by Claire Adams
“That son of a bitch.”
“Yeah, guys are pricks. I typically try to avoid them at all costs. Just not worth the headaches.”
I put back the free weights, no longer in the mood to finish my workout. I had to get the hell out of the gym and away from the stares I was getting. “Well I appreciate you giving me the heads up, but I have to go now and murder someone.”
“Yeah, no problem. Good luck.”
I hurried out of the gym, avoiding eye contact with anyone. I wondered how many people knew―how many people were gossiping about my wild night with Jet. What a prick. I headed across campus to my apartment, and unlocked the building door. I made a quick dash up the stairs and burst through my apartment door. I was happy to see Julie there.
“You are never gonna believe what happened to me today.”
“What? What happened? Who pissed you off?”
“That idiot! I should never have trusted him.”
“Calm down, Natalie, who are we talking about here?”
“Jet.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Jet? What happened with Jet?”
“Absolutely nothing happened with Jet, that's the whole point. But that's not what he's telling people.”
“Whoa! Okay, start from the beginning.”
I told Julie everything, from the visit to our apartment the night before to the kiss. I even openly admitted to liking the kiss, and looking at future possibilities with Jet. I explained to her how I had freaked a little and sent him packing. I then explained the situation at the gym, and about the group of people staring at me, whispering. I told her how some strange girl had to enlighten me on the topic.
“Oh my God, Natalie. I'm so sorry.”
“It was beyond humiliating. They were just staring at me. I felt like an idiot.”
“They’re morons, Natalie. Like, who does that? We aren't in high school; why do they care if Jet slept with someone?”
“It's ‘cause it's me. They were probably trying to figure out what the hell he saw in me. Believe me, I was wondering the same thing.”
“Come on, Natalie, I know you are upset, and you have every right to be, but you are just talking crazy now. You are gorgeous; look at that hair alone.” I started laughing. “No, I'm serious. You're obviously beautiful. Those were just a bunch of tools that were jealous. A bunch of girls who got dissed by him at some point, that's all.”
I went for the heavy liquor that time. Screw the wine bottles. I went into the cupboard and took out a bottle of whiskey. I took out two snifter glasses, and poured a generous amount into both of them. I added ice and a small amount of Coke, and stirred it a little. Julie watched with her mouth hanging open.
“Natalie, it's like 2:00 p.m.”
“Do you have somewhere you need to be?”
Julie laughed, “No, I guess I don't.” She took the glass I handed her and took a sip. “Whoa, this is a stiff one.”
“Yeah, I wish I could have said the same for Jet,” I laughed. “I didn't even get to find out. I think that's what pisses me off the most. He didn't even put a valiant effort into getting me into bed before going around and telling everyone we did it.”
“Look, you don't know the whole story. Maybe he was trying to save face, and didn't realize it would go public. You have been pretty hard on the guy.”
“Save face, my ass. He's just like every other guy I know, and here's the proof of it. Just when I actually started liking him, he goes and does exactly what I thought he was going to do, and that's be an asshole.”
“I'm actually surprised. He seemed to genuinely like you.”
“That's how they trick you. He didn't like me. He's just the same as all the others. I tried to tell you that right from the beginning, and you kept trying to get me to hang out with him. And now this.”
“You're blaming me?” She looked dumbfounded.
“No! This is my own idiocy, trust me.”
“Maybe you should talk to him. See why he did that.”
“No thanks, I have no interest in talking to him again.”
“Sorry, girl.”
I held up my glass of whiskey before drinking it. “Let's just get shitfaced together.”
We laughed together, and I once again tried to drown my sorrows in booze.
Chapter Twelve
Jet
I felt good that night, better than good. Actually, I felt alive. A few of my buddies and I were doing a little pre-drinking at my apartment before heading to the club. They were a great group of hilarious guys and we always had a blast out hunting for the ladies.
“Hey guys, finish up your drinks. I'm calling a cab; let's head out.”
It was probably another 15 minutes before the cab showed up and we all piled into it, ready to hit the nightlife.
I hadn't seen or heard from Natalie in a few days, and it was probably for the best. I had decided to give up trying with her, and move on. She clearly wasn't interested in me, and I couldn't keep beating a dead horse. I still thought about her, though; she really did mess with my head. It was frustrating thinking about her sometimes. I felt like I had failed in winning her over, and I hated failing at anything. I really just wanted to be near her.
That was the past talking, however.
Tonight I was ready to find some new squirrel.
The cab pulled up to the destination of choice, and we got out and headed to the door. The doorman did his standard checking of IDs and we paid the appropriate cover charge, and in we went. We walked up the stairs to the higher level, and as I turned the corner with my friends, there sat this redheaded stunner at the bar with her friend, Julie. The sight of her caused me to stop in my tracks, and one of my buddies behind me bumped into my back. He saw where I was staring and said, “Hey, man, you already did that. Find someone new.”
I shook my head. I really was an idiot. But he was right about one thing. I was there to find someone new. We headed to the opposite end of the bar to avoid any awkwardness. The two of them glanced up at us, but quickly went back to their drinks. I noticed Julie whispering in Natalie's ear while looking at me, and I hoped to hell something wasn't brewing up between them. I just wanted to have a good time without any drama.
We grabbed some drinks and headed to the dance floor, because that was where you picked up girls. I grinded up against a particularly foxy blonde, and she melted into me like butter, and it was just that easy. We swayed together with the music, but I still couldn't help but glance a few times at the bar to see if Natalie might be missing me. She had her back to me though, and seemed to be in a pretty deep conversation with Julie.
The blonde, whose name escaped me at that point, turned to face me, and wrapped her arms around my neck. She pushed herself very close against me, and I felt some movement in my pants. Her lips found mine, and the next thing you know, we were making out on the dance floor. It looked like my night was shaping up pretty good. Her tongue lost itself in my mouth, and things were getting pretty heated between us. She tasted sweet, but there was no spark there. Nothing like what had ignited between Natalie and me, but that's okay; this was just for one night. I would never see this girl again after that. We continued to make out, and it suddenly struck me that Natalie could be watching us. I stopped kissing the blonde immediately, and glanced at the bar. Natalie and Julie were gone; they had completely left the bar. Had she seen me making out and stormed off? Had I been too insensitive by moving on right in front of her even though we were never a thing?
I looked down at the blonde, who had a confused look on her face. I smiled; she was really pretty, and I decided that I wanted to see more of her.
“Do you want to come home with me?”
She nodded eagerly. I grabbed her hand, and I whisked her off the dance floor, heading down the stairs of the club. This was going to be the girl who would help me forget all about Natalie, and make me feel really good. I didn't bother to say goodbye to my friends. They knew where to find me; they all had phones. No one worried much about each
other, as the game was to find someone to take home, not to end up going home with your buddies. That was typically classified as a bad night out. No one wanted to go home alone, especially if you were the only one.
We left the bar, and I felt the cool night breeze hit me as soon as we got out the door. It was refreshing after being inside the hot, stuffy club. I put my arm around the blonde, and held her tight as we headed down the street. I heard a scream as we got further down the street, and I thought I saw a few people further down as we got closer. Then I realized that it was Natalie and Julie. To my horror, I saw the guy who was clutching on Natalie, trying to rip the purse from her arm. He swung and hit Natalie across the face, loosening the purse from her grip.
“Hey!” I shouted.
The guy took off running, but I wasn't about to let him get away. I let the blonde go, and took off after him. I tore past Julie and Natalie, and kept a steady pace. He wasn't in very good shape, because it wasn't long before I caught up to him. I leapt at him, tackling him to the ground. I felt the air whoosh out of him.
“Get the fuck off of me, man.”
“Oh I'm gonna get off, alright.”
I turned him over and punched him square in the face. Blood spurted from his nose and sprayed on my shirt. I punched him a few more times before I stood up. Once I did, I kicked him in the ribs until I heard a crack. The guy howled in pain.
“I suggest you get the hell out of my face. If I were you, I would think twice before touching another female.”
The guy rose slowly from the ground, and I watched him carefully to make sure he wasn't going to make another move. He hobbled down the street, and I almost regretted not beating him to death. I picked the two purses off the ground, along with anything that had scattered from them. I carried them back to the girls, and realized awkwardly that my little blonde friend was talking to Natalie.
Natalie looked up at me. She looked so sad that it almost broke my heart. I noticed that blood was seeping from her lip. When he had hit her, he must have split her lip. I should have killed him after all. I looked back down the street to see if I could still see him but he was long gone.
“Are you okay, Natalie?”
She nodded, tears welling up in her eyes, and then falling down her cheeks. “Thank you for getting my things.”
I looked over at Julie, who seemed a little calmer. “Are you okay, Julie?”
“Yes, he came out of nowhere. It all just happened so fast.”
“That's so terrible.” We all looked over at the blonde as she spoke, and I realized once again how terrible it was that she was there with me.
“Can I take you two home?”
“Ummm, I thought we were going back to your place,” the blonde said to me. I wished to God I had not decided to take her home with me. I noticed Natalie roll her eyes, with a stellar look of disgust written all over her face.
“Look, sweetheart. It's not gonna happen after all. I need to make sure I take care of my friends here. So why don't you either go back in the club or catch a cab home. But either way, you're not coming home with me.”
The girl's mouth hung open. She was pissed, and I couldn't really blame her. She spun around and marched herself back to the club. I watched her until I saw her go inside; I didn't need to deal with another mugging.
“Nice.” I spun around when I heard Natalie's voice. She was watching me carefully, not in the least bit impressed.
“How about you guys come back and stay at my place for the night? That way at least I know you made it somewhere safe.”
Natalie snorted despite her condition, but she held back whatever it was that she wanted to say to me.
“We have lots of room.”
“I think you should go, Natalie, you seem pretty freaked out. I'm going to go back to our place, though. I would feel more comfortable doing that,” Julie said.
I looked at Natalie, and she just nodded. She must have been freaked out, because I was shocked that she would agree to go with me alone back to my place. Every time I saw the blood on her face, though, anger surged through me all over again.
“Okay, let me get you a cab then, Julie. I'm not leaving you here alone.”
“Thanks.”
I turned toward the street to hail a cab. It wasn't long before one came down the street. The later it got, the more cabs arrived to bring all the drunks home. A cab pulled up to the sidewalk and I tugged the side door open for Julie. I handed the driver a bunch of bills and gave him Julie's address.
“Thanks, Jet, I appreciate your help.”
“No problem. Take care of yourself.”
“I'll see you tomorrow, Natalie!” she yelled from the cab. Natalie only waved. I watched the cab pull away and I looked to flag down another. I glanced over my shoulder to make sure Natalie was still there, and I smiled at her, hoping it eased her stress.
Another cab drove up, and I opened the side door once again. I motioned for her to come to me, and I let her get in the cab first. I followed in after her, and we sat side by side on the middle seat of the van. I gave the driver my address, and the cab pulled away from the sidewalk. I wrapped my arm around her. I was surprised when her body shook with sobs that she must have been holding in until that moment.
I held her as tightly as I could, and watched the city pass by through the window of the cab. I kissed her on the top of the head before realizing what I was doing. She didn't pull away. Instead, she snuggled deeper into my chest.
Chapter Thirteen
Natalie
We walked into Jet's place; it was quiet for the time being, since his roommate was still at the club trying to find a girl. He had a really nice place, a lot nicer than my cramped apartment that I shared with Julie. The decorations were a little tacky, but what could you expect from an apartment full of guys? I walked into the living room and sat on the couch. When I looked up I was surprised to see my drawing hanging on the wall. It brought a smile to my face. I really had thought that he had thrown it out―that he only paid for it to get in my pants. I didn't expect that he had hung it up already, but it hung proudly on the wall, and the fact that it was there touched me deeply.
“I told you I kept it.” He came over and sat with me on the couch. He smiled at me, and I remembered what a nice smile he had.
“It looks nice up there.”
“Yeah, I thought it was time to get rid of all the hockey posters. Maybe I will get a few more pieces from you.”
I just nodded.
He got up and went into the kitchen. He poured us a drink, whiskey and Coke, just the way he knew I liked it. He brought over the glasses and gave me one. “It will help calm you down.”
“Thank you.” I drank half the glass before I set it down, causing him to chuckle.
He got up again and went into the bathroom. I heard the tap running, and it wasn't long before he came back out. He was holding a wet cloth. He sat back down and leaned into me. He grabbed my chin in his hand and turned my face to him. His gentleness surprised me, and tears sprang up in my eyes once again. He took the cloth and dabbed at my lip, cleaning the blood away from the cut.
“It's not deep, so you don't need stitches.”
I smiled. “That's good.”
He continued to clean me up, and then he allowed me to drink the rest of the whiskey out of my glass.
“I love whiskey, it's delicious.”
He laughed. “I noticed and I would have to agree.” I looked into his eyes and I couldn't help but start crying again. The mugger had terrified me. I had never experienced anything like that in my life. He was so rough that I wasn't sure if I was going to be raped or killed. I couldn't have been more grateful to see Jet show up and get a hold of the guy. Even if he did bring the blonde tramp with him.
“Thank you for being there. For catching the guy, for saving me.”
“God, Natalie, of course. I saw red as soon as I realized you had been hurt. Guys like that need to be wiped off the face of the planet. He'll think twice about hu
rting another girl. I broke a few of his ribs.”
“Did you?”
“Yeah, and he's lucky that's all I did to him.” He brushed the hair out of my eyes and touched my cheek softly.
“How about you go take a shower and freshen up? I’ll get you something to wear to bed. You should probably get some rest.”
“That sounds nice, thank you.”
I followed him to the bathroom. He showed me where the towels were, and turned on the shower for me.
“Adjust the temperature the way you like it. I’ll be right back.”
I went to the shower and felt the temperature. It was a little hot, so I turned the temperature down before I went into the closet and pulled out a towel. I put it close to the shower so it would be right there when I got out.
Jet came back into the bathroom and handed me some clothes. “Here's a pair of boxers and a T-shirt of mine. Hopefully they will do for the night.”
“They’re fine. Thanks.”
He left the bathroom, closing the door behind him. I undressed quickly and hopped into the shower. I just wanted to rinse off a bit, and get the feeling of the guy’s hands off of me. I hated feeling his touch on my body; it gave me the creeps. I just stood under the showerhead, allowing the water to cascade down my body. The heat felt wonderful against my skin, and I began to feel normal once again.
I turned the water off and pulled open the curtains. I stepped out of the shower and grabbed the towel. Water droplets disappeared as I dried off with the towel and then I looked at myself in his bathroom mirror. I surveyed the damage to my lip and willed myself not to cry again.
I looked around for a brush and only found a comb in a drawer, but it would do. I quickly brushed my hair and dried off the remaining droplets. I dressed in the clothes Jet had brought me, and hung up the towel on the shower rod. I left the bathroom and went to look for Jet. I found him on the couch drinking another glass of whiskey.
“Do you want to have another drink?”
I shook my head and then said, “No, I think I'm ready for bed, if you don't mind.”