And I'm back already! I worked on this for so long today that my eyes are seeing lines instead of text. Feedback is much appreciated. I did get a review on chapter 2 saying it was a big wall of text so I tried to separate the text more. I hope you guys enjoy reading!
Mira was researching the events of the Jenny Realight murder when she heard a buzz to her side. She leaned over to pick up her phone. It was a text from Lucy.
"Meet in room 512 at 5PM, two of us are getting ready there x" it read. Looking over at the digital clock above her bed, she read 1.36PM. Ok, I have just over three hours to choose an outfit. Heading to the bathroom, she grabbed a towel and a change of clothes. She decided that she'd put on a pair of black joggers with a cropped purple t-shirt for after her shower.
Stepping into the bathroom, she locked the door behind her and turned the shower on before heading to the cupboard under the sink and grabbing her makeup bag. She placed her makeup bag on the counter next to the sink, with her hairbrush and curling wand. Then she stepped into the shower, thinking about what she could wear tonight. I have that nice black dress? Or maybe the purple one? What shoes have I got here? Quickly washing her hair, she winced as soap trickled into her eye. After rinsing the soap off, she switched the shower off, grabbing her towel to pat herself dry. She quickly tied her hair into a plait, before pulling her clothes on and heading into the bedroom.
Opening her drawers, she examined the clothes inside, wondering what she could wear. There was the black long sleeved off shoulder dress with the fur trim which would match with her thigh high platform high heeled boots, the lilac skater dress with spaghetti straps which she could wear with her strappy white stilettos, the hot pink draped collar camisole dress with gold chain detailing which would also go well with the white stilettos. There was the black denim miniskirt with the black long sleeved t-shirt with a zipper stand collar matching with the black thigh high boots, or the pinstripe lace-up halter top with the pinstripe flared trousers with black and white Converse. Not being able to choose, she took a photo of the outfits laid out and sent them to Lucy, captioned with a question mark.
Looking at the time, now 3.18PM, she felt her stomach rumble gently. I should probably eat before I head over. Grabbing her bag and phone, she slipped into her trainers, heading towards the cafe "Eight Island" across from her dorm. She walked in and headed towards the counter, looking at the menu while she waited. Settling on a peach iced tea and a bacon and cheese toastie, she waited patiently for her turn to order. She had a song stuck in her head, Unhealthy by Anne-Marie, slowly she started tapping her fingers on the counter to the tune of the song.
Once she'd ordered, she took a seat in a booth close to the counter, checking her phone while she waited. After a few minutes of scrolling on Instagram, someone slid into the booth across from her. Looking up she was met with a pair of big honey-brown eyes. "Hey Mira, you don't mind if I sit here do you? I'm bloody starving." Lucy blurts out with a giggle.
"No, I don't mind, Lucy." she responds, with a quiet laugh at the bluntness of the blonde in front of her. "Did you get my text earlier? I can't decide what to wear tonight."
"Yeah, I just opened it when I saw you." Lucy pulled out her phone and sat silent for a minute. "The one with the denim skirt."
"You think? I was leaning towards that one, to be honest." Mira settled into her seat, food arriving. They sat there like that for a while, talking about whatever came to mind, sipping at their drinks. It was 4.38PM when they left, heading back to their dorms. Mira needed to grab her stuff to take to meet Lucy. She walked into her dorm room, grabbed her makeup bag, her clothes and a black glittery box bag with a gold chain. She quickly put her phone, keys, and purse into the bag before heading to room 512.
When she arrived, she knocked on the door. Greeting her at the door was a small woman with blue dyed hair. "You must be Mira! I'm Levy, come in." she said with a grin. "Nice to meet you." Mira said, stepping into the room. It was only Lucy and Levy in the room with her. Lucy had laid out a blue miniskirt with a white tube top and cropped denim jacket, and Levy had an orange mini dress with a white cardigan.
Mira decided to start with her makeup first. She'd decided earlier on a smokey eyeshadow with a graphic arrow liner, some red lipstick and a champagne coloured highlighter. After a few attempts with the eyeliner, she managed to get it the same on both eyes. Next was her hair. She let her hair down, untangling the plait. Plugging in her curling wand, she started sectioning her hair and waited for the curling wand to heat up. She heard the girls shuffling behind her before the speaker on the desk started playing a song. The tune for 'On The Floor' by Jennifer Lopez started playing. Mira heard the girls giggle behind her, and she turned to see them dancing and singing along to the music. She got up and danced with them, laughing and singing along. They stayed like that for a while dancing and singing along to more songs before eventually settling down. Lucy turned the music down, still laughing and grinning when she saw the time.
"We need to hurry now," she said, slightly out of breath, "we have to leave at ten-to-six." It was 5.35PM, Mira picked up her curling wand and curled her hair. She finished her hair my sprating with hairspray and combing through with a wide tooth comb. She quickly pulled on her top and skirt, adjusting her clothes and hair before pulling on her boots. She added some small gold hoop earrings and a small gold necklace with a rose charm. Lucy had on her white tube top with her navy blue miniskirt and dark wash denim jacket, paired with a pair of thigh high brown boots with a small heel. She'd left her hair down and had done a natural makeup look. Levy had on the orange bodycon mini dress with the white cardigan, which she paired with a pair of brown strappy platform heels. She had her long pixie cut pushed back with a white hair band, and with an orange eyeshadow matching with the dress, cat eye eyeliner and a nude lipstick.
They all left, heading towards Sparky's. "Who else is meeting us there?" Mira asked, remembering that Lucy told her she was going with a group. "There's my co-worker Freed, and a few of his friends. He didn't mention their names." She responded. "They're all meeting us there."
Mira hummed in response, opening the door to let the two women in first.
The music was loud in the pub, a song Mira didn't recognise was playing. She scanned the room, recognising a few faces. Heading over to where Lucy and Levy were sitting, she noticed that the tables had been moved around, creating a dance floor at the front of the pub. "What are you having? I'll get our first round." Mira said loudly, trying to talk over the loud music without shouting. "Rum and coke for me, please." Lucy responded, with Levy motioning for her to have the same. Mira walked towards the bar, trying not to bump into anyone on the way past.
Waiting at the bar, she spotted a familiar face waiting. "Hey Ever!" She shouted, waving at the brunette. Ever turned to look at Mira before moving towards her. "Are you waiting to order?" Ever asked. "Yeah, I just got here." Mira responded, looking around for the bartender. "You have to order over there." Ever pointed towards the man with spiked orange hair behind the bar, who was pouring a drink. "Oh, thanks Ever." Mira smiled, walking towards the man.
He handed the drink to the customer, before turning to Mira. "What can I get for you?" He asked with a charming smile. "Two rum and cokes and a vodka lemonade, please." She asked with a small smile. "Add a pint to that, Loke." Said a gruff voice behind her. She turned to look at the man, only to see Laxus. "Hey." She said, quieter than intended. "Looking good tonight." He smirked, giving her a once over. "You don't look too bad yourself." She giggled. He was wearing a dark purple button up shirt tucked into black trousers. The long sleeves were rolled up neatly, showing off his muscular arms, and his hair was slicked back with hair gel. Mira turned to pay before reaching out for the three drinks. "It's on me. Go easy on me on Friday, alright?" she laughed. Before she could grab the three glasses, he'd reached out and picked one up. "I'll help you bring 'em over. Can't say I wasn't a gentleman then." He said, winking.
They walked back to Mira's table noticing a few new faces. She placed the two rum and cokes in front of Lucy and Levy, taking the drink from Laxus' hand. "Thanks for helping bring them over". She said, sitting at the table. "Hey, this is the girl I was telling you guys about." Said the man with the green hair, gesturing towards Lucy. This must be Freed then. Mira thought to herself, looking at the other two who had joined them. She looked at Ever in recognition, waving slightly before looking at the man sitting beside her. He had a blue and black mohawk, sharp blue eyebrows and burgundy eyes. He was dressed in a dark blue button up with the sleeves rolled up, and a pair of black straight leg jeans. Freed was dressed in a dark red knitted jumper with a white shirt underneath and a pair of black trousers. He introduced the three sitting with him. "This is Ever, Bickslow, and Laxus." He started. "Ever and Laxus are in uni with us, Bicks here decided to join the police instead."
"Damn right I did. Never been good at school, anyway." he said, grinning. "I've already met Mira, she's my roommate this year." Ever said, taking a sip of her wine. Mira smiled in response. Levy then introduced herself. Before long, Lucy, Levy and Freed were talking about their love of books, and Ever and Bickslow had gone to the makeshift dance floor. Mira turned to Laxus, noticing that he wasn't sitting at the table anymore. She noticed him standing by the bar, empty glass in hand. Freed was walking towards Laxus, so Mira turned to talk to Lucy and Levy. "How did you guys meet then?" she asked them. Levy paused before answering. "We met in school." she said. "Lucy started at school I think in year 10. We were starting our GCSEs when we met."
"I was trying to find something in the library, I think it was on my second day there. Levy was helping me find it when we started chatting and realised how much we had in common. We've been best friends since." Lucy smiled at Levy, who grinned in return. Mira sipped at her drink, realising it was empty she looked at the bar. "What do you think of Laxus? I met him yesterday and we seemed to click I think." Mira asked, turning to look at the two women. Lucy looked at Mira, seeming uncomfortable before taking a sip of her drink. "Crap, are you two together?" Mira asked, noticing the look. "I'm so sorry, I take it back-"
"We're not together." Lucy interrupted quickly, chuckling slightly. "He's my brother, Mira. His family adopted me when I was fourteen." Mira sighed, looking at Lucy with a look of concern. I won't ask about it, it might be a touchy subject. She thought. "He's a good guy but he's not a good boyfriend." she stated. "I wouldn't recommend trying but if you're looking for that sort of thing then go ahead."
"Alright. Thanks Lucy." Mira said thoughtfully, turning to look at the bar. Just as she looked, she locked eyes with Laxus. He seemed to have a small smile before he smirked and held up his glass in a gesture that asked 'another?' She nodded and held up the empty glass in thanks.
Laxus and Bickslow came back to the table with their drinks, Mira's drink and a tray of shots. Mira couldn't help but notice that Freed and Ever were nowhere to be seen. "Where are Freed and Ever?" she asked. "They went home," the response came from Bickslow, "they never stay out for long." Mira eyed the shots with concern. "What shots did you get?" she asked with caution in her voice. Bickslow's smile widened to a grin before he responded. "You'll have to try them to find out." He laughed. "We got them for an ice breaker. And they're all different so I wouldn't be able to tell you anyway." This isn't going to end well...