Blue

Four

Headache. Nothing but her headache seemed to exist in the universe and in the entire world. Her head was pounding badly and she was unsure whether she wanted to even try to open her eyes or not. Groaning, she shifted a bit in her bed and started counting. 

"1. I will open my eyes and stand up." she urged herself

"2. I will not puke while doing so", even though God knows how difficult that was going to be. 

"And 3, I will go talk to Ilaria and find out what the Hell I've been doing at that party that landed me in this state."

Easier said than done. Opening her eyes sent a new wave of sharp pain through her head and trying to stand was pure torture. She steadied herself and managed to get out of bed when she caught a glimpse of her image in the mirror. Still wearing the Wonder Woman costume, with blue hair looking like a wig that had just escaped a toddler's hands and deep dark circles and mascara drips under her eyes, Leslie gasped in horror and winced. To complete the picture, she seemed to be dirty and sticky, some brownish stuff spotting her clothes and legs.

"Bloody Hell!"

"I don't think they'll let you go even there. Looking like that, surely not."

Ilaria was at the door with a big coffee mug and a funny smile.

"I'd throw something at you but I'm afraid I'd ended up throwing up myself" retorted Leslie and sat back on the bed while Ilaria handed her the mug.

"Have some coffee. This might help."

"Made it black as my soul?"

"Yep. With three teaspoons of sugar, milk, and a pinch of vanilla."

"Great."

Ilaria took a seat on the other end of the bed and looked at her friend with an amused face, while the latter took a sip of the hot and life-bringing drink. She burned her tongue and stuck it out of her mouth with a frown.

"Why are you looking at me like that" inquired the used-to-be blonde.

"Leslie Amalia Cass, I've known you since high school and yet..." she shook her head a bit, in amusement. "You never cease to surprise me."

"The day I cease to surprise you is the day I die. And not even then. I promise to die in some spectacular way, to completely dazzle you. You know, if I have to go, then at least I'll go in style"

"Don't be so morbid. Or is that the alcohol still talking through your mouth? You know, you nearly costed us 15 camels!"

"What?" spat Leslie.

Ilaria tried to keep a straight face but burst out laughing before managing to open her mouth.

"You don't remember?"

Leslie shook her head.

"Whoaaaa. Bad idea. Bad idea. The world is spinning again" thought she, trying to regain her focus of the room. "Future note to self: stay still while being hangover."

"I have no idea what are you talking about. There were camels at the party? Did one of them hit me? Because, my God, my legs are full of bruises."

Ilaria looked at her, still laughing and tried to take a deep breath.

"You don't remember a single thing? Making out with some Aladdin guy? Dancing on the bar?"

Leslie closed her eyes and groaned. Fragments of distorted images passed before her eyes: kissing a guy with curls, shaking her body on the bar to some loud Rihanna tune, spinning, doing shoots and a blue gaze. A deep blue gaze.

" I danced on the bar, didn't I?"

"That was the least of our problems." 

"It doesn't sound good. At all."

"Well, the funny thing was, I was just convincing Sergei you were ok. That you act out like that sometimes. Next thing I know, you were falling off the bar..."

"Ugh, yeah. Thank Sergei for me for catching me. I did not need any more bruises."

Ilaria looked surprised. 

"What are you talking about? Sergei was with me when you fell." 

"Are you sure? I'm pretty sure him catching me was the last thing I remember."

"Yeah, I'm sure." replied Ilaria, feeling a bit annoyed. The way her best friend had said that her boyfriend was the last thing she remembered made her add "I think I know who I was kissing."

Leslie frowned but said nothing about the possessiveness in her friend's voice, not giving away weather she had remarked that or not. Feeling a suddenly aware she was being jealous without a just cause, Ilaria tried to smile apologetically. 

"Then who caught me?"

"Xavier. And that's when that Alladin guy decided to get possessive. He kept going on about how you were his wonder woman and if we really wanted you we had to pay him 15 camels. To be honest, he was kind of wasted too."

"Of course he was. Any sober man would have asked for a load more in exchange for me. Not 15 camels! That was my worth? 15 camels?!" exclaimed Leslie rolling her eyes.

Ilaria chuckled. 

"That's what you thought last night too. You stood up, in what you must have considered a dignifying way, and informed him that anyone who sets such a small [price on you head is not worthy of your time and that you'll better 'fly away'. And for somebody who had just thrown up, slipped through the crowd extremely fast. We didn't even get the chance to talk to you and convince you to go home."

"You lost me in the crowd? Drunk?"

"Lost is a strong word. We found you chatting with a zombie who looked old enough to be you father. Apparently you wanted his costume and he agreed to give it to you as long as you were the one taking it off. Privately. "

Leslie looked disgusted.

"That's worst than being lost in the crowd!"

"Well, I took you away from him. And you started arguing as I dragged you to the exit. Did you know you are actually pretty strong for someone who looks so fragile? "

"I did something else, didn't I?"

"Yep. You broke free as I was asking Sergei to call a cab and started running towards the buffet. I think you stumbled or something, but the next thing I know, you were in the batch of carefully carved pumpkins."

"Ugh! So that's this sticky stuff all over me! Pumpkin!"

"At least you don't have to worry about you skin care routine." joked Ilaria. "Anyway, that's when security escorted you out while you were kicking and shouting at them that it's your job as Wonder Woman to protect the 'wonderful creatures of this party' and that you thought those pumpkins looked rather malefic and they must have been up to something wicked."

"I'm giving up alcohol!" groaned Leslie, covering her face. "I'm lucky I don't remember a thing, otherwise I might be too embarrassed to even look at Sergei and Xavier for the rest of my life!"

" Well, you'd better not be. We are having dinner at some restaurant near Seine. All four of us. So sober up, darling. You will actually meet and hopefully remember Xavier this time.

"You want to set us up, don't you?"

"What if I do?" 

"After watching ballet dancer for the last three months, I have absolutely no objection. It's just amusing because I was the one usually playing the match maker."

"I guess you've been too busy playing Wonder Woman, the destroyer of evil pumpkins lately" chuckled Ilaria, standing up, as Leslie threw her a murderous glare. " Don't look at me like that! I'm not an evil pumpkin!"

Leslie threw a pillow at her friend and sunk into bed.

"Don't go back to sleep! Go and take a bath; you'll want to get that blue out of your hair before dinner. Oh, did I forget to mention? We'll celebrate our pending contract with Xavier. He'll play in the movie."

Hello, darlings !

I apologize for not posting in a while. But I am back now and I fully intend to finish this book. What do you think? Do you have any suggestions or hopes?