At that point, Steph talked more about leaving. It wasn’t that we didn’t enjoy the small college in Missouri, but we wanted to experience more. The situation with Nathan finally gave her the nudge she needed to go ahead with our plan to move. I wasn’t glad my friend had to go through that, but I was happy that we were finally here. Honestly, I thought she was better off, but I knew for a fact he was still begging her for a second chance through text messages every now and then.
I, on the other hand, had had many boyfriends. I guess I had a certain opinion of guys, and let’s just say that Steph’s ex solidified my point. They all cheated, they all lied, and they were all selfish. I was smart enough to realize that’s a pretty shallow way of thinking, but I wasn’t trying to spend my nights locked in my bedroom crying myself into dehydration over a boy. I watched my mom and Stephanie do it, and I wasn’t into self-deprivation—although, some pain would be okay, I guess. I was a true believer in actually feeling your emotions. Not that I was a masochist, but I would try most anything at least once.
“What about this place guys?” I suggested, walking up to a bar at the end of the street. It had rock on the outside walls, where all the other pubs had brick. I looked up to the neon sign which read, On the Rocks. I chuckled. “At least we know the owner has a sense of humor, right?”
“Let’s check it out.” Steph shrugged, opening the door.
We immediately loved it. At first glance, it looked like a normal bar, but as we made our way past the bar area and to the back room, there were all kinds of pool tables and dart boards. People were everywhere, and it looked really cool. On the second floor, they had a DJ, and lights of every color of the rainbow were shooting across the ceiling like lasers. Before I knew it, Steph was dragging Nic and me onto the dance floor.
“Uh no, I need a drink first,” I said.
“I don’t know guys. I’m too nervous I think. They will be able to see right through me,” Nic whined.
“Nic, chillax. It’s not capital murder.” I laughed.
“Damn, if we could just get a couple of drinks down her, she’d be able to pull it off, no problem,” Steph said.
“Next time, we have a couple of shots before we leave the apartment. This time? We improvise,” I said, pulling Nicole behind me.
“I’m going to buy a shot, and you are going to take it. After we repeat this process twice, you are going to grow some balls and buy your own, you got me?”
She sighed dramatically. “I guess. You know I get nervous with stuff like this. I don’t like lying.”
“Nic, here.” I shoved the shot of Jägermeister at her. “Just down it. You won’t like it, but next time we’ll get you a fruity drink or something.”
She downed it while Steph and I took our shots. The bartender was super hot and nice to boot. I thought I’d have to flirt a little bit so he would keep waiting on us instead of making his way down the bar, but I didn’t. Alright then, I really like this place now.
Three shots later, the dance floor was calling our names. It was so much fun to be out with my friends dancing and sweating, not caring who was around us because we didn’t know anyone. We had a couple of guys dancing behind us, and we all let them because they didn’t get too grabby. That annoyed me when guys just walked up and put their hands wherever they wanted. It was rude and disrespectful and a total turn-off.
After we finished dancing, Nicole got up enough nerve to buy her own drink. Steph and I sat back like two proud parents as she pulled the fake ID out and handed it to the bartender without any hesitation.
“What are you drinking, sweetheart?” Some no-name jackass asked from her left.
“Uh, I’m—” she stammered.
“I thought you said you wanted a Sex on the Beach, Nic?” I stepped in, giving her a little help.
She glared at me, and I knew from the look she thought I made it up to embarrass her. The cute bartender got busy making her drink, and no-name looked at me.
“What were you saying about sex?” He winked.
Yeah, because that was going to get him into my pants.
“Step into my office—” I waited for him to give his name.
“Jackson.”
“Right, come with me, Jackson.” I didn’t really have intentions of making out with him in the corner, but then one thing led to another and before I knew it, Steph was tapping on my shoulder telling me Nic felt sick.
“Sorry, Jason, my friend isn’t feeling well.” I pulled away.
He grabbed my arm. “Wait, when can I see you again?”
I tried to pull my arm away, but he had a firm grip. “Look, I don’t know why you’re acting like a prick, but you need to let go of me now.”
“It’s Jackson.”
“What?”
“You called me Jason. My name is Jackson, remember that. You’ll be screaming it later,” he slurred.
“I don’t think so.” I snapped my arm back out of his hand and followed the girls out of the pub. I was sort of glad Stephanie had been pre-occupied with Nicole. My stomach tightened at the thought of either of them seeing that little show. It was our first night here, and I didn’t want either of them upset. We made our way outside, and I noticed Nicole swaying.
“Hey, you okay?”
She giggled. “Yes. I feel much better now that I’m out here with fresh air.”
“All right, let’s get you home then.”
We all walked together and talked about everything we were going to do and how much fun we were going to have. I knew none of us were going to want to get up early in the morning, but we had to look for jobs.
Stumbling into the apartment, rambling about nonsense, we decided that taking off make-up and brushing our teeth were not important. Steph and I made sure Nicole was okay and made our way to our own rooms. I took off my dress and jewelry and climbed into bed. Stephanie’s parents had not only paid our rent, but also furnished each of the rooms. I wasn’t sure what kind of sheets Stephanie’s mom got us, but I could already tell they were way better than the ones I had at home. This new era in our lives was going to be epic. I put on my iPod and let Damien Rice lull my inebriated mind to sleep.
Sucker for Payne Page 22