by D.L. Miles
Chapter 3
Charlie and her friends walked two feet ahead of me as we entered the club; partly because her friends didn’t like me much and partly because I felt like a fool dressed the way I was. Although it probably helped me get into the club faster, allowing me to blend in with those that were legally allowed inside. Dressed in the tightest possible jeans anyone could imagine with a crimson halter top I was completely exposed, the only positive thought I had was that I liked the French braid Charlie had given me. I missed my sweater, my nice, loose, covers everything sweater. Luke was going to die when I got home.
Not only was I tired, I was about to go deaf too from the volume of the music. The bass and drums vibrated through my chest as we got closer to the dance floor. Looking around, I could already see the men eyeing up Charlie and her gang of harpies. The second they reached the glowing dance pad, they were approached by a few guys. I, on the other hand, headed straight for the bar, hopeful that I wouldn’t see anyone from school.
The bar was off to the side, with a basic rectangular shape to it. There were less people than usual there, maybe because of the murder. When I spotted a vacant stool near the bathroom doors I dashed for it, just barely beating a blonde woman as she headed to refresh her drink. As I sat down I noticed she looked familiar, but quickly looked away from her as she sent me a glower. The harpies had deemed me the designated driver the second they saw me, probably as a sort of payback for existing, though I didn’t care; I didn’t drink, even if I was old enough. I would be relatively happy if nobody talked to me tonight.
I had considered leaving them here, just taking Charlie’s car and heading back home. But then I remembered about Rosa Navarro. Kidnapped here, taken to her own apartment and killed in some way unknown to the police. I glanced around the room; how could nobody care? Murderers didn’t usually kill one person and move on with their life, did they? Well, unless it was personal.
“Getcha anythin’?” the bartender asked me. She smiled at me with unusually white teeth but I thought she seemed nice as she leaned on the counter towards me.
“Bottled water?” I asked, not really sure if clubs served such a thing. She nodded and pulled one from under the counter. When she passed it to me she asked for $3.50.
I reached into my pocket to pull out some change when a five slapped down next to me. I felt a large hand on my right shoulder and turned my head to look at it. The fingernails were clean cut and smooth, like out of a magazine.
“I got this,” a man said as he pulled me closer to his chest, “can’t have a pretty girl like her paying for her own drinks.” He had some sort of southern accent and a strangely off-putting voice. I couldn’t smell any liquor on his breath and the bartender just took the money and left. Turning I found Luke smiling at me. “You should see the look on your face right now,” he said in his fake voice.
“I hate you,” was all I could manage to say. Normally I wouldn’t say something like that to him, but I was tired and irritated. He took the seat next to mine and opened the water for a drink. “That’s mine.”
“Hey, I paid for it,” he smirked at me and I stole the bottle from him just before it touched his lips. “Your hair looks nice.”
“What are you doing here?”
“You didn’t actually think I would leave you here alone did you?” He took the water back from me and took a drink.
“Maybe,” I said, thinking he would have. He was always trying to get me out of the apartment, meeting new people. “What now?”
I could’ve been happily sleeping right now, but instead I was stuck at some club, watching people dance and molest each other. Not exactly my idea of a good time. I was amazed more people didn’t get kidnapped and killed at places like this. Maybe they did though, and the cops just never put two and two together.
“We could dance,” he suggested with a shrug. His eyes drifted out over the dance floor and stopped when they found Charlie. Luke sighed.
“Just dance with her,” I said. Luke had had a crush on Charlie ever since he had moved into the apartment next to hers. When he had first arrived she had shown a very clear interest in him, but he would never make a move and she quickly moved on.
“She’s human,” he said, “I can’t.”
“Sure,” I replied, not bothering to go into the same conversation again and again. We sat in silence and watched the people in the room; or at least I watched the other people, Luke watched Charlie.
After two hours of dancing and drinking, Charlie and her band of harpies decided it was time to head home. Two of them decided it wasn’t their home they wanted though and left with men they had just met. The others stumbled through the crowd with the help of Luke and me. Making it out into the cool night air seemed like a blessing in comparison to the sweltering heat of the club. That place had so many people in it, it had to be a fire hazard.
“I parked behind you guys,” Luke said, trying to keep one of the harpies from falling over, “are they staying with you for the night Charlie?”
“No,” she slurred, her friends arm around her neck, “Alysha is, but Alice is going back to her boyfriends.” Luke nodded and we made it to the cars. I helped Charlie get Alysha into her car when Luke made a suggestion.
“Where does Alice’s boyfriend live?” he asked. “I can drop her off and you guys can just head home; it’ll be faster.”
“Are you sure?” I asked, wondering if Alice’s boyfriend was the jealous type. I couldn’t imagine any man being too pleased to find his girlfriend being brought home by a stranger, especially one that’s a man.
“Yeah, it’s fine,” he said and I opened the passenger door of his car. He set Alice inside and Charlie told him the address. We quickly said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.
I helped Charlie get her friend into her apartment, laying her down on the couch. Charlie’s apartment was like a mirror version of Luke’s, like all the others in the building. Whenever I visited her I would pretend I was stepping into a parallel universe, like this was the soon-to-be apartment of a different Liv. Maybe that Liv liked to go out and dance and drink.
“Thanks,” Charlie said as I made a quick escape to the door, “we’re going out next Friday, wanna come?”
“Sorry, can’t,” I didn’t even have to lie this time, “got a thing with Luke.”
“Okay, if you change your mind you’re always welcome!” She smiled, truly meaning it. I wished more people in the world could be like her; I wished I could be more like her. Charlie was happy just because the sun rose every day. She trusted people easily and nothing could get her down.
“Kay, ‘night,” I said. Right, like I would ever be welcome into her group. Charlie was nice; she was a genuine person, her friends? Not so much.
As I stepped out into the yellowed hallway I saw Luke was just coming around the corner. The incandescent lighting made the bags under his eyes appear much larger than they probably were and I was afraid to ask how I looked. Although, I didn’t really care.
We walked into our apartment and went to our rooms. When I finally managed to lie down in bed, the clock read 1:19 AM. I sighed and closed my eyes, forgetting to even change into different clothes or take my hair down.
