Chapter 11 You Didn't Move Forward, You Relapsed

At seven o'clock that evening Simone arrived at Annabelle's apartment ready for their date. She knocked on the door and heard it being unlocked and opened, but Annabelle didn't appear at the door. Simone came inside and heard Annabelle on the phone and noticed she wasn't fully dressed yet. She was standing there wearing jeans with a blue studded belt, a black tank top over a white one, and a pair of converse sneakers. Her hair and makeup wasn't completed yet.

"No mother! I told you I wasn't going to do that!" Annabelle shouted angrily at her mother.

"You're still a Senator's daughter! You haven't done anything in four years to honor that fact!" Senator Tillman shouted back not backing down.

"I was away at college for fuck's sake!" Annabelle swore causing her mother to get even madder.

"Don't talk that way to me! I am still your mother and you will respect me!" her mother shouted again as Annabelle rolled her eyes.

"Maybe it's time you earned it! I'm not doing it and that's final!" Annabelle shouted back and hung up throwing her phone at the couch at the same time. It bounced off the back and clattered to the floor. She turned around and saw Simone standing there and walked over to her, pulling her into her arms to kiss her. Simone returned the kiss, enjoying the way their bodies fit together and the way they seemed to be in sync with each other knowing when to deepen the kiss and when to stop. She was also enjoying Annabelle's new jewelry.

"Not that I'm complaining or anything but is this allowed in our new start-over-whatever-it-is-we-are-doing-relationship?" Simone asked breaking away from Annabelle.

"There's no harm in kissing, it's the next step I'm not ready for yet. Wait here while I finish getting dressed." Annabelle replied with a smile and walked back towards her room. Simone knew where it was because her room was in the same place two floors above.

Annabelle brushed her hair and let it fall loosely at her back. She grabbed a hair band from the drawer to put it up in a ponytail later on, and then added her makeup and lip gloss. She put some Ck on her wrists and neck and went back out to see Simone sitting waiting for her with Sam and Jordan.

"Ok! You can start the party now! I'm here!" Annabelle shouted as she danced her way over to the couch making them all laugh.

They all got up and headed out of the apartment. They rode the elevator down to the lobby and walked out of the entrance to find Sam's car parked next to the curb.

They were going out to eat first then to a club to dance. As they rode along listening to the P!nk cd in the stereo, Simone took the opportunity to look Annabelle over. She hadn't had the chance to really take all of her features in since the last time she had seen her. There was a small scar over her left eyebrow, and a noticeable increase in the muscles of her arms.

"Dude, change cds already! That's the fifth freakin time I've heard this one!" Annabelle complained loudly causing Jordan to laugh and Sam to stick her tongue out.

"It's either this or Aerosmith." Sam laughed evilly knowing she would win.

"I had a feeling you would say that!" Annabelle grinned taking a cd out of her bag and handing it to Jordan.

"No way! How did you get this?!" Jordan gasped putting the cd in the cd player and officially killing their night with P!nk.

"I got my connections!" Annabelle laughed as "Do You Really Want To Hurt Me" by Culture Club started playing.

"Kara gave it to her." Sam corrected as Annabelle flipped her off.

"Thank you Buzzkill Betty!" Annabelle glared at Sam making her laugh.

"Stop being an ass Sam!" Jordan laughed swatting her wife on the arm.

"She totally loves me!" Sam grinned wriggling her eyebrows at Annabelle to make her.

"Only because you have a four door vehicle and I didn't have to listen to you gripe and bitch about how small my car is." Annabelle replied smugly looking at Sam in the rearview mirror.

"Ouch! Knife! Heart!" Sam mock gasped clutching her heart and pretending to die.

Simone laughed at the three 22 year olds and wondered what it would have been like to be around them during the past four years. She closed her eyes and listened to the music as it played. As the third song on the track "Karma Chameleon" she heard Annabelle and the other three girls singing along to it. Simone listened to their voices blending together and smiled. She reached over and brushed a stray hair behind Annabelle's left ear and listened to them sing some more. Simone started to move her hand away, but Annabelle grabbed it and entwined it with hers on the seat. Simone looked at their hands then at Annabelle again. She was a little confused, but decided to just go with the flow. They arrived at the restraunt and waited to be seated. After their waiter had shown them their seats, they all ordered something to drink. Sam as designated driver ordered some water, while Simone and Jordan ordered some wine, and Annabelle ordered a scotch on the rocks. Simone was shocked that Annabelle was into hard liquor but didn't say anything.

"So how was the rest of the trip after I left?" Annabelle asked taking a sip of her drink.

"It was great. We went to Olympic Park to see where they had the 2000 Olympics and I was impressed at the designs they used to build it. It was awesome!" Sam gushed enthusiastically.

"What exactly did you major in?" Simone asked curiously looking at Sam.

"Architecture and Design. I just got a job with a firm here in town. They want me to help build and design town houses and condominiums." Sam answered grinning.

"Wow!" Simone whistled appreciatively. "I'm impressed." she added smiling at Sam.

"Thanks." Sam said looking over at her wife.

"What about you, Jordan?" Simone asked sipping her red wine.

"I'm an artist." Jordan answered which caused Sam and Annabelle to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Simone asked looking at each of the other three women.

"She's not just an artist. She's THE artist!" Annabelle explained laughing again.

"I still don't understand." Simone said confused.

"You know that painting in my living room? The one above the TV?" Annabelle asked as Simone nodded. "She painted it. This is Jordon Abbott!" Annabelle laughed seeing the look on Simone's face.

"Wow! That is a very beautiful painting." Simone praised her admiringly.

"Thank you." Jordan said as the two hyenas they were with started laughing again.

The food arrived and they ate what they ordered and drank some more. Simone kept stealing glances at Annabelle. She was extremely glad to be here with her, and was having a good time. Soon, the food was gone and the last of the drinks were drained. Annabelle and Sam both got up to settle the bills even though Simone protested against it. Annabelle had just laughed and gone with Sam to settle up. As Simone and Jordan got up to leave, Simone saw Lara walking in with some of her friends.

"Wow! You're still alive!" Lara sarcastically exclaimed walking up to Simone.

"Don't start, Lara. I never said we were serious." Simone replied not letting Lara get to her.

"Well apparently not seeing as how I haven't seen you since her wedding!" Lara laughed sarcastically pointing at Jordan.

"Stop. This isn't the place for this." Simone said quietly trying not to have a scene break out.

"No time like the present, right Simone? Isn't that what you always said?!" Lara demanded getting angry.

"Come on, Lara. Let's go!" her friend urged her sending an apologetic look at Simone.

"No. Back off!" Lara shrugged out of her friend's grasp glaring at Simone. "I thought we had the start of something special then you go to that wedding and everything changed. So what did you do?! Just up and decide to move on to the next thing and forget I existed?!" Lara demanded looking at Simone angrily.

"Look Lara, I meant to call you." Simone replied but Lara was past caring.

"Oh! I'm sure you did! Something came up, eh?! Oh wait! I take that back! You didn't move forward you relapsed!" Lara spat angrily seeing Annabelle walk up and stand next to Simone and recognizing who she was.

"If I'm a relapse, what the fuck are you?" Annabelle asked calmly standing a little in front of Simone.

"Excuse me?" Lara said looking at Annabelle incredulously.

"You heard what I said. I didn't stutter. If I'm a relapse, what the fuck are you?" she asked again this time more slowly.

Behind her Sam was having a hard time keeping from laughing. She has to pretend she was hugging Jordan from behind and press her face into Jordan's back to hide her silent fits of laughter. Simone shot Jordan a look of shock and Lara's friends were getting uncomfortable. The Maître D of the restraunt started over, but one of Lara's friends headed him off.

"Like I'm really going to discuss this with a child!" Lara scoffed turning to address Simone again.

"Child?! Really?! Is that the best you can do?!" Annabelle laughed and saw Lara get even angrier.

"You're not very smart are you?" Lara said stepping towards Annabelle.

"Well since it's common knowledge that children are currently smarter than the average adult, I'm going to educate you. You told Simone she didn't move on, she had a relapse. Which seems to me to mean you never could hold her attention the way I could. So I ask you, if I'm a relapse, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU?!" Annabelle raised her voice with the last words and stepped up to Lara and glared at her.

No one moved waiting to see the fight that was about to start. Nothing happened. Lara took one look at Annabelle's eyes and took the hint.

"That's what I thought. Let's blow this popsicle stand. I'm bored now." Annabelle sighed and nodded at the others.

"You're bored with fancy restraunts now?" Lara scoffed turning to her friends to go.

"No. I'm bored with the company." Annabelle sneered looking down at Lara. "You ready?" Annabelle asked turning to Simone and holding out her hand.

"Yes." Simone replied grasping the offered hand.

"Then let's go." Annabelle smiled and walked out the door to the parking lot.

When they reached the car and got in, Sam couldn't hold it in anymore and let out gales of laughter. Everyone looked at her trying to figure out what was so funny.

"Ok. So what's the joke?" Annabelle asked the hyena in the front seat.

"I was just thinking how Simone's never been in Annabelle's Bitch 101 class til now!" Sam laughed again her head down on the steering wheel.

"Ass!" Annabelle and Jordan said at the same time hitting Sam on the arm.

"Ow!" Sam laughed again causing Simone to start laughing too. Seeing Simone start laughing caused Annabelle and Jordan to laugh too.

Once everyone had calmed down, Sam drove to the next destination of the night. She pulled into the parking lot of "Images", a gay bar and club they had found in their search of happening places. They all got out and headed for the entrance to show their ID's and enter the club. Techno music was playing as they entered making Annabelle and Sam dance in their place. They both laughed and ran out on the dance floor leaving Simone and Jordan behind.

"Do they always do that?" Simone asked watching them dance.

"Yeah. It's worse when they are high. Trust me." Jordan laughed watching them dance too.

"Oh! I've seen them dance while high and drunk." Simone replied remembering the spring break fiasco of four years ago.

"Really?! How do you know them? They never said." Jordan asked curiously waiting for Simone to answer.

"I was their English Literature teacher back in high school." Simone replied expecting Jordan to be disgusted.

"Really?! That was you! Damn! Annabelle is so lucky, my teacher didn't even acknowledge I existed!" Jordan laughed as the song ended and their dates came back.

"Care to dance?" Annabelle asked Simone as Beyoncé's "Move Your Body" started playing.

"Sure." Simone nodded walking with Annabelle onto the floor.

"I'm really glad you're here." Annabelle said pulling Simone closer to her.

"Me too." Simone replied putting her head on Annabelle's shoulder as they moved to the song.