Green Witch

Erin looked into the mirror and pouted, pursing her lips as she
blotted the lipstick that stood red upon her lips. She looked carefully
at each eye and checked that the kohl liner had not smudged. She hated
it when her eye liner smudged, it made her look like an amateur. She
pulled her hair up and banded it to one side like from 1978, so that
the tail hung down on the left side of her head, or the right side
according to the mirror that she was looking into. She wore a black
teeshirt with the words Think For Yourself sprayed on the front just
below her vneck line that she had ripped to show off her cleavage to
good effect. She wore a pair of jeans that had a hole in the knee and
put on her ankle boots with the heels that made her seem taller than
she really was. She could hear the music of the Velvets in her head, in
particular "Sunday Morning" which she liked for some reason. She
grabbed her leather jacket and put it on. Then she looked at herself
once more in the mirror and decided that she would do, and left her
room, went out to the common area they called the Pit and then to the
front door. Andrew and Maria had already left for the pub, and Jake had
gone out with his friends from the club. There was only Jack sitting
there reading a book. He looked up at that point, and smiled.

"You look nice tonight," he said pleasantly. "Where you going
Erin?"
"Out," said Erin. "Why?" She licked her lips without thinking. Jack put
the book down. He stood up and grabbed his leather jacket from the
floor where he had thrown it earlier. "Fancy a drink, then?"
"Of course," said Jack, putting on his jacket and scratching his head.
"Where we going?" He asked.
"Union bar?"
"Nah, the beer is awful in there. How about the pub?"
"Which?"
"Red Lion?"
"Nah."
"Magpie?"
"Full of hippies and the beer is definitely worse than the Union
Bar."
"Green Witch?"
"OK."

They went out the front of the hall of residence and headed towards the
gate that led to the main road that wandered past the front gate of the
campus. The Green Witch was about ten minutes walk so they talked for a
bit about lectures and books. Jack gave a short discourse on the work
of Philip K Dick and then they were outside the pub.

They could hear the Velvets playing again. They went inside and up to
the bar. Jack bought two beers and they sat down in the corner table by
the window. The curtains were drawn. Jack waited for Erin to speak. He
waited as she fumbled her words and then drank some of her pint
shakily. "You ok, Erin?" He asked. Erin tried to smile but ended up
grinning manically, like she was on her third or fourth pint. She
always drank pints. She placed her pint down on the table
suddenly.

"I think I am in love," Erin said, still grinning.
Jack took another sip of his pint.
"Anyone I'd know?" He asked. He smiled again as it seemed to
help.
Erin tried to say something but all that came out was a stammer.
"You sure you're all right?"
"I dont know if they love me, or even like me...." Erin continued,
finding her voice again.
"I like you," said Jack.
The jukebox played Run Run Run.
"Do you?" Erin asked.
"Of course I do, you're my friend."
"Yes."
"Well who is it?"
"Um."
"Someone you know? Or....?"
"Shut up you fool and kiss me," said Erin."It's you I love."

She always wore that new lipstick from Rimmel.