by E mack
Her Salvation
Chapter 1
Cadance Stevens threaded her way through the large crowd of people dancing. Her 5'3, slender frame getting engulfed by the crowd around her. The backless pink, drape front halter shirt she wore cling to the sweat on her chest. The top didn’t allow for a bra but with her small B cup size, she didn’t real need one.
The night club she and her best friend, Jacie, had come to was packed. She love it. Glancing around she looked for the blonde head of her friend. She knew that she would be dancing with her longtime boyfriend Max.
Finally spotting the two she moved towards them. Pushing through the groups of people in front of her.
"Hey! You two. Having fun?" she asked the couple. They were smiling into each other’s eyes. Cadance could tell that they were probably getting close to leaving. It always happened that way.
They would come out together as a group and the couple would get swept up in each other and hurry back to the girl’s apartment. She didn't mind, she knew that the two loved each other. And besides she thought, I can stay and keep dancing.
Jacie finally turned to her and answered, "Yeah this is great." Looking back at her boyfriend she grinned and said, "We're gonna go ahead and get out of here though. IS that ok?"
Cadance looked at the concerned look on her friends face and smiled. "Yeah that’s fine. You two behave", she said as she waved at the couple and moved back into the dancing.
Soon the couple had left and Cadance became swept up in the fast pace of the dancing. Becoming thirsty she flagged down a waitress for a drink. Gulping down the shot of tequila, she chased it with a drink of her crown and coke. Setting the empty glasses down on a passing tray, she went back to dancing.
****
Cadance groaned as she began to wake up. Opening her eyes she looked up at the white ceiling of her bedroom. She jerked her head to the left when she heard a deep snore come from next to her.
Looking over she saw the back of a head, covered with dark black hair. Oh crap, she thought. What did I do? Sliding to the edge of the bed, she reached for a white t-shirt lying on the floor.
Pulling the t-shirt on to cover her nakedness, she stood up next to the bed. Not again, she thought. Why do I keep doing this?
Looking closer at the guy, she tried to remember where she had met him. Eyeing the bed she tip-toed to the bedroom door. Opening it she slide out, shutting it quietly behind her.
Outside the room she let out a yelp, almost running into Jacie as she came down the hall.
"Hey, girl", her friend said smiling. The smile soon dropped from her face when she saw the expression on Cadance's face.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Did you see me come in last night?"
"No, we were already in bed. You must've stayed out pretty late. Why?'
Letting out a deep breathe, Cadance smacked her forehead with her palm. "I did it again", she told her friend.
"What? Again? Cadance I thought you said you weren’t gonna do this anymore. I thought we talked about it. I'm worried about you. What happened?"
"Well I got thirsty and started drinking after ya'll left." Shrugging she walked down the hall to the bathroom.
Following her inside the room Jacie said, "Yeah but there is such a thing as water you know. You don't have to get wasted just because you're thirsty." Crossing her arms she leaned against the sink that sat next to the tub.
Cadance looked up at her friend as she finished using the bathroom. "I know, I know. I don't know why I did it."
Finishing she stood up and shooed Jacie out of the way so she could wash her hands.
"Well you're gonna have to talk to him. He's gonna come looking for you sometime you know."
Rolling her eyes Cadance said, "Yes I know."
The two girls jumped when they heard a deep voice from the other side of the bathroom door.
"Hello. Is someone in there?"
Opening the door a crack, Cadance peeked out at the guy standing in the hall.
"Yeah we're in here. Sorry you can have it."
Smiling the gut slide by the two as they stepped out. He'd wore a pair of loose fitting jeans and a white button up shirt, which was unbuttoned.
"Wow" Jacie mouthed to Cadance as they walked away from the bathroom. "He’s cute", she told Cadance as they walked away.
"Hush", Cadance said blushing.
Running back to her room she grabbed a pair of pajama pants and panties. Pulling them on she hurried into the small kitchen were Jacie was.
Busying herself with making some coffee, she attempted to ignore the guy as he sat down at one of the four chairs at their table. Jacie soon deserted her. Grinning as she left the room.
"So can I know your name now?" he asked as he watched her move around the room.
Glancing over at him she said, "Cadance." Turning back she pretended to tidy the counter up in front of her. Sliding the coffee and sugar canister around, she heard him move slightly in the chair he sat in.
"Well, my name is Kurk", he said twiddling his fingers together on the top of the table.
When she kept her back turned he finally got irritated and said, "Well nice to meet you." Standing up he shoved the chair up under the table, turning he barged out of the room.
Sighing, Cadance released the tension from her shoulders. Turning around she pulled a chair out and plopped down. Soon she heard the apartment door slam shut, as the guy finally left. Putting her elbow on the table she dropped her head onto her hand.
Jacie slide into the chair across from her. "Wanna talk about it?"
"No, not really." Cadance told her as she got back up from the table to grab a cup of coffee. Reaching into the cabinet she pulled down her hot pink coffee mug. Filing the cup she added cream and sugar. Taking the cup, she sat back down at the table.
"Well", Jacie said letting out a deep breathe. "I’m gonna make some breakfast. Maxi will probably be up soon." Getting up she began moving around the kitchen. Jacie loved to cook, she worked as a chef in one of the nicer Italian restaurants in town.
Cadance watched as her friend began mixing up a batch of her chocolate chip muffins. Soon she placed the pan in the small oven and turned to start frying the bacon and eggs.
The smell of the eggs made Cadance's stomach roll. Getting up she decided she would go take a long hot bath. She walked into the bathroom and turned on the water. Sitting down on the edge of the tub, as it filled with water, she stared down at the bright orange bath rug under her feet.
She felt like crying. Why do I keep doing these things? She asked herself again. I know I shouldn’t but, do it anyway.
Sighing she stood up, piling her shoulder length brown hair up on top of her head and secured it with a large brown clippie she picked up from beside the sink. Pulling her clothes off and climbed into the tub. Putting a wet washcloth over her eyes she soaked in the water until it began to cool. Getting out she wrapped a towel around herself. Walking to the door she peeked out to make sure Max wasn't in the hall.
Seeing it empty, she slipped out and hurried into her room. Reaching her room she pulled on a new pair of black panties, matching bra, dark grey yoga pants, and a blue t-shirt. Leaving her room she walked back to the kitchen.
"Finally", Max said as he rushed by her.
"Sorry", she called to him as he went into the bathroom.
"Sorry", she said to Jacie as she sat down.
"Oh, he's just giving you a hard time, you know that."
Smiling, Cadance said, "Yeah, I know." She watched as Jacie grabbed three plates and filled them with food.
Setting each plate down on the table, she pulled out the chair next to Cadance and sat down.
"So what are
your plans for today?" She asked as she dug into her food.
Picking small pieces off of the muffin, Cadance said "I've gotta go get some new clothes, remember? My new job starts Monday."
"Oh, Yeah that is Monday", Jacie said. She continued eating only stopping to smile up at her boyfriend as he returned to the room. He took the chair next to Jacie, leaving one open between himself and Cadance.
"New boyfriend?" he asked quirking his black eyebrow at Cadance. The grin on his face telling Cadance that he knew she didn't want to talk about it.
Rolling her eyes she turned her attention back to Jacie. "Are you still going to come with me? I need a second opinion."
Nodding as she finished her eggs, Jacie said "Sure I will. Just let me get cleaned up and we'll go." Standing up she took her plate to the sink, turning the water on she rinsed it and put it in the sink. Walking back towards the table she leaned over and kissed Max on the cheek as she passed by. He continued eating his food.
Cadance resumed picking at the muffin on her plate. She still felt so bad after last night. She really just wanted to crawl into bed and cover her head up with the blanket but, she knew she had to get some new things for work.
"Everything ok?" Max asked her as he took a drink of his coffee.
Glancing over at the tanned, dark brown haired guy she smiled. "Yeah, just dread going shopping. Still kinda tired."
"Well you did have a long night last night", he told her grinning.
"Whatever, just eat your food or I'll tell Jacie you're being mean to me." Cadance said. As she spoke Jacie came back into the room. She had dressed in much the same way as Cadance.
Her pale blonde hair pulled up in a ponytail, she wore a deep purple tank top and black yoga pants. Max reached over to smack her on the butt as she walked by. Grinning she gave him a quick kiss.
"Love ya, babe", she told him as she turned to look at Cadance.
"Ready?" she asked.
"Yeah. Just let me run and brush my teeth real quick." Running down the hall, Cadance quickly brushed her teeth and pulled on her black running shoes. She didn't run but she had loved the way they looked and just had to buy them.
Going into the living room she saw Jacie and Max sitting on the couch. AS she entered the room her friend stood up.
"Ready?" Cadance asked as she grabbed her purse from the small table by the door.
"Yep", Jacie said grabbing hers also.
"All right lets go. Bye Max", Cadance said receiving a slight wave.
"Bye, babe. Love ya", Jacie called to him as they left the apartment.
"Is he ok with this?" Cadance asked as they walked down the stairs from their second floor apartment.
"Oh, he'll be watching some kind of sports all day", Jacie said waving her hand in dismissal. She walked out the door of the apartment building, Cadance followed her.
Chapter 2
"Oh, this is really cute", Jacie gushed over a sleeveless white and navy blue chevron dress.
"That is cute but, is it what I need to wear for work?" Cadance asked contemplating the dress. "I want to look sophisticated", she added as she picked the dress up. She held it by the hanger, running her fingers over the soft material.
"It will look good on you"< Jacie told her. "And yes it's nice enough for you to wear to work. You don't have to look boring to look sophisticated."
"Ok, I'll get it", Cadance said draping the dress over her left arm.
"So, have they told you what all you'll be doing in your new position?' Jacie asked as the continued to browse through the racks of clothes.
"Just that the girl that left answered the phones, arranged meetings, and whatever else the boss needed. SO I guess I'll be like a secretary or person assistant." Cadance said shrugging. She really didn't care what it was, as long as she got away from the filing department.
She had went to school for four years to get a Bachelor’s degree in liberal arts. No one had told her that liberal arts was just a stepping stone for something else. Not having the money to go on for a master’s degree, and not wanting to, she'd quickly found an entry-level position.
She had been there for six months now and was only getting to move into the new position temporarily. The girl that had it before as on maternity leave. Cadance knew that she would be coming back in a few months but, anything was better than what she had been doing.
The two continued shopping for several hours, finally stopping to get a quick snack at one of the vendor carts on the street. Eating their cinnamon pretzels they walked, packages in one hand, to the next shopping plaza.
Passing a group of guys around their age, they moved over to let them by. Glancing at the group Cadance began to blush. She had caught the eye of one of them. She remembered him, he had been one of her mistakes from several months before.
Recognizing her he turned to his friends and started talking low. As they continued passed Cadance and Jacie, they erupted in laughter. Shame engulfed Cadance, making her lose her breathe.
Trying to breathe in through her nose and out her mouth, she continued walking.
"Hey", Jacie said tossing the rest of pretzel in the trash, she put her arm around Cadance's shoulders. "Forget about them, they’re jerks."
Not saying anything Cadance continued walking.
Jacie was the only one that Cadance had ever told about her past. Her parents knew some of it but, not all. Jacie knew all the horrible things Cadance had to live through as a child and why she had ended up the way she did. Cadance knew that she could trust Jacie with her secrets. She would never tell anyone else.
Concentrating on her breathing, she continued to walk. Soon they came to a small boutique and went inside. Losing herself in the fun of shopping again, Cadance was soon able to make herself forget about the guys from the street.
They continued shopping, going to several more shops. After another few hours Cadance decided that she'd had enough. She was pleased with her purchases. On her limited budget she felt that she had been able to buy enough nice stuff to supplement the things she already had at home.
"You ready to get home?" She asked Jacie after paying for the new heels that she had found on clearance.
"Yes", Jacie said nodding. "I'm beat."
"Me too", cadence said as she stepped outside.
Following her out the door, Jacie moved up to walk alongside her.
Reaching their apartment, they carried they're bags up to the second floor. Coming to the door of their apartment, Jacie knocked for Max to let them in.
After a few seconds, he opened the door.
"How’d shopping go?" he asked taking the bags from Jacie's hands. Leaning over he kissed her lightly.
"Great. I think", she said smiling.
Turning to the couch he placed the bags there. He knew that the girls would take care of them.
"What do you want for dinner?" Jacie asked. She started walking towards the kitchen.
Cadance carried her packages towards her room. As she did, she heard the couple talking behind.
"I thought we'd order a pizza or something, babe. You've been out all day. Standing and walking. You need a break I think", he told her as he walked to her and wrapped his arms around her.
"Oh, that’s sweet", she said and kissed him.
The two walked over to the couch and sat down.
Cadance, reaching her room, dropped her packages on the floor just inside her door. Looking at the bed she let out a deep sigh. The covers were rumpled and lay in disarray all over the bed. Walking to the edge of the bed, she grabbed the bottom corner and pulled the sheet up. Pulling all the cover off in one pile, she turned and placed it on the floor beside her packages.
Going to her small closet, she grabbed another set of sheets from the rack above her clothes. She put the new covers on the bed and collapsed back on the bed. Lying on her back she stared up at the ceiling.
She could hear the low murmur of Jacie and Max in the other room. The sounds of the TV sometimes drowning out their voices. Cad
ance lay in bed for a while, until she heard the sound of someone knocking on the door.
Pizza, she thought. She was actually really hungry now and pizza sounded wonderful.
Rising from the bed she went to the living room and joined Max and Jacie there. Sitting in the recliner at the end of the couch she grabbed a piece of pizza from the box on the coffee table.
The group sat watching TV in silence, eating their pizza. After watching a movie, Jacie and Max decided to go to their room. Cadance thought of it as their room, even though Max had his own apartment he never stayed there. She expected a proposal to come any day. The couple had been together for four years already.
Tired of watching TV, Cadance went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and changed into a t-shirt for bed. Lying in bed she attempted to go to sleep. She was finally able to after lying in bed for several hours.
Chapter 3
"Crap, crap, crap", Candace said as she spotted the run going up the side of her pantyhose. She had planned to get to work early today but nothing seemed to be working out.
She'd dropped her lipstick on the white blouse she'd first put on, smearing it all the way down the front of it. Changing into the pale blue blouse she'd pulled her hair out of the knot she'd finally managed to get it up into. After she'd fixed her hair she'd tried to grab a cup of coffee and had dropped the clear glass sugar canister in the process. It had shattered all over the floor, waking Jacie up.
Jacie, seeing her distress, had shooed her out of the kitchen and cleaned the mess up. Now, just as she was about to walk out the door, she'd found the run. Growling n frustration, she walked inside the door of her room and yanked off the pantyhose, using her hand against the wall to hold herself up.
Getting the pantyhose off, she put her shoes back on. She didn't want to waste any more time finding another pair. She checked her black pencil skirt and pale blue, short-sleeved blouse in the mirror as she passed it in the hallway.
Here black 3 inch heels clicking on the bare floor in the entryway, she yelled bye to Jacie. Jacie called back to here to have a good day, Cadance could smell the food Jacie had begun cooking and wished she had time to eat.