ALICE Ch 140

It’s Sunday morning although it looks like midnight outside.

Alice can’t see that in her closet-like room. The cramped space can’t protect her from the noise of race day, or from the distant rumbles of thunder.

It’s going to storm out there.

Glynda’s been being weird. Probably because of what she saw.

Faye drove horribly yesterday and is a mess today.

Alice saw Colby looking worried about something.

Everything contributes to her anxiety as she suits up. It’s bad enough that even Kylie’s going easy on her, as though she seems so fragile that she might break. Alice picks up her glossy, pink helmet, which is pretty damned cool, even with the prominent new Diorgasm ad on it. Her face is reflected in it. She looks like she’s about to walk the plank.

Kylie stands against the other wall, arms folded.

“You always do this,” she reminders her. “It always ends the same.”

“That would be real convincing if I had more hours clocked in the rain,” Alice responds, sounding as though she’s daydreaming. “Get out. I’m gonna puke.”

“You won’t.”

“I don’t want you to see it.”

“I want to see it.”

“Now you’re just trying to start a fight.”

“I’m trying to distract you, dickwit.”

“That’s not a word!”

“Just put your hat on, wuss.”

“Oh my god. This is you helping?”

“I’m helpful by nature,” Kylie replies with a modest shrug.

“Motherfucker.” Alice forces herself to take a deep breath. “I want to throw this thing.” She shakes the helmet irritably.

“Do it.”

“No! You know what this costs?”

“You still think like a poor person. Even after Diorgasm.”

“Poor? We aren’t really poor,” Alice replies. “I feel like that’s rude to actual poor people.”

“I mean compared to these people.”

“You’re one of these people,” Alice reminds her.

“I’m a glorified gym teacher, sweetheart.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“You don’t like it?”

“I like it too much,” Alice grumbles, flipping the helmet nervously.

“All right, Miss Wilde.”

Alice shudders. “Don’t call me that, either.”

“I’ll call you Big Mummy.”

“No, that’s Glynda,” Alice says with a laugh. She crosses the room to Kylie, who perks up. “She saw us having sex.”

Kylie stiffens. “Us?”

“No! Me and Faye.”

Kylie licks her lips. “Crikey. No wonder she’s being this way. Poor thing.”

“No! No! She crept in and creeped on us. And didn’t leave right away like a normal person. I don’t know how long she watched. It was so weird.”

“That is weird. Trying to make me jealous?”

“No. I’m looking for advice.”

“Advice? Marry your trainer so that she can have half the money from the Diorgasm deal,” Kylie says.

Alice groans. Then she snorts.

“You’re good at calming me down. You know that?”

“I hadn’t noticed,” Kylie replies, examining her fingernails.