The bloodied and bruised Jordan was a fleeting memory in Valerie's mind now, as she wandered around Marshall's Junior section of clothing.

She'd taken Luca's advice and had promptly quit working at The Drunken Leprechaun, and Lacey took the news very well which surprised Valerie. According to her ex-manager, she could tell life was getting to her and she definitely needed some down time.

Oh, Lacey you have no idea.

Also, with the thirty thousand she'd obtained now freed from being indebted to Luca and her rent plus utilities being paid off for a good amount of time... Valerie realized she could actually just live for a second.

She'd come across some great steals, as it's almost customary to find when at Marshall's. They were like a budgeter's dreamland; diamond-in-the-rough clothing everywhere. This time around  she'd lucked up on finding a pair of Louboutin booties that were at least six inch tall, there was no way she was leaving them there with the price tag of sixty five dollars...

And to think just three weeks ago wouldn't even glance at something over thirty.

Valerie happily rolled her shopping cart into an aisle. She felt normal... knowing she didn't have to count out her pennies to just be sure for the umpteenth time she had enough money. It was such a foreign feeling, but it was absolutely freeing. It was surely addictive.

After she was rung up with her new shoes and a couple other items, Valerie packed it home and threw her shopping bag at Nicki's lap. The brunt of the bag hitting her thigh, she jumped a bit before looking at Valerie like she'd just launched a grenade at her.

Valerie beamed back at her after she'd locked the door behind her. "Look in the bag!" She gushed excited to show off her new things.

With a shrug, Nicki grabbed the bag and fumbled through it. First pulling out a pair of dark washed ripped skinny jeans, which she messily folded before reaching for the next item. A deep crimson long sleeved body suit  with a Gucci label, Nicki gawked for a second.

"Please take me wherever you got this..." She whispered in awe.

Beaming brighter, Valerie plopped down next to her mesmerized best friend. "Honestly, if you don't already shop at Marshall's what are you doing?" She joked as she took her new wardrobe pieces and folded them gently in her lap. Nicki's shrugged as her response, her expression bored as she glanced at the mumbling TV screen. Then her eyes lit up and her head swung in Valerie's direction, a mischievous grin inching its way across her lips.

"I know what we're doing though... tonight." Nicki devilishly gushed. Valerie couldn't help, but roll her eyes. She hated when Nicki got bright ideas for a night out. Often they were down right dumb and dangerous... though very tempting to go through with.

"What do you have in mind, ma'am?" She obliged the girl to continue, even though a 'no thanks' was on the tip of her tongue.

"Let's go to Nightcrawler! You literally have no excuse not to. Not even your lame 'I have no clothes Nicki'" Nicki mocked her in the last sentence making her sound as if she was a whiny baby... which Valerie definitely did not appreciate, but it was very true.

Sighing she looked down at the clothes in her lap, then back at Nicki's dancing eyebrows imploring her to say yes.

"Oh I guess—" Valerie agreed, but was immediately cut off by Nicki's wild squealing of excitement.

"But!" She had to yell to get her voice over the happily screeching woman, "You have to promise me you won't go crazy with the drinking. I swear if I have to carry you out or pull you away from a weirdo I will never go out with you ever again."

Nicki didn't miss a beat.

Instantly she stood up and held her right hand up in a faux Girl Scouts salute.

"On my honor." Nicki pledged in the most stoic voice she could muster event hough her eyes shone with unconfined humor.

Valerie stood up as well this time and slapped the saluting girl softly with the folded clothes in her hand. She glanced at the digital clock under their TV and saw it was only 6 o'clock. "See you in five hours, Nick. I gotta get a nap in before a night out with you, definitely."

***

At 11 on the dot Valerie's phone alarm started to beep incessantly, slowly bringing her back to reality from her nap.

She groggily reached onto her bed side table and brought the phone to her face, wincing at the brightness when she unlocked it and shut off the alarm before dropping her forehead back into her pillow.

She welcomed the darkness once again and felt her body relaxing and she could've just fallen asleep again—

"Val! Get your your fat ass out of bed! Nightcrawler is gonna be packed, I heard Rihanna's coming!" Nicki yelled through her bedroom door.

Valerie responded with a long, tired groan before sitting up on her bed and stretching.

"You wish your ass was as fat as mine!" She shouted once she was finished yawning. Then fast footsteps could be heard outside of her door, and Nicki peeked her brown and blonde streaked head in, "That I do." She cheekily rebutted with a wink.

Then she softly shut the door and soon after, Valerie heard their shower turn on. Shaking her head at the comment, she looked over at her vanity and rolled her eyes at her messy appearance. She had a bit of work to do on herself before she was Nightcrawler ready... that's for sure.

She took no time reapplying deodorant and slipping into some underwear that made her feel sexy. She chose to wear black skinny jeans that had cool rips in the knee and the black Louboutin booties she'd picked up, put with her new red turtle neck body suit.  Jumping into her jeans, she knew they'd be a squeeze.

As she got older her hips just seemed to get wider. However when she turned around in the mirror, she forgot that wider hips only meant she'd be carrying a lil more ass.

That part she loved.

Now, it was time for her hair. She sat at her vanity and stared at her face. A true blank canvas.

One tired looking canvas.

She did her eyebrows and threw on a red lip that perfectly matched the deep rouge of her top. Then, she slicked her hair into a low ponytail that touched the middle of her back and added a sultry side bang as well. It only added to the sleekness she was aiming for tonight. 

Valerie walked around her room a couple times to get the trick of her shoes before picking up a black Coach wristlet bag and put her wallet and cellphone in. When she walked out of her room, she smelled the familiar smell of smoking hair and looked into their bathroom to see Nicki of course curling her hair.

Megan Thee Stallion's Ride or Die was blasting from their shower speaker, and Valerie leaned against their kitchen island with a fond smile before loudly dropping her clutch onto the counter causing Nicki to abruptly turn her head.

Her roommate gasped, "The category is FACE and baaaawwwdddy tonight, honey! You are giving it to me!" She piped with unbridled excitement. "Oh most def," Valerie agreed, appraising Nicki as well.

She was dress in a snakeskin body con dress that clung to her body like she was poured into it. Her heels were strappy and had ties that swirled up the length of her calf, and her hair— when she was done curling it— was going to be done up in movie star glamour. The body the right side had was gonna look amazing once it it was done all around.

One thing was for certain, Valerie and Nicoletta were a fine pair of best friends.

***

Nicki was right, the club was packed when they arrived.

The line to get in when down at least 5 blocks, and the only way the two were let in was because Nicki just so happened to have had sex with the bouncer a few times and he obviously still had the hots for her.

"What can I say? When I give it up, I give it up good." She dirtily gloated, as she pulled Valerie along when the bouncer lifted the red velvet rope so they could enter.

Immediately Valerie felt like she couldn't see because of the darkness of the club and the flashing neon lights. The bass of the music being played reverberated through her rib cage and the vibe of the club lifted her spirits.

Nicki led her through the club with swift movements through the congested environment and soon enough the sea of people gave way to a small blue velvet space steps away from the pulsing crowd of dancing people.

Sitting down slowly, careful not flash the whole club what lied under her dress, Nicki smiled brightly at Valerie. Valerie sheepishly returned it, taking in the surroundings of the club for the fifth time. She couldn't believe she'd let herself get dragged out of the house.

"I can't believe you let me drag you out of the house!"

Nicki exclaimed as best she could over the loud music. Valerie chuckled and shook her head, "Me either!" She returned as she looked out and watched the DJ hype the partygoers up for the umpteenth time.

Scooting closer to Valerie, Nicki leaned close to Valerie's ear, and Valerie could already feel the smirk on her lips, "You know you have to dance while you're here right..." Nicki whispered like the devil she was.

Valerie scooted away like Nicki had pinched her, shaking her head with vigor. "You know I haven't danced in forever... and you!" She explained frantic with nerves. "Me?" Nicki gestured to herself with faux confusion, humor never leaving her face.

"Yeah you! You can't even dance!"

Rolling her eyes at the sadly true statement, she chose not to respond to the currently shaking in her boots, Valerie. Instead, Nicki called a bottle girl over and paid for one small bottle of Dussé.

"C'mon, drive the boat like Meg." Nicki proposed, and once again Valerie shrunk into herself like Nicki was asking her to drink battery acid.

After an intense bout of her shaking her head and Nicki nodding her head, Valerie summoned the spirit of Thee Stallion herself and tilted her head back for Nicki to pour her shot. The liquor smoothly ran down her throat to the point where it bubbled back into her mouth and she had to push Nicki's arm away from her.

Coughing and swatting her best friend away, she screwed her face up as the alcohol sank into her stomach.

"That was so much more than a shot, Nick..." Valerie grumbled as she gathered herself from her coughing spell.  When she did look at Nicki, the girl didn't look the least bit sorry. She actually was dancing a little as she held the now quarter empty bottle.

"You were gonna need more than just a little shot to get you good enough to dance... now, do me! Do me!" Nicki thrust the bottle into Valerie's now sweating palms and sat down, assuming the position Valerie was just in to receive her shot.

Valerie did the best she could and poured what she thought was enough for a nice little buzz. However, when she stopped pouring, Nicki glared at her and snatched the bottle back. "That was a baby ass shot, Val. Jeez."

Then she proceeded to chug the rest of the bottle like it was a soda.

The now satisfied Nicki was glowing, proud of herself probably for downing the bottle, and smiled at Valerie once again. "Don't look so sour, you're gonna feel great soo— wait, isn't this our song?" Nicki stopped mid sentence to listen intensely to the intro of what the DJ was gearing up to play.

Valerie recognized it immediately, and combined with her quickly warming body temperature, she felt giddy with excitement. Instead of responding, she just dropped right into the lyrics,"I used to pray for times like this to rhyme this... so I had to—"

"Grind like that, to shine like this!" Nicki chimed in smoothly, grinning from ear to ear as she stood up and matched Valerie's movements to the song.

It was ironic Meek Mill's Dreams and Nightmares, rags to riches, song was the song of their friendship because they were broke most of the time! However, the smiles and laughs they shared as they rapped the lyrics made them feel like queens of the world.

And that's why they loved it so much.

"When I bought the Rolls Royce they thought it was leased,"

"When I bought that new Ferrari, hater rest in peace!"

"Hater, rest in peace! Rest in peace to the parking lot! Phantom so big, it can't even fit in the Parkin' spot!" The now borderline drunk girls screamed at the tops of their lungs to hear themselves over the roar of the club.

Preparing for the beat to drop, Nicki grabbed Valerie's forearm and pulled her into the beast that was the vibrating clubbers as they jumped around too. Valerie felt amazing, like she could do anything in that very moment under the blue and silver strobe lights flashing in her eyes and holding her best friend's hand.

A hush came over the crowd as they rapped the lyrics leading up to the drop quietly.

"Gangstas move in silence, and I don't say a word... I don't say a word. Was on my grind and now I got what I deserve..."

"HOLD UP, WAIT A MINUTE! Y'ALL THOUGHT I WAS FINISHED? WHEN I BOUGHT THAT ASTON MARTIN, Y'ALL THOUGHT IT WAS RENTED!"

The girls's surroundings turned into a giant mosh pit as the club went to new heights of energy and the lights flashed incessantly. They had no choice, but to embrace the madness and surrender to the mass jumping and screaming and aimlessly slamming into each other and for the first time in a long time, Valerie felt care-fucking-free.

Three songs later and now fully inebriated, Valerie was walking on air in her head, but definitely stumbling up the steps to the booth she and Nicki started in. Nicki followed closely behind her, softly laughing at just how drunk Valerie was. Surprisingly, after downing the rest of their liquor, Nicki was holding her own.

However, Nicki was the resident alcoholic of their friendship.

"Nick..." Valerie muttered, her head lay slack on Nicki's shoulder as she tried to get a grip on herself. Nicki turned away from her phone screen to look down at her, "Yeah, Vee?"

Valerie felt like her head weighed a million pounds, but she lifted it to Nicki's ear.

"Nicki... I have to—"

A drunken burp cut her sentence short.

Valerie giggled at it.

Rolling her eyes, Nicki laughed as well. "You're so drunk, babe."

"I have to pee." Valerie finally got out, and Nicki wasted no time in propping her up so she could stand properly.

"Okay, great. Let's go to the restroom then!" Nicki chirped as she moved as quickly as she could to push Valerie towards the ladies's room before she had a night she'd never want to remember.

Not like she had a choice to though because of how drunk she was...

Valerie did the best she could and fought her way out of her body suit to relieve herself with success. Nicki herself was in the stalls as Valerie washed her hands before yelling out, "Okay, Nicki! I'm out!" Without waiting for her best friend to respond before pushing her way through the door.

With the booth they'd made their home for the night at the club in her sights, Valerie determinedly stumbled forward to make it back to her seat.

That was until someone roughly grabbed her and slammed her into a corner of the place.

Her head was spinning and so was her vision as she saw triples and doubles of the lights around her. The fabric of her shirt uncomfortably rubbing against her back and brick wall as she struggled against the body of who was detaining her.

The dim lighting of the club didn't help her gain her bearings as she looked up into the eyes of a very familiar figure. His garnet colored hair and rugged appearance put her on edge as he held her up against the wall firmly, but he wasn't hurting her.

"Fuck. You're drunk off your ass right now, aren't you?" The man spoke with irritation clear in his tone.

Valerie sniffled slightly and nodded. Tears stung at her eyes and she didn't know why. This guy was scaring her.

And she was a crying drunk.

"N-Nicki's gonna be worried about me." She looked at her feet as she told the man, hoping that was gonna make him loosen his grip on her.

It didn't work.

Instead, he grabbed her face and made her look at him. The lighting now hit his face perfectly and illuminated his maya blue eyes. Valerie's eyes widened with recognition, and the man realized this. A smugness swept over his expression.

KJ.

"You tried to skip town on us, aye? Wise choice, gorgeous." He darkly laughed, and the sound caused Valerie's heart to start beating a mile a millisecond. The feeling of KJ's fingers digging into her shoulder blades made her stomach do cartwheels.

"We're the wrong people to try and leave in the dark though. The Armata's not done with you. Don't lose this," He took one hand off of her shoulder to show her a small flip phone before roughly shoving the phone into her pants pocket.

"We'll be in touch, principessa." KJ punctuated his sentence by lightly patting her cheek before disappearing into the nearby crowd on the dance floor, and Valerie stood frozen in the corner he'd pulled her in.

And then Valerie began to sob.

And sob violently.

She didn't understand why this was happening. She had nothing else to do for them. They were literally forcing her into their little gang and she wasn't happy with that all!

Yet here she was with a phone that felt more like a ball and chain attached to her ankle.

Nicki appeared in the next few moments, unbelievably red in the face and tears brimming her eyes as well as she hugged Valerie for a few seconds before shaking her, causing more tears to pour down Valerie's sullen face.

"Don't you ever disappear like that again, Valerie! I thought someone fucking kidnapped you!"

Not yet.

Valerie's subconscious snapped at her, sending her into another fit of crying outwardly. She was terrified.

"Let's get you home, my love. You'll feel much better in the morning." Nicki hushed her, slowly leading them through the crowd as she'd done before. 

Silently following, more hot tears streamed down Valerie's face.

She didn't believe Nicki's statement one bit.

At the rate I'm going, I won't feel better until I'm in the grave.