confidence. People would call her a legend. Because although she didn't die yet she already was someone who would never be forgotten. But who cares what people think? Alex Vause certainly didn't. She once had cared. When she had been a little, innocent girl from Jersey who had been a nobody. Who had been laughed at. Who had been bullied. Who had early been introduced to reality.
Appearance and reality. Such funny concepts. Because in the end it was all about what people wanted to see and wanted to believe and what they wanted to know and what they wanted to hear. But today, Alex Vause couldn't care less. A life in the spotlight wasn't really what she had intended in the first place.
Maybe she wanted to prove to all those goddamn stuck-up bitches from her childhood and all those other goddamn people that had made her life unnecessarily hard once that she actually was somebody. That although all those goddamn people hadn't seen something in her, she actually had found something in her. That although all those goddamn people hadn't believed in her, she didn't need them because all that mattered was that she believed in herself. And all those goddamn people hated it so much, that they loved it.
Love and hate. As opposing and unfitting things could seem to be, as equal and fitting they actually were. Without Yin, there was no Yang. Without darkness, there was no light. Without love, there was no hate. And without Alex Vause, there was no Piper Chapman.
Jealousy that would fill people when they would see her angelic face on all magazine covers in the whole world.
Attraction that people would feel and that would become present in their eyes when they would look at her.
Perfection that she learned to represent with her eyes, with her golden hair, with her slim body and learned to sell perfectly.
At least people believed that Piper Chapman was perfect. And that was what she wanted them to believe. Because she knew that she wasn't. But if others did believe that she was this perfect, flawless, divine angel, Piper Chapman believed it for a second, too. That effect was proof enough that she was the best at her job. She sold herself so well, so convincing, that she even fooled herself. It was no miracle that her life had changed within less than 24 hours when someone had discovered her like she had been a new continent and had made her the most wanted woman in the whole world. Girls looked up to her. Women wanted to look like her. Men would cut their arm off to touch her. The world was her oyster. And she was more than aware of it. She cared so much about what others thought of her, that she kind of lost herself. She believed what others saw in her. She believed what others said about her. She didn't need to believe in herself because others already did. She didn't need to love herself because others already did. And this was slowly and sweetly ruining her. And sometimes, sometimes she was aware of it. And when she was, she instantly pushed this realisation down again and buried it deeper than before, fearing that it would rise back to the surface. Because in the end, it was all about what you wanted people to see and what you didn't want them to see. And because she was seen every day and everywhere, Piper Chapman had to care. About what people thought of her, what people said about her, what people liked about her, what people saw in her. The day she entered this world that was so superficial and cruel, she sold her soul. And lost herself. And who would've thought that darkness would lighten her own world. Who would've thought that hate would make her feel love.
Love and hate. As opposing and unfitting things could seem to be, as equal and fitting they actually were. Without Yin, there was no Yang. Without darkness, there was no light. Without love, there was no hate. And without Alex Vause, there was no Piper Chapman.
And both women would realise this soon enough.
Their contrary worlds met when Alex was in her corner of the ring in Madison Square Garden. Round 4, there was only one more left. "Where is your fucking defence, huh? You'll lose your damn eye!". Blood rolled over her swollen lips that dripped from her nose and from above her left eye. Sweat trickled from hairline down along her forehead. Tears that would not fall because she didn't know pain. But rage. She felt rage. It was her fuel. It was her incentive. Rage that had been bottling up ever since her childhood and that she hadn't been able to let out. But now she could let this excess out that turned her into this machine. And sometimes, sometimes she wondered if she was ever going to run out of it. Her heart was beating in every single inch of her body. Her lungs craved for almost more oxygen than she could get. And that was always the moment her adrenaline kicked right into her blood and rushed through her veins. Another excess she was fond and afraid of. And when her head turned to the right, her blood filled eyes spotted another excess she was going to hate and love. Their contrary worlds met. And ever since this very moment until the world would stop spinning, there would be no Piper Chapman without Alex Vause.
"Alex! Are you even listening? What the fuck do you think you're doing out there, huh? Are you a fucking masochist?! Do you enjoy to be beaten the fuck up?! … ALEX!" her trainer yelled again and the brunette eventually took her blurry vision off of the woman in the audience and turned her head reluctantly to the fierce, red-haired woman. Fuck, those punches made her feel dizzy, she realised.
"I swear I'll drag you out of this damn cage with my bare hands if you keep getting fucked over like this."
"Fuck off, Red," Alex mumbled whilst the russian woman was staring at her deadly.
"There she is."
Red slapped her face twice lightly before she pointed her index finger at her and raised one brow.
"Now carry this attitude with you and end this goddamn charade. It's getting embarrassing."
Damn this red-haired woman knew how to add fuel to the fire. Alex Vause was no loser. Not anymore. Alex Vause was not someone to be made fun of. Not anymore. She clenched her jaw, balled her hands to fists and spitted out the water she just drank that was mixed with her blood into the bucket. Fuck her rival. Fuck everyone. Fuck the whole world.
Round 5. The final round. And Alex finished her rival before the round was over.
"I can't believe you brought me here, Polly."
"Oh, Piper, shut up. It's not like I forced you to come with me."
Sharp-eyed, Piper replied, "Uh, you actually did. Remember? You blackmailed me."
"Stop whining, Pipe, trust me you'll love it."
"What? Seeing women beating the shit out of each other? Hell yes it turns me on on so many levels."
(Well, one certain woman definitely was going to turn her on on so many levels.) The two friends took their seats in the third row, having one of the best views.
Polly sighed before she explained, "You know exactly that I wouldn't have asked you if Pete didn't need to visit his parents. I mean I bought these tickets for him!"
"Yeah and we are here instead of him."
"God Piper," Polly just groaned and looked around.
"Don't you think that you being here benefits you in some way?"
The blonde huffed, she definitely knew a thousand other places she rather wanted to be.
"And how would that benefit me?"
"Hello? You're the fucking supermodel at the moment and when these annoying asshole paps publish these photos they just took of us tomorrow, you'll stay in the spotlight."
"Do you actually listen to yourself? Like, when you speak?"
"You know I'm right."
Piper just shook her head and blinked her eyes. Although she had gotten used to being 'in the spotlight', those camera flashes still messed up her eyes.
"Who's fighting anyways?"
"Lightweight champion Alex Vause defends her title against uh, what was her name again? Stella… Carter, Carlin… Something like that. It's a title bout."
"Ah," Piper just responded and leaned back into her seat. She rested her elbow on the armrest and cupped her face in her hand. Alex Vause. She heard a shit load of this woman who was probably the fucking supermodel in her league. And she mostly didn't hear good things about this woman.
Doping rumours.
Drug scandals.
Affairs.
She watched her from afar, almost observing her as if she tried to see if those things they kept saying about this dark-haired woman were true. Soon enough, she would find out.
"Shit, Vause, the moment you knocked her the fuck out, that dingo's head was literally rolling over the floor. That was fucking smooth. Still, you kept me waiting. I was almost scared that I backed the wrong horse."
"Shut up, Nicky," Alex said to her friend laughingly as they entered her cubicle.
Again, Alex won. She was still the unbeaten champion. She sat down on the bench, waiting for her crew to come in. They took of her boxing gloves,
stitched her up whilst she just leaned back and waited for her trainer to speak.
"You have to stop fighting like this. Or whatever this is you think you're doing."
"What? I won, didn't I?"
At the brunette's response, her crew cheered up except the fire-haired woman.
"Yeah you won but you also lost some braincells out there and I think you need them really bad."
"Jesus, Red, can't you be happy for once?"
"I can't if you keep getting fucked over like tonight. What the fuck were you doing out there, huh? This is NOT how I trained you! Did your brain really shrink this much that you forgot the things I've taught you?! Fuck, are you already suffering from dementia?!"
Alex knew that Red was right. This fight tonight wasn't glorious. And although she won, she had taken more hits than she had dished out. Her face was the best proof.
"And look at your fucking nose. It's bleeding, as always. And you've been out of the cage for what, fifteen minutes now? And it's still bleeding."
"You know the reason for it."
"Yeah it's your reckless way of fighting. You've got two hands, don't you? So use them. Have you ever heard anything about defence, huh? Protection, are you familiar with it? It's a synonym for defence."
"Damn, Red, you're getting on my fucking nerves."
"Good, that means some of them are still in working order."
When Alex groaned again, Red gave everyone a piercing look and said, "Leave us alone."
They did as they were told and Red was alone with her protégée. She kneeled down in front of her and placed her hands on the brunette's knees.
"I'm just worried about you, Alex. I don't like seeing you get hurt like that. I know you don't care what anyone thinks about you but please mark my words. Don't be this reckless."
Eventually, Alex met her gaze and her expression softened. She pressed her lips together and nodded her head. "I know, Red," she nearly whispered and a tiny smirk found its way on her face.
Red returned her look for a second before she slapped Alex's face lightly when she got up.
"What was that for?" Alex exclaimed and watched Red walking towards the door.
The older woman turned around, pointing her finger at her and explained, "I could've been home by now. That was for keeping me awake this late at night."
Alex let out a raspy chuckle and shook her head as she saw her mentor go. And when she stood up, the ache rushed through her whole body as the adrenaline eventually left her system. The iron taste on her lips reminded her that her nose was still dripping blood. Alex grabbed the already blood-stained white towel and pressed it against her nose.
"Press conference in 20 minutes," one of her crew members informed her and disappeared again.
"Fuck," she cursed under her breath and carefully took her clothes off as she walked into the shower.
"So, tell us. Did you enjoy the fight? Do you think Alex Vause deserved to win tonight?"
"Yeah I was definitely having a good time. It went down to the wire."
"We didn't expect to see someone like you at such an event."
"Me neither," Piper charmingly responded to the interviewer and made him laugh.
Fucking professional. Piper knew perfectly how to avoid questions she didn't want to answer. Red carpets, interviews, cameras, microphones, paparazzi, fake people. Those were the main things Piper had to get used to in a short amount of time. And if she hadn't been this perfectionist she was, she would've failed to do so.
When the fight was over, the blonde and Polly were invited to the after party. And of course, they didn't say no. In her slim, white suit that fitted her body perfectly and was ripped at the right spots, Piper and her best friend strolled out of the arena, making their way through the crowd to their saloon car.
And the moment she was seen outside of Madison Square Garden, the paps leaped at her. So, they picked up their pace as they were surrounded by photographers and newsmen. Although her bodyguards pushed them aside, it was claustrophobic nevertheless.
But Piper wouldn't have been Piper if she didn't answer some questions on the way to the car.
When they finally stepped into the car, hidden from the camera flashes and pushy people, Piper exhaled deeply and felt an intense stare on her face.
"What?" she nonchalantly asked her friend.
Piper could nearly hear Polly's smile in her response. "Nothing."
Eventually, the blonde turned her head to look at the woman next to her and eyed her suspiciously.
"I know why you wanna go to the after party," Polly confessed.
A soft chuckle escaped Piper's mouth and she shook her head.
"Wow, ever thought about becoming the next Sherlock, Pol?"
Ignoring her sarcastic question, Polly stated, "You wanna meet Alex Vause."
"What?!" was the blonde's answer as her eyes grew wide and her eyebrows almost touched her hairline.
"Oh, don't act all innocent. I saw how you were staring at her the whole time and literally undressed her with your eyes. Although she wasn't even wearing that much clothes…"
"Are you fucking kidding me, Polly? I'm straight" Piper replied and raised one brow at her friend.
"You didn't seem this straight to me ten minutes ago."
Again, Piper just shook her head at the absurdity of Polly's words and looked out of the window, hoping that the other woman would drop the topic.
"Admit it and I'll leave you alone."
Of course she wouldn't drop it.
Rolling her eyes, Piper stated with slight annoyance in her voice, "Polly, you know me. I like parties, you like parties. Simple as that. So would you please stop?"
"Sure."
After a short pause, she spoke up again, "I can't blame you, though. She's really hot."
"And a drug-addicted asshole," Piper added to Polly's words.
This time, Polly was the one who rolled her eyes.
"You don't know that. But you may find out tonight."
"Shut up," Piper eventually said and hoped internally that she convinced Polly that Alex Vause wasn't the reason she wanted to go to the party. But Polly knew Piper. And she knew that the blonde was a bad liar.
Everybody in the room could see that Alex was bored rigid. It was a fact that Alex Vause wasn't someone who liked press conferences. Or the press in general. Or the media. And some paps had had to learn this the hard way in the past. Criminal mischief. Assault. Things Alex had already gone to prison for once.
Or twice. Or even thrice. Well this and drug abuse and theft. But this was long before she was famous. It was at a time in her life when every day had been about surviving. When she hadn't known if she had to go to bed with an empty stomach or without a roof above her head. When she hadn't known if her mother who had been suffering from cancer would wake up the following morning or not. She had spent most of the stolen money on her mother's medicines and her treatments. And in case she had had some pennies left over, she had been this fool that had thought she could create her own ideal world by popping pills, smoking dope or smacking up. And when it had almost ended disastrously, Alex had changed her life and had decided to be someone. For her mother. She had been the whole reason Alex had entered this world and had become famous. Because money made the world go round. And when she had realised that she could get paid for her one and only talent, she had surrendered herself to them and had sold her whole self but not her soul. She would never do that.
Whilst she was staring into space, Nicky kicked her underneath the table and brought her back.
"What?" she quietly hissed at her wild-haired friend who nodded her head once in response, drawing her attention to the people in the room. She could see how they were expectantly and almost desperately waiting for Alex's response to a question she hadn't heard.
The brunette lifted her head from the hand that had been cupping her cheek the whole time and raised her brows. Her eyes scanned the room and she cleared her throat before she said, "Are we done here?"
And the journalists laughed, what else were they supposed to do? Alex's question was cocky, arrogant, disrespectful. Yet, these traits defined her and they've known Alex Vause long enough with the result that they didn't expect anything else from her.
The brunette leaned back in her seat and lifted her hand to adjust her glasses. She wasn't ashamed of them. And too hard punches in the face weren't the reason for her shortsightedness. She's needed them ever since she had been a kid. They were a part of her. Simple as that. Alex Vause simply didn't belong to this world. She was too normal and yet too extraordinary for it. Some people wondered why she was still famous. Damn, people think so much, too much, and care about things that are none of their business. One of the most common phenomenons.
Alex kept answering questions concisely, internally wishing that all this nonsense would be over soon. It wasn't only that the brunette got easily bored and didn't spend too much time on certain things. In her eyes, all these people were pathetic. When she had been a nobody, people hadn't given a hoot in hell for her. But ever since she was somebody, they wanted to know her, to be her friend, to be seen with her. Fucking cockroaches, she kept calling them.
If she could, she'd probably even feel pity for them and their miserable lives. But Alex Vause was Alex Vause.
"Do you have anybody in mind who could be your next opponent?"
With her signature smirk on her face, Alex replied, "Unfortunately, I don't know anybody who can take on me, do you?"
And again, she shut one of these pathetic cockroaches down.
They kept bothering her with questions about her fight, about her future, rumours about her personal life, anything. It took a bit longer than twenty minutes when the conference was finally over. Alex got up from her seat, about to disappear into the background when she heard somebody yell,
"How's your mum, Vause?"
Wow, this person certainly knew how to get Alex's attention as the dark-haired woman instantly stopped dead in her tracks.
"Keep walking, Alex," Nicky told her, trying to calm her taller friend down when she saw how she tensed up.
"Poor woman, I heard she's desperately waiting for her death because she's so sick of you and your fuckin' ass."
Bullseye. Literally. Whoever this woman was, Alex would chop her head off and shove it deep up her asshole. Balling her hands to fists, the brunette stretched her neck and swiftly turned around, her legs leading her to the person who had just signed her own death warrant.
"What'd you say?" Alex expressionlessly asked.
"Alex." Nicky tried to approach her but the brunette shook her off.
Eventually, Alex spotted her target. It was an older woman with dark skin and black curly hair that reached her shoulders. She's never seen her before and wondered who she think she was for saying the things she just said.
"There she is," the dusky woman stated with a smile on her face Alex wanted to cut off.
As Alex was still slowly walking towards her, the photographers and journalists watched the scene and tried to capture it with their cameras and recorders.
"I wonder how she'd put up with you and your shit the past 24 years."
Alright, that's it, Alex concluded and aggressively stormed towards her.
But she wasn't in the cage. This was no Mixed Martial Arts fight. This was reality. Ironic how because she wasn't captured in a cage but was free to move she couldn't legally beat the shit out of that woman. Nicky and the rest of her crew members stopped her and held her back, saying things to calm her down. The cameras' flashlights kept blinding Alex but she would definitely remember this woman's face. You always meet twice. Even Red who usually kept herself in the background appeared and tried to push Alex back. Eventually, they dragged her into the halls, hidden from the spotlight and thirsty journalists.
"Who was that fucking piece of shit?!"
"Alex, calm down!"
"Oh, I'll calm down when I smashed that bitch's face in!"
"Alex! Keep your temper!" Red added and rested her hands softly on the brunette's shoulders.
"That was Vee Parker."
Eventually, Alex met Red's gaze. Now you're talking.
"She's some kind of manager of Carlin's team and some bigwig of the UFC. She just wanted to provoke you."
"Yeah and she did a good job," Nicky interposed.
Her eyes still fixed on Red's, Alex kept waiting for her to continue.
"Yes, she did. Alex, you totally played into her damn hands!"
"Yeah and she also did a good job," Alex's best friend repeated.
"Shut up, Nicky. This is serious. Like really, really serious. Look, Vee Parker's been having it in for you ever since you became a professional fighter. She wants you out of the picture. And soon enough you'll make her wish come true."
"So what do I care, huh? Nobody has the right to talk about my mother like this. No fucking Vee Parker, no fucking UFC wannabe, no fucking anybody." Alex took her eyes off of Red and stared blankly at the wall behind her trainer and stated, "I'll kill her."
"No, you won't. God, you're such a fool. Alex, turn on your last ten braincells. Prove to her that you're smarter than this, show everyone that you're more than they think you are."
Alex let out sarcastic laugh before she told the red-haired woman, "I don't care who they think I am. But I know what they are. Fucking, little, pathetic cockroaches. I don't care about all this fame-shit."
"I know you don't but you care about your mum, don't you?"
And again, 100 points. Bullseye. Meeting her gaze again, the brunette said, "Red, you're treading on thin ice."
"I'm just saying how it is. If they take your license away from you, they'll take everything. Your titles, your money, your name and you'll start all over again. Is that what you want, Alex?"
"I've felt the ground before."
"Yes which is the exact reason you shouldn't go back there."
Letting out a sigh, Alex pressed her lips together and nodded her head.
"You know I'm right, kiddo. I'll go home now. Nicky, make sure Alex will go to the after party."
"No way! I ain't going nowhere," Alex clarified.
"Yes, you will. The press conference is probably already on the news. They expect you not to attend the after party. That's why you will."
Giving her one last serious glare, Red slapped her cheek lightly as she usually did and walked off.
"C'mon Hulk, let's get you out of here before you'll turn green again," Nicky said and put her hand on Alex's back to push her forward.
The raven-haired woman just shook her head and reluctantly started walking.
And Red was right, as always. Alex's tantrum at the press conference two hours ago was being discussed everywhere. They were feeding on it like leeches.
They only get high when you're low.
It was after midnight and after some drinks, Piper was having fun. Although Polly was pleading her to finally go home, the blonde refused. But what kind of best friend Polly would be if she left her alone at this after party? Whilst Piper was dancing on the dance floor, being hit on by several guys, Polly was watching her from afar as she was sitting at the bar by herself. It wasn't a pleasant view but Polly was aware that her best friend loved the attention. And she was a grown up woman. Yet, she wanted to interrupt them. She had once done, but it hadn't gone well as Piper had nearly chopped her head off of her shoulders.
I can look out for myself, Polly.
I don't need a babysitter.
I'm 22, I'm old enough.
So, she's been tolerating such scenes ever since. The short woman sipped her drink and scrunched her nose when she saw how this man was touching her best friend. Shaking her head, she mumbled, "Oh, Piper."
"Beautiful name, but I'm Alex."
Polly was startled when she suddenly heard these raspy words coming from somebody who was sitting beside her. She immediately turned her head to her right and looked at the dark-haired woman.
"Oh, no, sorry, of course I know who you are," she began to ramble but couldn't stop herself, "You're Alex Vause, the new old lightweight MMA champion. Hey. Congrats, great fight."
The brunette laughed at Polly's obvious nervousness and gave the bartender a sign.
She returned her gaze on the thing Polly has been staring at the whole time and spoke up, nodding her head at the direction, "That's Piper, I suppose."
"Yeah, yeah, that's Piper."
Being starstruck, Polly didn't realise that Alex was waiting for her to continue. To spare the brown-haired woman, Alex added, "And Piper is…?"
"My best friend, she's kinda drunk, obviously," Polly stated and nervously laughed.
This made Alex chuckle again but she was already about to leave the short woman when the bartender came back with her orders. The raven-haired woman stood up but said before she was going to disappear, "It was nice to meet you…"
"Polly," she quickly introduced herself.
Alex gave her her cocky smirk with one raised brow and started walking, her silhouette fading within the crowd.
"Ohmygod," Polly whispered and raised her brows. "Dammit, I should've asked her for an autograph." And her following thought made her get up- I have to tell Piper.
Alex joined Nicky and the rest of the group who were waiting for her and the drinks at a private area in the V.I.P. section. If she weren't a boxer, the brunette would have real problems with keeping her balance as she was already hopped-up and adding alcohol to her state. But she was a professional. She knew what she was doing as this wasn't her first time. Alex placed the tray with the drinks on the glass table and let herself fall into the leather armchair.
"Tired?" Nicky asked and grabbed her drink.
Knitting her brows in response, Alex took off her leather jacket as the mixture in her system started to kick in. She took one big sip from her water before she downed her shot.
"This will be the death of you," her best friend smilingly said, yet a serious warning behind her words.
"You gotta die of something," Alex coolly replied and winked at her.
Changing the subject, the wild-haired woman asked her, "Where's Sylvie?"
"Who's Sylvie?"
This made Nicky laugh and Alex joined her.
"Shit Red was right, you really need those last brain cells. You're already suffering from dementia."
"Fuck off, Nichols, I'm just losing track."
"Yeah, I see… So, what's her name tonight?"
"Piper," Alex dreamingly answered with a small grin on her face.
"I hope she's not as boring as her name sounds."
Alex just showed Nicky her middle finger and laughed. Damn, how much she loved to get high.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the after party, Polly could successfully convince Piper to slow down and sit down for a while. Like Alex and the rest of her group, Piper and Polly were sitting in a secluded V.I.P area, too. The two friends were surrounded by other famous persons who were actors, singers, athletes. Whilst Piper was mindlessly staring at whatever her eyes found, Polly was excitedly talking to her.
"Can you believe it? I met her, Piper!"
"Who?" the blonde responded and took a sip from her drink.
"Jesus, are you even listening?! Alex Vause!"
Now Piper was definitely listening. But she tried to hide it and casually said, "So?"
Polly nevertheless told her about her 2 minutes with the one and only Alex Vause, not noticing that Piper was paying attention to every single word of her. Because yeah, she was hot. And perfect for one night. Yet, Piper had a reputation. A good one. And the infamous Alex Vause didn't match into this perfect bubble Piper was flying with into the hearts of the media and the whole world. She belonged to the world.
"Pipe?" Polly said and snapped her fingers in front of her friend's face.
"Hm?"
"Do you wanna stay or can we finally go home?"
Letting her friend's question sink in, Piper had to admit, she was actually looking forward to fall asleep in her bed as Polly's words made her realise that she was tired.
"Yeah, I'll just go to the bathroom and then we'll be ready to go, okay?"
With a half smile, Polly nodded and saw the blonde stand up on her slightly shaky legs.
Her nose was itching and Alex scratched it which didn't go unnoticed by Nicky. She felt her friend's gaze and looked at her. Nicky casually gave her a (the) nod and the brunette freed herself from the unknown woman who has been straddling her lap ever since she returned. The woman reluctantly let go of Alex's collar and pulled her lips from her neck. Alex whispered into her ear that she'd be back and got up, walking towards the bathroom, her entrance to an even better world.
Hello, welcome to the other side
You're lost
Baby step outside your mind
You've been really good,
You've been really good
You've been thinking 'bout being bad
ever since I put you on
She locked herself in one of the stalls, pulled out the white powder and parted it into small lines on her little box. After she twisted a dollar bill to a straw with her fingers, she bowed over the drug and inhaled it, letting it rush through her nose right into her body. When she shockingly shoved everything back into her pockets, she let out a deep breath and stepped out of the stall. As her eyes were focused on the floor, she didn't see that somebody was actually right in front of the door. Alex bumped into the other person, the things she just used falling on the ground.
"Fuck," she cursed under her breath and kneeled down, quickly collecting her stuff.
"I'm sorry, I didn't see…"
Piper stopped talking when she saw who was bowing in front of her and instantly knew what kept Alex Vause so long in the closet.
When Alex swiftly stood up after she hid her stuff again, her face was dangerously close to the blonde's. And it was like back then when she had been in the cage, her vision was blurry and everything somehow faded to black when her eyes landed on Piper's face. The two women were on eye level although Piper was wearing heels. Nevertheless, she wasn't taller than the raven-haired woman. For a second, Piper froze, completely overwhelmed by the almost nonexistent presence between them and her blue eyes found Alex's emerald ones. She could feel Alex's hot breath on her own lips and for a very short moment, her lungs stopped working. Her eyes wandered over Alex's face, finding little bruises and scratches. But they didn't make her pull away. Only when she saw the brunette's white nose, she took a step back.
"Sorry, I thought there was no one inside."
Alex didn't move, only raised one brow at the blonde, at Piper.
"I know you," Alex stated, her voice lower than usual.
Well, yeah, I'm a model, Piper thought to herself, realising that she was kind of disappointed that they weren't normal people who could be strangers.
"I saw you, you were in the audience tonight."
That surprised Piper. She pulled her brows slightly together when she heard Alex say, "You're Piper, Nelly's friend."
"Nelly?" the blonde repeated and wondered if Alex was simply way too high to think straight.
"Isn't that your friend's name? Wait, Molly? Holly? I swear it was something like that…"
"Polly?"
"Yes! Exactly! Polly!" Alex said a bit too enthusiastically.
As she was too confused, Piper wasn't aware that she was stepping backwards as Alex was approaching her slowly until her back hit the sink. Wondering what she ran into (again), she quickly looked down and found herself captured by the brunette. Suddenly, it was hard to breathe and it was even harder when Alex rested her hands next to the blonde on the sink.
"I'm Alex," she nearly whispered and Piper could feel her words on her lips as they were again very close to each other.
Because of the drinks in her system, it took a bit more time until Piper had the courage to do something about her current situation.
"And I'm no junkie," the blonde explained and straightened herself, showing that she wouldn't surrender.
"I thought so… Damn, you're so professional."
Feeling offended by her words, Piper pushed her lightly yet strongly enough back to free herself.
"Oh come on, I don't live under a rock. You're the next Kate Moss. Except that you're younger, and a good girl… and prettier," Alex explained as she stood next to the blonde to wash her hands.
Piper crossed her arms in front of her chest, her back resting against the sink as she was watching the woman next to her. She huffed, making Alex chuckle who dried her hands with a towel.
"And you're the next Kurt Cobain. Except that you're a woman and you'll probably put a faster end to your life."
"Easy, kid. No need to be rude," Alex playfully said and looked at Piper again.
Ignoring the nickname no one had ever used before, Piper huffed again and stormed off. When she heard Alex's raspy laugh again, she realised that she was wrong.
Alex Vause was an even bigger asshole than everyone thought.
"Let's go home, Polly," Piper demanded and took her friend's hand to pull her up.
After her encounter with the brunette Piper felt like she sobered up within those few minutes with her.
"Yeah, but what's wrong? What happened?"
Acting as if she didn't hear Polly, the taller woman kept dragging her through the crowd towards to exit in the back. She was in no mood to face any paparazzi or photographers. Instead, she would face someone else. They were standing outside in the dark when Piper took out her mobile and called her driver.
"Gerald will be here in 10 minutes," she informed Polly and leaned against the wall of the building.
"Good, so you'll have ten minutes to explain to me what's got into you."
Piper knew better than to play innocent and answered, "Alex fucking Vause's got into me."
When she saw Polly raising her brows and opening her mouth, Piper quickly added, "Not in that way you pervert. And you know what? She's an even bigger asshole in reality."
"Why?" Polly blankly asked, making Piper getting even more furious.
"Why? Because she's… arrogant, absolutely cocksure of herself and simply an asshole. And you know what?"
"What?"
"She snorted some blow, in a public bathroom! Can you believe it?!"
"Shit, I thought she was clean," Polly said, obviously devastated.
"Wait what? Whose side are you on?!"
"Jesus, Piper, relax. It's not like she raped you or something. Calm down."
"I am calm! Why is everyone so-"
"Good evening, ladies," a deep voice said, interrupting Piper.
The two friends turned their heads to look at the man who approached them.
"How do you do this?" Polly asked her friend who was in her eyes a magnet who could attract anyone, anywhere.
Sighing internally, Piper let her head fall back and couldn't possibly be more annoyed. But, she knew how to handle situations perfectly.
Alex Vause would be an exception.
"Two beautiful, young ladies like you shouldn't be alone at night."
"Hey, we're fine. We're just waiting for my-"
"There you are, baby. I was looking for you."
She felt an arm resting around her waist that pulled her away from the pushy man.
Being completely perplexed, Piper followed the person who was still holding her.
"Keep walking," the husky voice whispered into her ear and Piper didn't need to check who that person was.
When they were eventually out of sight, the two women were in an alleyway and Piper was wondering where her friend was.
"People usually say thank you, in case you're not familiar with it," Alex said with an arrogant grin on her face Piper desperately wanted to rip off.
She opened her mouth a few times but no words came out as she didn't know where to begin.
Finally, she found a start.
"What was that all about, huh? I don't need your help. Who do you think you are?! Shit… Where's Polly?" Piper was fumbling inside her purse,
looking for her phone.
"You're welcome, kid."
"Don't call me that," the blonde immediately warned her and dialed Polly's number when she found her cellphone.
"Jesus, what is your problem?"
Whilst she was holding her phone to her ear, she tried to hush Alex, in vain.
"No, don't shoo me, you horse's ass. Fuck, now I remember why I never help people."
"I'm a horse's ass?!"
"Yes, you are! You know what, never mind, I'm out of here."
Hanging up, Piper put her phone into her purse when she saw that Alex was actually walking off.
"What the hell? You don't get to do that!"
When the brunette walked past her, Piper grabbed her wrist to stop her from leaving. At the sudden contact, both women felt like they were on fire.
Whilst Alex looked at her, Piper lowered her eyes, wondering how her own hand found Alex's wrist. Yet, she couldn't let go and instead even intensified her grip.
"Piper."
Her name left Alex's mouth in a throaty tone. And for a second, this sound released her. She would be free when she would capture Alex.
But this would be unbeknownst to her until this moment would come.
"You're no good, Alex," she coldly told her and let go of Alex's wrist and returned to her cage that was the world.
It seems like pain and regrets are your best friends,
'cause everything you do leads to them, why?
Run, run
But baby, I could be your best friend
Blaming all your sins on your best friends
and nothing's ever ever your fault
Nothing's your fault baby, no
Well baby, you don't need your best friends
'cause I got everything you want.
Baby, you could have it all
Baby, you could have it all
