Stells had her assistant call ahead to secure us a VIP area at one of the local clubs. She had left her security behind in LA, so we were on our own tonight. It shouldn't be a huge deal since this was Ohio and not LA. My prehistoric town was like a thousand years behind the times; we were lucky to even have a club at all.

When we got to the area where the VIP sections were, Cameron was looking around a little nervously. I had forgotten how much out of his element he was tonight. I looped my arm in his as we were escorted to our private area. I was afraid he would run away if it became too much. At least if I had my arm on him, I knew he would have to get through me first before he could take off.

"I'm heading to the bar to get us some drinks. I want to scout the place out a bit." Sven said eagerly.

"Yeah, I'll come with you," Cam told Sven. I was a little in shock at the offer. He must not be as uncomfortable as I thought.  It was probably just my unease spilling over and projecting onto him. I let Cam's arm go and felt a little sad at the loss of contact.

"Don't worry, little one. I'll bring him back to you in one piece." Sven laughed when he saw my pitiful face.

The boys were hitting it off a little bit tonight more than I thought they would. Sven had even sat in the front seat next to Cameron since the back seats of his truck didn't offer a lot of legroom. They were deep in conversation for most of the ride over and almost ignored Stells and me completely. I said almost because I kept catching Cameron looking at me in the rearview mirror. I would stick out my tongue and make funny faces at him just so I could see his dimple pop out.

I also noticed that both Sven and Stells were sneaking glances at Cameron too. He may not have been the normal type they both went for, but anyone with eyes could appreciate that man. He was the perfect blend of sweet and sexy with a hint of smoldering heat underneath.

Sven kept his word and brought Cam back to me about ten minutes later. They both were carrying way too many drinks in their hands. They even had a few tucked into their elbows. The boys were eager to let loose tonight. It was so bad that they didn't even wait for the waitress assigned to us to make an appearance.

Stells and I had already made ourselves at home while they were gone. I chose the couch like always and she decided to sit on the table between the furniture. She was always a rebel. No one could tell Stells Leigh where she could or couldn't sit.

Cameron plopped down next to me on the couch and handed me the biggest cup. It was the only one they had that wasn't shot-sized. It contained something red with a fruity smell. I had no idea what it was, but it smelled delicious. I took a big gulp of it. In fact, I almost swallowed half of it down. It was extremely sweet and delicious. It had a slight hint of a burn as it slid down my throat.

Shit.

"Cami? What is this?" I yelled over the noise and pointed to the drink. This club was a little too loud and it was hard to be heard over the thumping bass shaking the building.

"A virgin Raspberry something or other. I know how much you love raspberry. I saw it and thought of you. I asked the bartender to add the raspberry to soda instead of using the liquor." He smiled and slid his hand between my thighs. I might have been a little more excited about where his hand was if I wasn't getting ready to have an anxiety attack.

"I think they gave me the wrong one." I was freaking out on him.

"What do you mean?" He leaned in and yelled into my ear.

"This one has alcohol in it." I pointed to the glass.

He snatched it from my hand immediately and took a sip. He shook his head in frustration. The corners of his mouth pulled down into a frown.

"That's not what I ordered. I'm so sorry, Jess. It's not that strong, just don't drink any more of it. You didn't have that much yet. I will go talk to the bartender and get you a new one." He offered.

"No, it's ok. I'm not thirsty anymore." I lied as I sat the glass back down. I didn't want to cause a scene or make him get up again. I was extremely upset with myself about the drink. I was always way more careful about double-checking before I even took a sip. Sometimes I would even ask my roommates to take a drink before it would even go to my lips.

I messed up.

"Cameron, want to do a shot with me?" Sven screamed out from the plush chair across from us. He and Stells were completely oblivious to what just happened. I didn't want to tell them either because I didn't want them to worry. I sunk back against the couch and tried to look like I was having a good time. Inside my brain, Good Jessa was standing on hot coals, scorching the bottoms of her feet as punishment for messing up tonight.

"Yeah, a drink sounds nice," Cameron said as he relaxed next to me. He seemed like he was enjoying himself. He leaned up and grabbed one of the shots off the table. I watched as all three of them swallowed one down. If I wasn't such a screw-up, I could be joining in on the fun too.

Fuck, I hated being me sometimes.

"Goody, Goody. I love shots." Stells said, clapping. She grabbed another one in each hand and downed them both before anyone could stop her.

"I do too." Bad Jessa sighed as she watched Good Jessa torturing herself. She came out of hiding the second the little taste of alcohol had started making me feel a little tingly. I'm not sure what Cameron was thinking when he said it wasn't strong. The drink was more alcohol than the fruity mix. I could feel the weight of it in my stomach. I had gulped quite a bit of it down and it was hitting my system like a ton of bricks. This was not going to end well tonight.

"You alright, Jess?" Cameron reached up and swiped my hair back from in front of my face. He leaned in and looked me in the eyes, assessing my current state. He looked like his old cop self that I was used to. I realized he was watching my eyes for the little movements to indicate how bad off I was.

"I'm feeling a little weird because of the drink. I'm not used to doing this anymore and I think I'm a bit tipsy." I pulled the corners of my mouth down. I stared back at him and tried not to cry.

"Wait, you had like a real drink?" Stells mouth was hanging open.

"Accidentally. They gave her the wrong one." Cameron answered, coming to my rescue.

"Want another?" Sven laughed when he saw my face starting to flush. I could feel the warmth spreading through my body as each second passed.

"Don't push her." Stells warned him.

"I know, dear sister, but she has us and she has been so tense lately. Cameron is here tonight too. Between the three of us, we can make sure she is safe. It is only one time. It could be fun for her to let go."

"No more drinking." I stood my shaky ground.

The waitress came back to our section with a few more rounds of shots, compliments of the house. Cam and I were sitting back watching Sven and Stells go to town on the drinks. He had me tucked underneath his arm and I was leaning back against his chest, trying to keep myself together. I lifted my eyes to Cam and he caught me looking at him. His cheeks were flushed a bit as he looked down at me and smiled his perfectly straight white smile. His smile could make even the most hardened girl fall to their knees in front of him. He was exquisite.

Sven had found out he could order a whole bottle of his favorite orange-flavored Vodka from the waitress and was extremely excited about it. The waitress took his request and was about to leave when Cameron waved her down.

"Can we also get a glass of water with no ice?" He yelled.

She nodded and came back a few minutes later with Sven's vodka bottle, a few empty shot glasses, and the glass of water Cam requested.

"Drink this, Jess," Cam said, handing me the glass.

I slowly sipped on the cool water as the three of them jabbered back and forth, lost deep in conversation. I tried to concentrate on the glass in my hand since my brain was scrambled a bit and I was having problems following what they were talking about.

About half an hour of random conversation later, I had to pee. The water went straight through me. I motioned for Stells to follow me and we excused ourselves to go to the bathroom to freshen up a bit. It was a good opportunity to step away from the noise to collect myself again.

When we were walking towards the bathroom, a small group of guys turned their heads to check out Stells. Stells smiled and wrapped her arm around my waist and pulled me to her.

"Everyone is looking at you. You look so delicious." She whispered in my ear.

"No, it's not me." I laughed at the goofy girl. "They are staring at you. You're so hot. Of course, it's you."

"Oh, my sweet Jessa, you just made my night." She laughed and held the bathroom door open for me.

The bathroom was packed. Stells followed me into the large stall. I hiked up my skirt just enough to pull down the pearled panties so I could pee. I was used to bathroom conversations with her. That was about the only way we ever really got to talk when we went out. I knew it was weird to other people, but it didn't bother me.

"So, your Cameron is nice, eh?" She grinned as she leaned back against something that looked like a kid's changing table. Why was there a fucking diaper station table in a nightclub? I understood the tampon machine and the one that had condoms, but a changing table, seriously?

"He can be sometimes," I said a little too loudly. I lost my voice control from the tiny smidge of liquor still in my bloodstream.

"And you like him." She gave me a devious little smile. Stells was plotting something. I could see the gears turning in her brain, which was never a good sign.

"Well, I did, but I don't think it is like that for us anymore. There are a lot of weird feelings. I think we are going to try the friend approach for a while."

"Friends? You're funny. No, baby, that is not going to work. Don't worry your hot little tush. Mama Stells will make sure he takes care of you tonight. Get ready to have some fun, Jessa."

"Don't," I warned as I finished up and then left the stall to go wash my hands.

"It's already done." She gave me a wink as she danced out of the ladies' room.

Cameron and Sven were in a heated exchange when we got back about something related to some crime drama they both watched. It was a strange feeling seeing Cameron like this. He was completely out of his element. This was a little glimpse into what life could have been like if he would have gone with me. It wasn't bad, but it just didn't feel quite right. It was like it was forced. I knew Cameron didn't belong in this world, but I never realized how much I didn't either until now.

I picked up my glass of water again off the table and took a few huge gulps. I choked and almost threw it back up immediately as the bitter liquid bottomed out in my stomach.

"What's wrong?" Cameron asked when I started coughing with the burn.

"This isn't my water." I pointed to the glass, knowing I just took a gulp the equivalent to about three shots. "It's fucking orange vodka."

"Shit, you must have grabbed the wrong cup," Cameron said, taking it out of my hand immediately.

I sat back down next to him and closed my eyes. Who put straight vodka into a full-sized cup? I opened my eyes and sent accusatory stares around the room. Neither of the boys fessed up. They both were looking down at their feet and were avoiding  my eyes.

This was just fucking great. I had been sober for two whole years and it was gone in one stupid instant. All the work I had put into it was undone tonight and it wasn't even my choice.

I sat back on the couch, waiting for the shitstorm I was about to find myself in. To make matters worse, I never even ate anything before we went out. My stomach was burning and my hands were tingling. I was on the express elevator down to Drunkville.