2. Rumpelstiltskin

I awoke with the overwhelming urge to vomit. I scrambled off of the couch I was on, without completely registering where I was and stumbled blindly in the dark. "Ouch." Margo groaned as my foot hit her.

"Sorry." I mumbled hurriedly, before diving towards her bathroom. In the second it took me to lift her toilet seat, the strong taste of vodka burned in my throat before it blasted from my lips with such force, I was sure my throat would be in the toilet when I was done. "I'm never drinking again." I whined, and rested my head on the seat. This was disgusting. I finally hit rock bottom. At least the only place to go from here was up.

Margo cackled from the living room followed by the sound of her wrestling with the blanket. "That's what you always say. Rise and shine, baby. Today's a new day, and we are going to get ourselves in some trouble."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Oh, yes you are."

"No." I snapped, before another wave of nausea pierced my stomach and I doubled over, emptying bile into the bowl. "Just leave me here to die. I feel like death, already."

"You know what they say - a greasy breakfast is the cure for a hangover." She chimed as she sauntered into the bathroom. I glared at the back of her as she observed herself in the mirror.

"I hate you. Why is it you never have a hangover?"

"I am blessed." She shrugged before turning to stick her tongue out at me. "This girl knows how to hold her liquor."

"Damnit.." I wiped my mouth and struggled to stand up. "So does this mean you're going to cook me a greasy breakfast?" I could only be hopeful. Margo was a great cook, but she hated cooking. She ran her fingers through her crazy blonde locks, and rubbed at her eyes, before turning to me with a sympathetic look. She placed her hand on my shoulder and clucked her tongue at me.

"Tsk, Tsk, Tsk... Of course not. We're going out!"

"Ugh! You're a monster." I groaned and nudged her aside. "Go so I can wash my hands and rinse my mouth with the whole bottle of mouthwash. Liquor tastes disgusting when it's coming up instead of going down."

"It smells disgusting for those around you." She retorted sarcastically and rolled her eyes. "Hurry up. I want to leave in twenty."

"Do you have a date, or something?"

"With a hot plate of pancakes, you know I do." I couldn't help but grin. She was obsessed with pancakes. The kind of girl you could take to an expensive restaurant and she would ask if they had pancakes. I was sure it was an illness. I scrubbed at my hands vigorously before rinsing them. I had touched that toilet seat and the last thing I wanted was the germs from one of her sexual conquests on me. I grabbed the bar of soap and lathered my hands once again, before scrubbing my face of all the grime, and makeup I forgot to take off. My mascara had leaked below my eye, and I resembled hooker.

Once I rinsed my face and mouth, and wiped at the makeup, I examined myself in the mirror. My soft brown eyes were rimmed with red, and puffy. My nose was a rosy color, and my complexion had paled substantially. There was no way I would be able to pretend I was okay. All someone had to do was take a look at me to tell I had been shattered. My curly black hair was now an Afro. I tied it up and out of my face.

"Just breath, Selena." I reminded myself. When everything got so hectic, I would hold my breath,afraid to deal with my problems. I wasn't in love with Joshua, but it hurt seeing him just throw away something we had built, so easily. Like I was nothing to him, like these last six months had meant nothing. I swallowed the lump in my throat, and rested my hands on the side of the sink. My knuckles were turning white as I tried to steady myself. "You don't need the fucking jerk."

"You're damn right." Margo added, as she leaned against the doorway. "You're better off without him. You always were." She offered me a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Thankfully, we were the same size. Not the slimmest bunch, but definitely curvy. I accepted with a small smile, and sighed. "Just look on the bright side. Now you don't have to go meet his stupid grandmother anyways. You can have the time of your life with me at that concert."

I stifled my laughter, and shook my head disapprovingly at her. "You always know how to be optimistic, don't you?"

"It's a gift. Now get dressed, so I can eat." She placed her hands on her stomach dramatically, and cried out. "I'll starve Selena, I swear to god I will starve."

"Alright." I shooed her out of the bathroom. "You keep distracting me."

But deep down I was thankful for the distraction. I welcomed it.

---

"You're just paranoid." Margaret commented before taking another huge bite of pancakes. I glanced around the restaurant, and took a quick sip of my coffee. The whole way here, while we were walking I swore we were being followed. The same car had passed us at least four times.

"I am not!" I snapped defensively. "The same black sedan with tinted windows passed us multiple times."

"Maybe they were lost." She grumbled before taking a swig of orange juice.

"And maybe I'm male."

"You're being over dramatic. Just calm down."

I crossed my arms over my chest and leaned back in my seat. "Fine." I sighed. She was right. I was feeling off from yesterday, and taking things way out of context. Stupid Joshua. It was bullshit how one person could absolutely ruin your life in the matter of seconds.

My phone vibrated against my thigh, and I pulled it out before placing it on the table. Joshua's name was displayed brightly on the front screen, and Margo glanced expectantly between the phone and myself. "Are you going to answer that?"

"And say what...."

"Fuck off," She offered. I chuckled, humorlessly and rubbed my arms as a cold chill passed over me. I couldn't speak with him, because I knew once I did, I would break down. I didn't want him to have the satisfaction of my meltdown. "You know you're always welcome to stay with me."

"I could always move back to my parents." I weighed the idea on my tongue and quickly discarded it. There was no way that was going to happen. I loved my parents, but living under the same roof as them, had practically driven me to insanity. It was like walking on eggshells, when you're finally an adult but nothing changes. You still have to abide by their rules, and you feel like you'll remain a kid for the rest of your life.

"That's all the way in Florida." Margo pouted. Florida was a ways away from New York, and I didn't want to leave her. I didn't want to leave New York at all.

"Are you sure you want me to stay? You'll be sick of me soon enough."

"I'm counting on it." She grinned, and continued eating. At the sound of the bell ringing as the someone entered the diner, I lifted my gaze only to meet the familiar man from the coffee shop yesterday. Nicolo. I smiled politely, waiting for him to notice me. His gaze passed over me, and without so much as a respectful nod of his head, he turned to the waitress behind the counter. Maybe he didn't recognize me.

Margo was too busy stuffing her face and glancing at her phone to notice his entrance. I watched him closely. The waitress face seemed to light up with recognition before she disappeared into the kitchen. He glanced around the diner again, and halted when his eyes landed on me. I blushed and glanced down at my hands. He was still breathtakingly attractive and I was now ironically single. I could look and flirt all I wanted.

Hell, if I wanted to ride his cock in the diner bathroom I could. I giggled at the thought. I needed some raw, passionate sex. I was desperate for something wild. Something mentally and physically consuming so Joshua's name would cease to exist in my mind. Maybe I was getting too out of hand. I hadn't realized Nicolo was making his way over to our table until he was already in front of it.

"Nice to see you again ladies." He said. Margo smiled with cheeks full of fluffy pancakes.

"It's funny seeing you here." I said.

"Likewise." He added. "Just grabbing a case of the macaroni. It's the best around."

Margaret nodded in agreement.

"So what are you both up to today?" He appeared genuinely curious. My eyes flickered to his lips as his tongue darted out against the bottom lip. So inviting. He wore a gray sweater, and jeans and had never looked more appealing.

"Well, I'm busy." Margo rushed. "But Selena here is totally free." I shot her a look from across the table. She was always trying to push herself into my sex life, and it was unbearable at times. Nicolo chuckled, and ran a hand through his dark locks.

"Is that so?" His voice was enticing with a dangerous edge to it.

"Yeah, she's up for anything." I kicked Margo from under the table, and watched satisfied when she yelped.

"Like?"

"An adventure. Anything and everything." Margaret interjected before I could utter a word. I might as well have stuck her hand up my ass like I was a puppet. She was always getting in the middle of shit.

"I wish." I rolled my eyes.

"Well, be careful what you wish for." His green eyes bore into mine with such intensity I looked away. The waitress called to him.

"I must be going. It's always a pleasure, Miss Morales." His lips spread slowly into a giant smile that frightened me, before he walked back to the counter, grabbed the paper bag offered to him and disappeared.

I furrowed my brows as a realization dawned on me.

"What?" Margo asked.

"I never told him my last name."