"So, did your dad say anything about me?" Jack's leg brushed against Miranda's under the table, and that was the only reason Miranda didn't grimace at the question.
"Yeah, he said I can't bring you home with me again."
He'd said it in more and much harsher words than that, but Miranda would rather bite off her tongue than repeat them to Jack.
Jack just shrugged and let her fingers trace small circles over Miranda's knee.
"Not really a surprise. So my place?"
Miranda wanted to reply, when she saw a familiar figure approaching.
"Look who it is."
"Ugh."
"Go away, Jane."
"Come on, lovebirds, don't be like that."
Miranda looked up at her.
"What do you want?"
"I want to invite you two to my birthday party. Next Saturday."
"Why?" Jack asked.
"Because it's my birthday on Thursday. Birthday... Thursday... I should be a poet."
"Why invite us?" Miranda clarified impatiently.
Jane rolled her eyes.
"Because I'm afraid there won't be enough drama without you? I'm expecting a big scene, shouting, tears, melodrama, someone storming off, doesn't matter who, you both do that so well."
"Does that sound like fun to you, Jack?"
"Nope."
"We decline, thanks for asking."
"It's 'we' now, is it?" Jane grinned. "Come on, it'll be fun. Free food, socializing? Liara will be coming, too, she'd really like to see you, Miranda, and she'd love to meet Jack. Just think about it."
She gave them a winsome smile, before turning away and walking off, skipping a little as she did so.
"How can anyone be so disgustingly cheerful all the time?"
"No idea."
"Do you want to go?"
Miranda shrugged.
"It would be nice to see Liara again."
Jack raised an eyebrow.
"What? She's really sweet. Don't look at me like that, I don't mean it in that way. Just as a friend."
"I hate her already."
"You really don't want to go?"
Jack huffed.
"It's not like I'll have something else planned if you're going."
"We can always leave should it suck."
"Right. Fine. Whatever."
. . . . .
It was pretty much just as bad as Jack had expected. She felt uncomfortable and out of place among Jane's friends, even though she had to admit, grudgingly, that Liara was indeed hard to dislike. Her attempts at engaging Jack in conversation were enthusiastic, and she just smiled whenever Jack gave her gruff, monosyllabic answers.
Miranda looked great, though. Jack found it hard to keep her eyes off her, in a tight red dress that was just perfect. Everything about her was perfect that night, and Jack wondered why Miranda wanted her, all awkward and antisocial and not bothering to put on anything out of the ordinary for Jane's party. She forced herself to look back to the cute blond girl, who gave her an understanding smile, before she was whisked off to dance with Jane. 'Dance'. It looked painful.
Miranda seemed to enjoy herself. She'd been talking to that Jacob guy, and then to a tall, very pretty girl with glasses and short hair that was dyed in that odd white hue that made people look like their grandparents, but she actually rocked it. Jack didn't know who she was. She would have remembered that one if she'd seen her before.
Eventually Miranda moved her very shapely ass back to Jack, slumped down next to her, drink in her hand, smiling, looking a little flushed.
"It's kind of hot in here, isn't it?"
"What are you drinking?" Jack asked suspiciously.
Miranda gave her a wry grin.
"That kid, James? He spiked the punch with, I don't even know, vodka?"
"So you're getting plastered?" Jack asked irritably.
Miranda raised an eyebrow.
"I thought you of all people would be cool with that."
"Well, I am not."
"Why?"
"Just because, that's why. And you're underage..."
"Like you care about that when you're smoking!"
"That is not the same fucking thing! Smoking doesn't get you shitfaced and stupid."
People were staring at her now. She'd hardly even realized she'd raised her voice.
"Fuck," she muttered.
"Is everything okay?"
Liara again.
"No, everything is not okay. Some loser spiked the punch."
Liara frowned.
"I'd better tell Jane..."
Jack felt Miranda's hand on her shoulder, but shrugged it off, then got to her feet and forced her way through an astonishing amount of people, into the hallway, where she found the bathroom door locked. She cursed, then turned around to face Miranda, who'd followed her.
"Can we please just talk about this?"
That moment, the bathroom door opened, and Jack pushed past whoever and into the room, but Miranda squeezed in behind her.
"Can't you fucking leave me alone?"
"No, I won't."
Miranda locked the door.
"Look, it was just a drink. I don't know what your problem is. I can handle it. It's not like I have never had alcohol before."
"You, with your posh princess perfection, getting sloshed?" Jack let herself sink onto the closed toilet.
"We've been to Europe on holidays a lot, I've had the odd glass of wine here and there in the last two years."
Jack snorted.
"And that makes you a die-hard drinker?"
"Why do you have to be like that? What's the matter? I'm fine, I'm not even a little drunk."
That sentence would have been much more believable if Miranda hadn't chosen that moment to sit down on the rim of the tub, promptly slipping off backwards, falling into the tub with a surprised yelp.
"Fuck, did you hurt yourself?" Jack jumped up and rushed to her.
"Ouch. Damn. No, it's fine." Miranda looked up at her. "That doesn't prove a thing, you know?"
"Yeah, right."
Jack sighed. Then she raised an eyebrow.
"Do you have a wet ass now, at least?"
Miranda looked down at the tub.
"No, it's all dry."
She tugged at her dress until it covered slightly more of her, then let her legs dangle a little over the rim of the tub, still looking up at Jack.
"Move over."
Miranda shifted, and Jack stepped into the tub and sat down next to her, then swung her legs over the rim of the tub as well.
"This isn't comfortable at all."
Miranda chuckled, then she leant against her a little.
"Jack, can you just talk to me?"
Jack screwed up her face.
"I got drunk a lot, okay? Like a year ago, or a little more."
"And what happened?" Miranda asked softly.
Jack turned her head away.
"One day I just woke up next to a strange guy and I couldn't remember a thing, but it was obvious that we'd fucked, but I had no idea what had gone down, and I panicked and ran off and tried to find a doctor who'd check me for STDs and also prescribe me, you know..."
"I'm sorry," Miranda whispered, wide-eyed.
"Don't say that. I was fucking stupid, I deserve to be punched, not pitied."
"Dammit, Jack, that's not true. That was basically statuto..."
"Don't! Just don't." Jack glared at her. "I don't wanna talk about it any more. Not now. Not ever. Got it?"
"If that's what you want," Miranda said after a moment.
But she still gave her a pained, pitying look, and Jack didn't know if she wanted to bolt or scream at her, but that look needed to go away.
"I don't have any, by the way."
"What?"
"STDs."
"Oh. Good."
And then Miranda put her hand onto Jack's, and Jack just squeezed it, hard, then curled up against her.
"It's not your fault. It's not."
"Are you getting some in there? Because good for you, but other people have to pee!"
"Well, shit."
"They're not getting some, they're having drama where no one can watch! Spoilsports."
"I hate this party."
Miranda kissed Jack's temple.
"I know. Let's just leave, okay?"
They crawled out of the tub, Miranda wincing a little.
"It did hurt, didn't it?" Jack asked.
"Not much."
Jack wasn't convinced.
"I hope you had fun while my bladder was about to explode!" the girl outside said as she rushed past. "If you weren't quite so hot together..."
"Oh shut up, Sam," Miranda muttered.
Her hand brushed lightly against Jack's arm, and she muttered:
"I'll just say goodbye, okay?"
To Jack's annoyance, Jane and Liara both came to say goodbye properly.
"Not much of a hugging person here!" she protested as Liara moved from Miranda to her.
The girl just gave her a smile and then said:
"I hope you'll enjoy the rest of your evening."
"And thanks for coming!" Jane added.
"Do you have things under control here?" she asked lowly, while doing up the laces of her boots.
"Oh, yeah, we'll be fine. Nothing I can't deal with."
"Good. Bye then."
They walked down the stairs in silence. Only when they were outside, Miranda said lowly:
"My dad's away on business, do you want to sleep at my place? It's closer."
Jack turned to look at her.
"If that's okay with you?" she said softly.
"Of course it is. I wouldn't ask you otherwise."
Jack reached out and pulled her close.
"Thanks for bearing with me."
"What? Where did that come from?"
"I know I'm not great with people and you were enjoying yourself at the party before I freaked."
"Thanks for coming with me and staying for two hours, even though you really didn't want to."
Jack pressed her forehead against Miranda's. They just stood there like that for a moment, before Jack muttered:
"You look amazing tonight."
Miranda smiled.
"You always look amazing."
"Now you're just being ridiculous!" Jack protested with a smile.
Miranda opened her lips to say something in return, when a car drove by and someone shouted "Lesbians!" at them.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious!" Jack yelled after them as they drove away. "Honestly, like we didn't know? Fucker."
"Let's just go, okay?" Miranda muttered.