One.
"Lydia! You’re coming out tonight!” Aly yells through her door, “I’m not taking no for an answer!"
“Aly, I’m fine staying home.” Lydia protests.
“Lydia, you have been here for two years, and you’ve never left this apartment. Your hermit days are coming to an end.”
“Aly, I’m not a hermit.” Lydia protests.
“Um, yes, you are. We’ve lived together for two years, and I barely ever see you.”
“That’s because you go out all the time.” Lydia laughs.
“True, but tonight, everyone ditched, so you’re coming to the club with me.” Lydia rolls her eyes in protest, “Come on, there’s four dollar margs at the high-end club tonight.” She gives Lydia puppy eyes and a pouty lip, “Please Lydia?”
“If I go out tonight, will you stop trying to make me go out?” She asks like she’s caving.
“Promise!” Aly puts out her pinky and has a smile from cheek to cheek.
“Fine. I’ll get ready, give me twenty minutes.”
“Yay!” Aly jumps up and down and claps, “Thank you! Thank you!”
Lydia raids her close and finds a simple black dress. It’s mid hip length, showing off her lean legs, hugging her curvy hips and plump, lifted behind while accentuating her larger chest. Her wavy, black hair bounces around her shoulders and trails halfway down her back, hiding the spaghetti straps of the dress. She picks out a pair of simple black heels and puts mascara on her already long and full eyelashes. She tassels her fingers through her hair before leaving the room and lets Aly know she’s ready.
“Here goes nothing.” She takes a deep, depleting breath.
“Oh my god, you act like I’m dragging you to a funeral!” Aly jokes, “Lighten up Lydia, you can mingle and meet some people. That way you’ll actually have some friends.”
Lydia rolls her eyes as Aly hails a cab. It’s not too long later that they end up at the club.
There’s a line at the door with a bouncer holding a clipboard. Aly walks up to the bouncer and flirts with him to cut in the line. After a few minutes, the bouncer opens the rope, letting the two of them in. The music is so loud you can barely hear the person next to you talking, Aly and Lydia squeeze through the people and make their way to the bar.
“Have you been here before?” Lydia asks.
“Only when there’s four dollar margs!” She laughs as she flags down the bartender, “Two strawberry margaritas, please!” She smiles.
She hands the bartender a ten dollar bill as she grabs the two drinks and hands one to Lydia, “Next round is on you.” She smiles.
Lydia is observing the club. All of the women look like supermodels, dressed in clothes from the high-end boutiques. Half of the men in the club are just desperate to take someone home, hopping from woman to woman through the dance floor.
“What are two beautiful women like you two doing in a place like this?” A tall, blonde man approaches them.
“I could ask you the same thing.” Aly flirts with him, “Not up to trouble, I’m sure.” She winks at him.
He smiles at Aly and asks her to dance, Lydia gives her a head nod of approval and stays at the bar as Aly dances the night away with the mystery man. Lydia orders another drink when she can’t cut this feeling in her stomach that someone is watching her. She sips her new drink as she looks around, and all of a sudden, she sees a pair of bright green eyes from across the dance floor, coming from the VIP area. They break eye contact as Aly barrel rolls into her at the bar.
“Who do you have your eye on?” She teases.
“No one.” Lydia blushes.
Aly scans her point of view and sees a gorgeous man sitting in the VIP area, surrounded by gorgeous women.
“Ah, you like them hard to get, I see.” Aly laughs.
“Everytime I look over he’s staring at me!” She defends herself.
“Maybe because every time he looks over here, you’re staring at him?” She teases, “I mean, you have good taste, minus the posse of supermodels that are literally kissing him all over. I mean, unless you’re into that.” She shrugs her shoulders.
“Oh my god, Aly!” Lydia laughs. She puts her hands up, shaking them back and forth.
“I’d let it happen for a night with that hunk of man.” Aly laughs.
“You would.” Lydia laughs, “What happened to the mystery man?”
“I would!” She laughs out loud, “Mystery man is Jesse, and he’s taking a leak. I think he wants me to go home with him.” She smiles.
“No shit, Aly.” Lydia laughs, “I think that’s the goal of every man in this club.”
“Well, I think I’m going to let him get freaky.” She laughs as she dances while sipping her drink.
“I think you’re drunk.” Lydia protests.
“I think I’m just having fun, catching a buzz, and going to make sweet love to Jesse in his bed later.” She laughs, “You only live once!” She defends herself.
“You do you.” Lydia laughs. She keeps glazing back over to the VIP area, and every time she does, the man with the bright, green eyes is trailing her.
“You know, you could just go talk to him instead of eye fucking him all night.” Aly laughs while pointing to the man in the VIP area.
Lydia quickly pulls her hand down and looks over. The man has a half smirk on his face, now knowing that the two of them are talking about him.
“Make it obvious, why don’t you?!” Lydia scolds Aly.
“Come on, Lydia! You’re hot, he’s hot, be hot together!” She laughs as she chugs her fourth margarita.
She sees Jesse walking back from the bathroom and quickly cuts the conversation short, “That’s my cue!” She smiles as she walks away, leaving Lydia alone at the bar again.
Aly is dancing the night away with Jesse, and Lydia hasn’t strayed more than five feet from the bar. The smell of cheap whiskey flows into her nostrils as she feels a tug at her barstool.
“You are far too gorgeous to be sitting alone.” A random patron from the club turns her bar stool in his direction, “I think you could use some company.” The man is clearly wasted, slurring his speech.
"I’m fine, thank you.” Lydia tries to respectfully decline his offer for the company.
"Don’t be like that, baby.” Be caresses her cheek as swats his hand away.
“I’m good. Thanks.” There’s a snap in her voice as she turns around, she chugs the rest of her drink and leaves the bar to go to the bathroom, her legs wobble a bit as the liquor is beginning to hit her harder now that she’s moving. Hoping to lose the random straggler, she makes it a couple feet from the bathroom door but doesn’t notice him following her until he spins her around, pushes her against the wall and incases her between his arms. He overlooks her five foot two build by about five inches. His panting is making her nervous.
“I think we got off on the wrong foot.” He rubs his hand down her side, “We should start over.” He nuzzles his head into her neck, trying to kiss her as she cringes.
"No, I don’t think we should.” She tries to push him away, but his body doesn’t move back easily.
He persists and refuses to let Lydia leave his cage. He closes the gap between them, and she can feel his body heat radiate onto her as her heart begins to pound with anxiety.
Suddenly, a large hand goes over the stragglers shoulder and pulls it back. The man whispers in the straggler’s ear.
“I see you found my date. Thanks for keeping her company while I was gone.” He gives him a glare that could eat through steel.
“Good luck, dude. Bitch is a prude.” He drunkenly stumbles away.
"Thank you.” Lydia closes her eyes and takes a deep breath in relief. She opens her eyes back up and notices the green eyes from the VIP area, “I appreciate your help.”
He doesn’t continue the conversation. He only nods his head and walks back to the VIP area, leaving Lydia intrigued. The two of them exchange glances all night before he walks back up to the bar and orders a drink while standing next to Lydia.
“No more stragglers?” He sparks up a conversation.
“No.” She chuckles, “Just the one, I must not be too popular.” She jokes.
“That’s not always a bad thing.”
“You seem to be pretty popular.” She teases, nodding her head over, referring to the women throwing themselves all over him.
“I think my stragglers are more handsy than yours.” He jokes.
“You don’t seem to mind it.” She points out.
“They’re beautiful, sure, but they’re not the one I have my eyes on.”
He smiles at her as he grabs his drink and gives her a seductive look as he walks back to the VIP area. She smiles as she watches him walk away, admiring the back of his over six foot build, wondering if she was who he was referring to.
“Hey hunny, I’m soooo sorry.” Aly stumbles over, slurring her words slightly.
“For what?” Lydia questions, already knowing the answer.
“I'm so sorry for dragging you out when…”
“You’re ditching me and leaving with Jesse.” She interrupts.
“Oh my god. I’m sorry. Are you going to be okay? I can get you a cab!” Aly clearly is far from sober.
“You’re sure you want to leave with Jesse?” Lydia questions.
“Oh yeah, girl!” She whispers in her ear, “He’s a cop, you know what that means Handcuffs.” She bites her lip and beams a smile at Lydia.
“Jesus christ,” Lydia laughs, “Text me when you get there so I know you’re okay.”
“Will do, babe! Again, sooo sorry.” She casually walks backward, trying to hurry back to Jesse.
“Have fun, Aly.” Lydia laughs, giving her the go-ahead to leave.
Lydia decides to stay a little longer and nurses another margarita until the club closes. She watches the people on the dance floor while periodically locking eyes with her VIP mystery man.
The club is starting to clear out, and Lydia grabs her purse and walks outside. She tries to hail a cab for about fifteen minutes before she gives up and decides to start walking. She makes it about two blocks before she notices a familiar man at the end of the block.
"Shit.” She murmurs to herself. It’s the straggler from the club. She looks around and decides to b-line down the alleyway and come out at the next block, hoping to avoid the guy all together. She turns into the alleyway, and halfway down, she pulls her phone out to text Aly when a voice comes from behind her.
“You know it’s not safe for a woman to be walking these alleyways by herself this late at night.” He says as he circles her.
“Technically, it’s morning. Thanks for your concern.” She walks past him, only for another man to pop out from the other side of the dumpster. She jumps slightly, making them both smirk.
“Where are you running off to?” The second man questions.
“Home.” She snarls, “Now if you’d excuse me.” She tries to slide past, then the first man grabs her by the arm.
“No need to be rude.” He barks at her as she snatches her arm from his grip.
“No need to be a creep. Take a hint.” She barks. The men exchange a menacing smirk and circle around her.
“We’re here for different reasons.” One man grabs her arms as the other punches her in the stomach, and she jolts forward.
“Get off of me!” Lydia screams as loud as she can.
The man whips her into the alleyway wall and punches her across the face, causing blood to splatter from her lips. She lays on the ground, blood pouring from her mouth. She tries to get up and run away, but the mixture of alcohol and being hit is making it a struggle.
She screams as they pull her further down the alleyway, dragging her soft skin across the cold, pebbled surface. She bites the hand of the man that's dragging her hard enough to draw blood. She jumps to her feet with a sudden burst of adrenaline and starts running before the second man grabs her by the hair, throwing her with all his force into the dumpster.
She hits her head on the corner of the dumpster, and she can feel the warm blood flowing down the side of her face, soaking her hair. Her eyes blink open and close as she’s starting to lose consciousness, but she’s still trying to get up.
“Get up, you can do it!” One man taunts before he kicks her in the stomach, causing her to groan and fall back over.
The man she bit grabs her head by a chunk of her hair, lifting her face upward so he can see it and then punches her across the face again. Her blood spatters over the ground of the alleyway. She lays on the alley ground as they take turns kicking and punching her before they get interrupted by two men yelling from the alleyway.
“What the fuck are you doing?!” They scream as they run down the alleyway.
