Heather is chatting energetically to her sister on the phone.
I guess the sex has brought her back to life. Meanwhile I am shaking with fear.
I go to the kitchen to clear the breakfast away but with one ear I am desperately trying to gage Clem’s feelings through Heather’s replies. The subject of me has clearly been avoided by Clem and I feel somewhat annoyed. As if Heather is my agent and Clem is ringing to tell her how good my audition went last night.
I tell myself this is so wrong just as I hear Heather invite her over to the house. I drop the glass I am about to put away which, through my clumsiness, causes the cheese to fall off the bench. Those stupid, individually wrapped triangles of cheese that she insists on buying are scattered over the kitchen floor with the shattered glass. There is so much commotion going on through my brain I don’t notice the shard of glass in my foot.
“Goddammit Heather, this cheese belongs in the fridge!” I scream at her, but she hasn’t done anything wrong.
“It doesn’t baby, it’s long-life, just like you and me”. It hits me again, the anger. The anger that comes from her innocence. Her pyjamas, her voice, her fucking cheese. It’s driving me insane. I fall to the ground in a pool of rage, that’s when i notice my bleeding foot. All over the triangles of cheese. The triangles look like bloodied arrow-heads.
And all I can think is: All arrows are pointing to Clem.
“Clem is so crazy! She wants us to go out again tonight, she’s going to be at Slide.” says Heather with bewilderment. They are so different these sisters, like chalk and stupid cheese.
“I don’t think so, I think I need a night off, a break or something. I need to be alone, I’m sorry Heather”
That’s how I left Heather, with little explanation and no resolution. I stumbled home, my heart racing, my foot limping. I needed to clear my head.
It was inevitable that I ended up at Slide that night. My head was so clear it wasn’t thinking.
I took my gay best friend Christian and filled him in on the night’s events. He squealed with delight at every piece of information, like the good best friend that he is. Then called me trailer trash, like the good bitch that he is. “Sisters! You’ve really gone too far this time, I am reporting you to Jerry Springer!”
I felt seedy, he was right, I am scum.
“Don’t worry honey, I love it!” He quickly added.
“Ok just be quiet when you meet her, you know nothing. Just shut-up and look pretty.”
“Amen to that sister. No incest intended!” I hit him.
The crowd at Slide was mixed, the queens on the dance-floor and the girls huddled together like a rugby scrum. It wasn’t hard to notice Clem’s entrance. She walked in like the flag bearer at the Olympics, all eyes were on here, all minds were curious. The rugby scrum parted seas as she walked through them to get to the bar. She was dressed differently tonight, kind of elegantly, she had heels on which made her look even more statuesque. Her blonde hair was straight and flowing down her back. The back that I could read like a map with my tongue. She wore earrings that dangled flirtatiously over her neck, the neck that would still have my teeth marks ingrained in it if you looked close enough.
It was obvious to Christian that this was the girl who had me hypnotised.
“Pick your fucking jaw off the ground- she’s coming over this way.”
And then it hit me, she wasn’t alone. She wasn’t with Heather. It was worse. She was with someone else. I acted aloof as she approached me
“Hey you, I didn’t know you were coming- this is Jess.” And tilted her head towards the other girl. She was also tall, like Clem but with no expression on her face. She was thin, but with no definition. She was cold, not like Clem. I made these opinions before I even introduced myself. I felt sick with jealousy that she was holding Clem’s hand.
I felt like an angry cat who’s had her territory taken over. But Clem wasn’t mine, so I was polite. I made small talk with her while Christian stood back quietly assessing the scores. I knew I would get a debrief tomorrow morning on who was winning. Jess was so emotionless and mute so Clem kept speaking for her. She was like a cardboard cut-out. Ok she was a hot cardboard cut-out but I had to take her down. Rip her to shreds like the flimsy, hollow thing that she was.
That’s not exactly what happened though, I am far too strategic for that. I bided my time and when Clem asked me if I wanted to go back to Jess’s house with the two of them, how could I throw in the towel and say no?