A/N: So is this the Eve of All Hallows' Eve? I'm not sure if that's a thing, but I've been eating candy…and drinking.
Enjoy the new chapter and make me proud with your debaucherous Halloween adventures! I can't wait to hear all about them.
Chapter 9
The ride from The Plaza over to the club, after almost a full bottle of champagne shared between the two of them, had been a blur, at least for Katie. Effy had gotten into the backseat of the cab first and when Katie had followed behind, she found herself pressed right up against her. The brunette, who had sat in the middle seat, had made no attempt to scoot over when the redhead got in.
Katie had guessed that it must be common place in the big city; this had been her first time in a real life taxicab, after all. Effy must have been sitting there so it would be easier to talk to the driver, or something. Katie had done her best not to gawk too much out the passenger window or notice the heat that was radiating up and down her left arm and leg where they were touching Effy's bare skin.
Katie feels a flush cover her face as she focuses on following the brunette to the back of the club. Pushing through the thongs of sweaty bodies crowding the bar, trying to get a drink. Katie sees one of the bartenders notice Effy. He quickly waves over to the far end of the bar where a server is waiting for his drink orders.
The server sees the bartender signaling over to them and springs into action, leaving his post and scampering off towards one of the booths that line the back wall of the club. As Effy and Katie approach the table, the previous occupants are hurriedly shooed away by the server to make room for the girls.
It isn't until they are seated that Katie realizes that they had walked right past the bouncer at the front door without being carded. She had been kind of excited to use Emily's fake ID for the first time. She guessed that this must be a regular spot for Effy and Emily, one of their hangouts. "It seems busier than usual tonight." Katie figures that that is a safe enough comment to make.
Effy looks around as if she had just noticed that there were other people in the building. She shrugs.
With a polite bow, the server leaves them and heads back to the bar where two cocktails are waiting. He picks them up and brings them right back to the table. "Miss Stonem, your Buffalo Trace on the rocks." He places the drink on the table. "Miss Murphy, your Grey Goose gimlet."
Katie reaches out and takes the drink from his hand. She hadn't noticed how thirsty she is and takes a big gulp of Emily's favorite cocktail. The drink is insanely strong, or so Katie thinks, and it takes some restraint when Effy looks over at her to play it off like her throat isn't on fire from the vodka.
"Alright?" Effy asks with an almost invisible smirk.
Katie just nods and gives her a tight lipped smile as she chokes down the drink.
Effy looks away with a slight shake of her head and the hint of a smile.
When Emily had quietly tiptoed back inside the house after her strange conversation with Naomi over cigarettes in the yard, she had wandered past the kitchen towards the back corner of the house and had happened upon a man cave of sorts.
The walls of the den are covered with sports photographs and memorabilia all related to the San Francisco Giants. The dark wood paneling and distressed leather furniture give the room a masculine vibe that Emily finds very cool.
As she looks from one thing to another, she spots the remote for the TV. Emily doesn't watch much television; she usually has much better things to do, but given her current locale, she's got nothing but time to kill. She hits the power button and the Sports Center commentary fills the room. Of course.
She doesn't want to press her luck, but as Naomi opens the back door of the house and steps into the Fitch's kitchen, the nagging desire to apologize to Katie about her previous comment drives her on. As she gently closes the door with a soft click, she hears the TV on in Rob's den. It's odd. She knows that Rob is out of town and that her mom never watches TV. That could only leave Katie and Katie never steps foot in her father's man cave.
Naomi smiles as she remembers how excited Rob had been after the remodel. He had even rigged a curtain to drop from the case opening for a dramatic big reveal. Katie had looked around the room with a half-hearted glance before answering her cell phone as she walked away just as Rob was about to start the grand tour.
Naomi had seen the smile drain from Rob's face as he watched his only daughter completely disregard months of his hard work. The blonde had made sure to pay close attention while Rob talked about the sound and picture quality of the new 52 inch LCD screen and Dolby speakers, nodding with interest and awe.
As Naomi gets closer to the den, she hears sports highlights being discussed on the TV. Maybe Rob's back early? She peeks into the room and is shocked to see Katie sitting in Rob's favorite chair and watching sports-related programming with...her full attention!
Naomi steps back before her presence is detected. The weirdness of the evening has now reached its pinnacle. She contemplates going back to her room and forgetting the apology, but her curiosity gets the better of her.
"Hey." Naomi stands in the doorway.
Emily looks up, but says nothing. After a few seconds, she looks back at the screen.
Naomi takes a few steps into the room. "So, this isn't an apology or anything. I just wanted to tell you that my comment wasn't supposed to be taken personally, but I know that is impossible for you." Naomi can't help herself.
Emily's eyes snap up to look at the blonde.
Naomi knows she shouldn't have added an insult into an apology. She's about to apologize for the apology, but she's surprised to see a small smirk play across the redhead's lips. Naomi is surprised once again, but is glad that Katie didn't fly off the handle before she got to really apologize.
"So..." The blonde shifts her weight and places her hands in her pockets. "Anyway, it's just that I didn't mean to bring up the topic of your mom. I know that it's off limits, even for us, and I'm sorry." Naomi's eyes have been darting around for most of it, but she makes sure to look Katie in the eye for the actual apology part.
Emily's eyes are trained on Naomi's, intently watching her as she struggles to form just a few real sentences. The blonde's defensive awkwardness and attempt to clear the air is ridiculously cute. Emily knows that cute would be the last word Katie would use to describe her, and if she's being real, it should be the last word she's thinking about as well. But with the way that Naomi is leaning up against that door frame with her hands in her pockets, looking all nonchalant and sexy...
Emily shakes off the thought. "Whatever." She mimics Katie's tone perfectly and goes back to watching the screen.
Naomi rolls her eyes. Why do I even try? But, instead of walking right back out in the direction she came from, she crosses over to the large globe that sits in the back corner of the room.
Emily's eyes are on the leggy blonde as she passes in front of the TV, and she isn't shy about taking a really good look since Naomi's back is turned. If only the circumstances were different; Emily would not hesitate in getting this girl into bed as soon as possible and never letting her go...just for the sex, of course, nothing more. At least, that's what Emily tries to convince herself.
Naomi opens the top of the globe to reveal several bottles of liquor and a few old fashioned glasses. She selects a bottle of bourbon and pours herself two-fingers. She braces herself for the inevitable bitchy comment that she's going to get from Katie, something along the lines of stealing her father's booze, being a freeloader, or some general comment about her lower-class standings. Naomi brings the glass up to her lips and actually manages to take one sip without a peep from Katie. Wonders never cease.
Naomi is about the close the top of the globe when Emily pipes up. "At the very least, you could offer me one. This is my house after all."
Naomi freezes. Katie is asking her for a drink...of alcohol. The cigarettes were surprising enough. This is just weird, but why question it? She isn't being a complete asshole for a change. "Sorry, Katie. Not seeing any Boone's Farm in here." Naomi turns to look at the redhead as the corner of her mouth quirks into a proud smirk .
Emily loves the comeback; the smirk on the blonde's face is warranted. It's exactly what she'd say to Katie if they were in a similar situation. Naomi is quick on her feet and she doesn't take shit from people. She's exactly the type of girl...
Emily stops herself; she has to remember her role, so she gives the blonde a look that says that she is not impressed. "I'll have whatever you wanna pour and make it quick." The redhead picks up the remote, her eyes quickly jumping back to the TV, and starts channel surfing as if she has just realized that sports-related programming is on! Ew. Katie would never go for that. And it's not like she's been waiting all day to watch the highlights from the Giants' crushing victory over the Dodgers, right? She can just watch them later.
As Naomi busies herself at the bar, and Emily mindlessly flips through nine hundred ninety nine channels, she chances a glance over at the blonde. There's got to be more to it, the bickering and tangible contempt between Naomi and Katie. There has to be more than just the obligatory personality clashes between two high school girls from different cliques involved.
Katie had given Emily nothing but scathing descriptions of Naomi, and it seems, so far, that Naomi genuinely hates Katie's guts. Emily wonders if she could figure out a way to get Gina to talk about it tomorrow, not like she cares or anything. She just thinks that it might be helpful to get some more information about their past so that she doesn't do or say anything that might blow her cover. That's all.
Naomi takes another sip of her drink. She's still weirded out by all of Katie's...weirdness...and she would never admit this, but she's not one hundred percent annoyed and outraged by the redhead's presence. And if she had to, she might even rate their current interaction at only a 7.5 instead of the normal ten on the Being in the Same Room With Katie Fitch Makes Me Want to Punch Myself in the Face Repeatedly scale.
She decides that the best course of action is to not think about it, as she picks up a glass and begins to make a drink for her... Naomi doesn't know how to finish her thought; in fact, she hasn't known what to refer to Katie as for a really long time. The daughter of the guy her mom works for? A classmate? A girl that she went to highschool with? The Fitch Bitch From Hell? They sure as fuck aren't friends or anything even close to being friendly. Katie had made sure of that the summer before the start of their junior year.
Naomi shakes herself from that train of thought. She can't go there right now, not when she has finally relaxes a bit and there's a limitless supply of really good booze at her fingertips. Even if it means having a drink with the devil herself, Naomi really needs one right now. And if Katie wants to act like a normal person before the clock strikes midnight and she turns back into a whoreish nightmare, then maybe we can sit down and have a drink together. Stranger things have happened.
Naomi picks up a bottle of Jameson and pours a generous amount. It's not the same as the bourbon she's drinking, but she figures that Jameson is a bit on the sweet side and Katie might like it more. She puts the bottle back and crosses over to a small refrigerator, opening it and pulling out an old-timey looking ice bucket. She adds a few cubes into Katie's glass and then throws a couple in hers as well.
As she turns back to Katie and offers her the drink, whatever channel she had landed on comes back from commercial and The Real Housewives of Miami Marathon fills the screen with horror and despair.
One drink. I can make it through one drink.
The next scene will be Katie and Effy at the club, don't worry! I just wanted to get this posted sooner than later since I made you all wait for so long. But mostly, I just wanted 6seater to have something to read while she's working 'round the clock. (It will all be over soon, baby. You are the definition of Like a Boss.)
Happy Halloween to everyone! I would love to know what you all dressed up as. Prizes for best costumes are up for grabs.
