Marianne by Elizabeth Hammer (best books to read in life TXT) 📕

much for Marianne’s unsteady grip on emotion—she started laughing hysterically and couldn’t stop, even with the pain of having her hair pulled out. That got Georgia going. A few people commented on how drunk they must have been, but that almost made it better.

Georgia finally got herself under control. “Okay, hold still so I can free you.” She looked down at Marianne and then squinted in shock. “I... I think I smeared lipstick on your face...”

“What?” Marianne wiped at her cheek where it was still stinging from getting knocked. “Did I get it?”

“Uh, no...” Georgia grimaced. “It’s more like... right there.” With her free hand, Georgia touched the side of Marianne’s mouth.

Marianne wiped again. “Did I get it?”

Georgia gave her a worried expression and then giggled again. “Actually, it’s more like right here.” She drew a line from just under Marianne’s nose, down across her lips.

That got them going again.

Oh, forget it. Clearly, they were both too far gone to extract the bracelet, and she was never going to get Georgia off her. “Forget it,” she said when she could catch her breath. “Just slip it off and leave it on my head.”

Georgia obeyed, and Marianne was able to get up. She followed Georgia to the cooler, holding her aching sides. Georgia rummaged through the cooler, and Marianne took whatever she handed her without question. She was about to take a drink when she remembered. “Hey, where’s Sally?”

“She walked down to the—”

Marianne didn’t wait to hear what she already knew. “Hey!” she shouted to the nearest shadow-shrouded clump of people. “Where’s Dark Lord Victor?”

A girl whose name wasn’t really Raven like she claimed, said, “He went somewhere with Sally.”

She knew it. “Come on,” she said to Georgia, pulling her by the sleeve in the direction of the water.

Georgia tried to pull back. “They’re probably making out.”

“Of course they are,” said Marianne. “And we’re gonna kick her ass.”

Plan A was to march right up to Sally, slap her bra back into place, and drag her caveman style back to the party; but it was almost pitch black away from the fire pits, so they had to go with Plan B, which was considerably more lame: Pace the shore, shout at the top of their lungs, and ignore anything mysterious that tried to touch their legs.

The ever-dramatic Georgia only intensified the lameness of Plan B. “I don’t think that was seaweed, Marianne.”

Suffering silence.

“No, I’m serious. It was heavier, like a body.”

Admirable restraint.

“It could have been...” Georgia was turning whiney. “I mean, it was probably just a fish body, but still. It wasn’t seaweed.”

“Sally!”

“Sally!”

“Get your butt over here, Sally, before I trip and tear a hole in this dress!” Marianne stopped walking. “On purpose!”

Georgia tugged Marianne’s arm. “You wouldn’t do that, would you?”

“We’ll see. It’s her choice!”

“No,” whined Georgia. “She’ll never start letting me borrow stuff if you do that.”

“Then start shouting louder.” Marianne caught the undercurrent in Georgia’s tone, though. “Doesn’t Sally let you borrow clothes, too?”

“No, but I get it. You guys are like BFF, so—”

Marianne had to cut in right there. “I do not now, nor will I ever, have a BFF.”

“I thought Sally was your closest friend.”

Marianne wasn’t really in the mood to explain, but apparently, that was the price for making cranky jokes. “She probably is, but I was just teasing you about the term BFF. It’s kinda—” She stopped herself before she said “goobery.” “Have you ever asked Sally to borrow stuff? I’m sure she’d let you.”

Georgia laughed a little. “No way. I’m too scared of her. I don’t know, I always get this feeling like she’s mad at me when I first see her, but then she lightens up later. She’s kind of imposing, you know? Is that the right word?”

“Yes.”

“Sweet. Anyway, she’s real standoffish and imposing. It’s funny, though, because when you’re around, you just bitch slap her for it and she gets all normal. She doesn’t even get mad.”

Really? She knew that she never put up with any crap, but she’d never thought of it as a good thing for another person. Interesting. “Yeah, I’m a bitch-slap ninja,” said Marianne.

“You must teach me these skills, master.”

“The skills are within you, young one,” said Marianne, squinting through the blackness. “But you carry much fear.”

“What do I fear?”

“You fear that which cannot hurt you, the darkness and the stillness.”

“Well hell, who wouldn’t, Marianne?” said Georgia. “Do you think I’m just afraid that she wouldn’t really like me, for me?”

“What the?” Marianne stopped walking. “No. I was talking gibberish, not actually giving you ninja advice. And call me master.”

A low, whispery voice spoke out from behind them. “You possess many wise answers, master, yet you lack wise questions.”

Marianne spun around. “The prodigal grasshopper returns.”

Sally walked up between them and put an arm around each of their shoulders. “Like a moth to a flame, I am compelled to you by the depth of your sagacity and the brightness of the enlightenment you offer. Teach me, oh master!” she cried. “Show me again the way to self-realization and bitchy witticism.”

“How the hell long have you been listening?”

“I was here before you were, darling. Stumbling along this desolate strip of sand, torn between a sea of agonies and a fire of longing. What took you so long to come after me?”

“Oh, the usual things,” said Marianne. “Selfishness and vodka.”

“And you!” It sounded as if Sally punched Georgia. “Of course you can borrow my crap. It’s all gonna burn, one way or another.”

“Uh-oh,” said Marianne. “Have you had another psychic vision of the apocalypse?”

“No, I’m combining that old vision with my new one. Me, setting alight the foundations of my home in a fit of insanity, burning alive the lot of us.”

“We call that a tantrum,” said Marianne.

“Just as you like, master.”

“Where’s Victor?”

“Who?”

Nice try. Marianne just laughed and moved the trio like a sideways caterpillar back toward the fire pits.

“Look, nothing happened,” said Sally. “He’s still dating that other girl at the moment. I don’t even know if we’re