Chapter Text
“Tell me about your week, Jinx. How have you been since our last session?” Sky crossed her legs at the ankles and readied her pen and clipboard. This was only her second session with Jinx, and Sky hoped that she would be one of the patients that saw their treatment as a second job.
“Well Doc, not much has happened. Syllabus week just ended, and surprise, surprise- I’m set to be bored yet again this semester.” Jinx sat back on the plush one seater couch. She hated therapy. Well, she hated nearly everything, but therapy especially. She didn’t want to pick her own brains let alone have someone else take a look. This chair was comfortable at least, and in combination with her saggy black beanie it made the world feel a little softer and more bearable. The doctor was nice, at least. She’d said to just call her Sky, but Jinx could tell that it annoyed her slightly to call her Doc. Naturally, that’s what she did. Jinx’s black tank slipped off her tattooed shoulder as she shifted her weight to one side in her chair. Her silver necklaces clinked delicately around her neck, and her rings clinked as she nervously messed with her fingers. The sunlight came gently through the window and cast a gentle ray of light on the tattoos that cascaded down her arm. As nonchalant as she tried to appear, she was terrified to be here.
“That’s natural. You’re a genius, so it’s normal for you to feel like you’re miles ahead of your peers. There’s no shame in admitting that to yourself. You’re very intelligent, Jinx.” Sky scribbled a couple of words in shorthand that Jinx couldn’t see from her vantage, though she tried.
“I know I’m smarter than they are. I’m just bored. Homework takes an hour, and then what do I do? Sit around and watch the clock tick.” She crossed her arms and the spikes on her favorite bracelet dug into the exposed flesh on her arm.
“There’s nothing interesting that’s happened to you at all in the past week?” Sky pressed. There was something about her demeanor that was different from last week. She seemed more alert, and her disinterest in the world around her seemed more like a facade today.
“No.” Jinx immediately answered. It was slightly too forceful to be the whole truth, and Sky said nothing but raised one questioning eyebrow at her. Jinx sighed. “I almost ran into a girl this morning on my ride.”
“You like to ride your motorcycle early in the morning, because it’s nice to be alone, right?” Sky said, flipping back through her notes from the previous week.
“Yeah. Anyway, I almost ran this girl over,” Jinx continued and sneered when Sky looked slightly alarmed. “I didn’t, though. And it was her fault mostly.”
“Care to explain more?” Sky asked and readied her pen. Jinx rolled her eyes and recounted earlier that morning to her.
She was out for her morning ride on her bike. The neon blue running lights under the rims and the matching glow of the dashboard glinted off the black body of her Harley. She loved how the sparkly paint of the realistic lightning decal, that she’d spent a lot of money on, glinted under the blue light before the sun thought about coming up. It was about four in the morning, and she was the only one roaring through the sleeping streets of Piltover. She ate up the miles on her bike as she felt the wind whip her leather jacket around her shoulders. It was freeing to be the only thing that could move this fast right now. It was too early for the Enforcers to start hounding the southern half of the city across the river, so she was free to race through the streets as she pleased. She didn’t have class for another four hours, and her homework had been done for days. She’d had one art assignment for a still life that had bored her to death as she swiftly painted through it and one chemistry lab that she would finish in class.
She’d stopped off at the gas station near the edge of the shared campus between University Zaun and University of Demacia. Her friend Ekko worked there and always gave her coffee for free. She especially liked to roar around the streets near the dorms on the Demacia side of campus this early, just to piss off the students that she knew would have to be awake for sports practices soon. That morning, while she was tearing around the campus streets just a little bit too fast, she turned a corner onto a straightaway at the main entrance to Demacia’s campus. As she sped along, a tall blonde girl ran into her path several blocks down the way, and paused to see where the loud noise of her motorcycle was coming from. She was in running gear, red short shorts and a gray UD T-shirt. She put her hands on her hips and watched as Jinx roared down the street towards her.
“Sure, Blondie, play chicken. I know you’re not stupid enough to get hit.” Jinx revved her engine and picked up the speed. The girl in the crosswalk crossed her arms and planted her feet, staring Jinx down as she hurtled toward her. Yeah right. Jinx thought as she took her hand off the throttle and coasted quickly toward her, unerring in her path. As she drew closer it became more apparent that this girl wasn’t going to move, and Jinx realized in a panic that she might actually hit her.
“Shit!” Jinx squeezed her breaks and twisted sharply to the side skillfully, sliding to a halt only inches from wiping out the girl’s knees. Jinx panted and looked angrily up at the tall girl in front of her. She was at least a half a foot taller than Jinx at her full height, and her build was nicely muscled and narrow. Her shoulders and thighs were especially built, and Jinx wondered for a split second what sport she played. She was devastatingly pretty, though, cold blue eyes shining down at Jinx, and her angry resolve broke slightly.
“Are you crazy?!” Jinx threw her hands up in the air at her.
“Are you?!” the girl asked back equally incredulously. Her eyebrows furrowed deeply.
“What do you mean? You stopped in front of my bike!” Jinx was getting irritated again.
“You were going fifty in a twenty, speeding toward the only pedestrian in a five mile radius.” The girl responded heatedly and placed her hand on her hips once more.
“Yeah- well… you were going to let me hit you!” Jinx tried to sit up taller on her bike and look as intimidating as she could.
“Would you have?” The girl asked.
“Obviously not or you would be a grease stain on the pavement, Blondie.” Irritation flashed across her face, and Jinx knew she’d dug just a little bit under her skin.
“Don’t call me that. Anyway, if you’re done driving recklessly, I’m going to get back to my run. You messed up my time.” She looked at a sleek black smart watch around her wrist and grimaced disappointedly. She began to walk away.
“You’re the one that stopped, Blondie. Would have missed you completely if you’d kept on running!” Jinx called after her, wanting to have the last word. The taller girl flipped her off before starting off at a brisk pace again and quickly disappearing around a corner. “Asshole.” She revved her engine again and sped off down the road.
Jinx ended her recountment of the morning and looked at Sky. She was busy jotting down a few extra bits about Jinx’s story. The scribbling and scratching of her pen was loud in the quiet room. The only other sound for a long moment was the ticking of the clock on the wall. Eventually Sky put her pen down and folded her hands across her lap.
“How did it make you feel to be challenged?” She asked suddenly, and Jinx was caught off guard.
“Challenged?” Jinx asked, not quite understanding her meaning.
“You told me in our first session that most people either avoid you or are terrified of you. Even I admit, you have a threatening aura about you, so how did it feel to have that innate respect and authority challenged?” She knew getting Jinx to be introspective was going to be difficult, but she hoped that questions like these would open a gateway for her.
“She didn’t challenge me! I don’t think- I don’t know-“ Her thoughts became agitated.
“She didn’t cower, or move even when you sped at her. In the animal kingdom, that’s a challenge.”
“I mean in the literal sense, yeah- but-“
“So how did it feel?” Sky pressed.
“It felt weird!” Jinx blurted out. “It made me want to make her scared of me.” Sky smiled at her.
“Why do you want people to be scared of you?”
“If they’re scared of me, they won’t bother me.”
“So if people are scared of you, they can’t hurt you?”
“I mean, I guess.” Jinx didn’t like how vulnerable that made her sound. It made it sound like she was weak and cowering behind her defenses like a scared king in his castle. “It’s about being powerful enough that they can’t hurt me. They’re not allowed to. Nobody is.” Sky was excited to have opened this vein of honesty since Jinx had been so guarded during their first session.
“That sounds lonely. Not letting anyone close, I mean.” She picked up her pen and began to scribble more notes down on her pad. Before Jinx could answer her, she began a new line of questioning. “So, if you were to run into this girl again, and please not literally,” she joked and got a half of a sneer of a smile out of Jinx, “If you were to see her again, what would you do?”
Huh. Jinx didn’t know what she would do. She wanted to say that she would find some way to scare her into respecting her. She wanted to say that she would find something really clever to say to burn that pretentious pretty blonde, but she didn’t. She didn’t know what she would do. Thinking back on it, Jinx wished that she’d gotten a chance to talk longer with her. Even strangers that she ran into were initially intimidated by her, even if they were significantly bigger than she was. It was intriguing that this girl had stared down her motorcycle and not even flinched as she screeched to a halt not inches from breaking her legs. It also crossed her mind that the girl was super hot, and she wouldn’t mind getting another chance to get her name.
“I don’t know.” Jinx finally admitted.
“Think about why you don’t know. Normally, I feel like you’d make her scared, or at least be angry. You seem interested. Intrigued even.” Jinx bristled. She didn’t like being read so easily and was thankful that the gentle timer that signaled the end of their session began to chime. “That’s all the time we have. You should think about why you’re so intrigued by her until our next session. I’ll see you next week at the same time?” She stood up to shake Jinx’s hand. Jinx let her hand hang in the air momentarily before she shook it and headed out with a grumbled ‘thanks.’ What did she know anyway?
Jinx bumped shoulders with someone as she walked by and recognized her physics TA standing outside of the door. He was tall and lanky, and his messy brown hair complimented his professionally disheveled appearance. He had a dark wooden walking stick with a gold handle and a brace on one of his legs. Jinx wondered why he needed it and almost offered to fix the irritating creaking that happened whenever he took a step.
“Viktor?” Jinx asked, not sure if she remembered his name right. He gave her an awkward half smile and raised his free hand in greeting.
“Hello, Jinx. It’s actually funny running into you here. Have you finished reading your syllabus for the semester?” His small talk was awkward and forced, and Jinx almost laughed at his discomfort.
“Yeah, same day you gave it out. Are you a patient of Sky’s too?” She asked. His eyes darted nervously to the side, and a light dusting of a blush colored his cheeks.
“Eh, not exactly, although I am seeking her attention…” His face reddened slightly at the admission, and Jinx laughed.
“So you’re fucking the university provided psych professional? Nice. If she tells you anything about me, I’m suing.”
“Hey! We aren’t-! I mean- hey!” She snickered as she pushed past him.
“So you’re just pining and bothering her then? Even better. I’ll be sure to ask her about you next week, same time. Later Vik!” She spun on her boot clad heel and left down the stairs of the building and out the front door. He gaped after her, and Sky snickered in her office as she heard him sputtering for a response. He wasn’t lying, they weren’t fucking; he hadn’t even asked her out, but he was pining and it was obvious to everyone including her. Sky liked Jinx. She was different from her other patients and actually interesting. The way she views the world was entirely unique, and her view on humanity was intriguing. She looked forward to treating her in the future.
Jinx saw that girl running the same route for several days after that when she went out for her morning rides. She didn’t stop in the middle of the road the next time she drove past, and Jinx didn’t speed as fiercely down the street. They spared each other nothing more than a passing glance each morning. Jinx found herself going slower down that stretch of the street specifically, but she couldn’t tell why. She never had the intention of stopping. Maybe she just didn’t want to hurt her by accident.
A couple of weeks later, Jinx ran into the blonde girl again, this time at a Halloween birthday party at the split campus bar, called The Underground. Jinx came to crash a party, because she heard the birthday girl was picking up the tab. She couldn’t crash without a costume, so naturally, she went to the local costume shop and bought the cheapest devil costume that she could find. It was a onesie with horns on the hood and a red pointed tail. Perfect for getting drunk and going home undetected at a college Halloween party. She threw on her favorite spiked leather jacket over it and headed out the door. She caught a cab, knowing that she wouldn’t be leaving sober. Jinx arrived and immediately staked out her usual seat at the end of the bar away from everyone else. Her usual bartender wasn’t here tonight, but Jinx supposed that she was out with her girlfriend or something. The other guy would have to do. She thought his name was Chuck, but she couldn’t ever remember, and she didn’t care enough to find out. It wasn’t until she was three mixed drinks in that she saw the blonde girl sitting at the bar dressed in a fluffy angel dress complete with a silver pipe cleaner halo. She had a little hand bag and a drink; other than that she was alone. She looked absolutely miserable as her friends caroused raucously around her, sloshing drinks and tipping backwards in their chairs.
“What’s her deal?” Jinx thought as she sipped her fourth drink, a nice buzz setting in and lightening her mood. It wasn’t until one of Blondie’s drunken friends wrapped his arm around her and screamed a loud ‘happy birthday’ into her ear that Jinx realized that she’d crashed a party for the girl that she’d almost crashed into. She laughed loudly to herself, and the noise was swallowed by the clamor of the bar. She also came to the realization from the decorations that this was her twenty-first birthday. Jinx’s had come around only a few months before the semester had started. She didn’t remember much of it though. She got wasted by herself for her birthday, and it looked like Blondie was doing the same even though she was surrounded by her friends.
On a whim, Jinx got up from her seat and moved closer to the girl with the intention of starting a conversation. She didn't know what she was going to say, but she was going to say something. She sidled up next to her, and the blonde girl recognized her before she was even fully in her sea. Jinx met her gaze.
“Uh… hi. Funny running into you here.” Jinx yelled nervously over the noise. Why was she so nervous? Maybe it caught her off guard that Blondie had scoped her out before she’d settled in. Maybe it was the alcohol. Who could say?
“Too bad you didn’t literally run into me with your bike.” She smiled sarcastically. The venom in her voice, Jinx could tell, was directed not at her, but her situation.
“What’s up, Angel? Not having fun at your own party?” Jinx asked. Her reference was to her costume, but she was willing to let it be interpreted as flirting.
“Ha ha. And no, not really. This isn’t my type of scene.” She grimaced at the bar full of loud drunks crashing into each other and spilling liquor across the dance floor. She took a dainty sip of her drink, and her nose wrinkled as the acrid alcohol burned down her throat.
“What is your scene?” Jinx flagged down the bartender and asked for another round for her and another of whatever the blonde girl was having.
“Buying me a drink on my own tab? You shouldn’t have.” The sarcasm was heavy in her voice, and she gave Jinx a playful shove on the shoulder. Jinx noticed that she didn’t wince at the other girl’s touch, but paid no extra attention to the fact. “And why do you want to know? Feel bad for almost killing me?” Her smile was dazzling as the lights flashed in the bar.
“Uh- here,” Jinx dug in her jacket pocket and handed her a folded twenty. The girl looked surprised. “I was just wondering.”
“Oh- oh, no! I was joking! You totally don’t have to pay for that.” She shoved the bill back into Jinx’s palm and tucked her hand closed between her own for a moment. Her hands were soft. Really soft. Why did Jinx’s face feel warm? She felt hot all over suddenly and assumed her last drink had finally hit her. “My parents are paying for all this, don’t worry.” She dropped Jinx’s hand, and she almost dropped her money on the ground.
“Oh. Okay, nice. Family money must be nice.” She didn’t say it with disdain in her voice. People couldn’t control who their parents were.
“It has its perks, I’ll admit.” She gestured to the drunken crowd. “I can’t deny all these people are happy.” She smiled, but it came nowhere close to reaching her eyes.
“But you aren’t, are you?” Jinx asked genuinely. The blonde girl turned in her chair to face Jinx. Her legs were long, and her knees brushed softly against the length of Jinx’s thigh. Jinx was almost certain that her face was the same color as her onesie at this point, but she maintained her schooled expression. The other girl regarded her scrutinously for a moment, and a sly smile slipped over her face.
“No, I’m not. But it’s okay. Again,” she leaned forward on the bar just slightly, “why do you care?”
“Maybe because I know how bad it sucks to feel alone in a crowd of people.” She smiled sadly and took a sip from her drink. It was fruity, and she could barely taste its insane alcohol content. She hated the taste of alcohol, but loved to get drunk.
“Really? Maybe I misjudged you.” She smiled and threw back the rest of her drink. Her knees pressed into Jinx’s leg, and she could feel her heart palpitate.
“Uh, you- ehem- you never told me what your scene is. Where would you rather be now?” The drinks made Jinx slightly brazen, and she didn’t bother to hide the way her gaze raked up the girl’s legs.
“Honestly, I’m more of a neon lasers and uppers kinda gal. I like raves more than bars. They have better music. Better drugs too.” Her honesty shocked a pleased laugh out of Jinx, and she returned the playful punch to her shoulder.
“Now you’re talking! Maybe I judged you too soon. Good thing I didn’t run you over.” Jinx grinned, and the other girl smiled back at her. For the first time, there was actual happiness at the corners of her eyes. Jinx’s heart thumped oddly in her chest, and she was feeling a little impulsive tonight. “I know a place that has a great show tonight. I could take you. If you want- totally chill if not.” The other girl studied her closely for a moment, a sly smile teasing at the corners of her lips as Jinx fumbled over her words. “I mean- just because it’s your birthday, and you don't like it here, and I know a great place, and- and I’m rambling and you’re laughing at me.” Jinx felt her face burn, and she chugged the rest of her drink as she heard the girl chuckle at her.
“Sorry- I’m not laughing at you. You’re just cute.” She sighed, and some of the tension seemed to drain out of her shoulders. Jinx’s ears rang. Cute? “But, sure. I’ll let you take me to a party… If you tell me your name first. I should at least know who I’m leaving with.” Her eyes glimmered.
“Jinx.” Her gaze made Jinx feel like she was under a microscope. The girl knocked on the bar to get the tender’s attention. “Put it on the card. You know which one.” He nodded at her wordlessly. She turned back to Jinx with an expression that said “well?” Jinx felt her brain catch up to the moment, and she scrambled to find her words.
“Oh- Oh okay, yeah. Yeah, let's go.” Jinx and the girl stood up from the bar, and the height difference between the two felt even more staggering now that Jinx wasn’t sitting on her bike. She actually had to tilt her head up to make eye contact with her, and the taller girl seemed to think it was extremely amusing.
Jinx tried to play it off and grabbed the taller girl’s hand to lead her out of the bar. She let Jinx drag her along out into the cold night air. Jinx felt a shiver run through the girl’s arm and unhesitatingly dropped her hand to take off her jacket and offer it to her. Jinx had to admit that her jacket looked like Polly Pocket clothes next to her, and it was almost funny.
“It’s, uh, probably too small for your arms, but you can put it across your shoulders at least.” Jinx couldn’t meet her gaze directly.
“You’re sweet.” The other girl draped Jinx’s jacket around her shoulders, and a light blush colored her cheeks. “Won’t you be cold?” She asked as she pulled the jacket tighter around her. Why does she look so good in that jacket? It doesn’t even fit. Jinx was lost in her thoughts for a moment as she struggled with this weird feeling in her chest. Why did she like the tall girl in her jacket when she had nearly run her over only a few weeks before at their first encounter?
“No, I’ll be alright.” Jinx eventually managed to spit the words out. “I’m too hot anyway.” She unzipped her onesie just a little bit and her tight black tank top showed underneath. It had ridden low on her chest over the course of the night.
“I bet.” Her eyes met Jinx’s in a way that was much more than suggestive.
“I- '' Jinx's mind blanked out. “Uh- I- cab?” Jinx barely managed to ask and gestured at the curb with her thumb. The taller girl grinned dangerously and stepped in closer to Jinx.
“Don’t worry about it. I got it.” She pulled out a sleek new smartphone from her purse that Jinx had never even seen before. She scanned her fingerprint and tapped away at the screen only a few times before she put her phone back into her purse. “My family has a sort of driving service. They’ll be here in a second.” Jinx wondered just who this girl was and why her family had so much damn money that she could afford to leave a bar full of her drunk friends on her tab to catch a cab with a stranger.
Only a few moments later, a sleek silver tesla SUV silently pulled up to the curb next to them. The windows were all blacked out, so much so that Jinx couldn’t even distinguish a general form in the front seat, let alone identify the driver. When she looked closely, she could see that most of the car was painted with a gloss, but delicate filigree spidered out across the entire body of the car in a subtle matte of the same color. It seemed unnecessarily extravagant, and the abstract number that represented this stranger’s family fortune grew just a little in Jinx’s mind.
The door popped open unassisted, and she slid delicately into the back seat like a trained princess. She beckoned Jinx, patting the seat next to her and giving Jinx a heated look. Jinx slid into the back, feeling ridiculous in her devil onesie in this car that was definitely worth more than her whole house. The door closed behind her, and the space inside the car suddenly seemed a lot more cramped than it had before. The girl leaned against the door with her back and stretched her long legs over to Jinx’s side of the car. Their legs rested heavily together, and Jinx knew she was the one with the horns, but the blonde in front of her looked positively devilish right now. Her heart pounded hard in her chest, and excitement sparked in her veins. This was the end to the boring streak that she’d been looking for.
“You look good in that jacket, Angel.” Jinx smiled, and her teeth glinted in the dim light inside the cab of the car. The spikes on the dark leather flashed as dangerously as her smile, and she sat forward to close the distance between them even further.
“Save your good lines for later. Where are we going, cutie?” She readied her phone again and handed it to Jinx to type in the address. She tapped quickly over the keys and handed the phone back to her. The blonde girl purposefully drug her fingers heavily across Jinx’s hand as she took the phone back. Her hands were big, and her fingers were long, dwarfing Jinx’s. “What’s the Lanes?”
“You’ll have to see.” Jinx grinned.
The ride over was short, only a few minutes, and the sleek car pulled up to a curb outside of an old office building that appeared to be unoccupied. Jinx popped the door open, and the cold night air hit her in a refreshing wave. She pulled the girl out of the car behind her and kept her hand in hers as she guided them toward the building. The car lingered for a moment, and the girl turned around to wave them off. The car pulled away silently. The girl allowed herself to be dragged along to the back side of the building where Jinx led her to a set of concrete stairs that descended to a lower level than the doors at the front would have taken them. There was a heavy black door at the bottom with a sliding plate at eye level for the taller girl.
“Watch this.” Jinx tugged on one of her various silver necklaces and produced one with a small flashlight with a blacklight LED. She pressed a button on the side and pointed the glowing purple beam at a corner of the wall near the door. In bold print, the words “The Lanes” were painted in blacklight activated paint. Now that they were closer, a faint thumping could be heard from within the thick concrete walls. Jinx stepped up to the door and banged on it loudly three times. The metal slat slid open at the top and a heavily tattooed man glared out at her.
“Password?” His gruff voice sounded like he’d smoked a pack a day for his entire life.
“Shimmer.” Jinx glared unintimidated up at him. The metal slat closed, and the door opened. Loud music poured out from the entryway, and Jinx saw the excitement spread across the other girl’s face. Jinx pulled her inside where they were surrounded by flashing neon lights and loud pulsing music as a sea of bodies danced before them. The DJ’s booth was covered in fog that poured out onto the floor. The air reeked like pot, and Jinx felt at home. She turned to the girl and watched the dazzling amazement dance on her face as she took in the sights and sounds. Jinx pulled her down so she could yell into her ear over the music.
“Have you ever been to anything like this?” Jinx asked. She shook her head, and anticipation flared in her eyes.
“Only smaller stuff. Nothing this big.” She smiled brightly, and Jinx thought she looked beautiful.
“Sweet. Happy birthday, Angel. Don’t take anything from anyone who isn’t me. What do you want to do?” Jinx asked, and the taller girl bent down and pressed her lips to Jinx’s ear to answer.
“Show me a good time, beautiful.” She stood up and gave Jinx a look that clearly meant the offer was on the table from here on out. For what? She didn’t know. But she was excited to find out.
Jinx didn’t bother to answer, but crossed her heart and gave her a smile that was promising a whole lot more than a good time. She dragged her down to the dance floor and began looking for people selling. She and a boy made eye contact across the floor. Jinx had seen him before, bought from him, too. He was too scared of her to give her anything that wasn’t good or wasn’t what he said it was. She quirked her eyebrow at him, and he scurried across the floor toward them like a rat.
“What can I get for you?” He asked semi-professionally as he wiped the remnants of his last bump from the tip of his nose.
“What do you have tonight?” Jinx asked seriously. He opened his coat and produced several ziploc bags labeled in sharpie. There were pills of various sizes, colors, and shapes and several bags of loose flower and some prerolled joints.
“The usual. I got a little bit of E this morning too if you want that.” His eyes darted around nervously. Ecstasy. That’s exactly what Jinx wanted to show the other girl. The feeling, not the drug, but, if the drug got her there, then who was she to hinder that?
“You down to do a little E, Angel?” Jinx squeezed her hand and tried to give her a look that would be reassuring. Jinx was really sure this was safe. He had been a reliable source in the past and had never slipped up or misinformed her once. The perks of being more than a little bit scary.
“Wouldn’t be the first time.” That and her smile was confirmation enough; Jinx swapped her cash for the pills with the boy who tried to quickly disappear back into the crowd. Jinx grabbed his coat by the back of his collar and halted his momentum.
“Spot me two of those prerolls, and I’ll get the heat off of your back.” Jinx said.
“Pfft. How can you do that?” He asked incredulously.
“I have connections in the department. Don’t worry about it. You know I’m good for it.” Jinx persuaded him.
“Okay, but just this once. Favors don't pay the bills.”
“They do if they keep you out of a cell,” Jinx reminded him. He dropped the rolls into her hand and scurried away.
“You scare people.” The tall girl observed.
“Not you, though?” Jinx asked as she offered the small triangular tablet to her. She readied her own in her hand.
“No.” She popped the pill into her mouth at the same time as Jinx. She swallowed it, and the mounting anticipation of the high made Jinx’s heart skyrocket. The fact that the tall girl was still holding her hand had nothing to do with it, she was sure.
“Why?” Jinx asked.
“You seem like fun.” She said simply and pulled her hand until they were both in the middle of the dance floor. The girl tied Jinx’s coat around her waist and began dancing to the heavy beat of the music, pulling Jinx in close to her. They felt the bass rattle their rib cages as they danced, and it wasn’t long before the molly began to kick in. The lights seemed brighter and prettier than Jinx had ever seen them, and the girl in front of her had never looked more beautiful.
“What’s your name?” Jinx pulled her in close and yelled into her ear.
“You can call me Lux,” the blonde girl yelled back.
“Lux. Like light. It’s fitting, Angel,” Jinx smiled dangerously and pressed her back into Lux’s chest as they continued their dance. Lux’s hands bracketed Jinx’s ribs and held her close as they rocked and swayed with the faceless bodies around them. Everything felt so good right now. The lights flashed and illuminated the sweat that beaded on Lux’s skin. Jinx became too hot and unzipped the front of her onesie as she danced, tying the sleeves around her waist. She pressed against Lux with her back as she stripped off the stifling material much slower than she needed to. Her thin tank top left little to the imagination for Lux, and the effect was both instant and completely evident. Jinx ran her hands up greedily over Lux’s shoulders
“You’re hot as fuck. Did you know that?” Lux yelled over the crowd as she pulled Jinx back into her. For yelling, her voice was damn near to a purr. Jinx smiled and turned around so she could see Lux. Her pupils were so dilated that Jinx could barely see the icy blue rim around them. She was looking at Jinx with an expression that made Jinx feel like she wasn’t wearing any clothes at all.
“You’re one to talk,” Jinx growled and pulled her in by her waist. Lux ran her hands up and down Jinx’s arms, relishing the feeling of her skin under her fingers. The chains around Jinx’s neck glinted beautifully in the flashing lights. Lux leaned in, and Jinx thought they were going to kiss. It felt like every part of her brain lit up, and she didn’t know what to do. Right as she thought Lux’s lips were about to meet hers, Lux moved to the side and put her lips close enough to Jinx’s ear that she could talk normally.
“You’re also so cute when I can tell you don’t know how to handle how I make you feel.” She pressed a kiss to her cheek and pulled back with a grin. Jinx sputtered, and she could tell by Lux’s hearty, beautiful laugh that she was beet red all the way to her shoulders. She wouldn’t be outdone, though. Every inch that Lux had gained over her, she took back as she shook off her initial shock and schooled her expression. She tried her best for a cocky smile and ran her fingers up Lux’s arm from her wrist to her shoulder. She only paused a brief moment before trailing across her collarbone and up her neck to gently cup her chin between her thin fingers. Lux seemed slightly stunned and followed shockingly obediently when Jinx coaxed her face down to her level. She brought their lips close and paused, just long enough for a smile, a chance for Lux to back out before she fully kissed her. Kissing always felt nice, but the fact that she was on ecstasy and the fact that she was wildly attracted to Lux made a heady concoction that threatened to stop her heart in pleasure. She heard Lux gasp before she kissed her back without inhibition.
The music may as well have stopped. Time too. The only things Jinx could feel were Lux’s lips on hers, her long hands on her back under her shirt, her tongue swiping across her bottom lip; the building could have been burning down around them, and Jinx wouldn’t have noticed. Lux’s short manicured nails ran bluntly down the skin of her back, and she couldn’t suppress the embarrassing moan that slipped out of her mouth. She was glad for the loud music. Eventually, when she felt like she couldn’t breathe, she pulled away from Lux. She opened her eyes to see that she was just as breathless and clearly trying to contain herself in this public place. Her eyes were dark and hungry. Jinx leaned in as Lux had before and spoke into her ear.
“As disaffected as you’re acting, Angel,” a shiver ran up Lux’s spine that she wasn’t able to suppress, “I think that you’re having just as hard of a time with how I make you feel. You’ve just been better about hiding it.” She dipped down to kiss the pulse point on Lux’s neck, and the tension in Lux’s muscles was palpable even just with her lips. Jinx heard something near a growl rumble in her throat and a hiss of breath slip between her teeth.
Lux felt frozen, rooted to the spot, held captive by this tiny woman’s touch. She felt her energy matched in a way that she had never experienced before. If Lux was a burning fire, Jinx was gasoline, an explosive combination that felt unstoppable in this moment. She matched her wavelength exactly and amplified all her feelings. This could be addicting.
“You could be entirely correct about that,” Lux told her.
“Do you want to get out of here? I know a spot.”
“Mm, I’m sure you know a few. Let’s go.”
Jinx grabbed Lux’s hand and led the way as they threaded through the people on the dance floor and back out the door at the entryway. This time, Jinx hailed a passing cab, and the two piled into the back seat. Jinx hastily gave the driver an address before she reoccupied herself with kissing Lux until she couldn’t breathe. At some point, Lux pulled Jinx into her lap to straddle her. Lux was thankful that Jinx had undone her onesie earlier, because the feeling of her bare skin under her hands and lips was exquisite.
The cab pulled to a halt, and the driver cleared his throat, signaling them to exit and pay. Jinx hauled them out of the cab and threw the driver the same crumpled twenty from earlier.
“Keep the change,” she grabbed Lux’s hand and began leading her up a long sidewalk to the campus observatory that had been shut down since the previous semester for renovations. The windows were dark, and the large dome of the building almost looked like the silhouette of a head.
“We’re going there?” Lux asked, and Jinx nodded her confirmation. “How do we get in?”
“I have a key. I stole the spare from the old security guard before they let him go.” Jinx pulled one of the silver chains on her neck, and a large gold key separated out from the various jewelry. “It was one of my favorites before it shut down. Still is now I guess.” She laughed and enjoyed the loose pleasure in her muscles.
“Give me the grand tour, beautiful.” Lux followed, easily keeping pace with Jinx’s short legs. She led them around the back where she quickly unlocked the deadbolt and the handle and let them in. The stairs were dark, and Lux quickly pulled out her phone flashlight. Once they reached the top floor, much more natural light from the night spilled in through the arched glass ceiling. Interconnecting webs of iron brackets held the glass in place. Several walls were torn down or halfway through being reconstructed, but had clearly been put on hold. Lux turned off her flashlight and left the two bathed in the dim light, dappled by moonlight and the stars.
“I can see why this is a favorite,” Lux smiled as she spoke. She was coming down from her peak, and she could tell this time would hit her hard. Doing E was fun while it lasted, but the emotional crash afterward was always hell.
“Mmhmm,” Jinx’s confirmation was muffled as she hummed with the butt of one of the joints in her mouth that she’d retrieved from the pocket of her onesie. “‘S pretty. Prettier with you here.” The crack of a lighter lit up the room for a moment as Jinx cherried the end of the joint. Her lips puckered as she took a deep pull and inhaled. She relished the burn of the smoke in her lungs and the slight relief it brought from her comedown. She passed the joint to Lux, who accepted it with a small ‘thanks.’ Jinx sat down on the ground and told Lux she could sit on her jacket.
“You’re such a flirt,” Lux teased as she smoked and spread Jinx’s jacket on the ground before taking a seat next to her. Lux sat down with her legs straight out in front of her, and Jinx crisscrossed her legs, letting one rest on top of Lux’s thigh.
“Mm- only for you,” Jinx responded in a joking tone, but her words were true.
“Why me?” Lux asked. Her curiosity burned, but she hoped to keep herself contained. They continued to pass the joint between them as they talked.
“I don’t know. You’re different.”
Lux laughed, “What a line- you don’t even know me, cutie.” She puffed the joint and rolled her eyes.
“I mean it, Lux.” Her tone was as serious as her expression as she held her hand out for the joint again. “You feel different. If there’s anything a horrible childhood will teach you, it’s how to read people. You’re not a bad person; I can tell.” She took a long couple of drags before it burnt down to the filter. She tapped it out on the ground and blew the smoke out of her nose. She looked like magic, breathing out a cloud that glowed in the moonlight; it hung around her head in a fine mist before it fell to the ground. Lux thought for a moment before she replied.
“I’m not prying, but I do want to say sorry. You know- that you can tell. I don’t really want to talk about it right now, but… I know what you’re talking about.” Lux watched as Jinx pulled the other joint from her pocket and shivered a bit as her body cooled down. She pulled the sleeves and the hood back on but left the front unzipped.
“It’s okay.” The crack of her lighter and the smell of fresh smoke. “I’m seeing a shrink now. I’m better now... I can be good now.” Lux didn’t know what she meant, but there was so much pain in her quiet voice. She wrapped her arm around Jinx and pulled her close into her side. She didn’t know what to say, so she just pressed a kiss to the top of Jinx’s head. It was different now that their high had come down. Everything was softer and nothing looked as vivid, but Lux looked down at Jinx and thought that she always looked so gorgeous.
“I think you’re awesome.” She wasn’t lying. Jinx was the first person she’d had fun with in longer than she could remember. She was the first person to ask her what she wanted instead of telling her what they wanted her to do.
“Why?” Jinx laughed. “Because I bought you drugs and made out with you at a rave?” She passed the joint to Lux.
“No,” she puffed, “Because you cared. Every one of my friends knows that I don’t like the drinking scene all that much anyway, but they insisted on a bar for my twenty-first. You almost ran me over with a motorcycle and still had the decency to ask if I even wanted to be there at all. Nobody asks me what I want. I do things for other people all the time: my friends, my family, people I don’t know. Nobody’s ever taken the time to ask me what I want.” She made eye contact with Jinx. “’cept you.” She handed the joint back to Jinx.
“Why do you hang out with such shitty people?” Jinx asked. Lux shrugged defeatedly.
“I don’t have a choice. It comes with the family name.”
“Which is?”
“You’re not gonna dump me here if I tell you?”
“Not a chance.”
“My full name is Luxanna Crownguard. My mother is on the city council under the mayor. My family runs right with the Kirraman’s in terms of money and pretentiousness.” There was venom in Lux’s voice, so bitter it almost made Jinx flinch.
“Ooh I didn’t know I was hanging out with royalty,” Jinx teased as the smoke curled around her lips.
“Technically you aren’t.”
“If you have to add ‘technically’ to your statement does it really matter?”
“I guess not,” Lux laughed as she finished the joint and put it out on the ground next to her as Jinx had done before. “So are you gonna use me for my money and disappear when I need help, or what?”
“Wouldn’t dream of it, Angel.” Jinx pushed herself further into Lux’s side. “I didn’t sit down to hit on you tonight because of your money. I talked to you tonight because I wanted to get to know you. Also I think you’re pretty, but that’s beside the point.”
Jinx’s honesty was a pleasant change for Lux, and she was excited that Jinx thought she was pretty. She thought Jinx’s word choice was interesting; usually the guys and girls who hit on her called her hot, or sexy, or any variation thereof. It sounded a little bit more personal, heartfelt even. “I’m glad you sat down with me tonight,” Lux whispered.
Jinx sat back from her and pulled her down into a kiss. Their kisses before had been passionate and messy, fueled by their adrenaline. Now, in complete solitude from the rest of the world, even as her comedown was crashing around her, Lux thought this is what bliss felt like. Jinx’s hand came up to caress her cheek and stroked over her soft skin.
Jinx didn’t know what she was doing. It was completely unlike her to let a stranger get her this vulnerable, but she felt like she couldn’t help it. Being alone with Lux, holding her so close, felt like being in the light for the first time in her life. She couldn’t help but chase that feeling. Her hands tangled into Lux’s hair as she deepened their kiss. Her chest felt like it was full of light, like she might explode from all her feelings. Lux gasped slightly as Jinx tugged at the hair at the nape of her neck. This was so different from any of the flings she’d ever had. For the first time, real excitement and feeling danced in her chest like a growing fire that threatened to consume her.
Lux’s neck began to ache from the steep angle she had to crane her neck to kiss Jinx, so she pulled her into her lap as she had in the cab instead. She heard Jinx’s sharp intake of breath in her surprise before a growl ripped itself out of her chest, and she kissed her with renewed passion. Lux pulled her bottom lip in between her sharp teeth, and Jinx’s breath hitched in her chest.
“Don’t start something you don’t want me to finish,” she warned, her hand fisting just a little bit harder in Lux’s hair.
“Who said I didn’t want you to finish?” Lux’s eyes were dark with desire, and the intensity of her gaze made Jinx feel hot all over. Jinx didn’t bother to answer and pulled them back together, grinding her hips into Lux’s stomach. She gasped into Lux’s mouth at the friction and ground down again. Lux clasped her hands around Jinx’s hips and controlled her movements with surprising power.
“Ah-“ Jinx moaned as bolts of pleasure shot through her body.
“Mm- beautiful. So good, Jinx.” Her hips stuttered in their rhythm, and she broke their kiss as her head fell back while pleasure wracked her body. Lux’s words were striking nerves that she didn’t know she had. Her hands left Lux’s hair and gripped her shoulders instead to steady herself. She didn’t know if anyone had ever turned her on this much in her life. “Mm- yeah. I thought you’d like that, good girl,” Lux purred into Jinx’s ear. Jinx tipped her head forward and rested it on Lux’s shoulder.
“I’m not that good.” She punctuated the remark with a sharp bite to her shoulder where it met the base of her neck. Lux yelped in shock and melted under Jinx’s touch as she sucked a dark mark into her skin. She pressed a soothing kiss to the tender flesh and sat back with a smug smile on her face. Gently, she clasped Lux’s chin in between her fingers and made their eyes meet. “Tell me how I can be bad for you, birthday girl.” Her eyes were blue fire, and her words ignited a lust in Lux that felt nearly uncontrollable.
“Holy shit,” Lux gasped before she pulled Jinx back into her by her hips.
She had full intentions of showing Jinx just how bad they could be together, but her phone began to ring in her purse. Lux broke their kiss, and Jinx saw a look of pure terror flash through her eyes. “Fuck! It’s my family!”
“How do you know that?” Jinx asked, still ravenous and breathless.
“They’re the only ones with this number! I don’t give it out to people- shit!”
“What’s wrong?” Jinx began to get worried that she couldn’t help.
“What time is it?!” Lux gasped and scrambled to gently set Jinx down on the ground in front of her. She tore through her purse and whipped out her phone. “Shit! It’s way past my curfew! They’re gonna ask me where I was and- oh fuck! ” She honestly looked on the edge of tears, but she calmed her voice and answered the phone evenly.
“Hello? Hi, Garen, yes I know what time it is… I’m sorry I just- I was just out with my friends! It is my birthday, you know?... Yes I know that you know, but you get my point. I- yes. I’ll be home soon. I understand.” She ended the call and put her face into her hands.
“Is- um- is everything okay?” Jinx didn’t know what to say. Obviously everything wasn’t okay or they would be doing very different things right now, but what else could she say? Lux looked up at her, and small tears beaded at the corners of her eyes. The sight hit Jinx like a sucker punch to the gut, and she never wanted Lux to cry ever again. “Hey- what do you need?” Jinx crawled forward to her and clasped her hands as well as she could with her tiny fingers.
“God- you’re sweet.” She wiped at her tears and tried to calm herself down. “I’m so sorry- I’m having such a wonderful time with you, but I have to get home like yesterday. It’s after five in the morning. And my parents are… I’m not- I’m not out to them. They wouldn’t- uh… they aren’t…”
“Hey, it’s okay.” Jinx rubbed her thumb over the back of Lux’s hand. “Let’s go, you can call your ride service. I can walk from here. My house is closer to here than the school.” Jinx helped her to her feet and picked up her jacket. She dusted it off and slung it back around Lux’s shoulders. “You can say it was part of your friend’s costume and you got cold.” Jinx scuffed her heel on the ground.
“You’re so sweet-“ Lux pulled her into another breathless kiss. “But I have to go, I’m sorry.” She looked so forlorn Jinx couldn’t help but feel so sad for her. Jinx led them back out of the building and around to the front where Lux called her ride service. Before the sleek silver car pulled back around to get her, Lux pressed a quick parting kiss to Jinx’s lips. “Here, put my number in your phone.” She quickly rattled off her number and made sure it was right. She couldn’t resist pulling her into just one last kiss before she had to leave her. Her hands fisted in the front of Jinx’s onesie before she let her go. “I don’t mean to be presumptuous, but I would really like to fuck you the next time we see each other.” Jinx was mildly surprised by the comment, but pleased.
“Oh yeah, I thought that was a given, Angel.” She smiled and took off at a trot in the direction of her home after one last kiss. She saw Lux climb into the back of the car and drive away into the night. I hope I didn’t get her in too much trouble. She dropped her pace from a jog to a slow walk, knowing that she was already in as much trouble as she would be whether she got home a few minutes earlier or not. She continued on through the quiet morning and realized that she had both missed her ride time and she had therapy in a few hours. She wasn’t planning on sleeping anyway, whatever . She rounded the corner to the small row of townhouses that she and her adoptive father lived in. The porch light was still on which meant that he knew she wasn’t home yet.
She sighed and unlocked the door with a key on one of her necklaces and let herself in as quietly as she could. No use, though. Her father would already be up preparing for his classes. She walked into the small kitchen from the entryway and found him sitting at the table reading over some student papers with a coffee cup featuring her childhood art in hand. He looked up at her, and she knew he was upset.
“So,” his gravelly voice rang across the quiet kitchen space, “You’re back from the dead, are you?”
A few miles away, across the campus, and inside a gated community, Lux was receiving her own welcome home. She’d exited the car and trudged up the front steps to her family’s mansion. She sighed and knocked on the heavy oak door. It swung open quietly on perfectly oiled hinges, and her brother was standing on the other side to greet her. He was tall, even compared to her, and hugely physically imposing. He was built like a brick wall before his time at the police academy, and he was even bulkier now. He crossed his arms and raised one eyebrow, silently asking her the question she’d heard so many times that he didn’t need to say it out loud.
“I wasn’t anywhere bad, Garen. I was just out with some friends.” Lux tried to push past him, and he grabbed her arm. His grasp was firm, but nowhere near aggressive.
“Luxanna, I know that’s not true.” He glowered down at her. “Do you know how many people at that bar saw you leave with that girl? Do you have any idea how many hoops I’ve been jumping through to keep your little escapade under wraps from Mom and Dad? You’re in college, Lux, I don’t mind if you do a little experimenting, but don’t make a big deal out of it!”
“I wasn’t-!”
“Yeah- save it. I see how you act, Lux. I know whose jacket is around your shoulders. Get it under control. You know that’s not good for you or the family.” He let go of her arm and turned to leave her in the massive entryway of their house. He knew she was seeing girls. He just wanted it to be a phase, for Lux to get it out of her system, and start acting normal. Their parents, though, would be even less tolerant, and as much as he disapproved of Lux’s little flings, he knew he had to protect her from them.
Lux made her way quickly to her room and tore herself out of her uncomfortable dress as fast as she could. She threw on a pair of shorts and a loose T-shirt. She looked at Jinx’s spiked jacket on the foot of her bed and brought it with her as she sat down at her headboard. She was lucky she didn’t have classes or practice today. She felt so tired, but her mind wouldn’t stop racing, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep. She studied Jinx’s jacket closely in her hands and felt the way the fabric bent and folded under her fingertips. She remembered the wonderful time she’d had with Jinx, and how exquisite it had felt to have her lips on hers. She couldn’t help herself and held the jacket close to her face, inhaling the soft scent Jinx carried with her. She couldn’t place the scent and made a note to ask her what it was.
A few seconds later, a text came in from a number that Lux didn’t have saved in her phone. She unlocked it quickly and grinned like a fool when she realized that it was Jinx who’d texted her.
Hey, Lux, it’s me. You probably know that because you told me nobody has this number, but oh well.
The typing bubbles started up again and disappeared several times before another text came through.
I hope you’re not getting too much of the third degree from your family, and I’m sorry I kept you out so late. But honestly I lost track of the time with you. I haven’t had fun like that in like ever I think. Anyways I just wanted to say I had a really wonderful time with you tonight. I’m really looking forward to seeing you again :)
Lux held Jinx’s jacket close to her chest as she excitedly typed out a reply. She hesitated a moment before she pressed send, but she was still riding the high of the memory of her night with Jinx.
Hey, beautiful :)
They’re a little upset, I’m not gonna lie, but I’m fine. Nothing I haven’t experienced a thousand times before. Just glad I don’t have classes today or practice or I’d be screwed lol.
Jinx started typing nearly instantly, and it warmed Lux’s heart to know that Jinx was probably clutching her phone and waiting on the edge of her seat for every reply like she was.
I’m sorry :( I’ll get you home on time next time. My dad wasn’t very happy either, but he’s great so I’m not really in trouble. It was more the ‘just let me know you aren’t dead next time’ talk. I’ve got my shrink appointment in a few hours, but I’m free from classes today too.
It was an open-ended invite, not quite an open suggestion, but an opportunity. Lux replied instantly.
Do you want to grab lunch with me after your session and a nap? You need your rest, beautiful.
Instantly,
Absolutely.
A few seconds later,
Lay down and rest your eyes until you can sleep, Angel. I’ll shoot you a text when I get out of my session, we can plan lunch after. I honestly can’t wait to see you. Sweet dreams.
Lux felt happiness blossom in her chest like a beautiful flower finally shown the light. She tapped out her reply and buried her nose into Jinx’s jacket, quieting an excited squeal.
I can’t wait to see you. Try to get some rest. I’ll see you soon.
She locked her phone and set it down next to her pillow. She turned her ringer all the way up to make sure she wouldn’t miss any of Jinx’s messages. She knew she wouldn’t sleep any time soon, but she closed her eyes and let herself drift aimlessly through her memories of Jinx up until that point.