The Red to My Grey

by William Dudley Berridge Tuckey

  Angel tilted her head to the side and her hair reached the floor as her eyes widened up. After I said that, I had a better look at the pair to notice they were dressed up in black. Sabrina wore a black dress that barely reached her thighs and had her long brown hair straightened. Johnson had a pair of black jeans and black singlet on with a heavy black leather jacket over the top; he looked pretty badass to be honest.

  “A new nightclub opened up tonight and is going to be open until dawn. We thought it’d be a nice change of pace from our quiet little bar; do you two want to come with us?”

  “What about work?” I asked, showing a shred of restraint.

  “Don’t worry we figured you might have wanted to tag along so we put in NA’s for tomorrow, yesterday.”

  “Well I still have to go to work tomorrow. Em wasn’t impressed with how late I was today.”

  “Em? Oh, you mean Dan’s girlfriend? We’re meeting them there. Now come on, live a little. Here let me help you get changed…you mind boys?” She turned to us and we stepped outside into the hallway. We leant against the door with our arms crossed. We could hear my Dad and Sophia indulging themselves from the other end of the hallway from inside their room. “Still rowdy as before, I see.”

  “Yeah, they’re almost inseparable; I still can’t believe how close they are.”

  “I guess they’re making the most of their time together. I’m under the impression that she won’t be here for much longer.”

  “Hmm what makes you say that? She seems pretty settled down here for only a couple of days.”

  “Just a hunch, I hope I’m wrong.” We then felt the door come out from behind us but Johnson being on point as usual, steadied me out before I could fall. Angel stepped out in a black skirt and a blood red corset with a black choker around her neck. I asked if an outfit like that was really okay for her to head out in. Angel seemed fine with it, probably so she could show off and Sabrina insisted more skin that was showing, the better. I never went out to nightclubs all that much and could never get the idea behind them. I wore black jeans and a black t-shirt. Sabrina roughed up my hair a bit, I guess to get me into the feel of it all. After the girls did some make up in the bathroom, a bit of mascara and bright red lipstick for Angel and deep purple for Sabrina, we all went out through the window and headed to the club.

  When we arrived at the street with the club, it was packed. Cars racing in and out to pick people up and to drop them off. There were cops patrolling around lead by dogs and music blared from inside, masking the sounds of shattering glass against the pavement and drunken people conversing loudly outside. We came to a short, fast moving line outside with two giant men in suits keeping it along. They were stern and focused, well until they saw us. The girls had their attention but not quite as much as Johnson who was almost as tall as them and, in his outfit,, he came off as strong, if not stronger than them. They lifted their tinted glasses to have a closer inspection of us.

  “Names?” one of them said bluntly while staring at a piece of paper.

  “Johnson Norcross, Sabrina Heatherfield, Wade Naem and Angel Natsuki. We good?” he said equally as headstrong to show we weren’t intimidated by them.

  “Natsuki? You’re that girl they were rambling about on the news.”

  “Your mother was in here earlier; she’s quite the party animal. We had to kick her out after a while though. She and that other guy got everyone too pumped up to deal with,” the other bouncer added before fixing his glasses. Not surprising. I thought to myself.

  “Go on through, enjoy yourselves. Just keep it small, okay. We’ve had to escort enough people out already.”

  We walked inside to have our ears blasted by the loud music. Sabrina dragged Angel to the dance floor while Johnson and I went to the bar. We met up with Dan and Em who were dressed in a bit more…well fabric than the other two. Em wore a pair of denim shorts and striped black and blue stockings and a black singlet. Dan just wore a pair of black shorts and a dark blue t-shirt; it was a bit more casual than what I was expecting but it suited them.

  “Hey guys, we’re glad you came out. This place is crazy; there’s something wild around every corner.” Dan said casually with a smile on his face.

  Em sculled her drink and then came out with another great outburst which I then figured was a quirk of hers.

  “Oh my god you guys made it! It’s so great to see you again, Wade, and it’s so good to hear you and Sabrina are finally taking the leap together, Johnson! I haven’t been out in ages, since it’s hard to find a sitter for the baby and all. Where are the girls?”

  “Jeez remember to breathe, Emelia,” Dan rubbed her head gently and downed the rest of his drink before kissing her.

  We bought some light drinks to start the night and then we lead the couple to the dance floor. The girls had already broken a sweat as they grinded against each other, quickly becoming the centre of attention and even the DJ synced the beat to them. It wasn’t difficult to get to them as Johnson displaced the crowd with his presence and size.

  “You girls look great! But Angel, that corset I gave you isn’t something you should wear in public, it’s for you—”

  “I know. It just goes well with this skirt you gave me,” she cut Em off before she could finish her sentence.

  We danced for quite a while; we were exhausted but the music and the strobing lights above us kept our bodies moving. I went to sneak away to the bar, but Dan stowed away with me before giving Johnson a tug on his jacket to let him know. Within only a few steps of leaving the lively dance floor, we were pulled to the side by a woman. She was mostly sober and she was actually more confronting than the bouncers.

  “I recognise the two of you. You work at storm Co under my fiancé. You bring trouble into my club and I’ll have him keep you in until midnight every night.”

  “Then you’re Rex’s bride to be. He told me you were tough, but I wasn’t expecting you to be a goth punk.” I rushed my hand to his mouth quickly after he said.

  “The look suits you…he didn’t mean it like that. Please don’t kick us out.”

  “Sigh. Yeah, the two of you are as he described. No worries, people don’t expect me to look like this when he introduces me to his friends.”

  “Where is he anyway? You wouldn’t think he would miss out on opening night of his partner’s club,” Dan blurted out insensitively again.

  “He’s asleep, he’s been working hard lately. He hopes he can become the next CEO of the company once the old man retires.”

  “That blows I guess,” I said without thinking, only for her to glare at me with sharp eyes but she then sighed again.

  “I guess it was rude to scold you without at least telling you my name. It’s Ashlyn. I’ll leave out my last name since it will be Smith someday anyway. Well enjoy the rest of your night. I’m going back to the private lounge to have another drink.”

  I suppose I owe an explanation of what she looked like after all that rambling on about her being goth. She was tall, wearing a black and white designer dress. She had a spiked black bracelet around her right hand. Her hair was short and only went half way down her neck. It was straightened and was dyed black but shined purple under the lights. She wore purple lipstick and her skin was ever so slightly lighter than average. Don’t get me wrong, the strength she displayed and her beauty were appealing to just about anyone. I could see why Rex was into her, she was one hell of a woman.

  We grabbed our drinks and made our way back to the dance floor, but the DJ stepped down from the stage and the music faded, lights brightened the stage and a band stepped out in front of the crowd that cheered wildly. They were a heavy metal band and got everyone pumped up as they jumped up and down to the beat of the music. Dan and I hung back, knowing we weren’t getting through the crowd. I saw Angel crowd surfing and she was passed to the front of the stage. Johnson watched the front row like a hawk from that point on. I knew she would get into some sort of trouble if I left her alone.

  “D
an, hold my drink, I’m going in.” I then tapped the person in front of me to help me get across the crowd. He made a step with his hands. “Thanks, that will do.” I sprung off his hands into the air towards Johnson. He caught me mid-flight with one arm and launched me into the air again. I front flipped onto the guard railing in front of the stage and caught it as I landed. I stepped off it and landed next to Angel. The crowd went wild after seeing my crazy display of acrobatics and the band even stared at me with impressed smirks on their faces.

  “Ya miss me?” I said in a cheeky tone.

  “That was awesome, Wade!” she cheered as she hugged me.

  We enjoyed the rest of the show together and when it was over, the club was only moments away from closing for the night. As the crowd dispersed, I met back up with the others. Dan was with them; he told me he used a similar method to get across the crowd. I took my drink off him and we all guzzled down as many drinks as we could before the club went into lockout. The rest of the night was a blur to me and I can’t exactly recall it. All I remember was Johnson slipping something into my pocket before heading home with Angel in my arms. The next morning, however, described everything rather well. I woke up in bed beside Angel; our clothes were on the floor. My hangover screamed to me as I held my head and the morning sun burnt my eyes. Angel woke up covering herself with the blankets, it would have been nice to wake up to her if she didn’t have blood running across her forehead.

  We fixed ourselves up and went to the kitchen to make breakfast, only to find our parents equally as hung-over.

  “What did you kids get up to last night? Sorry if we caused any trouble for any of you.”

  “About the same as you,” Angel answered shamelessly

  “Huh? You went to the night club, got drunk, came home and had sex?” Dad blurted out moronically, speaking without thinking.

  “Jason!”

  “Yup,” Angel answered cheerfully while nodding.

  “Angel! What’s wrong with all of you? Don’t be so honest about all this!” Sophia freaked out while I sat there with a pained, exhausted expression on my face.

  “Sophy, I was just asking…wait you did!”

  As the tension escalated, it came to a standstill only to shoot up drastically as Celia walked into the room. She rubbed her eyes with her bandaged hands which only irritated them further. She came out of her weary state into a full-on outburst.

  “Why can’t anyone in this house shut up? I just want a full night’s sleep!”

  “Celia…I’m sorry,” Dad tried to calm her down, the guilt could be felt behind his words, but it wasn’t enough to defuse her.

  “Shut up! And you two. I thought I would trust you two, but I guess you couldn’t help yourselves.” She turned to Angel and me. Being hung-over however, I wasn’t dealing with it.

  “Give me a break, Celia. I can’t even remember last night and besides it’s not like we could have been any worse than them,” I pointed over my shoulder with my thumb to them.

  “Uh…Wade,” Angel tried to stop me before I could say anything I would come to regret.

  Celia gritted her teeth and slammed the kitchen door behind herself and screamed from the lounge room, not to disturb her as she went back to bed. I let out a deep sigh and sat down at the table, falling into the chair.

  “Man, that temper of hers, it’s too early to deal with it.”

  Days like these I always regret not going to work because at least I would have peace and quiet. We sat down at the table with our heads buried in our arms. Sophia sang loudly while she cooked breakfast; her voice was quite lovely. Dad leant against the fridge, smiling although it was clear he was very tired. The meal she prepared was a good start to the day. It was a savoury soup that heavily appealed to the senses. The texture of the meat served with it was something else, but it was the lingering aroma that really hit me.

  “So, this is how you brought home that meal the other day.”

  “Yeah Sophy’s cooking is the best I’ve ever had.”

  “It’s not that good; it’s just something my mother used to make.”

  “Mama. Don’t be so modest. You’re a great cook. I remember the sweets you used to make were so good when I was a little girl.” Sophia’s face went blank, but she then put on a sweet smile and brushed her long black hair behind her neck.

  “I can make some for you again if you like,” she said softly.

  “You really mean it?” She almost jumped out of her seat in excitement and Sophia nodded gently before Angel actually vanished from her seat and reappeared next to her mother to hug her. I was still confused as to how Angel could do something so amazing, but our parents paid it no mind, which baffled me even further. After breakfast we went back to bed, we didn’t sleep and instead watched another movie to pass the time. It was warm since spring was ending and summer was right around the corner.

  “Angel, has your hair grown even longer since last night?” I asked while thinking back on since we first met, it was three times the length and reached down to her thighs. It was so thick she could barely run her hands through it.

  “It is getting a little long I guess. I’ll get Mama to help me with it,” she replied in a carefree tone of voice.

  “Don’t you think how fast it’s grown is strange?”

  “Nope, not really.”

  “Huh, right…”

  About halfway into our movie, I got a text from Johnson inviting us over for a swim in his pool and to catch up on what happened from last night. He was less composed than usual though. I wasn’t sure if it was having Sabrina living with him or he was just tired, but whatever it was, it got to him. We arrived in our swimmers at the front door of his house. Sabrina let us inside; she was already in a bikini and board shorts. The floor behind her was drenched and gave us the idea she had carelessly gotten straight out the pool and walked through the house to let us in. She was in a good mood so in my mind that explained it. She grabbed Angel by the hand and sprinted with her as they then dive-bombed into the pool, only to childishly splash around with each other afterwards. I threw Angel her umbrella to shade herself and I turned around to see Johnson. He was wearing a pair of black sunglasses and blue shorts. I felt a little weak compared to him with his muscular body. He gave off a feeling of inadequacy to me though, like he was nervous, anxious even.

  “You alright, man? You seem a little off today?”

  “I guess it can’t be helped if it’s this noticeable.”

  “What do you mean, Johnny?”

  “I-I proposed to Sabrina last night…while completely out of it.”

  “No way! What’d she say? When was this? Was I there?” Questions spewed out of me faster than he could answer.

  “She said yes. I made a ring a long time ago. You had gone home by then. I’m pretty sure I proposed at the front door of the house at the end of the night,” he answered my questions nervously.

  “Then what’s the problem? You got a girl that wants to be your wife when only a month ago, she didn’t want to be seen anywhere near you.” When I said it like that, I began to understand why he was nervous.

  “I guess you’re right. It’s just happening so fast. Two years of loving each other within our eyes only to this, it’s daunting.”

  “Just relax, Johnny.” I pushed him into the pool with one hand; normally he wouldn’t have even budged. He fell next to Sabrina and gave the news to Angel. Her eyes lit up like crimson stars, even under the shade of her umbrella. She was completely in awe of them and couldn’t help but gush as she stared at them.

  “That’s so sweet! So, you two are going to get married sometime soon then?”

  “Yeah one day after we’ve saved up some money.”

  “You two really have it all worked out. I want to get married one day too. Are you going to have kids? I definitely want kids someday.”

  I went to calm her down, but I felt as if she was already too worked up for me to say anything.

  “Angel, we hadn’t thought that far
ahead. We’re seeing where this takes us.” Sabrina’s face was completely red, and Angel had hit another soft spot to fluster her.

  “That’s enough Angel. Congratulations you two. I’m really happy you’re doing this. You both deserve to be happy no matter what anyone says.” They smiled cheerfully while in each other’s arms while I rested under the umbrella with Angel as she looked at me, curiosity in her eyes.

  “Thanks, Wade. We really appreciate that you mean that.” Sabrina said softly. The rest of the day passed for us calmly, without stress. It was nice to have everything going our way for once, not only for Angel and myself but for our friends as well.

  Chapter Four

  I arrived at work the next day to see Rex chatting with Ashlyn in the centre of the office block. I attempted to go straight to my office, but they called me over.

  “Hello, Wade. Ashlyn was just telling me that she bumped into you on opening night of the Pavilion night club.”

  “Yeah it was a fun night, sorry that we put NA’s for yesterday because of it.”

  “No, it’s fine. I expect my employees to get out and have some fun every once and a while. I heard that Sophia Natsuki was also there that night with your father. Quite the strange little family you have, Wade.”

  “Tell me about it.” I replied in an exhausted tone.

  “How were you and your little friends after that night? You were all pretty drunk by the time we closed up for the night.” Ashlyn asked without restraint.

  “Ah I guess we were better off than we left. Johnson proposed to Sabrina.”

  “Wow, that’s a big move from him. I’ll be sure to congratulate them then.”

  Rex chugged another gulp of hot coffee before seeing Ashlyn off for the day and I went back to my office. Dan ducked into my office five minutes later; he was rowdy as ever and sat down next to me on my desk.

  “Ey what up, Wade? How was yesterday?”