Brooklyn Noelle Brankovich

Chapter Sixty-four: "Unhappy Halloween"

It was finally the thirty-first - Halloween. AKA, Cassie's birthday. I was super excited not only because it's her day, but because the surprise was going to be so good!

Keeping it a secret from Cassie was so hard, we're best friends and usually together, always talking about any and everything.

"-Over here?" A man asked me about where to put the '23' balloons?

My face curled at the sight. To emphasize my point, I squinted my eyes and ranted. "What are those, dust specks? I said big balloons, not Tic Tacs."

"These are big, how big do you want them?"

"Bigger," I boomed, circling things and checking stuff off on the clipboard. I clutched it close to my chest and looked around.

Noah just laughed and told me I was being bossy.

"Am not," I huffed, finally taking a seat. "Besides, it should be perfect; it's Halloween, it's Cassie's birthday. I love her, I hope she likes it!"

"Yeah, she's like a little sister to me now, it's weird," he talked.

"Why is it weird?"

Noah shrugged, removing the glass of whatever he was drinking from his mouth. "I didn't think we were gonna like each other, but once I got to know her, she's a sweet girl. And Em brought us together, I don't think I'll ever be able to pay her back for that. But that night we were in the hot tub, when she told us everything, I felt so bad."

"Don't," I said, "she doesn't like sympathy. But, yeah, she's the best. And are you drinking already?"

He raised his glass and swallowed the rest. "Pregaming. I'm stressed."

"I'm doing everything and you're stressed?" I jokingly sucked my teeth, standing to go supervise some more.

He followed. "Hey, what did you get for Cassie? I feel bad, I didn't think we were doing gifts."

"Why do you wanna know, so you can slap your name on it?" I teased him, whipping my neck.

He laughed, "Exactly." I just shook my head at him and continued walking through the club.

"I got her a bracelet from Cartier, like mine, but hers is rose gold. See, isn't it cute?" I beamed proudly as I showed him the red box with the Love bracelet blinging inside. He agreed that it was cute but when he went to touch it, I slammed the box shut, almost nipping his fingers and his face straightened while I found it funny.

I put the gift back in my bag and then checked more things off the list as I saw they were to my satisfaction.

"That's an expensive gift, what are you gonna get me for my birthday?" he asked me, keeping up as I weaved through the decorations on the floor.

"It was only seven thousand," my eyes rolled, "and when's your birthday?"

"November twenty-eighth," he said surely.

I looked up at him. "That's next month, right? Wait-- January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November -- oh my God, it is!"

"You had to go through all of the months to figure that out?" Noah laughed at me.

"It wasn't all of them, but yes, shut up. Aww, bub, we're gonna spend your birthday together! Look at us," I bubbled, opting for a high-five. His palm hit mine and I smiled big.

"Brooklyn," Venus sighed, popping her gum, "what does Cassie want to drink?"

I tore my eyes from Noah and rotated to see her standing a few feet away. I vibrated my lips, thinking, and flailed my arms. "Erm, I don't fucking know - Rum. She likes Rum," I affirmed, snapping my fingers.

Venus nodded and tilted her head like she was trying to remember the order. She finally walked away, but not before I shouted after her to say, "And get the biggest bottle you have!"

The guy, named Kenny, from before came back in my face with two golden balloons inflated to perfection.

"Now these are balloons," I sang, grinning. I took them from Kenny's hands and thanked him.

"They're so big," he guffawed.

"I'm from Texas, we like evertyhing big. Thanks a lot, Kenny. Cute costume," I said about his sailor getup and pranced away, the ponytail sweeping my shoulders.

As I approached Noah, my eyes followed his. It was Paris. He wasn't checking her out, or anything. In fact, we both looked, well, disgusted.

"I should slap her," I growled angrily, loud enough for her to hear but she didn't dare look my way.

The hoe -- I mean Paris -- switched away in her cheap, lazy bunny costume.

Seeing her made my blood boil all over again, I stared at Noah and had flashbacks to their mishap.

I exhaled and started walking to one of the back private rooms where Venus said Noah and I could get ready in.

When I pushed the door closed, he stopped it with his hand and sighed as he entered.

"I didn't know she was gonna be here," Noah softly said to me, trying to take my hands.

I blew air through my nose and rolled my neck, digging through my bags of clothes and accessories. "I know you didn't, how would you?"

"Are you mad?" he asked.

I dropped the bag from my hands and smoothed the hair out of my face, annoyed. I shook my head with my hands at my hips and said, "I don't like seeing her, but yes. I'm mad because I just remembered you fucking her."

"Brooklyn, I'm sorry, and I'm paying for it everyday. I wish you could trust me, but I won't even think of letting anything like that happen again," he promised, sounding the most sincere I've ever heard him. And I believed him.

Before I could respond, Venus entered the dark room. "Oh, sorry. I just wanted to come show you my outfit. All the girl staff are dressed as Playmates," she boasted in her bunny costume.

"Yeah, I saw Paris. Didn't know she worked here," I said, crossing my arms.

"Does it matter?" She cackled, oblivious to the situation.

I didn't say anything so Venus talked more, loving the sound of her own voice. She went on and on about the owner, her boyfriend.

Noah interjected. "I thought you didn't like men?"

"I don't, he's rich," she snickered, flipping her short bone-straight hair.

"How'd you know that, you asked her before? As in you wanted to know?" I asked Noah.

He looked from Venus to me, then back to Venus. "Uh, yeah? It was before you, though," Noah told me.

"If y'all hooked up I will literlly shoot both of you and then myself," I groaned, tossing my head back to brace myself.

"No, not even," Venus assured me. That let me relax a little. I nodded and then went back to fishing my things from the bag.

"That's a nice bracelet," Noah noticed the gold Cartier accessory I pulled out. "You never wear it," he said.

"Because I don't go anywhere but work, and why would I wear it there? It's just for special occasions. I had it on the cruise - it was in the safe with my father's watch. You remember that, when you got his watch back for me?"

Noah narrowed his eyes then got up to grab a bottle and glass from the loaded bar cart in the corner. He filled his glass with the brown liqour and drank from it before answering me. "I was fucked up the whole time, so were you. I don't know how you remember anything," he hissed.

"What? Noah, I was not drunk like that, I know what I remember-"

"Brooklyn, you've been running around, stressed. Get a drink and get dressed, okay?" His voice soothed, putting the glass to my lips. "It's almost ten, the door's are about to open," Noah reminded me, rubbing the small of my back.

I took the shot and curled my face as whiskey burned my throat.

Venus stood to go. "Yeah," she yawned, "I should be getting out there." I nodded, watching her leave so I could finally change. Noah excused himself to answer a phone call outside.
That's when Venus stood on the other side of the door and popped her head in. She went "psst" to get my attention since I had started removing my shirt and leggings.

Once I faced Danielle (Venus), she whispered, "Remember what I told you," and shut me in the room alone.

My eyebrows furrowed, trying to process that.

What did she say again? Get a clue and watch who I'm around, I jogged my memory. But why can she never explain, or tell me why?

I don't know how much more of this guessing game I can take, but I need answers. And something tells me I'm going to get them soon. . .