"Maneater" by Zalia B

  

In the dark a woman named Nadine stands with a foolish boy, Spade, beside her. They seem to create an awkward picture, due to the fact that there is no connection, no fluidity, no romance. This picture is quite the opposite of beautiful and it’s almost desperate the way Sade looks next to this vixen. The two begin to walk together physically but it’s as if they’re miles apart. A respectable man named Nola catches this awkward encounter and It's as if he is destined to follow the two to see where their next steps are headed. He catches Nadine glimpse at him but can't decide whether she truly sees him or not. As he stares deeper into this picture it is clear that Nadine is tired but of what? This isn’t the simple fix with sleep tired, but instead the soul wrenching tired. She looks amazing but so gone at the exact same time. Walking two blocks they finally reach an apartment and she looks as if she’s so detached. Spade walks inside and she continues to walk and Nola so curiously follows. He must find out what this woman’s deal is. Nola walks closely enough to hear the music that plays in her headphones, Lana Del Rey, “Young and Beautiful”. She begins to stumble like her energy has been entirely drained. Intrigued but nervously he walks behind Nadine and asks if she’s okay. She replies “yes I just get really tired from walking home alone”, so naturally he tells her it’s no issue to walk with her. The two instantly connect and it’s as if he is drawn in by her presence. They reach the steps to her house and Nola feels delusional because this woman he has known for a simple 5 minutes seems to have made him fall so deeply in love with her. They seemed to really have connected within this walk home but Nola can’t tell what is off about this. Nola asks her why she was with that boy earlier and she explains that he’s a bad person but he is one of the only guys she can be around. Nola begins to look very confused but doesn’t want to judge Nadine. She sees the look on his face and starts to panic. She tells Nola how much of a good guy he is and how hard this is for her. Nola doesn’t seem to understand and tells her that she can trust him. Nadine begins to say how this is the issue and tells him how sorry she is because she actually likes him. Nola stares blankly because he suddenly can’t seem to focus due to her singing. She comes closer for a kiss as tears roll down her cheek and Nola is filled with confusion but content due to her coming closer. This kiss was unlike any other because one minute Nola is in a flash of pain but she begins to sing to him again as his soul leaves his body. Nola’s mind enters a blank abyss and his soul travels into her body. Nadine walks into her apartment and begins to cry out to whoever can hear her above. She agonizes and yells “God please let me have the bad ones or no men at all, I don’t want beauty anymore… please”.