Free Expiez: Redeem Your Blood Lust by Cd Hussey Page A

public, she headed down to a Goth/punk store on Decatur.
    She picked up some dark purple vegetable dye and a cute mini that was on clearance, and headed home, stopping briefly for a cup of coffee.
    After letting the dye saturate for a good hour, she went after it with the scissors. She routinely cut her own hair and had for years. Using a second mirror for the back, she gave herself an edgy, stacked bob that was shoulder length in the front and super short in the back. In some ways she was removing of the last piece of Chris, since she'd only grown her hair at his request. Chopping all the length off the back was the final fuck you to the relationship and it felt good for that weight to be lifted.
    She was putting the final touches on the new 'do with a flatiron when Julia suddenly appeared in the bathroom mirror behind her.
    "Looks good," Julia said.
    "Thanks." Clare ran the iron a couple more times over the longer front strips of hair, making sure they framed her face perfectly before shutting it off and turning to Julia.
    "Want to go get something to eat?"
    "Yes. On one condition. We're not talking about last night."
    Julia grimaced. "I—"
    "I'm serious. There are plenty of other things to talk about."
    "Fine."
    They had dinner at an upscale French/German restaurant in the Central Business District. Armand was apparently meeting with a counselor at Tulane University to see what classes he needed to finish up his undergrad degree. Clare was pretty sure Julia chose the restaurant because there wasn't a single vegetarian item on the menu. Julia ordered lamb.
    "Chris was arrested last night," she said midway through the meal.
    Clare wasn't surprised. Relieved, but not surprised. "What for?"
    "Drunk and disorderly."
    Clare groaned. "Great. That'll keep him for what, two hours?"
    "I think he'll be in there a little longer than that."
    "I've been arrested for drunk and disorderly. Trust me, the cops only keep you until the drunk part is out of the equation. God, I should have filed that restraining order today."
    "I don't think you have to worry. Yet. It's a little more serious than that."
    "What do you mean?"
    She may as well have asked the meaning of life the way Julia was chewing on her answer. After Clare stared her down for a good minute, she finally spoke. "He's also been arrested for battery."
    Again, she wasn't exactly surprised or anything, but unless someone was flirting with her, Chris didn't usually attack random strangers. Plus, Julia's hesitance when answering made her suspicious. "Against who?"
    Julia moved her food around on the plate.
    "Against who?" Julia took a bite. If she was avoiding this much, it could only be one person. "It was Darus wasn't it?"
    "Yes." She exhaled the word like an exasperated teenager.
    "Why would he do that? I mean, I know Chris hit him, but he seemed more worried about me calling the police than pressing charges himself… Wait!" Clare felt her face light up. "He did it for me, didn't he? Because I didn't call."
    "I doubt it. Darus is completely self-serving."
    She wanted to argue about how stepping in front of Chris' fist as it flew toward her face was the opposite of self-serving, but decided it wasn't worth her energy. Julia wouldn't be convinced unless Darus took a bullet for her or something.
    "Well, whatever. At least Chris is in jail."
    "The battery charge won't last forever. You still need to file a restraining order."
    "I will. Maybe tomorrow."
    Neither Chris nor Darus was brought up again, and that suited Clare just fine. She still had an itch that needed scratching, so after dinner and after they got back home, she excused herself from Julia's company with an "I'm beat" excuse. Once again, she felt like a defiant teenager as she threw on her new mini, a lot more makeup, and snuck out the back entrance into the courtyard.
    It wasn't that she didn't love her sister or want to spend time with her, but she needed to dance, drink too much, and maybe flirt inappropriately with a