This is my first draft- I'm not editing it, just adding to and hoping it doesn't suck. I'm not trying to make any catching, subtle endings, just ending it as I've stopped writing on my own time. Thanks for reading. :3
I laughed, fingering the beautiful array of gems in the palms of my hands, rubbing my forefingers over their smooth surfaces. I looked back at the jewelry store, the cops buzzing around the broken glass I had effortlessly popped out of its frame. At the sobbing store owner, who was on her knees with her head in her plump hands. The corners of my lips turned up of their own accord as I thought of how these idiotic recruits would never trace the evidence back to me. Typical. But how can I blame them? I was just that good. I stashed the precious stones in the midnight black pack on my shoulders and stood on the thin pole that held a bright, yellow sign declaring tomorrow as the New Year’s Annual Cooking contest. I tossed my auburn curls over my shoulders and turned on my heel. I bent down, let the energy store in my calves, and unfurled my body into the lush, cool air. My hands, covered in scratches and scars, wrapped around another thin pole about five feet away with the same flag as the one now behind me and pulled myself onto the ledge of the local grocery store.
I balanced on the balls of my feet, tip-toeing carefully across the building shrouded in darkness, the jewelry store having leeched the light for its own purposes. Like catching me. I stopped at the opposite side of the concrete roof and leaned over slightly, eyeing the cars settled soundlessly on the sides of the streets. It was only three in the morning, and on any normal day teens would have been driving around drunk as could be. But tonight anyone on the road would have to deal with some serious chewing out, so people kept off the streets. All because of ‘lil ‘ol me. I grinned and gripped the cold steel of the ladder beneath my feet and quietly slid down to the alley that housed drug dealers and card-board boxes that doubled as homes for scraggly, old, pathetic people.
“Jesus Celia, you think you could’ve taken any longer? Damn it, the cops are swarming around like insects. Can we not get a move on?” Terrance handed me my bright yellow sundress, my brown cowgirl boots, and my hairbrush. I calmly combed through my tangled curls, keeping eye contact with Terrance.
“Don’t get your panties in a bunch, I had to be careful. You try stealing a bag worth of gems.” Terrance grinned as I handed him my pack, from which he transferred the jewels carefully into my purse with my I.D. and lip gloss. I handed the brush back to him and turned, facing the brick wall, to change. My black leather pants slid off easily enough, which I kicked backwards to Terrance, along with my long sleeved matching leather jacket. I pulled the dress over my head, which perfectly covered my small curves and hid the blades nestled softly against my thighs. The boots I pulled on over my black socks, and turning to Terrance for approval, I knew I looked country and girlish enough to look perfectly innocent on my muddy blue motorcycle.
I slid one leg over the edge of my bike, patting the seat lovingly. Terrance stuffed my clothes into his man-purse, or his duffel bag, and slid onto the bike behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist.
“Don’t you think it would look better with me driving Ceils?” I looked back at this boy with such sweet blond hair and chocolate brown eyes.
“Don’t kid yourself. We both know you can’t drive to save my life.” I slid my purple key into the ignition and backed up a bit, revving the engine. Terrance kicked the stand up and I squeezed the gas, releasing the tires onto the rocky gravel road. We smoothed out onto the road and sped along the street and into the darkness ahead, away from the sirens and sobbing store owner.
I carefully straightened the silky blond strands on my head before styling it carefully in an intricate braid on the top of my head. Terrance helped me slip the gorgeous, sparkling red dress over my head and over my slim, athletic frame. My golden heels strapped lightly up my legs and disappeared underneath my dress. Terrance smiled at me and pushed me down into a lush couch covered in thick, ornate pillows. He kneeled in front of my with a large make-up bag and began applying shadows and gloss and creams and liners to my bare, clean face.
When his job was done, I was once again transformed. “Wow, Janette. You look amazing.” Terrance smiled at me, his teeth a stunning white, and handed me a new pair of colored contacts, this pair blue. “Blue-eyed, sexy blond. Scrumptious.” He winked at me and carefully guided me as I slid the contacts on top of my eyes, my real eyes, the ones that only Terrance knew the color of. I blinked several times, the contacts settling in comfortably, my eyes well adjusted to the feel of contacts.
I stood a bit wobbly on my heels as Terrance handed my bag to me, and hooked his arm through mine. A horn sounded outside and our eyes met briefly. Terrance’s close-cropped black hair and green contacts contradicted me beautifully- we were a stunning pair. His classic black tuxedo made him a devilishly handsome man, and he was certain to attract some hot attention tonight. I tugged once on his arm and we started for the door together, and I watched as he gracefully threw the door open in a wide arc to give me the space I needed to easily step down the large marble stairs of the Jackson manor and reach the stretch black limo. The drivers breath hitched in his throat, and the knife against his thigh rubbed uncomfortably against his skin, this I could tell by his body language. I smiled innocently and slid inside the limo, Terrance close behind me. He nodded at the driver and closed the door himself, welcoming the driver into taking his place in the front seat.
“Now, Janette, you know what you are to do tonight. Don’t forget. I don’t care how many cocktails you bother to have, so long as your job is done. Got it?” I leaned over and gave Terrance a light peck on the cheek.
“But of course.” Terrance shook his head and leaned back against the cushions, his legs spreading slightly as he sat back. I crossed my legs delicately and placed my hands on my lap, licking the red lipstick on my lips, amazed that Terrance could pick such a long lasting color. He really was good at his job. The limo’s windows rolled up and locked us in, the cheap elevator music filtering lowly from the speakers on the doors to keep us entertained.
The limo pulled along almost silently, and it was an effort to keep from scooting to the window and looking out. It was a very young, cool Saturday night. I closed my eyes and let my mind wander, drifting off into the small corners that only I could look into. I thought about tonight, my wig, my contacts, my dress and heels. Terrance and his slightly parted legs. No, I didn’t think about what was between them.. Not really. I cleared my throat and thought back to my job, my mission, my little plan. Gregory Swept was throwing a ball tonight for his little girl- A.K.A. the little bitch that had thrown my doll in the trash can in third grade. My job tonight was to take a few of her little trinkets. We had play-dates often enough, the two of us sophisticated enough to know we had to mold our relationships for connections.
I knew where her room was, where she kept her designer bags and clothes and jewelry. It wouldn’t be a problem stealing from her. She had so much she wouldn’t even notice if a rat ran off with one of her precious diamonds. Mmm, diamonds. I loved the feel of their smooth, glassy, clear surfaces. They made amazing little gifts to friends, though I didn’t have many. Terrance was to grab Alana’s attention, which he was pleased enough to do. And once he’d done so, I’d slink my way through the Swept household, take a few minor things, and sell them to whomever would buy them.
The limo rolled to a stop, and the door in the front clicked open. Soon our door was opening itself, and the Swept manor completely stole my breath. The large, pure white front of the house was decorated in lights that hung easily, though it was easy to tell that getting them to hang this beautifully had been no task to blink at. I smiled, shook myself mentally and let the driver help me out of the limo. I purposefully let the slit along my right leg slide open, showing my soft thigh, as I stood.
Terrance’s intake of air behind me was satisfying, and as he helped himself out he placed his large hand on the small of my back and guided me forward, nodding politely at the driver. Slowly we ascended the steps together, every bit the innocent couple featured in the hottest magazine. I kept my eyes straight ahead, ignoring the whispers of gossip to my left, right, and back. Terrance and I easily slipped through the large doors unnoticed, the abundance of sparkling dresses and handsome men making us small cockroaches on planet Earth.
“Janette! Terrance! Oh, it’s so wonderful to see you! Thank you for coming to my birthday party, I just knew you’d be here!” I swear, that woman could sniff me out a mile away. Maybe it was the competition so terribly hidden between us. Or maybe it was the heavy perfume Terrance had coated me in, insisting that it would turn even the straightest woman gay. Terrance grinned and I could feel the slight sheen of sweat on his hand as he slid his beefy meatiness from my back and rubbed it over the sharp crease in his black pants before taking Alana’s hand and kissing it delicately, like a rose.
If the man’s testosterone built up any more than it had when Alana first made her appearance, I could almost promise you his pants were going to explode. “We wouldn’t miss it for the world, Alana. You look simply ravishing this evening.” Terrance began, his ass-kissing ability outshining my crudeness. I smiled and nodded, eyeing a waiter walking to my right with a tray full of drinks of many colors.
“Oh, excuse me.” I said, making it obvious that I was going to attack the drinks. Alana smiled and waved me off as I walked, too sucked into Terrance to give a damn. I shook my head and tapped the waiter on the back. He swung around slowly, careful to avoid hitting me, and offered a cheap smile that said I’m-getting-paid-for-this. He didn’t bother with words, just held the tray out and let me take my pick. A pretty blue glass filled with shiny blue liquid caught my attention. I grabbed it by the stem, raised the glass gratefully to the waiter, and spun on my heel to survey the room.
It was large, open, covered with decorations of all colors in the spectrum, and every corner that you looked into had people swaying with the band on the temporary stage between the two elegant staircases leading to the private rooms and bathrooms and such, places us guests weren’t supposed to be twiddling about in.
Country + Girlish don't mix.