There was a knock on Joey’s door two hours before Joey was expecting anybody. She crept up to the door and peaked through the peep hole to see the familiar wavy platinum blonde hair. Joey opened the door and stared questionably at Perrie. “What’re you doing here so early?”

Perrie beamed. “I’m here to get you dressed, silly!”

“Get me…dressed?”

Perrie invited herself in and scrutinized Joey’s plain and small flat. She held her chin and nodded. “We should probably decorate your flat up a bit sometime, too. But that can be another day.”

Joey noticed the shopping bags in Perrie’s hands and backed away cautiously. “You didn’t go and buy outfits just for me, did you?”

Perrie glanced down at the bags and then threw her hand to her chest, laughing. “Oh, no! I recycle my shopping bags, that’s all. These are my clothes. Now come on, let’s go try some on.”

When in Joey’s room, Perrie pulled out multiple outfits that were classy and elegant. Some blouses had laces and silk designs. A variety of high heels spilled out of one bag. A couple of dresses were included. As Joey browsed through the options Perrie had given her, her eyes landed on one dress in particular.

The dress was a coal black. It was two layers, one layer being a simple silky black dress with one sleeve, a sleeve that would only cover an inch of shoulder. The next layer was delicate lace with floral arrangement that provided a see-through sleeve down to her wrist. It was minimalistic and thin, two adjectives Joey adored.

“I’m gonna wear this one.” Joey stated, holding up the dress.

Perrie waggled her eyebrows and puckered her lips in satisfaction. “That’s a good choice, hon. You should go try it on.”

“Okay.”
Joey didn’t know whether Perrie was comfortable with Joey stripping in front of her, but since Perrie wasn’t leaving the room for Joey to have some privacy she would have to deal with Joey’s partial nudeness. Joey stripped off the loose-fitting white t-shirt and ripped up blue jeans she was wearing.

“Nice bra.” Perrie commented, pointing out the painted –on skeleton hands cupping her breasts.
“Are they groping your ass too?”

Joey smiled with a twinge of embarrassment as she turned around to show the pair of skeleton hands grabbing her behind.

“I might need to buy me this.” Perrie said with a simper. “I’m sure Zayn would like it.”

“They sell it at this small store in the Camden borough…” Joey mumbled. Why did his name have to be brought up when talking about undergarments? The conversation was going perfectly well without the mention of boyfriends and to-be sexual encounters.

“You should show me some time. But for now, hurry up and put that dress on. I’m getting more jealous staring at your body by the second!” Perrie teased.

Joey laughed and proceeded to put on the dress. She didn’t really understand where Perrie’s comment was coming from, though. Sure, Joey was comfortable in her own body and sometimes enjoyed staring at herself naked but when compared to other women, especially famous women, her body was ordinary. Her boobs were a bit on the small side and her stomach was soft, as were her thighs and arms. She didn’t have that sleek and toned look society craved in women today. It wasn’t as if she cared, though. She wasn’t here to please society; she was here to please herself.

When Joey finished putting on the dress she looked at herself in her full-length mirror beside her bed. Her left shoulder was completely bare. The dress stopped mid-thigh, exposing Joey’s long legs. Despite her thighs not being super strong, she still prided herself in the lower half of her body. Her hair, just straightened, was a beautiful shiny onyx color that lied delicately against her collarbones.

“The dress suits you…really well.” Perrie chuckled, assessing Joey’s body.

Joey slumped her shoulders to take away some of the charm. “Thanks.”

“Will you let me do your makeup? One of my bandmates, Leigh Anne, has a skin tone similar to yours and I do her makeup all the time.”

Joey shook her head at Perrie’s excited nature with a grin on her face. “Sure, why not.”
Perrie squealed and dragged Joey to the bathroom with a makeup bag. Perrie sat her down on the toilet and pulled out black eyeliner. Joey tried not to blink as the black utensil traced the edges of her eyes. Perrie then put down the eyeliner and applied some mascara, elongating the lashes that Joey thought were already long enough. She coats Joey’s lips in a sultry dark pink lip gloss.

“You’re lucky your skin is so clear already so you don’t have to wear all this foundation.” Perrie said while pointing to her own face. She placed all her items back in her bag and then pulled Joey to the mirror so she could get a look at herself.

Joey felt dark and sensuous. It was the first time in a long while where she didn’t just throw on something slightly appealing. She actually felt as though she could compete with other women, the women she viewed as above her league. It was a nice feeling and a frightening all at the same time. “I look pretty.”

“Well, you already looked pretty. Now, you look sexy.” Perrie said with a suggestive wink.

Joey smiled at her. “Thanks. Now, you go get dressed. I’ll wait for you on the couch.”

Perrie saluted her. “Aye, aye, captain!”

A few minutes later Perrie emerged with a silky red blouse that exposed both of her shoulders but had sleeves hanging loosely off her wrists. Her pencil skirt was short and granite gray. It showed the pleasant curves of her hips and her strong collarbones. With her already dark makeup, she looked gorgeous. “What do you think?”

“You’re beautiful.” Joey grinned.

Perrie made her wrist go limp. “Oh, stop it. Here, throw on these heels and let’s get out of her.” Perrie tossed Joey simple black high heels of two inches. She tugged them on and grabbed her wallet before walking out the door with Perrie.

---

Cellar Door was a dark place with sensual purples and pinks illuminating the walls and furniture. The bar was decently populated and abuzz with chatter. People were dressed smoothly; even the bartenders wore clothes reminiscent of 1920s America. Beautiful cabaret singers in form-fitting dresses filled the bar with enchanting lyrics. Joey was not used to this level of sophistication around her. Then again, she was not used to seeing Zayn in a dark gray suit and slicked back hair. He was clean-shaven today, displaying his sharp jawline and making him look more professional than Joey thought he intended to.

The three of them sat down in a booth. Perrie ordered a Hemmingway Daiquiri, Zayn ordered a Moscow Mule, while Joey ordered a Breakfast Martini.

“First time I’ve ever tried anything so girly.” Zayn commented. “I usually stick with beer.”

“Same.” Joey said.

“Augh, you guys are sticks in the mud. These drinks actually taste good unlike the rubbish you have me drink, Zayn.” Perrie jeered.

“Hey now! Don’t go criticizing my taste in spirits, lady.” Zayn jeered along with her.

“Girls, girls, you’re both beautiful.” Joey said, a condescending leer on her face.

“Don’t talk to me unless you’ve started reading Lord of the Flies.” Zayn said.

Joey gaped. “I did start reading it, you prick!” Joey said in a light and friendly tone.

Perrie rolled her eyes. “You’re having her read that boring old book?”

“It’s not that boring. I’m into dystopian novels so it’s cool.”

Zayn threw his arm around Perrie and gave her a victorious smirk. “See, darling? Even she knows good literature. You need to jump on the bandwagon.”

Perrie untangled his arms off of her and stuck out her tongue. “I’ll pass on that.”

Zayn pressed his lips against her cheek and then rubbed her back. “How’s Kate?” his question directed at Joey.

“Oh,” she said, caught off guard. “Uh, she’s back in Halifax now. Back in school, like she should be. It’s ridiculous that she missed school for a,” she paused to omit any derogatory words coming to mind. “concert.”

Perrie gasped. “Kate’s gone already? Zayn told me about her, apparently she’s adorable! I wanted to meet her before she left!”

Joey shrugged. “She’ll be back eventually, probably whenever she wants to get away from our parents and feel like a ‘grown up’. You know…minus the bills, the jobs, the social life, et cetera.”

Perrie and Zayn tittered with laughter. “We all went through that stage, though!” Perrie cried. “Wanting to be an adult without knowing what it meant!”

In some ways, she felt Perrie and Zayn were still in adult-fantasyland , being popstars before they even became adults. She wasn’t going to call them out on that, though. “I prefer being an adult than living with my overbearing parents. I can understand where the little one is coming from.”

The rest of the night the three of them chatted about any and everything. They talked about careers, future plans, movies, the conversation seemed to move on its own. Joey found herself enjoying this couple’s company. She didn’t feel as self-conscious about being around them as she did a couple of days ago.

Joey had a few drinks ordered for her from attractive men in dashing suits. Some would come over and whisper sweet nothings in her ear. Slightly buzzed, she’d let them and play along. Not completely in her right mind, she almost agreed to participate in a one night stand with some Bleach-Blond guy. Zayn, being the oh-so-noble hero, shooed the guy away.

“It’s one in the fucking morning.” Joey giggled.

“I think it’s time we split our ways. Leigh Anne is picking me up so you don’t have to worry about walking me home, darling.” Perrie said while rising to her feet.

“Alright. I’ll take Joey home. I’ll see you soon.”

He leaned over the table to plant a kiss on Perrie’s lips.

Joey giggled once again. “I should’ve kissed that guy you scared away.”

Perrie rolled her eyes with a smile on her face before rubbing Joey’s shoulder as a sign of goodbye.

“Alright, you, time to go home.” Zayn said while helping Joey to her feet.

Joey shrugged off his hands and dusted off the dress she was wearing. “I’m not that drunk, Zayn.”

“Just checking.” he said defensively.

The two of them emerged from the subterranean bar and into the shadowy streets of Aldwych borough. He stood a little too close for her well-being but she didn’t feel like moving away from him.

“I forgot to tell you how gorgeous you look tonight.” Zayn said, his eyes somewhere else.

“Uh, thank you?” Joey said slowly, hesitant about the sudden compliment. “You look swanky yourself.”

Good, Joey praised herself. A gender-neutral compliment.

Zayn chuckled. “Swanky?”

She shrugged her shoulders innocently. “What? What would you have wanted me to say?” she tested. Immediately after those words spilled from her mouth she regretted them.

He shrugged his shoulders. “Cool, neat, classy, something besides swanky.” He said ‘swanky’ with a look of disgust.

Of course, she thought morosely but kept a poker face.

“Did you enjoy yourself tonight?” he asked?

She nodded her head. “You both are more fun than I expected. I actually want to hang out with you guys more. But maybe somewhere with less obnoxious guys?”

Zayn laughed at her comment. “Yeah, you’re right. We usually chill at my place or Perrie’s place and watch movies and stuff. We could invite you over one night.”

Joey nervously twirled a strand of hair. “I think that might be interfering too much with you guys. I’m fine just hanging out. Emphasis on the out.”

“Nonsense!” Zayn said. “Perrie loves you, and I know she’ll be glad to have you over!”

“I mean—“

Joey’s wrist was seized and then violently yanked away from Zayn’s side. She was pushed into an alley where her body was slammed against a chain gate. A blonde guy in a hoodie pulled her hair, causing her head to jerk backwards. She struggled against his grasp. “What the fuck!”

“You go and break my friend’s heart and then I see you out with some loser in a cheap suit?” the man hissed.

“Get off of me, you twat!” she spat.

“You’re a little fucking slut, you know that?”

“YOU are misreading things! This is just a friend of mine. Who the hell are you anyway? Coming and snatching up girls in the dark like some sort of rapist! Though, I wouldn’t be surprised for Frank to have a rapist for a friend.”

The man put down the hoodie to reveal his pale blue eyes and the scar on his right cheek. Joey’s heart rate increased. “Bradley…?”

He lifted her up and slammed her against the gate again, knocking the air out of her lungs. She gasped for air and clawed her fingers into his hoodie. “I told Frank never to trust a skank like you. I told him how dirty and disgusting you were but he wouldn’t listen. And now he is still pining over you while you whore yourself out to some Paki!”

“You don’t know half the things Frank has done to me!” she screamed, tears threatening to escape her tear ducts.

“HEY!” Zayn growled. He grabbed Bradley by the hood, wrenching him off of Joey. He turned him around and held him by the collar of his hoodie. “Get out of here.”

“Why don’t you stop butting into someone else’s business, you damn Paki!” Bradley hollered.

Not a single muscle twitched on Zayn’s steady face. “Call me that all you want. But call me that while walking away.”

Bradley abruptly slammed his head into Zayn’s, knocking him backwards. Disoriented, Bradley caught Zayn off guard and tackled him to the ground. He smashed his fist into Zayn’s nose, causing blood to spurt onto his pale knuckles.

“Bradley, stop it now!” Joey wailed and kicked off her heels to charge him. Before Joey could get to him, Zayn carried Bradley’s weight on his legs and threw him off. While Bradley as still kneeling, Zayn kicked him in the face once, twice, and then kneed him in the nose.

Bradley groaned as he wobbled on his ankles to get up. Zayn reeled him in by his collar and uppercut him, sending Bradley stumbling into a bunch of trash cans. Zayn casually walked over to the rubbish-covered blond and picked him up again.

“Leave.”

He threw Bradley, letting him stumble on his weak legs. Bradley wiped his bleeding face with his sleeve and spat on the ground, near Zayn’s feet. He limped out of the alley with as much pride as a defeated man could. Zayn kept a watchful eye on him until he was out of their sight.

He turned to Joey, her eyes red and puffy. “You didn’t have to do that.”

Zayn laughed weakly. “I don’t have to do a lot of things that I do.”

Joey gingerly placed her hands on his face and assessed his nose. It wasn’t broken, but it did need ice. She pulled out a handkerchief from her wallet and patted the blood off his upper lip. “You’re a fool.”

“At least I got the job done, right?” he said with the goofiest grin he has given her yet. He looked even sillier with his black hair tussled and sticking out all over the place and his suit jacket crinkled and scratched up.

Joey shook her head at him. “Whatever. You need ice, come on.”