L E O N I E

"Are you sure that he can't come?" Jess asked for the thousandth time.

It was Saturday night and Jess and I were about to leave for the nightclub that Jade was working at. Jess had tried her luck more than once tonight. She looked so hot and I think that had a lot to do with why she wanted Bray to come and join us. She wanted to show off. And I understood that. But I wanted a girls night more.

He'd stuck to his word during the week. He'd stepped up. He bought her flowers on Tuesday. He took her out for dinner on Thursday. That was trickier than it sounded. It required a lot of lies and 'proof of assignments' and photos that Jess and I had staged for this exact reason.

But it was worth it. She was swept off her feet. I was proud of his efforts. He'd also pulled back with the dirty jokes. He kept those for when it was just us. Which I'm sure she appreciated. I didn't want him to change and neither did she. But easing up would help while the two of them were still in the beginning of their relationship.

"If Bray comes, then I won't be," I declared, loud and purposeful.

She pouted but continued pouring the shots of Midori that we'd lined up on the countertop in the kitchen. Three each. We weren't allowed to drink at the club - Jade's rules - so we decided to pregame before we left. The Uber would be arriving soon. I could see it's little car symbol on the app on my phone. We had enough time to get some fire in our bellies though.

"Remember that night we had these before we went swimming in Amy's pool," Jess said after her first shot. "I think of that night every single time I taste this stuff."

I do too. But I try not to. That was a time when Benny was alive. We'd all been at Amy's house, back before she realised that drinking with us was a horrible idea and led to terrible things. Her parents were out of town and we'd spent the entire night throwing back the green alcohol while we danced to techno beats and skinny dipped.

Bray ripped off her guttering and used it as a pool floaty. Well, he tried to. Until it filled up with water and sat at the bottom of the pool. Ethan made the mistake of showing us where Amy's collection of vibrators lived and before we knew it there were dildo races taking place on the dining room table. Of course, one ended up being projectiled through the kitchen window when I lost the race and all in all, it was a hectic night that Amy still hasn't forgiven us for.

Good times.

I don't blame Jess for bringing it up. Sometimes she reminisces because of the memories and just doesn't think about the fact that my late boyfriend hurts to talk about. I can't bar people from tripping down memory lane. It's not fair. But it still sucks.

After we've had a few shots, feel lighter on our feet and have the giggles, we go downstairs and get into the Uber. It's about fifteen minutes but the weekend traffic almost doubles our estimated time of arrival. It's dark when we pull up in front of the club. We thank our driver and join the crowded sidewalks.

There are people everywhere. Not just in line for the club but for the neighbouring food joints and the beachfront across the road.

"There's Jade," I pointed at the door. She was wearing a high vis vest while she checked peoples ID and let them through.

Knowing that we wouldn't have to wait in line, I took Jess by the hand and shuffled through all of the people lingering about. There were a few disgruntled protests when we bypassed the line and slipped straight in between Jade and the next group of girls waiting to enter.

"Hello, hello," Jade smiled. She took our licences and pretended to read the birth dates. "You two look hot. Please no sleeping with any of the men here under false pretenses. Arrive alone. Leave alone."

Jess frowned, her brows pinched. "I'm dating your brother."

"I know," Jade shrugged. "That was directed towards this thottie," she pointed at me.

I rolled my eyes and slipped past her. "That's not what I'm here for," I called over my shoulder. "But I'll keep that in mind."

The air in the club felt thick. There was some sort of air conditioning coming from the ceiling fans but it didn't help a lot. Strobe lights flashed in time with the thumping music. The silhouettes of people dancing and drinking moved in front of us. Faceless shadows that blended into one pulsating crowd full of intoxication.

Jess and I kept holding hands and moved through the club. The bar was along the right wall and it stepped up a level so that the waitresses were above the rest of the crowd. It gave them an advantage if someone hassled them or caused trouble. It also made it easier to see who needed to be served. The frosted glass panels along the front of the counter had multi coloured lights blaring behind them. Shelves of alcohol glistened behind the girls that were passing beverages over the countertop.

We walked straight past the bar, knowing that we weren't allowed to consume alcohol while we were here. Jade was kind enough to let us in, I wasn't going to spoil that. Jess and I went straight into the thick of the crowd. It was hot and crowded but the alcohol that I'd had earlier kept the distaste that I felt over being so close to other people, away.

There was no avoiding the occasional foot stomp or hair whip. I had to control the urge to beat someone when a drink went up in the air and the remnants splashed my arm. But for the most part, Jess and I danced. We let the music seep into our veins. We lost ourselves to the movement and kept close, our hands on each other at all times so that we didn't end up separating.

After about half n hour of non stop sensual dancing, Jess leaned in with her arms over my shoulders. "We should rethink the no drinking rule that Jade has. I'm so dehydrated." 

I was as well.

"We could get a water?" I suggested.

She nodded and we started fighting our way back out of the crowd. As soon as we broke free of the congested area, it felt easier to breathe. It was still hot and we were sweating. But out on the edge of the crowd was a little less claustrophobic.

We got in line at the bar and held each other while we shuffled forward. The key to surviving these situations was smiling. If you were shoved into the girl beside you, you had to smile and apologise because the wrong person would get worked up about an elbow to her side and she'd start throwing fists. I knew that because it had happened once before the summer break.

It had diffused rather fast because Bray was with us and we'd been sleeping together then. He was quick to lift me up and get me out of the range of a full on bitch fight.

Jess and I were about to request a glass of water each when the waitress wordlessly slid two bottles of premix over the countertop. She said nothing more as she turned her attention to the next waiting customer who looked as though she'd had more than enough for the night.

"Chick?" I called out to her, rudely interrupting the girl beside me while she tried to order two gins. Fucking gross. What is she, a twelve year old stealing from her parents liquor cabinet?

The waitress arched a brow and leaned down as far as she could. Unfortunately being shorter meant that the bar was about two inches above my head and I had to tiptoe to get anywhere near hearing range. The raised bar sounded great, but what about us little people?

"What are these drinks about?"

She pointed to the left. "Compliments of the beanie boy."

Jess and I looked to where she'd pointed and sure enough, there was a tall, lean guy with his hands in his pockets and his full head of ruffled curls under a beanie. It was far too hot in here for a beanie. The actual fuck?

We weren't supposed to drink but someone had spent their cash on us and it would be rude to waste them. The drinks were sealed, unopened and I took note of the girls name on the badge just in case this was some set up to drug us and steal our organs. Jess seemed to be watching me for approval, so I shrugged and reached up for both drinks, handing her one over before I lead us towards Mr. Generous.

We popped the caps off and dropped them in a bin. Beanie boy watched us approaching and wore a small, innocent grin. He was cute. Lean but toned definition on his arms. He had a slight hunch in his shoulders and thick brows that looked maintained. He was cute enough.

"Thank you," I gestured with the bottle, leaning in so that he could hear me. "But what's the deal? Who are you attempting to impress here? Does one of us in particular strike your interest? Or are you that desperate that either of us will do? So you play it safe and get us both a drink and see where it goes? Options? Is that what this is?"

He stared down at me as I chugged the drink back and waited for his answer. His eyes moved above me, glancing past as he scanned the crowd behind us with confusion. "I get the feeling that you have no issue being confrontational," he shouted back, his hand hovered beside my shoulder. As if he wanted to keep me in place without putting his hands on me.

"No, I have no problem at all being confrontational. I'm asking what your intentions are because she has a boyfriend," I pointed over my shoulder at Jess who was bopping along to the music. She had no idea what either of us were talking about due to the volume. "And I'm only seventeen. Almost eighteen."

Bold of me to assume that he wouldn't rat us out. But I decided to say, the hell with it, and be up front. Instead of appearing repulsed, he grinned and scratched beneath his hipster beanie. I wanted to burn it. He looked good in it. That wasn't the problem. It was the principle. Summer wasn't even over, we're in Miami, we're in a club! The audacity of this guy. My head was sweating just looking at him. 

"I just turned twenty one," he shouted beside my ear. "Not that it matters. I'm not going to tell anyone. Besides, getting back to the point, I didn't buy you the drink with impure purposes in mind."

"You did," I argued, throwing back a bit more of the beverage. It was almost gone.

"No I didn't."

"That's what you guys do. Buy girls a couple of drinks. Spend large. Get us drunk and take us home. That's literally the only reason men are buying random women, drinks in a place like this."

"Who made you so cynical?"

"Men."

He chuckled. Not that I could hear it properly. But his gaze did another sweep of the room before landing on me. "So what if I am interested in a dance or something. Buying a girl a drink is an icebreaker. It opens up the chance for conversation."

I scoffed. "So does saying, hello."

He rolled his soft brown eyes. "Yeah but you girls hate that as well. Like we're just down for one thing."

"We know that you're just down for one thing, even after you've bought the drinks. The problem with our tragic asses is that we tell ourselves that we're worth a six dollar bottle of whatever, in a dark club full of raging tension and somehow buying us a drink before the sleeze flirting commences, is a win."

He met me with a challenging grin. "Well we know that buying a girl a six dollar bottle of whatever is a risk and could be a complete waste of our money because they just snatch the free alcohol and then disappear half of the time."

I pointed at him and winked. "True."

I took Jess by the hand and we left our now finished bottles on the bar. We felt more hydrated after a beverage, so we made tracks for the dance floor again. We'd barely made it into the thick crowd of dancing bodies when a hand gripped my elbow and I found beanie boy behind me.

"I'm Jett."

"Leonie."

He shifted around so that he was in front of Jess and I. Jess gave us a curious look but turned her attention to her phone.

"Hello," Jett shouted.

I laughed, recognising what he was doing.

Rather than boring myself with conversation, I allowed him to dance with me. Sort of. I kept close to Jess so that she didn't feel excluded. But it would seem that it didn't matter because two minutes later, Bray was beside us with a shit eating grin and his hands all over my best friend.

"What's he doing here?" I asked Jess.

Her eyes widened and she shrugged as if she was totally innocent.

Ugh whatever. It didn't matter I supposed. It allowed me to dance with Jett properly without Jess feeling left out. So the four of us danced. Well, Jess and Bray did more than dance. It was pornographic but I cheered her on and felt pleased to see her happiness. Jett had no issue getting close and personal. His hands were all over me and the longer that we danced, the more bold he became. His lips brushed my throat. His crotch pressed against my stomach.

And then Heath's face was in my head and then I felt this unfamiliar gross churn in the pit of my stomach. Like I was doing something wrong. I wasn't. This was what I did. But it was alarming and made me feel unsettled.

Jett's hands gripped my waist and I imagined Heath's strong arms. Jett's breath fanned my neck and I pictured Heath's lips. Jett's stale cologne hit my nose and I thought back to the alluring scent of Heath.

Panic ensued. This wasn't me. This wasn't how I reacted when I thought about being with a man. Not since Benny was alive. I tiptoed, gripped a fistful of Jett's curls on the back of his neck and kissed him. For a guy as good looking as him, he sure didn't know how to use his tongue.

Occasionally he'd lean back and peer around, as if he was looking for someone. The third time that he did it, he tried to lean in for another kiss and I put a hand to his chest. "Why do you seem so paranoid?" I demanded to know. "You're being fucking sketchy, dude."

His mouth fell open and he stammered for an answer. What if he did drug our drinks. I mean, surely not. I would have been feeling it by now.

I raised a brow and waited for his explanation. But I was about three seconds from kicking him between the legs and throttling him. He palmed the back of his neck and swallowed.

"Actually, my ex girlfriend is out tonight," he spoke loud beside me. "She's not taking the break up all that well. I'm just worried about her popping off."

I softened and gave him an apologetic smile. "So you're on the rebound then?"

His grin was guilty. "Yeah a little bit."

"Perfect," I nodded. My heart was still pounding due to the fact that I couldn't get Heath out of my head. "We should get out of here."

His brows raised in surprise. "For real?"

"Yeah for real," I shouted back before turning around to find Jess and Bray. We'd become separated by about three girls dancing between us but I reached around and gripped my best friends elbow enough to startle her out of sucking Bray's face and shouted over the bodies creating a wall between us.

"I'm going home," I spoke, slow and loud. "Are you fine staying with Bray?"

She nodded and gave me an enthusiastic thumbs up. I shouldn't be surprised. She'd been pleading to see him all night. We said our farewells and I told Bray to look after Jess or else I would have his balls in a vice. He gave me a gentle shove and told me not to be concerned. Normally I would be more determined to get rid of him so that girls night wasn't spoiled. But right now I needed to leave. I needed to clear my head and I needed a good distraction. 

Jett wore an enthusiastic grin when I turned around. He took my hand and we left.