My Knight
I was lying in a king-sized bed and laughing at my phone screen, watching the most recent video of my favorite YouTuber. A notification popped up and disturbed my YouTube video.
It was a message from my best friend, Zoey, a short, brown-haired, spunky girl. “Hey, we are here. Hurry up and come down.”
I jumped out of bed and grabbed my backpack, going downstairs and out of my dorm building. Jogging slightly, I jump into the back seat of Zoey’s car, which is full of our tiny friend group. Zoey, Jacob, Stacy, and Katelyn. Jacob and Zoey were dating, while Stacy and Katelyn were platonic life partners looking for other people to date. We were all going out to party to celebrate the end of finals and the coming of winter.
As I entered the car, they all screamed at the same time, shocking me and surprising me. “HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” They proceeded to sing happy birthday to me, and I laughed along.
“Alright, alright, guys, you don’t have to make it anything special; I don’t often get to celebrate it anyways,” I spoke, but it did warm my heart to know that they cared enough actually to tell it to me, let alone sing me happy birthday.
Zoey’s voice rang out over the music softly playing in the background of her car; the song was Distan by Corpse; she often favored that artist for their deep voice and screamo-type style. “Hey Ash, are you ready? Why do you have your bag? This is a time we need to celebrate getting away from stuff like college.”
I shrugged and smiled, settling my bag in my back, and I slipped my phone into the bag so I didn’t lose it. “I was planning on drawing when I got to the bar and settled in; you said we would be there for quite a while, so I want to make sure I get some of my art done.”
Katelyn leaned over and ruffled my white and green highlighted hair. “Look at you, you little artist. Hopefully, there will be a girl at the bar who can pick you up.” I stared up at her sky blue eyes and shook my head, laughing softly. Like I would be falling in love anytime soon.
Stacy grabbed her hand and pulled it back to her lap. “Oh, stop teasing the poor boy. He gets enough of that at school, with the sports teams always looking to pick on him.” I silently thanked her for having my back in this situation. There is no way that I could even afford a relationship right now. Things are just too stressful with school and my horrid social life.
She was correct; I was always the target of some joke, but I didn’t mind. I wouldn’t have to deal with that much longer with me going into my final year of college at HPU. I smile at the two girls in the back seat, shrugging softly before looking out the window and speaking lightly. “Well, you know, I’ll be fine either way. Jacob protects me when he can most of the time, and besides, you know I’m not currently looking for a girlfriend.” Since we attend the same classes, it's easy for me to hang out with him; however, during the in-between periods, I have to stand up for myself against the guys who tease and bully me. Jacob even confronted and defeated the football team captain who had hit me in the bathroom. It was always easy for Jacob because he is a bodybuilder.
Everyone chatted amongst themselves until we arrived at the parking lot. Jacob was the first to get out, walk over to Zoey’s door, and open it for her while Stacy and Katelyn weaseled out the other door in the back. I stepped out of the back of the car, a chill in the winter air. I hope it doesn’t snow tonight... I slung the bag over my shoulder and walked with the group.
It wasn’t, but a 5-10 minute walk back to the university campus.
We approached the door where a towering, slightly imposing, and firm-chested black-haired man with Asian features was taking IDs, occasionally rejecting someone’s entrance based on a false ID or age. I assumed he was the security of the bar.
We slowly got let in one by one. When it was my turn, I pulled out my wallet and my ID, handing it to him as he scanned the ID with his soft brown eyes. He grinned and returned it, muttering a simple “Happy birthday.” I smiled at the security guard and thanked him before walking into the bar. That was the first happy birthday of the day. I can’t believe even the security guard wished me a happy birthday. When we entered, I looked around at the familiar place and saw Christmas lights hanging from the ceiling and paintings signed by the famous signers who had sung in the bar back when it still had a stage.
We all settled in the back of the bar in our corner booth, which we frequented when we went busy as a group. Jacob let me into the seat first; he bent down and smiled at me. “I’ll get drinks for everyone. What doesn’t everyone want?”
“I’ll take a Gin and Tonic, please,” I said before curling up in the booth, setting my small bag on the table, and pulling out my tablet. As my attention turned to my art program, all the background noise slowly faded. I started to draw whatever came to my mind: that security guard’s face. Drawing candids over the years, my memory for detail has improved significantly, so I slowly drew him standing at the bar entrance with what I could remember. Throughout the night, I had a few different drinks, some hard liquor, and even some wine. All of these drinks that I had been piling up helped me ignore the sounds of the bustling bar and focus on the task at hand: drawing this man.
I felt a tap on my shoulder as I looked up, tuning back into the situation. Stacy told me, “Hey, we will head out now. Do you want to stay, or do you want a ride? It’s kind of snowing out there.”
Hmmm... Would I like to stay longer and walk in the snow? The idea sounded fun to me. Walking in the snow. I nodded toward her and smiled. “Yeah, I would like to stay. Sounds fun. Besides, it’s not that far from my dorm anyway.”
The group nodded and said their goodbyes before I turned my attention to my tablet, spending a few more hours on the drawing, focusing on the bar’s sign. It read, “Welcome to After Hours.” I then put more focus on the bricks of the building, using a texture pack to place small indents in the bricks, giving them a more three-dimensional look; then I focused on the lighting, creating shadows and making the light bounce as my art professor had taught me.
After Hours... It was a good name for this place. I’ve always loved coming here and seeing all the faces of the regulars who respected each other; I hope I become one of those peers who would be respected. Putting up my tablet, I walked, or more likely stumbled, over to the bartender, paid my tab, and slowly left the bar. The security guard who said happy birthday to me was nowhere to be found.
I walked around the corner of the building before being shoved into the ankle-deep snow on my stomach. It was soft and comforting at first, like a white blanket wrapped around my body, then the bitterness of the cold bit at my face, and I winced to myself, groaning. I turned over to stare down at the barrel of a gun. “Fuck... Wha-”
The stranger holding me at gunpoint interrupted me. “Give me your bag!” I didn’t know what to do.
I didn’t hesitate to reach for my bag, pulling it in front of me. As soon as I was about to hand it over, he was abruptly launched into the side of the building, his head snapping against the mossy bricks of After Hours’ wall before he slid to the ground. The moss...I had forgotten the moss on the side of the building; I’ll have to add that to the picture later.
It was the security guard. Thank god... I sighed and went limp in the snow as I heard punches being thrown. I struggled to sit up and looked around to see him bend down and gently take my face into his hand, his words and deep brown eyes barely reaching me through the fog. “Hey, are you okay?” I couldn’t help but think how nice that view would be to wake up to. Hopefully, one day, I can.
And I certainly didn’t realize how much I had to drink until I passed out in the snow.
