With This Heart(47)
“ Well, Abby, You’re in luck. You wandered into my club. I’m Queen Bee.”
I smiled for the first time since listening to the message on my phone earlier that day. “I love that name,” I answered, still not quite finding my voice. I sounded hollow.
“ Good! Bottoms up, Abby. I need your help judging a competition and the rules state that the judges can’t be sober!”
Queen Bee picked up the shot glasses and handed one to me. “To Abby!” She yelled it out so loudly that most of the people at the bar turned toward her in awe. “Who for the rest of the night will be named,” she paused eying me up and down once, “Ruby Red!” Everyone cheered in agreement as I sat there shocked at the situation I’d stumbled upon. No one would believe me. Except Caroline. I had no doubt that she would have taken the shot glass and poured it down my throat for me.
“ To you, Caroline!” I yelled, so loudly that it made my ears ring, before downing the shot quickly. The liquor burned going down and I didn’t even think to hide the look of pure disgust on my face.
“ Looks like we have a virgin over here,” Queen Bee sang, shoving another shot into my hand that had appeared out of nowhere. I swallowed it without hesitation and felt the effect as the two shots hit my stomach. Everyone swarmed Queen Bee as if she was literally the queen bee. She air kissed the club goers and offered little greetings that they lapped up like loyal fans. I couldn’t help but wonder how popular she was. Was this really her club?
“ Now, Ruby Red, it’s time to doll you up. You can’t go on stage dressed like that.” I looked down at my shorts and tank top.
“ This is all that I have,” I admitted, confused about what she planned on doing with me. She batted her eyelashes down to me and that’s when I realized they had tiny gemstones at the end of each lash. She looked like someone straight out of the Capitol in the Hunger Games… only more insanely dolled up.
“ I have everything you need!” she cheered, tugging my hand. “Follow me!”
She led me away from the bar and through the crowd toward a backstage area. There was a bouncer standing guard and a huge sign that read: “VIP”. A small part of me felt like I should bolt and cut my losses, but a bigger part of me was curious about what Queen Bee planned to do with me. What could she possibly want me to judge? A drag queen contest?
“ We don’t have long, but I’ll do your hair and makeup really quick and then we’ll pick out something for you to wear,” she declared as she pushed open a bright red, glossy door. The inside of her dressing room looked like what you would expect to find at the end of Candy Land. It was like a rainbow had exploded on every item in the room. Bright striped, neon walls housed racks of sparkly clothing.
“ Are you my Fairy God mother?” I asked, feeling the warmth of those two shots begin to swirl in my veins. I wasn’t drunk, but the sadness eroding my stomach all day was finally taking a backseat to a newer sensation. All thanks to Queen Bee, I could breathe without feeling like a hand was clamping down on my lungs.
Queen Bee threw her head back and laughed, carefree and wildly. “Let’s say just for tonight that I am.” She pushed me down into the chair and put her hands on my shoulders. I caught her reflection in the mirror; her bright brown eyes met mine. Her expression held a look of deep understanding, and before I realized the words that were forming, I started telling her about Caroline.
“ My friend died last night. She was sick for a long time and she never got to live her life. I’m trying to live for the both of us.” I blurted it out, never taking my eyes off her. Her grip on my shoulders tightened and her mouth flattened into a thin line. It was a brief moment of profound sorrow, but then she nodded and tucked those feelings away behind her beautiful mask.
“ Then baby, living is what you’re going to do!” She whirled me around and immediately started working on my hair. She teased it, pulled it up high, and twisted it impossibly tight. All the while I squeezed my eyes closed, trying to handle the pain. She gave me another shot when she realized how tense I was. “Beauty is pain!” she laughed before stepping back to secure my hair with more hair spray than I even realized could fit inside of a bottle. I coughed and hacked, trying desperately to breathe through the thick, chemically air.
“ Ten minutes until show-time, Sugar Britches!” she sang. I laughed uncontrollably, not even realizing what was so funny. Maybe I shouldn’t have had three shots , I thought as she layered on purple eye shadow. I knew I was going to look like a clown. Who wears purple eye shadow without looking like a clown? She swiped on mascara and smeared my lips in bright red lipstick. My face felt tight from all the tugging and pulling.
“ Are you ready, Ruby Red?” she asked once she leaned back to eye her work. Her smile was genuine and proud, like I was her baby girl all grown up. Maybe she really was my Fairy God Mother. When she turned that black chair around, my mouth hung open. I didn’t look like a clown. I mean I looked crazy, like a Texas Pageant Queen, but somehow I still looked beautiful. The eye shadow made my sage green eyes pop and the mascara made me look older and sultry.
“ This should fit, although it’ll be a little loose,” she said as she disappeared behind racks of clothing and then came back with a tight red dress. It was a cotton-blend material, and when I slipped it over my head, it clung to my skin like a wetsuit. It fell mid-way down my thighs and the spaghetti-straps criss-crossed between my shoulder blades.