Life of the party

So it really shouldn’t have been surprising when the entirely too perky voice cut through the perfect silence of the fall afternoon.  With an audible sigh, he slammed his laptop shut and spun in the chair to find Riley on his bed.  He studied her for a minute, switching his gaze between her and the item in her extended hand.  He swallowed the urge to tell her to get off, knowing it would be pointless, and instead settled on satiating her by taking the ‘present’ from her.

Maybe she should email Karen and ask? But they were supposed to be keeping their distance so, maybe not. 

Xavier’s reaction to her gift, her peace offering, had her bristling. “It is useful, asshole!” she retorted, “And what happened to ‘it’s the thought that counts’? Besides, it’s supposed to be something between a joke and an apology and a peace offering. You really weren’t hugged enough as a child, were you?”

The steady beat of the EDM music matched the beat of Cash’s heart as she wove through the nightclub, her hair almost glowing in the darkened room. Wisps of smoke cast a dreamlike, hazy fog around the crowd, making it almost impossible to focus on anything or anyone. Pinpricks of starlight rained from the swirling strobe, illuminating everything inside the darkened nightclub in slow, sweeping circles. As the music picked up, the pulse becoming more and more erratic, so did her heartbeat. Raves were a delightful thing to Cash, the anonymity and hedonism speaking to her soul on such a level that she couldn’t help but feel the tension ease. Her perceptive gaze flickered throughout the crowd, taking in the sell of the drugs, the grinding of bodies, the pure chaos of youth. A open supporter of the chaos, part of Cash had to fight her intrinsic compulsion to shout “Fire” instead and watch as the weaker humans raced away in a panic, screaming hysterically while the rest just laughed and continued on, ecstasy flowing through their veins. Let the good times roll. Unable to help herself from chuckling at the thought, she continued on her path until she reached the bar, ordering a shot before casting another bright-eyed glance at the crowd.

Riley danced and spun her way through the crowd, absorbing energy from the people around her. She’d learned as she got older how to take energy without draining others completely, but a crowd like this made it far easier. She’d come under the guise of learning about Atlanta’s drug trade -- what were the people buying, who was selling, how much were they charging, etc. but her real purpose was to get her energy fix. The fact that she’d managed to lift a significant amount of money off one of the morons dealing ecstasy was an added bonus. As she turned again, she caught a flash of white hair -- apparently she wasn’t the only Fairburn transfer here tonight. Might as well take advantage and make a contact. 

She sidled up along side the other girl, grinning mischievously. “Don’t tell anyone, but I managed to get this-” she pulled the wad of cash from her bra so that just the edge of the money was showing “-off the douche with the green hair selling E. I’m really tempted to buy some from him with his own money...you in?”