The Green Ticket

Chapter 17



“Hi, Alex. How are you today? It’s almost your big day!”

I swallowed the lump of shame in my throat, forcing myself to greet Dani like I didn’t know her husband had knocked boots with the employee giving a facial in treatment room one. Or that treatment room one was where they preferred to do the boot knocking. “Hey, Dani. I’m doing good. Looking forward to Saturday!”

“Same here! I think almost everyone here accepted their invite. And all of your friends are coming, right?”

“Right. Are you sure Hannah will be able to get in okay since she’s not twenty-one yet? I would hate for her to get in trouble just because of me.”

Dani brushed off my concern, taking a seat next to me behind the front desk. I had been trying to go through Wednesday’s schedule to make sure everything looked okay, but found myself distracted. I hated being at Blissful and I hated having to pretend like I didn’t know what was going on here even more. “Oh, yes, don’t worry about her. Kevin knows the owner, even did some business with him in years past. He’s aware of the situation and knows that we won’t cause a scene or anything. Anyone else that isn’t twenty-one yet will be just fine. They just need to say your name at the door.”

I did feel kind of important once she said that. Like Saturday night I was really going to be somebody. I just wished I could feel better about it since it was Kevin that was doing me the favor.

“Are you doing anything for dinner today?” Dani asked me, just as the phone rang. “Ooh, I’ll answer it!”

I smiled and shook my head. Dani was always enthusiastic to talk on the phone. I had to hand it to her–– she really loved her business, and talking to the clients was always a highlight of her day. I wished she were around more. Maybe I would like Blissful more if she was actually here with me, instead of it usually being Kevin just bossing people around or f*cking the staff.

“Thanks, Mrs. Tillman. We’ll see you at three o’clock tomorrow. Have a wonderful day!” Dani placed the phone back in its cradle and clicked the mouse a few times. “Shoot, I put the wrong appointment in. She just wants a perm and I put in a highlight. I don’t think Mrs. Tillman’s gray hair needs highlighting. Alex, do you know how to fix this?”

“Yep.” I got up from my chair and stood behind Dani. “If you just click appointment detail it will let you into the appointment. And then click manage. Okay, then click where the highlight is and just hit remove. That will take it out. Then click perm and hit add. Yep. Done!”

“Thanks, honey. Want to do an early dinner? Allie and I are just going to pop into the café across the street if you want to come along. I have to take off right after to go to Bailey’s parent/teacher conference, so it’ll just be a short one.”

I glanced at the clock. It was only four-thirty, a little early to be thinking about dinner. And to suffer through the meal with Allie and Dani, knowing what I knew about our head esthetician? I could think of a lot of other places where I wanted to be instead. Such as the dentist or gynecologist.

“Um, thanks, but I’ll probably pass. I had a big lunch.” Lie. I had half a turkey sandwich on my drive between Wacker and here. I stayed late in my last class to beg the professor to give me an extension on my final term paper. The extension was granted, and I was seriously hoping I could finish it on time. My grades were really starting to fall.

“Oh, just come with us then and grab something to go. You can eat it here later tonight when you get hungry. Did you bring anything for dinner?”

Before I could lie again, I shook my head. Damn. I really did love the chef salads at that café. I could just have them give me the dressing on the side and bring it back for later. “Okay, okay. I give in. I’ll come with.”

“Excellent! Allie should be done in about thirty minutes and then we’ll head right over. I’m supposed to be to Bailey’s school no later than 6:15. What time is your interview with Kamille’s replacement?”

“Not until eight. I scheduled it later when hopefully it won’t be too busy.”

“Plenty of time then. I hope you like this one. We really need to get her shifts covered. Shame she left us. She always had such a fabulous ideas!”

I bit my lip to keep from screaming out the truth.

Thirty-five minutes later, I found myself face to face with Kevin’s wife and Kevin’s...mistress? Girlfriend? Did they really only hook up one time or was Kevin lying to me? How many more times had they been together? No way was Kevin telling the truth of it being a one-time thing. Was it a full-blown affair? Could Dani and Allie read the expression on my face, the one that screamed your husband’s cheating on you with the filthy whore you pay health benefits for!

“Alex, are you getting excited for Saturday?” Allie asked me. Her expression looked normal enough, but I could see it in her eyes. She knew that I knew. Bitch. I couldn’t believe she had lied to me about loving her fiancé. I felt like a fool.

“Yeah, it should be a great time. I’m excited to be with all my friends. And thank you, Dani, for planning such a great party. You’ve really done a lot for me, and I just want you to know how thankful I am for everything.” I raised my eyebrows just an inch in Allie’s direction. Suck it. She looked down at her hands.

“Well, of course. You’re welcome, sweetie. I just hope everything runs as smoothly as I planned it in my head! And your new boyfriend is coming too, right?”

“Right! Henry will be there and my friend Hannah’s boyfriend, too. And they have two other roommates that will come as well.”

“Jewel can’t make it, and of course Julia isn’t coming. I didn’t think we could swing a high school girl into the club. Maybe, but I don’t want to risk it. Mandy said she could drop by but not stay long. She’s in the uncomfortable pregnant stage where she finally looks pregnant and going to bars is awkward for her. But I think most everyone else will be there,” Dani said, as our number was called at the counter. We stood and gathered our food, mine already packaged up in a Styrofoam box.

We sat back at the table, Allie and Dani digging into their salads. I took a sip of my lemonade and tried to pretend like I was having a good time.

$$$

Between getting Blissful ready for Valentine’s Day–– a huge spa holiday–– and trying to keep up with schoolwork, see Henry and squeeze in as much time with Lila as I could, Saturday approached at warp speed. Though it was never spoken aloud, the five girls gathered in our apartment, one of the last times we would be getting ready for a night out in Wacker 12.

Carmen was working on my hair, rolling strands of red in between hot rollers while Emma fussed with Hannah’s. Lila, who had been on the receiving end of yet another spray tan in Des Moines courtesy of Mary, was struggling to apply lip liner just right to her already full lips.

“Since when have you started using lip liner, Lila? I thought that was just reserved for my home girls,” Carmen said, indicating her pouty lips complete with liner.

“Mary said that I should emulate how I want to look in LA while I’m here. And each time I got my makeup done, lip liner was used. So I bought myself this pencil, but I think I look too weird with it on. What do you guys think?” Lila gave us a sexy pout.

“Yeah, I think it looks weird,” I said bluntly. “Like you have clown lips or something. Did the makeup people give you any hints or tricks?”

Lila turned back to the mirror, frowning at her appearance. “No. It’s not like I’ll have to apply my own makeup on the jobs anyway. I just want to try to learn a few new skills for when I go out at night or something. If I can ever find anyone to go out with me, that is.”

My poor roommate’s face looked so forlorn that I wanted to start crying for her. I knew Lila was extremely nervous about making friends in California. I didn’t think she would have to worry, but I was a little scared about what her new friends would be like. Blonde, bimboed, plastic? What if they changed Lila into a completely different person? What if she didn’t want to be my friend anymore?

“Did I tell you girls I invited a guy to meet us at Tango tonight?” Emma broke the awkward silence with her somewhat surprising news.

“You did? Who? Where did you meet him?” we all peppered her with questions. I hadn’t known that Emma was seeing anyone, and she rarely did the inviting. She preferred men to chase her.

She gave a coy shrug, blasting Hannah’s hair with hairspray. “His name is Corey. I met him a few months back when we did the pancake and beer thing,” she said, nodding towards Carmen. “He goes to Des Moines University, is a senior, tall, blonde hair and blue eyes, super fit, majoring in psych work or something like that. We’ve met up at a few more bars here and there, and I just thought it might be fun if he comes out tonight. That’s all.”

“Have you two ever hung out anywhere else besides a bar? Have you done dinner or anything?” Lila asked, sliding her eyes to meet mine. I could count the number of times Emma invited a guy somewhere–– twice. And to invite him to a party where all her girlfriends would be? That was Emma’s version of having the guy meet her parents.

“Nope. Just bars. Would you guys stop looking at me like that? It’s no big deal. Seriously.” Emma turned back and fluffed Hannah’s hair once more. “You’re golden. Peter will fall all over you tonight.”

“Am I going to be the only one without a date?” Carmen asked, taking a sip of her margarita. “Damn it, I knew I would be the last single one in the group!”

“I don’t have a date,” Lila reminded her.

“Yeah, but you’re...” Carmen let her voice trail off, but we all knew what she was about to say. Leaving. Would Lila be considered part of the group anymore? Surely she would find her own group in LA to be a part of.

“Look at the time!” my voice was high pitched as I spoke, frantically gesturing to my watch. “We better get dressed. The limo will be here shortly.” We actually had plenty of time to get dressed. I just didn’t want to keep thinking about my best friend moving away from me.

The five of us shuffled out of the bathroom and into Lila’s room, where our outfits were all laid out on her bed. I squeezed Lila’s hand as we walked and she shot me a grateful smile, but her eyes were shining with tears.

Carmen started the conversation again, talking about how perhaps she would hit on Max at the party just to feel like she had a date too. We all laughed at that, but I secretly wondered if my exotic friend hadn’t fallen for the blonde Max. What babies they would make. I shook myself out of that daydream, knowing how much Carmen would scold me if she could hear my thoughts, and focused on the clothes again. It was still bitterly cold in Iowa, but since we were going to a dance club and apt to get sweaty, our outfits reflected on our destination, not our journey.

Lila slipped into a light green mini-dress, which she paired with a chunky silver bracelet and necklace, dangly silver earrings with diamond crosses, and thigh-high tan boots. Those were a purchase she made in LA, and I knew it would make her stand out amongst us.

Hannah dressed more demure, and while she had insisted on just wearing skinny jeans, Emma somehow persuaded her to at least bump it up to leggings. Her black leggings and red shirt–– borrowed from Emma that was backless–– made Hannah look like a completely different person. Peter wasn’t going to know what hit him.

Emma and Carmen had on similar sequined dresses, but Emma’s was a dark gray with silver sequins and Carmen’s was more beige with black sequins. Sky-high stilettos and lots of jewelry completed their looks.

I had chosen a tulip miniskirt for the night, light pink in color, and found a funky white top that was splashed with different colors along the fabric. It was loose and dipped down to show off some cleavage, and I borrowed a pair of Lila’s heels and kept my jewelry minimal for the night. My hair was set in bombshell curls, and I was feeling pretty confident about my party. Especially since we were to arrive in a limo. Dani had really gone all out for me, renting us the limo to pick us up at Wacker and deposit us back at the end of the night. I felt like a celebrity.

After dousing ourselves in perfume, rechecking our hair and makeup one last time and making sure we had everything we could need crammed into our tiny clutches, we declared ourselves ready and headed out the door. As we stepped outside, the wind hit us and we all linked arms and tried to huddle together, walking as fast as we could in our heels to our awaiting limo. The driver got out and opened the door for us, and we hurriedly ducked inside to get away from the wind.

“Holy shit, this is a nice limo,” Carmen declared once we were all inside. “And what is this? Yes! Anyone up for a bit of bubbly?” She waved the champagne bottle in the air like she had just scored a personal victory.

“I can open that for you, miss,” our limo driver said, producing a corkscrew from a small tray next to where champagne glasses stood at attention. He popped the bottle and some champagne sprayed out, making me understand why he wanted to do it instead of us getting his limo drenched.

We eagerly held out our glasses as he poured champagne in each cup. “Thank you so much! What is your name, good sir?” Emma asked, taking a sip and licking her lips. “This is amazing.”

“My name is Tony. If you need anything else, just let me know and I’ll be glad to accommodate you.” With a tip of his cap, Tony disappeared around the front and back behind the wheel.

“Dang, I could get used to this,” Carmen said, settling back in the plush seat and knocking back another drink. “They’re really going all out for you, Alex. Lucky bitch.”

I snuck a glance at Lila, who was looking at me. Yeah, so lucky. This was probably just another “don’t-talk” tactic employed by Kevin. Butter me up, make me feel special, put me in the spotlight in front of my friends. Anyone from the outside looking in would be totally confused if I quit my job. I had it made at Blissful.

“Emma, I just have to know more about this guy. Please, more details!” Hannah said, causing the rest of us to laugh. “What? What’s so funny?” she asked, confusion on her innocent little face.

“It’s just so fun to see how you’ve changed since becoming a girlfriend. Before Peter, you rarely wanted to know about our men. Barely asked about them. But now, you ask questions and you seem into what we have to say about them. It’s weird. But in an awesome way.” Lila filled in the blanks for Hannah.

“Yeah. You were all about school and studying and that was about it. Peter has definitely relaxed you. It’s a good look for you, Hannie.” I smiled at my friend, my soon-to-be new roommate. “It’s nice to see you like this.”

“Geez, was I just awful before? You guys make it sound like I never had any fun before Peter!” Hannah took a small sip of her champagne, looking around at us.

“Well, lovely, you never wanted to come out with us, barely took a drink of anything because you always had more studying to do, rarely participated in our shopping events or movie nights. We love you either way, but this Hannah is definitely more...approachable,” Emma said.

“And we’ve been able to call you Hardcore Hannah more in the last few months than we have in years!” Carmen pitched in.

“Huh. Well, I guess that’s a good thing then. To me!” Hannah held up her champagne glass, and we clinked our glasses before dissolving into a fit of giggles. We spent the rest of the limo ride to the party chatting about boys–– the good boys, the bad boys, the ones in between. The boys Lila might meet in LA and the ones she would bring home for us to meet.

It wasn’t long before we were pulling up to Tango. Tony came around to the side and helped us out, one by one. I was last–– emphatically told so by Lila–– and reached for Tony’s hand once it was my turn. I carefully slid out of the limo and placed my heels on the cement, popping up and out without flashing any of my business.

“Happy Birthday!” I heard a shout before confetti rained down on me, blinding my vision.

“What the hell?” I shouted through a smile. Once the confetti cleared, I could see almost all of the Blissful staff standing outside Tango, including Allie, Kevin, and Dani. I saw Henry, Peter, Max, and Kyle standing there as well, holding confetti in their hands. Henry was also balancing a digital camera, and the flash kept going off as he got pictures of my shocked face. My girlfriends were also now holding confetti, tossing it in the air with glee. Other patrons were stopping to stare, some even taking their own pictures. Was I a celebrity? Maybe they thought so–– how cool! I might not have been interested in a life in LA, but the attention was good for my ego, I had to admit. I smiled and waved at everyone, shaking my head and seeing the confetti fall to the ground.

“Did you know about this?” I asked Lila, grabbing her arm as we walked towards the group.

“Maybe,” she answered with a sly smile. “Come on! You have a lot of people to greet.” She hauled me up to the entrance where my fans awaited. Okay, friends and co-workers. Jeesh. When I did visit Lila, she was going to have to keep me penned up inside. It was like a wedding receiving line, with Lila only giving me a few minutes to chat with each person. I thanked everyone from Blissful for coming–– even Allie, though it was done through a forced smile and Lila tightly holding onto my hand –– friends from Kaufman that Lila and the girls had invited, and finally Kevin and Dani.

“Happy Birthday, Alex!” Dani squealed when I got to her, wrapping me in hug. “Were you surprised? Are you having fun? How was the limo?” Her face radiated happiness, but instead of being able to bask in it with her, all I could feel was a tug in my heart and guilt from knowing the truth. I pasted the smile anyway.

“I was surprised, thank you! Thank you so much for setting this all up. I can’t believe you went through all this trouble. I’m blown away. Truly. Thank you.” To my horror, my eyes started to well up. I didn’t know if it was the fact that my birthday party was so extravagant and unlike anything I had ever had, or the fact that images of Kevin and Allie were swirling in my mind. Probably both.

“Come here, you.” Kevin pulled me into a hug, my feet leaving the ground. I could feel my entire body stiffen, and I was sure he could too. That didn’t deter him from keeping the broad smile on his face. “Happy Birthday, Alex. I hope you have a fantastic night. One to remember–– or hopefully forget! You’re twenty-one, bitch!”

I looked at Kevin closely. It was clear he already had a few cocktails in his system. I hoped he would pass out early and leave me the hell alone. And not make a move on any of my friends. Or anyone here, for that matter. Not with Dani in the vicinity.

“Thanks. Thanks again, both of you. This is much more than I imagined. Shall we go inside?” I was itching to get over to Henry, but I didn’t want to be rude to my party planners, the people that were footing the entire bill.

“Let’s go! And please, introduce me to your boyfriend. I’ve been dying to meet him!” Dani said, linking her arm through mine.

We breezed through the door, the bouncer just nodding at us all. I watched Hannah walk in with confidence on the arm of Peter. And then I saw Henry making his way towards us. He looked delectable in black slacks and a cobalt blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He even had a bit of gel in his hair, the first time I had seen that look. His blue eyes sparkled when he finally got to us.

“Hi, babe. You look absolutely stunning,” he greeted me, handing me over a bouquet of deep red roses.

“Henry! Thank you so much, these are beautiful. Dani, do we have a place to put these?”

“I’m sure we can rustle something up. I’ll go check it out in a sec.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Dani, this is my boyfriend, Henry Landon. Henry, this is Dani Dohlman, co-owner of Blissful.”

My boss and boyfriend shook hands, then Dani wrapped him in a hug as well. “Oh, it’s so good to meet you, Henry! We’ve heard so much about you. I’m thrilled you could make it tonight. And these are just gorgeous! Let me just run quick and see if I can get some water for them.” She scuttled into the throes of the restaurant as Henry and I continued walking towards the stairs, heading to the upstairs level that had been reserved for the party.

“Well, she seems friendly,” Henry observed, watching Dani scurry through the crowd and get swallowed up by the partygoers.

“I’ll be curious to see your reaction to Kevin. Come on, let’s go upstairs.” I linked my arm through his and we continued to the staircase. Tango had an upper and lower level, the lower level being a fancy restaurant that featured menu items like filet mignon and a wine list a mile long. The upper level was the dance club, with a massive tiled dance floor and cozy booths sprinkled around it. The DJ booth stretched along the east wall, enclosed behind a barricade of glass. There were three tall blocks in front of the booth and girls were already on the blocks dancing their little hearts out. The lights were low and strobe lights flickered throughout. Music videos were showcased on the walls which I thought was neat since no TV station played them anymore.

I squinted in the darkness, wondering where the group was. I didn’t have to wonder long. Almost the entire room was filled with people there for my party. A row of booths were adorned with pink and black balloons, streamers, and a big banner proclaiming, “Happy 21st Alex!” There was also a large picture of me, Lila, Hannah, Carmen, and Emma in a frame that was resting on an easel in the corner. I recognized the photo from the New Year’s party we attended. Little bowls of snacks sat at each of the booths, along with more confetti and napkins that also wished me happy birthday. Overwhelmed couldn’t even describe what I was feeling.

“Holy shit. I feel like this is my sweet sixteen party or something. Are there TV cameras here?” I joked to Henry, but my eyes flitted about the room. I wasn’t going to put anything past Dani and her party-planning skills again.

“I wasn’t aware of that detail, so I think you’re okay. Come on, you have to see your cake.”

In a daze, I let Henry take my hand and pull me gently to the booth where my girlfriends and Dani were sitting. I noticed that Dani had indeed found a vase, wrapped a pink ribbon around it, and placed my bouquet of roses at the head table. My party was beautiful.

“Do you love it?” Lila shouted to me, giving my hand a squeeze.

“I can’t believe you guys did all this work for me. And kept it a surprise! You sneaky bitches.” I tried to glare at my friends, but it turned into a huge smile. “I don’t deserve you ladies.”

“You bet your ass you do! Here, the bartender has a special drink for you,” Carmen cut in, handing me a champagne glass filled with pink liquid.

“What is this?” I sniffed the drink before taking a little sip, followed by a much larger one. It was an explosion of fruit and bubbles in my mouth.

“It’s called the Alex-osa. I named it myself. It’s like a mimosa, but with liqueur instead of orange juice. It’s a lethal concoction. Drink slowly if you want to remember this night,” Carmen warned, taking a generous swig of her Alex-osa.

“Wow. I’ve never had a drink named after me before. And where is this cake that I have to see?”

“Ta-da!” Emma flung her arms out in flourish, walking alongside Dani and helping her roll out a cart with a four-tier cake settled on it. My cake was out of this world beautiful. I’d seen less fancy cakes at weddings. The bottom tier had pink and brown stripes, the third tier had pink frosting with silver squiggles, the second tier had brown frosting and pink dots covering it, and the tiniest tier was all pink with an exquisite stiletto perched on top. Upon closer inspection, I could tell the shoe wasn’t actually on the cake, it was on a little stand with four prongs going into the top layer. I also saw that it was no ordinary shoe. The red sole gave it away–– it was a Christian Louboutin. Only the most coveted shoes in the world. I didn’t have to be a celebrity follower to know that design, and know that women everywhere would do anything for a pair of these outrageously expensive shoes. And one was my cake topper.

“Holy f*ck!” My manners went out the window. “How the hell did you guys get a Louboutin shoe as a cake topper? Is it real? Can I touch it?”

“You can touch it, Alex. Actually, it belongs to you. And yes, it’s real. As is this one.” From underneath the cart, Dani produced a tan box with the squiggle of a signature on it. Christian Louboutin.

“What? What? I don’t understand.” I was near hyperventilating when I opened the box and found the matching shoe. A black lace, peep toe, red-soled beauty of a shoe. That were apparently mine.

“This is a gift from me and your friends,” Dani said, smiling at me.

“Put them on, put them on!” Lila urged me, already leading me over to a booth. I followed in a daze, still unsure what was happening. The limo, the entrance, the people, the decor, the cake, the shoes! I didn’t know what I did to deserve all of this, and I was overwhelmed in gratitude. And already planning my thank-you cards.

I took off Lila’s shoes and carefully slipped on the Louboutins. They fit like a glove. I was Cinderalla. That was it. This was my fairy tale night.