Ch 32: Party Hearty

When the band started up again, Michelle and I danced, a small crowd forming in front of the make-shift stage. We twirled and bopped to the beat. Luke joined us in between conversations with other celebs and people in the biz. At one point, Luke and I swung our hips together, so close not even a piece of paper could fit between us. I swear Gina leered at us swaying together and threw me the evil eye.
Michelle started singing along to the songs, belting out the melody in her strong voice. A music producer gave her his card and told her to call him. She turned to me with her mouth wide open, looking up at the stars, mouthing, “thank you, God.” A large grin formed on her face from ear to ear. I couldn’t have been happier for her.
After some dancing, Luke again took my hand, and we grabbed another drink before ending up in a discussion with 4 or 5 other guests about the next superhero movie yet to be released. One guy in his 40s, tall with a thick head of dark hair, looked at me and pointed. “You looked great on the red carpet.”
“Thanks,” I said.
A petite woman, the size of my pinky finger, joined the discussion and commented, “Yeah, you rocked it. It’s great to see different body types out there.”
I quickly shoved the puff pastry I’d been nibbling into my mouth and nodded. It tasted like a little cloud of cheesy goodness. I wanted another, but standing next to such stunning stars, I decided to restrain myself.
Luke sensed my dismay at the added attention and said, “Stella’s gorgeous. I love her strong body.” He hugged my waist a little. “Without her, I wouldn’t be in such great shape,” he indicated his svelte physique.
I hoped that would be it, until another man jumped in. “Personally, I like to see women with a little heft. I don’t like the waif look.” As I grew more uncomfortable with the conversation veering toward the objectification of women, Gina limped up to the group.
“Thank you, everyone for the compliments,” I said. “Lyle’s dress really helped me appear more presentable. And we all know make-up artists are really the secret stars of the show.” I laughed nervously.
“Ooohhh, who’s this Lyle?” someone asked. “I loved the seashell dress.”
“Let me go find him,” I said, desperately wanting to get away from Gina’s glaring eye.
Outside again, I didn’t see Lyle, but I did end up running into Katie whom I almost didn’t recognize. Her party outfit was much different than her work attire. She still looked fierce, donning a leather bracelet with spikes and a black choker along with ripped jeans and a tight black t-shirt. The front part of her hair was wrapped into two little buns on each side of her head.
“Hey, Katie,” I said after doing a double take.
“Hi, Stella,” she said, pausing with a glass in her hand. “Listen, the other night, I might have overreacted. I can just get so frazzled making sure all my clients present a good image.”
“No problem. I understand.”
“Don’t post pictures of you and Luke on the internet, OK?” she asked, quite sweetly. “It would make my job a hell of a lot easier.”
“Sure. Will do.”
“Good, or I’ll have to kill you.” She looked at me seriously. Then she fake chuckled and walked away.
Walking near the deep end of the pool, I found Daniel.
“Some party,” he said. “I got two numbers so far.” He pointed to two sets of digits on his cast.
“For training?” I asked.
“Nah, you know,” he said, nodding his head smugly. As we both grabbed another drink from a tray passing by, I saw Gina hobbling our way. I looked to my left for an escape route, but a group of people blocked my path. To our right, another cluster congested the path, grabbing hors d’oeuvres from one of the waiters. I stood with Daniel, trapped like a hamster in a maze.
After a minute or two, Gina finally reached us. “You must feel pretty good,” she said, “getting all those compliments about the red carpet.”
My face started to feel flush, partly due to the alcohol and partly due to the anger I felt over Gina’s jealousy. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to go. I’m sure you would have looked gorgeous,” I said.
“Anyone would look striking standing next to Luke,” she said. “It was supposed to be me.”
Usually, like in my escapades with Daniel and Michelle, when someone gets in my grill, I lash out. Normally, I’d have spilled an hors d’oeuvre down her dress or given her a little hip bump so she’d fall into a crowd of guests, the start of a line of dominoes. That time, however, I didn’t quite know how to respond to someone who was physically weak and recovering.
I felt sorry for Gina in that moment. I knew what a catch Luke was. How could I blame her? She was supposed to get all the attention. That’s what they both had planned. But of course, if there was one thing I learned since I met Luke, it was that things don’t always go as planned.
“Again, I’m so sorry about your accident and glad you’re feeling better,” I said. When the waiter departed from the group aside of me, I saw an opening.
I guess it was my moment of weakness and sympathy that allowed me to be caught off guard. Or maybe my luck in those strappy black heels ran out that night. I stepped back to turn away and my heel caught on a crack in the pavement. Daniel looked at me, reaching out to grab me with his broken arm as if in slow motion.
As I teetered, Gina reached out her cane, and I made a movement to grab it. But she didn’t intend to save me from my fall. Instead, she jabbed the cane at me, pushing me back.
For the second time in my life, I fell in a pool with my clothes on. But this time, I wasn’t able to save myself.