Just Like Me

"It Will Rain" by Kelly Price

...somethin' in my soul ain't right / I can't sleep at night / wonderin' when the change gon' come / feelin' that I'm not the only one...

Nicole and Simone are just as bizarre as I thought. Simone called to see if I wanted to spend the weekend with she and Nicole. I excitedly accepted and planned the fun moments in my head before I hung up.

She picked me up from my apartment right after I got back from the airport. Anderson dropped me off with the condition that he was to have me the next weekend. I slammed in the passenger seat and threw my things over my head just as she asked me why I had two red scarves.

She joined the highway a few seconds later, honking at the "assholes" in front of her, answering, unprovoked, "Because I'm Simone and someone shoulda told y'all I was drivin' today."

I barely heard her because I wanted to go back to him. Before I could bring him up we pulled up in the driveway of Simone and Nikky's house; Nikky waiting at the front door with a glass of wine maybe and on the phone. I ran to her and ate her smile before I got to the door.

"We're going to Nancy's house. Pre-gaming at her place, going to some club and that's as far as the planned plans go." She looked at me. "Don't bother getting your bags. Have a drink."

After I blinked and used the bathroom, we were back on the highway, Nikky telling another stupid story from the backseat.

Nancy's house looked just like Nikky and Sims' house. It felt like we didn't leave but they got bigger windows. And why do they know a girl named Nancy?

Three girls answered the door: April, Andrea, and Stormy. Nancy was making drinks in the kitchen and greeted us in a shrill voice. We drank, we dressed, and tried to cooperate on deciding who would drive. Stormy and April drove.

I can't remember the club at all. I remember literally a few minutes of the club, losing my black clutch, spilling an orange drink, and pulling into the driveway, the sunshine pumping like water from a hose.

Stormy and I ran to the kitchen for water. Although she drove, throughout the night and pseudo-morning, she managed to get as lifted as we were. We all collapsed on floor of the living with the exception of Nancy, who ran to vomit in the bathroom. I stretched my legs out and let my arms hold me up and listened to April, Andrea, and Stormy whine about how much they hated Nancy.

Nikky and Simone were fancifully missing, but I thought nothing of it. Suddenly I heard a merciless scream and jumped. No one else did. Nikky and Simone emerged from the same bathroom I had seen Nancy run into. Nikky's vertically zebra striped shirt was newly decorated with raspberry juice?...no...blood. She was sporting cuts on her hands and Simone was holding her shoes. Simone had a big, dark, heavy red spot in the middle of her yellow dress, but the two walked as though they had just finished dressing.

We packed our things and said goodbye. I didn't talk or ask anything and I don't know why. The questions were abundant in my head and the concern loud in my soul. But I couldn't talk. The three of us jumped in the car as we waved to the other three already pulling off. Nikky ran through the lawn and closed the door someone had left open and ran back to the car.

"You killed her? You killed her for what?" I asked wonderfully calm about it.

"Because Nancy is annoying and I wanted her things. We do this every weekend," Simone answered.

"You kill people every weekend?"

"Yea. But we don't talk about it. And you have secrets too. You're just like me."

I do have secrets too. That was a good enough answer. Is this a dream?