“Hello,” I sleepily answered.
“Were you sleeping?” Peyton asked rather loudly.
“I was just taking a little nap.” I yawned.
“Get up! I’m on my way over to your place to get ready for the club.”
I heavily sighed. “Club? You said we’d go celebrate. I thought maybe that meant dinner, not clubbing.” I didn’t feel like going to a noisy, crowded club tonight.
“Elle, snap out of it! You’ve been a humdrum since douchebag Kyle left. Reclaim your life and have fun like you used to; you’re the most fun person that I know.”
“I don’t know, Peyton; I’m not feeling the club scene tonight.”
“You’ll feel it once you get there, and who knows, maybe you’ll meet your Prince Charming tonight.”
Did she say Prince Charming? I didn’t want a Prince Charming. I didn’t want anything to do with men—period. It was important to Peyton that we celebrate, so I agreed to go.
“Okay, Peyton. I guess I’ll go, but I don’t want to be out late; I’m tired.”
“Yay!” she shrieked. “Oh, my friend Caleb is picking us up at your place. Bye!”
“Wait, who is…”—click—I silently laughed and hopped into the shower. Peyton’s exuberance attracted a lot of different people. I believed that was why we connected with each other so quickly.
As soon as I got out of the shower, Peyton walked through the door and threw a bag from Forever 21 at me.
“What’s this?” I asked as I peeked inside the bag.
She looked at me and smiled as she flitted to the bathroom. “It’s just a little pick-me-up that I bought for you to wear tonight.”
Peyton was generous like that. We always bought each other things that we thought the other would like. I opened the bag and took out the most spectacular silver, glittery knit tank top.
“Peyton, I love it!” I smiled.
“I knew you would. I thought you could wear it with your black leggings and black boots,” she mumbled as she brushed her teeth.
I went to the bedroom and put on the top. The length was long enough to cover my ass, which made it perfect for leggings. I walked to the bathroom where Peyton was doing her hair. She looked at me through the mirror and whistled. “Look at you, Miss Thing. Every guy at the club’s going to want to tap that hot ass.” She smiled as she lightly smacked me.
I rolled my eyes. Peyton was one of those people who didn’t have a filter; she said what was on her mind at that moment and never gave it a second thought. Her mouth spit before her brain thought.
I smiled as I hugged her. “Thank you; it’s perfect.”
“Aw, it’s nice to see you smile again, Elle.” She continued straightening her hair.
I asked Peyton about Caleb, and she said he was a friend of a friend and that they went out a couple of times. I found it odd, since this was the first time that I was hearing his name. She said she started seeing him right when Kyle left me. She didn’t think it was appropriate to talk about her dating life so soon. To be honest, I was touched by her thoughtfulness to not mention it, but at the same time, I was pissed she didn’t.
I looked at myself in the mirror one last time before going out. I decided to throw some soft curls into my blonde hair that I already straightened, and I rubbed off some of the eye shadow that Peyton painted on me. I was beginning to feel glad that I decided to go tonight; I needed some fun.
Caleb came to the door and whistled at both of us as Peyton opened it. He gently kissed her on the cheek and walked over to me, holding out his hand.
“I’m Caleb. It’s nice to meet you.”
I shook his hand and told him the same. His grip was firm and, from what I could tell, so was his body. He wore his short brown hair messy but in an attractive way, and his black eyes were piercing. I could see why Peyton was attracted to him. The three of us slid into the cab that was waiting for us outside. Peyton had her arm around Caleb’s as they nuzzled each other. Suddenly, I felt like a third wheel.
“So, what club are we going to?” I asked. Caleb broke his gaze from Peyton and looked over at me.
“I thought we’d go to Club S.”
I frowned, trying to think of how I knew that club, and then it hit me; my friend from the soup kitchen, Frankie, was a bouncer there. I gasped.
“Isn’t that a sex club?”
Peyton looked at me and smiled. “Elle, it’s a normal club; it just so happens that some people go there to find others to have sex with.” She said it so casually, as if it was no big deal. I rolled my eyes and sighed.
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t the S stand for sex, as in Club Sex?” Peyton and Caleb both smiled at me. “Great. Now I’ll have to be on the defense all night.”
“Live a little, Elle.” She laughed.
I crossed my arms and looked out the window as they started making out. I wasn’t about to live a little by having a one-night stand with some random guy; that wasn’t me. I’d only had sex with one guy in my life, and that was Kyle.