Chapter 1

I see the world as a candy store

With a cigarette smile

Saying can't things you can't ignore

Kagome mouthed along to the music blasting through her headphones while cracking two eggs against the bowl already filled with flour, sugar and vanilla. With her hair in a high messy bun and clad in a tank top and pink undies, her hips swayed to the upbeat rhythm and smoky bedroom voice of Pink while she poured in a cup of water and stirred the contents.

Open your mouth and stick out your tongue

You might as well let go,

You can't take back what you've done

Spraying the skillet with butter, she scooped out batter and adjusted the fire. While waiting for the pancakes to warm up she opened the oven door and remove the baking tin with french toast and placed it on the counter to cool.

If God is a DJ
Life is a dance floor
Love is the rhythm
You are the music

Grooving along she flipped the pancakes over, using the spatula as a microphone whenever it suited her. Once they were nice and fluffy with a little burn around the edges, just like her roommate liked it, she scooped them into a dish and placed it alongside the toast.

A hand flashed in front of her and she looked up to find Sango, eyes squinted and red thick with mascara that smeared down her cheeks. She had on her dress from the night before, twisted in disarray, along with wild untamed bedroom hair.

Kagome removed one of her headphone, "You look like shit." Sango started a chuckle that turned into a hearty cough session. "Fuck if I don't feel like shit." Staggering towards the counter, she leaned on her elbows and slowly massaged her head, "What are you doing?"

Kagome exhaled as Pink's voice faded out in the background, "I wanted to surprise you with breakfast in bed." She moved towards the fridge and poured a cup of orange juice which she then gave to Sango along with two pills.

Sango looked at the juice, contemplating whether her scratchy throat was up for tangy OJ, then gulped down the pills drink free and instantly regretted it. With less hesitance she chugged down the juice trying to rid that after pill swallowing feeling from her throat.

"Why are you gonna bring me breakfast in bed, my birthday was yesterday?" she asked watching her roomie move about. Kagome always seemed so at home in the kitchen, cooking was definitely one of her best skills.

"Well since your boyfriend got to treat you with breakfast yesterday," Kagome pointed out as she gathered her cooking on a single dish and placed it in front of Sango, "I wanted to get to do my part today."

Kagome continued, "It's bacon, egg, pancake and caramel french toast. All made to perfection of course." Sango looked down at the dish, the food hardly fitting for one serving. "You're trying to fatten me up aren't you?"

Kagome giggled, "Yes, I'm trying to plump you up so I can make a trade with the evil witch that lives in the forest."

Sango leaned forward and pinched Kagome's baby cheeks, "I always knew you couldn't be trusted."

"It'll help the hangover, you drunkie," Kagome recommended as she swatted away Sango's crab fingers. Grabbing the maple syrup from the counter she doused it onto the pancake as a silent revenge.

Sango forked the toast and sighed, "Oh my God this is goooood." With a mouth full she artfully spat her compliment. Kagome beamed while pouring herself a glass of OJ and sipped. Sango swallowed, "I swear I never get tired of your meals."

Kagome chuckled. After four years of rooming together Sango's praises still made her blush, mostly because they were so hard to come by. "So you enjoyed getting shitfaced on your twenty-first birthday?"

"Did I look like I was having fun? It's kinda blurry." Kagome laughed and chewed on a slice of crispy bacon. For the moment she'd forgo telling her straight laced bestie that she had done body shots off strangers, danced topless on a bar and passed out on the dance floor. Then again it was Miroku's fault, topping her up with jager bombs, rbv and vodka and cran even though he knew she was a light weight.

"Uhhh well, you didn't look like you were not having fun," Kagome supplied. Sango squinted with her fork paused by her lips. "Why do I not like how that sounds."

Glancing down to avoid the stare, the one Sango had practiced and mastered to help with her profession and squeeze information out of her cunning boyfriend and keep her unruly friend in line, Kagome sang along to the new tune buzzing in her ear.

I'm gonna trade this life for fortune and fame

I'd even cut my hair

And change my name

"Are you seriously singing Nickleback."

"What's wrong with Nickleback?"

Kagome pouted, "Don't tell me you're one of those people that think they're…"

"Mediocre, lame and have a generic sound?" Sango listed using her fingers. "I could go on," she taunted reaching over and sipping Kagome's OJ, "But yes I am one of those people." She finished using her fingers to air quote "one of those people"

Kagome scoffed, "Yeah you're a bandwagonist hater," she pointed out taking back her OJ. "You're just hating cause you think it's cool."

"Yeah, I'm totally trying to fit in with the cool kids," Sango teased picking up the half eaten plate. She added two more pancakes, some bacon and french toast. "Now if you'll excuse me I have a very hungry Miroku I have to go feed."

While she made her way back to her room Kagome spoke up, "Hate all you want, you can't resist it." Then she picked up her fork and extended her arm above as she belted out the lyrics of the chorus.

Cause we all just wanna be big rockstars

And live in hilltop houses, driving fifteen cars

The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap

Using the kitchen as her stage she moved around on tiptoes, first leaning against the counter then sauntering towards a laughing Sango who immediately joined in, looking scornfully at the plate as they sang

We'll all stay skinny 'cause we just won't eat
And we'll hang out in the coolest bars

In the VIP with the movie stars

Every—

The sound of a toilet flushing broke up the screeching duet. Sango glimpsed at the closed bathroom door, "Kagome, is there someone else here?' she asked with a sly grin on her face.

Kagome chuckled as she hopped onto the back of one of their secondhand half-eaten couches, "You really don't remember last night huh?" Sango stuck her tongue out then pouted a look that was totally foreign on her features. Though it was done in the hopes of coming off pleading, Kagome realized it made her look like that crazy lady that drowned her babies in the lake in that show with Leonardo DiCaprio.

"It's Hojou," she conceded, kinda creeped out.

Sango gasped, "You're getting on with him again?" Balancing the dish in one hand she pointed to Kagome while shaking her head, "You know you're—"

"Taking advantage of him because he really likes me and I just want sex," she finished softly. Sango rolled her eyes, "Yes and you—"

"Came off like a bitch because I broke up with him," Kagome supplied then added, "Even though I clearly told him from the start that we're not boyfriend and girlfriend," she gingerly reminded, "So there wasn't really anything to break up."

Sango placed her hand on her hip, "That doesn't matter. I keep telling you tha—"

"That friends with benefits rarely ever work out. And I need to stop following this Hollywood farce that it's ok to hookup without attempting to make a commitment."

"If you finish my sentence one more time," Sango warned ready to dump the dish in Kagome's lap. Kagome held up her hands and gave an innocent smile. Sango cleared her throat as the moment of wrath slowly dissolved, "How do you know what I'm thinking anyways."

"Because," Kagome said with a sing-song voice and a cheeky grin, "You said all of this last night at the club when Hojou showed up."

"I did?"

"Yeah, right around the time when you told Miroku that he needs to stop trying to get you to take it up the ass and that it was a one-time deal and never going to happen again."

Kagome watched as Sango went unnervingly still, her cheeks drifting from pink to red to purple. "Breathe," she instructed taking the plate from her and trying very, very hard not to laugh. Her snicker escaped as Sango all but collapsed onto the floor and covered her eyes letting out a wail.

Kagome stuffed some pancake in her mouth so it would calm her down while her friend slowly stopped hyperventilating. Once she was somewhat calm Kagome spoke, "Sango it's ok. We've all, at some point in our life, thought about taking it up the ass."

Placing the plate on the cushion Kagome continued, "I actually commend you. This one time, a guy tried to go there with me an—"

"Stop!" Sango interrupted jumping to her feet and holding Kagome's lips shut. Her eyes were teary and Kagome wondered if maybe she had pushed it too far. This was probably one of Sango's biggest, darkest, freakiest secrets.

Then again we are talking about Miroku, Kagome reminded herself. Whenever she had thought about Miroku and Sango in that sense which was hardly ever, but when she did, Kagome had always envisioned some form of extra kinkiness. It just came with the territory.

Even though Sango was as straight and narrow as they come, always in control and high and mighty, one sultry look from Miroku and she was like a puppy by a milk bowl. She was totally smitten, had been ever since they got together around the second year of college.

Initially in first year Miroku had a thing for Kagome. He would tag along, as an unwilling third party, hitting on Kagome and taking insults from Sango. Kagome always found him entertaining; in a way she got his weird sense of humor. Sango on the other hand was put off by the sight of him and deemed him a chauvinistic asshole, which Kagome kind of thought was a pot calling the kettle black situation.

The two would bickered back and forth over the most trivial things and at one point it had turned into a 'who do you like better contest'. Eventually Kagome relented and agreed to one date, provided he act like a gentleman and keep his hands away from her ass.

They watched a movie and ate at a restaurant. Kagome genuinely had fun; Miroku was funny, witty and had some really amazing travel stories from his family yearly trip around the world.

The evening had been splendid until her stomach started to turn around dessert. By the time they made it back to the apartment, climbed the narrow four staircases to the room, Kagome had burst through the door, locked herself into the bathroom and had herself a good ol' shitfest.

When all was expelled, Miroku made her some tea while Sango feed her some Peptobismol and soon enough Kagome made her way to her room and passed out. The next morning she found a very naked Sango and equally naked Miroku on the couch, the first of many naked couch make-out sessions she'd walk into. Sango had been overcome with guilt and bewildered as to why she would even sleep with such an ass.

That morning Kagome made the two a hearty ham and broccoli breakfast. Sango had been on a stupid crash diet in the hopes of preventing the dreaded freshman fifteen and so there was hardly any sensible food kept in the place. She left them alone to sort through their repressed emotional shit.

She wasn't into Miroku like that and if her friend liked the guy, who was she to stand in the way. So now with two years, three one-week break-ups and two pregnancy scares later, here they were.

Kagome sighed, "Ok, ok," she conceded.

Letting the topic drop she continued, "Look I can't help that I like sex ok? And Hojou," Kagome pointed to the space between the bathroom door and herself, "He's ok with us being fwb."

Sango batted at her eyes, "Please don't text talk, it's so…" she shuddered.

Kagome rolled her eyes.

Sango huffed, "Fine, I'll leave you with your on again off again friend of conveni—"

The bathroom door opened.

"Oh, uh wow Sango, you're a sight for sore eyes," Hojou spluttered with a line of blush across his cheeks. Sango picked up her plate while plastering an 'L' with her fingers against her forehead towards both onlookers and stalked backwards into her room then shut the door.

Kagome chuckled as Hojou made his way across the small living room. "You know I never really get that loser gesture, he commented taking a seat on the couch. Kagome sent him a quizzical look; "You're familiar with the loser symbol?" she poked.

Kagome squealed as he pulled her from the backing onto his lap. Smirking he continued, "If the 'L' stands for loser and you're indicating the loser," he explained rubbing his thumb against her nipple, "Then putting it against your forehead, aren't you really saying you're a loser?"

Kagome glimpsed down at her chest then up into his light brown eyes, "Are you really trying to feel me up while debating the proper customs of a loser symbol?"

Hojou had the grace to blush, his bravado act crumbling, and Kagome could sense an apology on the tip of his tongue. Leaning up she placed an 'L' against his forehead, "Does this answer your question?"

Hojou grinned and gave her a peck on the lips.

And another.

And another.

And—

"Shit is that the time!"

Kagome jumped up, "Crap, we're gonna be so late for class," she ground out stalking towards her room. Grabbing undies she made her way to the bathroom, pausing for a moment to tell Hojou she made breakfast.

Taking a quick necessary areas only wash, she put on a pair of faded jeans and a simple black tube top. Folder in hand she stuffed another pancake in her mouth, banged on Sango room door, then left with Hojou.

Kagome plopped down in to the seat to the right of Hojou as the lecturer entered the room and made his way to the front. Tamashikon University was a good twenty minutes from the apartment given that there was no traffic and they were cruising in Hojou's hand-me-down Ford Focus. With a little pressure from Kagome to disregard the speed limit, they had made it in time with two minutes to spare.

"Hey how's the job hunt going?" Hojou asked while the lecturer set up the projector. Kagome let out a belated sigh as she remembered her fifth "Don't call us, we'll call you" response. No amount of alcohol could make her forget that rent was coming up.

"It's a no go," she pouted with her chin in hand. Hojou deflated from his usual perkiness and gave a sympathetic exhale. Tapping her nails against the table Kagome shrugged, "I don't think I was cut out to wash dishes anyways."

Hojou sniggered, "Ouch." Leaning back in his seat he continued, "You're way too cute to be in the back though." Kagome rolled her eye, typical optimistic Hojou. She doubted he knew what it was like to be desperate and strapped for cash.

His parents were always just a phone call away. His home was nestled right in the centre of the university town, his freaking bedroom still had model posters from his high school days and his mom made dinner for him every day, probably wiped his butt too. Baby…

Did a two year age gap really make that much of a difference? Kagome met Hojou in her second year due to a switch in major. He was a bright faced seventeen year old first year student with a charming lazy smile and shy, aloof demeanor.

She was a recently turned nineteen year old who was beginning to realize how liberating single life is and had just bought a ridiculously overpriced, too tight closed toe Jimmy Choo that made her opt for the seat by the aisle, next to Hojou, as opposed to her usual middle seat.

In a class where half the people were female, he stood out as the only guy that didn't have pancake ass in khaki. He struck up a conversation about her neon green painted toe nails while she unbuckled the shoes. By the end of the day she had ended her five months dry spell, christened her room in the new apartment she and her dorm mate, Sango, had moved into.

Hojou was a good 'for the moment' guy. They had fun together, he was polite, made her laugh and he took away the third wheel feeling Kagome got whenever Sango and Miroku were being in love.

And he was a good lay.

"Actually," Hojou whispered leaning close to Kagome. He smelled like coconut and strawberry, the fruity body wash Sango had bought at a discount store along with new makeup supplies.

"Have you checked the notice boards on campus?" he questioned.

Kagome wet her bottom lip and nodded. The last she'd checked, which at the start of the moth, all the ads were for on campus help and the last thing she wanted was a low paying campus job.

"I saw one where they were asking for server girls?"

Kagome narrowed her eyes, "Do you mean service girls?" she asked tersely.

Hojou gave her a quizzical look and shook his head. Kagome leaned closer, "You do know what service girls are right?"

Hojou bumped his knee against her leg, "Yes I know. But the ad was for a server girl," he repeated.

Kagome put down her pen, "That's so weird?"

Hojou grunted, "The flyer?"

Kagome nodded, "They don't usually say it like that. More like waitress wanted or something."

Hojou shrugged, "Does it matter?"

Kagome leaned against the phone booth door with the phone by her ears and her fingers dialing the number. The flyer didn't give much away, just a simple server girl need for private function in bold capital and contact information.

The more she thought about it, the more this seemed like one of those open mind masseur needed type of advertisement. She was desperate for some cash but not that desperate.

Sighing she began to hang up when the voice on the other end answered. Kagome swiftly cleared her throat, "Umm hi. I'm calling about the server girl position."

"Right, how old are you?" asked the woman with a no-nonsense, straight to the point tone.

"I'm twenty-one," Kagome lied. She'd clear that up later if there was of any real relevance. Right now she just needed them to book her for an interview.

"What's your hair colour?"

"What?" Kagome asked bewildered.

"Your hair," the voice repeated with annoyance, "What's the colour of it?"

Kagome looked around and then ahead at the phone casing. Someone had scribbled the words 'Marney the Cumbucket' across the surface followed by a seven digit phone number.

"It's uh, black," she supplied her fingers twirling into the cord.

Nothing but the low hum followed. Kagome glanced down at the flyer one last time. There was no pay information or address for the private function. Crap she was so being set up for something shady.

"Ok," the person spoke up. Kagome took out a pen and jotted the address down on the back of the flyer. When she was through she asked, "Can I get any more details on the job?" while creasing the paper.

"Come by on Thursday at two," the lady provided. She smacked her lips and added, "Wear something simple."

Before Kagome could probe she hung up.

"Right," Kagome muttered placing the phone on the receiver. "Like that's gonna happen," she hissed crushing the paper in her pocket then headed towards her next class.

Music: God is a DJ - Pink

Rockstar - Nickelback

I tried to go for a natural feel with this story, nothing too over the top or formulated in the dialogue. Please let me know if i succeeded or if i should continue, if you didn't like or whatever. Review.