Fight

by JL Davis

  Jessa and Julie are meeting here at Nathan’s, or our, house so we can get ready for the bachelorette party. Julie went to business school with Jessa. I’ve only met her once. She seems nice, but the poor girl is a train wreck.

  All the guys are meeting at Alex’s. Nathan’s trying to hurry and get ready before the girls get here. He comes out of the bedroom in a black button-up shirt that’s rolled up to show off his tattoos and dark-wash jeans. He looks too fucking good to be going out like that, especially without me. I guess it’s a good thing he won’t be seeing what I’m wearing until after I get back home. He’d die.

  “How do I look?” he asks.

  “You need to go change.”

  “Why? What’s wrong with it?”

  “Nothing and everything,” I huff. “The girls are gonna

  be all over you.”

  “Oh, I look that good, huh?” He grins. I want to kiss

  him and punch him in the face.

  “Too good. If the girls weren’t on their way, I’d make

  you take me to the bedroom or possibly right here on the

  kitchen table.”

  He steps closer and his cologne hits my nostrils. He’s

  wearing my favorite, Giorgio Armani. I inhale as he pulls me

  to him and kisses me. “Don’t worry. I’ll save all this for you

  when I get home.” Now he’s fucking with me. I pull away

  and punch him in the chest.

  The doorbell rings and Jessa walks in. “Hey, y’all!” She

  giggles.

  “Where’s Julie?” I ask.

  Jessa sighs. “She’s on her way. She’s tried to bale, like,

  three times now.”

  “What? Why?”

  “She’s never been to a bachelorette party or a strip

  club.” She snaps her mouth shut looking at Nathan. “It’s fine, Jessa.” He chuckles. “I already knew. Okay.

  I’m outta here.” He kisses me once more and smacks my ass

  on his way out.

  “So, is Julie going to ruin this for us?”

  “I don’t think so. She’s just… just different. She needs

  this, believe me,” Jessa giggles. I feel like there’s more to

  this than Jessa’s saying. Oh well.

  “Let’s go look at the dresses I’ve picked for the

  occasion.” I grab Jessa’s hand and drag her down the hall. “I feel like I should be terrified. Please don’t make me

  look like a two-dollar hooker.”

  “I’m not, but we’re gonna look hot and hopefully get

  free drinks all night long.” I wink. Jessa rolls her eyes. I hold up the dresses and Jessa’s mouth hits the floor.

  “Um. Where are the rest of these?” she asks, touching the

  hem of one.

  “Here’s yours.” It’s a beautiful maroon cocktail dress

  that will fit her like a glove.

  The doorbell rings and I go to the door. I open it and

  see a nervous Julie standing there fidgeting. “Hi Julie! Are

  you ready to have some fun?”

  “I guess so.” She doesn’t sound convincing at all. She’s

  terrified. I don’t get it.

  “We were just in the bedroom looking at the dresses

  we’re wearing tonight.” I look down at what she’s wearing

  and holy fuck I’m so glad I bought her one, too. The poor

  thing is dressed like my Aunt Martha. The blouse she’s

  wearing has little pastel flowers all over it and she’s wearing

  some sort of elastic pants or slacks. This poor girl. “Come

  on. I got you one too.”

  “Oh. You shouldn’t have. I’ll be okay,” she says,

  following behind me. I just ignore her. She’s not wearing

  that shit tonight.

  “Hey, Julie,” she says. I can hear it in her voice that

  she’s even a bit shocked at what Julie’s wearing. I wink and

  hand the girls their dresses.

  Julie insisted on dressing in the bathroom. When she

  comes out I can’t believe what I’m seeing. “Oh my God, Julie. You look fucking hot.” Julie looks down at herself in disbelief. “Seriously girl, if I wasn’t straight I’d be all over you. Who knew that hot little body was under those baggy

  clothes.”

  Julie smiles nervously. “I don’t know. I think I should

  put my blouse on.”

  Jessa and I both look at each other. “I think you look

  beautiful, Jules,” Jessa says.

  A bit later, I’ve gotten all our makeup done and we’re ready for our night on the town. Julie is still nervous, but that won’t last long once I get a drink or two in her.

  The girls and I walk into the kitchen. Callie is sitting at the table feeding Kayson some spaghetti.

  “Callie are you okay?” She hasn’t seemed like herself. Something’s bothering her.

  “I’m fine,” she says, not taking her eyes off the spaghetti.

  “Are you sure? Are you sick?”

  “No. I’m okay.”

  “Okay. You have our numbers and I should be back by two or so. Call if you need anything.” I kiss Kayson on the forehead. He has spaghetti all over his little face. “Bye.”

  “Bye. Brit-ey,” he says. I wave as we walk out the door.

  An Uber is waiting out front for us. We load in and our first stop is dinner. I chose our favorite hibachi place. I think some sushi and a couple of drinks will be a great start to an awesome evening.

  We eat a few sushi rolls and are working on our second drink. Well, Jessa and I are. Julie is nursing her first one, still.

  “Come on Julie. Drink up.”

  “Sorry.” She burps and covers her mouth, giggling. “This is the first time I’ve had anything other than a wine cooler.

  “Really?” I ask, shocked.

  “Yeah. My dad was an alcoholic and I was always scared I’d end up like him.”

  “I understand. A few drinks to celebrate Jessa being stuck with the same guy for the rest of her life isn’t going to make you a drunk.” Julie nods and then giggles.

  “Hey! I’m happy to have that man forever. He’s a damn good man with a damn good dick.”

  “I will spew sushi all over you if you keep talking about my uncles’ dick.”

  “Y’all are hilarious.” Julie smiles as she slurps what’s left of her drink.

  “Okay.” I clap. “Let’s get this show on the road.” I leave some bills on the table and we’re off to the first club of the night.

  I chose the club where Alex and Jessa kissed for the first time. We played some pool and danced together for a bit. Now we’re sitting and having some shots.

  “I don’t think I should,” Julie says.

  “I won’t peer pressure you, but here it is if you want it.” I set a shot of tequila in front of her. She looks at it for a moment before picking it up.

  I raise my shot and the girls follow suit. “To Jessa and Alex.” We throw our shots back and it burns so good all the way down.

  Julie starts coughing. “Oh that burned.” I start laughing. “I’ve never been drunk before. I need to pace myself.”

  “You never drank in high school?” I ask, curious. “No. I’ve never drank, never even went to a school party.” She looks at the table. “I’ve never even had a boyfriend.”

  “Wait. What?” I’m shocked. I remember her always keeping to herself, but that’s just sad. Jessa gives me a look telling me to shut it. “So are you a virgin?”

  “I am,” she whispers. I don’t even know what to say.

  “You need some dick. That’s your problem.” I nod.

  “We don’t have time for that now,” Jessa says. “We will be seeing some though, right?”

  “Fuck yeah we will. How about now?” I grin.

  We had the Uber ride from hell. We couldn’t help laughing most of the drive to the s
trip club. Our driver smelled bad and could not drive for shit. I’m thankful he’s gotten us here in one piece.

  I’ve chosen the strip club of strip clubs. All the men here rank eight or above. I’ve been here a couple of times and have always had a great time.

  We walk up and are greeted by two monstrous men at the door.

  “Hello, ladies,” one says, while the other opens the door for us. “Have a great evening.”

  “Thank you. We plan on it.”

  “Wow,” Jessa says, surprised.

  It is a beautiful, elegant club, not like the trashy ones you see in the movies. It’s white and clean with chrome finishes and touches of red throughout. I called ahead weeks ago to make sure everything was perfect for tonight.

  “Right.” I smile. “I have the VIP reserved for us girls.”

  “This is amazing,” Julie says in awe as we are seated.

  “You haven’t seen anything yet. Just wait. Let’s sit and order drinks and then the real fun begins.”

  Of course, we have another round of tequila shots. Julie again is leery of having another. I ensure her that everything will be fine and I’ll have an Uber drive her home. She seems to be okay now. I think she’s a bit tipsy, even. I can’t wait to see her in an hour or so. This should be fun to watch.

  “I can’t believe I’ll be married this time next week. I want you to know how grateful I am that you brought Alex into my life. He’s everything I’ve ever wanted and more,” Jessa says, tears now in her eyes.

  “I’m so happy for the both of you. We are not getting all sappy though. Tonight, is about fun, getting drunk and seeing some hot naked guys. It is time for the naked guys now.” We stand and Jessa hugs me.

  “Thanks for tonight,” she says.

  “You’re welcome. Now let’s go,” I say, smacking her ass.

  Julie giggles. “Y’all are silly.

  We make our way to the main area of the club. The club has started to fill since we arrived. I’m glad I reserved us a booth front and center for the man candy.

  I reach into my bag, pulling out a cute little tiara and sash that reads bride on it in glitter. Jessa laughs. “Thank you.” I smile and place the sash over her and set the tiara on her head.

  “This reminds me of that Magic Mike movie. Is that how it is here? Will they bring women on stage?” Here’s Julie panicking again. She needs another drink. I wonder what her story really is. She seems to like to control everything in her life. Sometimes you need to let loose and have some fun. I bet she wears a certain pair of panties for each day of the week. Poor girl.

  I ignore her questions. She’s gonna ruin my buzz. “I’m getting us more drinks before it starts.” I clap.

  As I return with the drinks, the lights begin to dim. Women begin squealing and clapping.

  I asked the bartender to send over more drinks in about a half an hour. I don’t want to miss any of this.

  The DJ is to the right of the stage and he introduces the first act.

  “Hello ladies and a few gents. You’re in for quite a show tonight. I hope you have those bills ready. Our first performer Mateo is homegrown and needs a place to put some seeds.”

  “That was quite an intro,” Jessa laughs. “Holy fuck,” she says as he walks out on stage in a tight pair of what I assume are Wranglers, a tight t-shirt, cowboy hat and boots.

  “I’m ready for him to take it off,” I say. .

  Mateo seduces the crowd with his stare, thrusting to the beat of the dreadful country song as he slowly takes off his t-shirt and throwing it into the crowd. Women are going crazy. I get it. I do.

  After he’s removed everything but his G-string and hat he zeroes in on Julie, walking down the stairs straight for her. She looks panicked again, grabbing onto Jessa’s arm.

  “Don’t be shy, beautiful,” he says seductively. “Come.” Julie seems mesmerized by his stare, placing her hand in his as he leads her onto the stage.

  “What’s your name?” Mateo asks, his voice is so deep and powerful. He guides her into a chair in the center of the stage.

  “Julie,” she says nervously.

  “Well, Julie, tell me one of your deepest fantasies.” “I… I don’t know. I mean I’ve never really had any.”

  That poor girl has been brought out of her shell tonight and now on stage in front of probably a hundred people and asked to tell her fantasies. She probably won’t ever come out with us again.

  He runs a finger down Julie’s cheek and circles around her, placing his cowboy hat on her head. He whispers something in her ear and she smiles. He thrusts in her face and runs his hands down her legs. Julie looks as if she might orgasm on the spot. He slowly drags his G-string down his legs. The look on Julie’s face is priceless. I wonder if this is her first time seeing an actual dick.

  “Think this is her first dick?” I ask Jessa.

  She laughs. “Stop it.”

  As the song comes to an end he walks Julie back down to us and winks at us.

  “See ya round,” he says and walks away.

  “Oh my. That was… wow. Hot,” Julie says, fanning herself.

  “I gotta ask. Was that the closest you’ve been to a dick?”

  “Brittany!” Jessa snaps.

  “What? I’m just curious. That’s all.”

  “It’s okay. Really. Yes, it was my first and I must say, they look weird.”

  I can’t help it. I crack up laughing hysterically. “I’m sorry. You’re just so cute.”

  “He wants me to wait for him.” She smiles, shyly.

  “Wait. What?” Jessa asks. “Wait for what? Are you going to see him again?”

  “I know I shouldn’t, but he made me feel alive up there. I felt so… I don’t know how to explain it. I guess I felt special.”

  Jessa sighs. “Sweetie, they do that with every woman that’s brought on stage. I’m not trying to rain on your parade. I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

  After the next few men dance, we walk back to our booth in VIP. Once you’ve seen one, you’ve basically seen them all. We’re all quite tipsy, especially Julie. She can’t seem to stop thinking about her hot stripper.

  Speak of the devil. Here he comes, fully clothed again. Now in regular jeans and a t-shirt without the hat and boots. He looks even sexier now.

  “Julie, can I talk to you for a minute?” Huh. No accent. I guess it’s all part of his act.

  Julie looks to us for guidance. We have none. I shrug and smile, as does Jessa. Julie stands on wobbly legs, Mateo catching her around the waist.

  “I promise I’ll be a gentleman. I may be a stripper, but it’s just a job and not even my real job.” He smiles and they walk away.

  “You think she’ll be okay? She’s wasted. I don’t want her to do anything she’ll regret,” Jessa says concerned, watching them walk away onto the dance floor.

  “They’re still here.” I shrug. “I’m sure she’ll be fine. She’s a grown woman and the poor thing needs a man in her life.”

  “I’ve learned more about her tonight than in the whole year or so we’ve been friends. I feel so bad for her. There must be a story, a past or something to why she’s sheltered herself from the world like this. Anyway, how are you and Nathan doing?”

  “We’re good. He’s amazing.” I smile.

  “I’m so happy for you. I knew some guy would come along and love your crazy ass.” She laughs.

  “Very funny, bitch. Did I ever tell you how happy I am you came along when you did? You’ve been the best thing in Alex’s life. He needed you to bring him back to himself.” I wipe a tear from my cheek. I said we weren’t gonna get all emotional and I’m the one crying.

  “Aaaawwww. Look at you, being all nice, I love you. You’re my best friend. You helped me so much. I wouldn’t be where I am now without you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Julie comes back panting and plops down. “I need a drink.” She giggles.

  “Did you have fun with Mr. Sexy Stripper Mateo?” I g
iggle.

  “I did. His real name is Luke. He seems really nice.”

  “Where is he now?” Jessa asks, looking around.

  “He has one more performance and then he said he’d come find us.”

  “Is he going to give you a private dance later?” I giggle.

  After a couple more drinks, I think we’re all drunk. We danced together and now eating some snacks before we call an Uber and go home.

  “Julie,” Luke says behind us. We all turn, looking at him. He looks nervous. “Would you like a ride home tonight?” Jessa and I look at each other, neither sure about this. “I’ll have her call you as soon as I drop her off. I can tell your leery of me.” He grins. “I don’t tell many this, but I am a resident at the hospital, if that makes you feel any better. This job just helps pay for my student loans. I’ll be glad when I can quit.”

  “I think that would be okay,” Julie says. “I’ll call you as soon as I get home.” She looks at Jessa to reassure her she’ll be fine.

  We watch Julie leave with Luke. I think she will be okay.

  “She has a tracker on her phone. We’ll be able to find her if he kidnaps her,” Jessa laughs.

  “Okay. That makes me feel better. Ready to get home to our guys?”

  “I am. Thanks so much for tonight. I had so much fun.”

  “You’re welcome. I did, too.”

  I wasn’t sure if Nathan would beat me home or not. His truck isn’t in the driveway. I’ll pay Callie and shower before he gets here.

  I walk in and go to the living room. Callie isn’t there. I don’t want to call out to her and wake Kayson, so I check the other rooms. She isn’t here. I check Kayson’s room and she’s not there and neither is Kayson. I don’t understand where they could be. It’s almost two in the morning.

  I call Callie and it goes straight to voicemail. I begin to panic. I call Nathan and he doesn’t answer. I wonder if Alex has made it home yet.

  I call Jessa. “Hey has Alex come home yet?”

  “No, why? What’s wrong?”

  “Callie and Kayson are gone and Callie isn’t answering her phone.”

  “Do you think something happened? Did she try to call you? It was loud. Maybe you didn’t hear your phone.”

  “I have no texts or missed calls. This is weird, Jessa. Where could they be?”

  “I hate to even say this, but call the hospital in case something happened. I’ll call Alex. Maybe he’ll answer.”