Angel (Chapter 2)

Take with salt; mind the edges.

Lux had never been to a party. She had seen them, she had heard of them on every social media site she had an account for, but she had never been to a partyone. Alex drove*;* and Lydia rode shotgun. Lux slunk in the backseat, feeling like a toddler. Alex and Lydia spoke rapidly, but not in English.

“Your job is to look pretty.” Alex said. Lydia had changed her into a short dress and bomber jacket. Eye shadow and lipstick were applied. Lux had never felt so less like herself. She checked her phone again. No new texts.

“Why are you checking your phone?” Alex asked. Lux sighed.

“There’s a boy.” Lux said*.*, “he said he’d text me, but he hasn’t." Lydia turned around. Alex parked, and they both looked at her with the same green eyes.

“Sweetie,” Lydia said condescendingly, “there is always a boy who will not text you back.”

“But he was so sweet. We kissed. Twice.”

“Oh, sweetie.” Lydia sighed again, “how long ago did he say he would text you?”

“Three weeks.” Lux muttered. She felt pathetic. She was pathetic. She was waiting around for some boy who probably couldn’t remember her name, or who she was.

“Where’d you meet?” Lydia asked. She tilted her head, intent on listening. Lux opened her phone contacts, and showed her a photo.

“A coffee shop. I was reading this book. His name was - is - Danny.” Lux explained.

“Did you sleep with him?” Lydia asked.

“Later.” Alex said, “we have to do this, then we’ll be free to psychoanalyze Lux’s non-love-life.”

[paragraph break] Lux slunk down (repeated) farther down her seat. Alex continued talking, explaining the plan he had only gone over forty times. Lux, apparently, was imperative. She wondered what Anna would say if she could see Conservative Lux wearing a dress (“you can’t wear underwear with it. You can’t,”) high heels and makeup. She pinched her leg to make sure she wasn’t dreaming.

“Let’s go.” Alex said. They exited the lush car and walked towards the house that was throbbing with music.

Lux’s job was to stand near the drinks table, sip from a red cup and flirt with anyone who looked like a sleaze. She didn’t know how to flirt. Alex instructed her to play up her foreign state, while Lydia mixed her a drink. She took a sip. She hated alcohol. She wasn’t even legal age. She stood and played with her hair, which had never been so long, and took tiny sips from her cup.

She hated this music. It was too loud, and it made her head throb. She could feel the bass shake the floor underneath her. Soon enough, a stereotypically handsome guy with a cowlick and wide, sneaky smile walked up to her.

“You know,” he began while pouring a cup of beer, “if it weren’t for the sun, you’d be the hottest thing on this planet.”

“The sun is not on this planet. We would be incinerated.” Lux said back, taking another sip of her drink. She felt light headed, nearly dizzy. She wondered who declared drinking this was supposed to be fun, because it wasn’t. The boy smoothed his hair back.

“And you’re smart.” He said, holding out his right hand*.* “I’m Bobby.”

“Lux.” She replied, shaking his hand. She quickly downed her drink. He was doused in cologne, and it made her sneeze. She didn’t like being in such close proximity to this sort of handsome stranger. He handed her the cup he poured, she took it, letting her fingers touch his just briefly. He had brown eyes. Brown eyes that danced with the lights of the strobe lights above them. Alex had said something about a Bobby.

“Do you wanna get out of here?” Lux asked. She subconsciously pulled the skirt of her dress down. Her feet hurt. Lydia had insisted on her wearing five-inch heels, even though Lux complained she couldn’t walk. She drained her cup, squeezing her eyes against the burning sensation of alcohol. She wrapped her fingers around Bobby’s wrist. | Her hands were shaking. She was sure her hands were shaking. She pulled him closer to her so he wouldn’t be able to tell. Just a little bit more. He was already trying to kiss her neck, run his free hands up her bare leg, which had goose bumps from the cold. Danny had done the same thing, in the back of his car. Lux shut her eyes against the memory. She had to forget about him. He had already forgotten about her.

She led Bobby to a bedroom door that was shut. Lux could only pray that this was the right bedroom. She pushed the door open.

Alex and Lydia were seated on the bed, a light washing over them. It almost looked as if they had halos. Lydia was smirking. Alex’s legs were crossed. A few crumpled bills laid on the bed between them, on the damask print sheet.

Lux stared at them. Had they bet on her*?* Bobby removed his lips from her neck.

“What the fuck?” He swore,

staring at the twins, now wearing matching, sinister smiles. Lux let go of his wrist and smoothly shut the door.

“Where is it, Bobby?” Lydia asked sweetly. She got up and walked towards him. She was wearing higher heels than Lux, and she towered over the boy.

“Where is what, Lydia?” Bobby asked. He lowered his hand to her ass. She slapped it away.

“You owe me and my brother nearly ten thousand dollars.” Lydia said. Lu*x* felt her jaw drop. Ten thousand dollars!? How?

“Maybe you and your brother should suck my dick.” Bobby snapped back.

“You know I’m a lesbian.” Lydia snapped, “where is my money?”

Alex stood up, stepping behind his sister. They watched him with big, angry eyes. Lux knew Bobby knew. This was now or never. Either lie and face the consequences, or be out ten grand. Both twins stepped towards him.

“Do not make me ask a third time.” Lydia lowered her voice to a hiss, “where is my fucking money, you fucking bastard?”

“I don’t have it, you slut.” Bobby said right back. Lux slowly stepped forward, gently reaching into the back pocket | of his jeans. She could see the outline of his wallet. She pulled it out before he would notice and opened it. Lux quickly flipped through the bills and mentally added it up.

“About half of it’s here.” She said, passing the wallet over to Alex. Lydia whipped the back of her hand across his face. She was wearing large rings that left cuts in his cheek. The ringing settled around the room.

“You’re making this more difficult then necessary.” Lydia said.

“I’ll have the rest tomorrow*,*” Bobby said quickly. Lux wondered what type of magic Lydia had to have had to make this teenage boy so scared. She wondered what the money was for. Alex and Lydia hadn’t afforded her many details, just that this type of this happened all the time.

Lux wondered how.

She opened the door and let Bobby out. Lydia sank onto the bed and kicked her heels off. Alex sat beside her. Lux leaned against the wall, feeling awkward.

“Ten thousand dollars for what?” Lux asked. Lydia and Alex looked at each other.

“The drug I made.” Lydia said, “it’s called Heaven. No explanation needed.”

“You made a drug?” Lux asked.

“By accident.” Lydia said, “but it gives a good high. Now I have a drug cartel.” She shrugged, like it was a normal teenage thing to run a drug cartel. Lux just stared.

“What? It’s a perfectly good way to spend a summer or two.” Lydia said. She pulled out her phone and tapped out a message.

“And illegal!” Lux cried out. Lydia just laughed.

“Only if you get caught, babe.” She carelessly lit a cigarette, and one for Alex. Lydia eyed Lux, hovering awkwardly by the door. Lux didn’t smoke. She had never even smelled cigarette smoke before. Lux stared back at the other girl, shyly.

“I, however, have plans for you.” Lydia said, “you get to collect dues. No matter how. People like my drug, they just don’t like paying me. Many people owe me. And this is the summer of collection.”

“Like a hit man?” Lux asked slowly. She was trying to imagine herself wielding a little gun and collecting thousands of dollars worth of cash.

“Like an Angel.” Lydia said, “An Angel of Heaven. I’m so funny.” She tapped her cigarette into crystal ashtray on the bedside table*.* “[W]hat do you say*?* I mean, it’ll take your mind off of what’s-his name. It’ll be fun, I promise. You’ll just go to some parties, collect some cash, and then help me count it all out.” Lux considered her options, of which she had one. All of this sounded more alluring then going home, and being grounded and being stuck in her room while Danny didn’t call all summer. Lydia and Alex gave her the same begging look.

“Alright.” Lux sighed, “I’ll help out. But, do I get a gun?”

“We’ll have to see, won’t we?” Alex said, raising his eyebrows.

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Technical:
“There’s a boy.” Lux said, “he said he’d text me, but he hasn’t.”
Punctuation for this sentence should be: "There's a boy," Lux said. "He said he'd text me, but he hasn't."

"Lydia whipped the back of her hand across his face." You need to say "Bobby" instead of "him". Otherwise it could be mistaken (and for a moment I did) that she was slapping Alex.

“You’re making this more difficult then necessary.” Lydia said. The "then" should be "than".

"... just that this type of this happened all the time." should be "just that this type of thing..."

"All of this sounded more alluring then going home", again, the "then" should be "than".

"Alex said, raising his eyebrows.", wouldn't he smile or something? Raising his eyebrows feels out of place.

Otherwise good job writing, and hope this helps!