Cameo Lover

It wasn’t hard for the likes of Helena Klein to get behind a 60′s party. In fact, she didn’t even have to search high and low for an outfit - it’s as if her wardrobe had been waiting for a night like this. Rocking her white boots and vintage dress, Helena found herself getting into the familiar tunes and inviting atmosphere. It almost made her forget that she somehow lost the friend she came with that evening. It didn’t matter - she was having fun on her own. 

At the invitation of dancing from the person next to her, Helena was quick to accept. “Of course!” she yelled over the music and moved towards the blonde, dancing to the beat of the old tune. The drink in her hand was nearly spilling out as she danced. Helena laughed and yelled a little louder, a little tipsy herself. “You look amazing, by the way! We’re rockin’ the matching boots.”

"Oh my god, yeah! We totally are!” Abby enthused, dancing along to the beat with the girl. She seemed so upbeat, that it almost felt like she’d made an instant new friend. But a familiar face she had seen somewhere in town, for sure. She got that feeling too. “We’re like go-go dancing sisters right now,” she said with a laugh and a hip bump as she swayed towards the stranger. “By the way, I’ve totally seen you around somewhere. Do you work at Rose Quartz?”

Korra had just got the drink to Abby, happy to see her friend having a excellent time. She herself was also loving the vibe. “Honestly, any party is a good party, but if I get to see world through rose tinted glasses, I’m all the happier” the brunette laughed tilting her pink glasses down and peaking from the top of them at the blonde. “Although the trail of the cardi does get caught in things” Korra scrunched up her nose. 

The frown didn’t stay on for long as the female watched Abby enjoying herself, she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. She opened her mouth to say she a sarcastic comment about it not being so 60s in the back but decided to keep the bitterness of having to work the night to herself. Especially when blonde’s energy was so electric. “Any party that doesn’t end with me shoving my tongue in my boss’ mouth is a hit for me” she laughed remembering the last time she worked a party at Los Globos.

“Oh,” is all Korra could muster when Abby grabbed her hand for a dance, “I mean no harm in taking a ten minute break, right” she smiled and let the other lead her, moving her hips to the beat of the song already.

Abby laughed at the rose tinted glasses joke, the pun fitting Korra’s outfit, and her tipsy self laughing all the louder for it. “It’s worth it though! You look uh-mazing,” the bubbly blonde gushed. 

“Okay, agreed, you have got to stop doing that,” Abby commented, leaning over the bar a little too far, balancing like she was almost about to tip over and spill into the girl’s work area. But not quite. “What did you ever see in him, anyway?” Did she care that Korra was on shift tonight and probably couldn’t come out; did it even matter? Not one bit, not to Abby right now anyway.

“Yes! C’mon, enough work, dance time!” Taking up residence in the middle of the dancefloor, along with all the other people in flared jeans and purple suits and mod girl dresses. She swayed to the tune of the music, doing a twirl, and turning around to face Korra again with a laugh. 

Whenever Charlie went out, she usually visited Dungeon, mostly because of the music. It wasn’t a secret that she didn’t really vibe with Top 40, so she tended to avoid Los Globos like a plague. 

But tonight was different, she had a soft spot for 60s music and when she saw The Supremes on the flyer she decided to make an exception. “I haven’t been in here enough to have that opinion. I think this is my second or third time.” She shrugged. “Okay, Abby you gotta calm down.” Charlie said, taking a sip from her drink. “I ain’t gonna dance with you.”

"Actually,” Abby said, stopping mid-dance. She was tipsy, dizzy, everything that warranted a pause before she overheated like one of the lava lamps on the tables. “I could use a breath of fresh air. You wanna go outside?” 

A moment later and they were emerging into the smokers’ area on the rooftop, Abby pushing the double doors to get a view of Silver Lake at night. “Whew. I needed that. Honestly I don’t come here allll that often either.” The majority of the parties she attended were thrown at Goldie’s place (which was a better joint for them, anyway). “But this night is uhhh-mazing. They really went all out.”

As far as planning for this event went, Bre had lived at thrift stores and sacrificed her wallet on the boots. She couldn’t find the gogo boots in her size or color she wanted. But it had been worth it. The light show had been the first thing that caught her eye. So many colors. “I think we might have actually done that. It really looks like a whole other decade.” A moment later Breanne found herself headed to the dancefloor with the woman. She was never one to turn down a dance ever. “Right behind you!” She spoke and followed her. “Hey I think we’re neighbors! You live in Oasis apartments right?”

"Maybe we should step outside,” Abby suggested with a giggle, “do you think we’ll find convertible cars and girls on roller skates when we do?” No technology, no smartphones, just Silver Lake as it must have been in the sixties, which Abby imagined must have been a vibe indeed. Mid-dance, a conversation was struck up which had Abby leaning closer to hear the girl. “Oh my god, are we? Yeah, I live in Oasis! Are you new?!” 

     Too many drinks in to fight a siren song, Adam weaved his way through the crowd, allowing the soft hand to guide him to the dance floor. He hadn’t really anticipated this–any of this, in fact. The night had started off casually. Quietly. 

A friend had mentioned the 60s themed party over dinner. By the end of the meal, they’d agreed to go and the model was able to put together Dustin Hoffman’s ‘fit from The Graduate by digging deep into his closet. Now, that friend was somewhere lost amongst the mingling bodies and Adam found himself dancing with a stranger. They were bright, though, and they moved so sweet to the music that he shrugged internally, thinking there were worse ways to spend a Friday night, and continued on following the blonde’s lead.

This was one hundred percent Abby’s scene: good music, good vibes, good people. It really was a time machine moment and she wondered whether her grandparents had jived to parties just like this back when this music was new and fresh. Dancing with someone she didn’t even know — well, yet, for wasn’t everyone just a friend waiting to be discovered? Abby sure felt that way when alcohol mixed with a party setting. She called something out to the guy but the first time she did, it got swallowed up by the music. So she had to repeat it again, in between the hip gyrating and hand waving. “I said, I like your outfit!” 

“You’d think a place named Carousel wouldn’t need the help, right?”  Derek’s fingers only moved faster once it was decided he was in good company, though his hands eventually broke from their random formation in order for him to be able to hold up his drink in salute.

“Pleasantly surprised, gotta say.  And the offer stands: next round on me or we can do a shot or somethin’.  Us ‘Good Music Knowers’ gotta stick together, I think.  M’Derek.”

"You know, usually they’ve got good stuff, but I think their resident DJ has a night off or something,” Abby said with a smile, fingers curling around her overly complicated cocktail once more, giving it a sip. “Derek. I’m Abby. This is Luis,” she pointed to the male sitting next to her, “but I think he’s going to dip for a work emergency.” Which was exactly the case, and once Luis had said his hellos to the man, he kissed Abby on both cheeks, European style, and flounced off out of the bar. Which was going to leave Abby somewhat miffed before, but now she had someone to talk to, it wasn’t so bad. “So, you a Carousel first timer then, Derek? And I will  never say no to a free drink, so hit me with anything. Once I finish this,” she said, raising her pale green cocktail.

Despite multiple setbacks on the front where her outfit was concerned, Abby was tipsy and loving life right now. Her outfit didn’t come together exactly how she’d hoped, but she still got compliments here and there and that was all that mattered.

“Man, I think this is the best party they’ve had here, yet!” She spoke a little too loud over the song that was playing, and the choruses of Ride, Sally ride! that echoed in the dance hall. “Don’t you feel like we’ve time travelled? I feel like I stepped into a time machine. Amazing!” There was a liquid light show, the DJ was decked in his Jimi Hendrix finest spinning old vinyls, and go-go dancers were on each end of the floor, the whole shebang. “C’mon, dance with me!” she said, and took their hand.

Two women screaming at each other with a Valley Girl accent was the most cliché thing ever but what can you do? Goldie was a cliché. “It actually does not matter because it’s super easy. You can learn it quickly.” She said with a chuckle. “No, I did not sign us up to a roller derby. But you guessed it right, I am planning a Roller disco. You know how much I love seventies.” Goldie mused. “I already got you and Holly a pair of roller skates. I told Zoey about it too and she already has a pair. Now we need to work on the guest list.”

"Okay good, my face is too pretty to get smashed in by anyone,” she said in a sigh of mock-relief, joking as usual but it was true, Abby and a roller derby would probably not mix well. “Oh my god, you did?!” A surprised squeal and her hands flew up to cover her mouth, attracting more attention from passerby, but fuck it. They were two twentysomethings who acted like teen-somethings and cared very little for what anybody thought of that. “What color are mine? A roller disco is exactly what we need right now. You are. The best.” 

anya: oh what

anya: how dare they

anya: http://tinyurl.com/4ad4pjb8

anya: he a prince 👑

anya: http://tinyurl.com/wzzrbpf4

abby: yeah she said the color i gave her last week wasn't the one she wanted and that i'm the worst colorist she'd had in this city in 30 years

abby: everyone said i did a fine job though and she's just having a tantrum so i'm hoping it was just that

abby: omg i love u fondu

Abby had a point, several actually, but he had never been overly fond of practicality and he was far more easily swept up in something more on the sentimental side. Her last suggestion may as well have had a light bulb lighting over his head. 

“A monogrammed blanket, like little rich people, oh shit that’s a great one. Actually fuck, I don’t know their names yet and I’m pretty sure my dad would hate it if I get what I call them which is usually either Thing One and Thing Two or collectively The Twins from the Shining.”

"You don’t know their names yet? How come?” Abby was sure if her sister had a kid, she’d broadcast their names months in advance. “Yeah maybe find out their names first, and then you can monogram their initials into blankets. Or like, get them matching stuffed toys with their initials sewn in them. You can get sooo many cute custom gifts on Etsy, have you looked there?” 

-

“Right?” Anna echoed, holding the dress out at arms length to scan it again before tucking it over her arm. “I have no idea how no one has picked this up yet. Guess it’s my lucky day. And I love the idea of a beret with it,” she said with a grin, leaning into Abby’s phone to see the boots she was showing her. “Ooooh,” Anna cooed, nodding her head. “Yes. Absolutely - are you ordering them?” 

"Yeah, you better snatch that up before someone else does,” Abby warned, already spotting another girl eyeing the dress Anna held. That’s how it usually went in these places. “I’m thinking of it! I’m trying to put an outfit together, inspired by somebody, I’ve got Edie Sedgwick and Twiggy but I might just pull something together all on my own.”

@aberdeenwaters​

“Sunday would be great! I like to keep the place open on Saturdays because people often drop in when they’re out shopping, but I usually do the cleaning and setting up new exhibits on Sundays,” Ronit explained, knowing full well how that sounded coming from someone who had grown up not even flipping a light switch on Saturdays. “How about next weekend, we can do the painting and clean up afterwards?” She made a mental note to buy a bottle of wine for Abbie - or would it be condescending to ask the other if she actually needed anything?

Abbie’s excitement at her pieces made Ronit smile. “Mostly late 19th, early 20th century. It’s somewhat depressing, but I bought a lot of them in the former Soviet states. A lot of older people there were selling their family heirlooms when their children emigrated. But I suppose like this someone at least keeps them in good condition. You just kind of pick them up in the cloth and then make sure you rub the cloth all over and don’t leave fingerprints,” she demonstrated on a cup. “If you have some time now? I don’t think it’ll take too long. Then I can show you these exciting paintings I bought last week, and you can show me what you bought?”

"Next weekend’s perfect for me!” Abby said, making a mental note that she’d turn into a calendar note later. It’s how she stayed organized. “I’m actually excited about this — is that lame?” Cleaning and unboxing things would sound like a chore to most, but Abby loved helping out, and learning the ins and outs of a gallery from Ronit? Sounded like a bonus. 

“19th century...wow.” Her eyes continued to dance over the cups as she learned about their history. “And these are like, special cups, right?” she said, knowing admittedly very little about the Jewish faith. Her shopping bags she placed in a corner of the room, and picked up one of the cloths she saw available and a cup, working delicately to polish the thing. “Tell me if I’m doing it wrong.”