One Little Mistake

“Do you have enough to get in?”

Soledad Cruz, my roommate and bff, was rooting around in her purse, her wavy brown hair swinging forward as we strode up to the door of Tryst. The street was dark and there was only one lamp working in this neighborhood—an industrial zone hidden away near downtown San Diego.

I swear, the first time I tried to find this place I got so lost I thought I’d teleported to some city on the other side of the country or something. My maps app was totally stumped. But now this was our favorite club.

“Uh...” I said by way of replying to Sol.

She looked up and wrinkled her nose at me. “Really, Livie? You couldn’t have told me before we left?”

“Sorry,” I said. The truth was, I hadn’t even thought about it. Typical me. I got all wrapped up styling my blonde hair and showing Sol my newest creation—a bustier I’d altered from what had once been a kitschy prom gown—that I was now wearing as club chic.

Sol sighed. “It’s okay. I got you.”

There was a line around the block. Tryst didn’t used to be so popular, but some big Insta account had done a special series on San Diego nightlife and now—well, it was a good thing we knew the door guys.

They waved us in and Sol paid and the next thing I knew, we were whirling on the dance floor.

I rocked my head back with my eyes closed.

Yes. This is what I needed.

Not that I’d had an especially bad week or anything. Just the usual bad.

I let the music wash through me and forgot everything and just danced.

I could’ve just kept going like that all night but after the second song Sol said in my ear, “Let’s get drinks.”

“No money,” I reminded her.

“Rashon is working,” she said, the noise of music and people almost drowning out her voice entirely.

Rashon would give us each one drink free, and more if certain managers were on that night, since he’d convinced a couple of them that giving girls drinks for free was actually good for business.

Sol took my hand and started pulling me to the bar. I looked around as we made our way through the jostling crowd, trying to see which manager was working, but then my eyes stopped on a face I didn’t expect to see in a million years. My feet stopped, too.

I felt Sol look back at me, confused, but I just stood there, staring.

“Hey,” she called.

I didn’t answer.

“Hey, earth to Livie!”

Finally I blinked and met her dark brown eyes.

“What is it?” she asked, her expression turning concerned. “Are you okay?”

I couldn’t even hear her, it was so loud in the place, I just read her lips.

I gave my head a little shake and summoned a bright smile. “I’m okay,” I mouthed back.

We got to the bar and the wall of sound was slightly less extreme there, so Sol turned to me as we waited for Rashon to notice us. “What was that?”

I licked my lips and glanced in the direction of the person I’d seen. “I—I think I saw Theo Geroux.”

Soledad’s brow knit, and then cleared as she placed the name. “Oh my god. Your Theo Geroux?”

That gave me a pang. I hid it with a rueful grin and another shake of my head. “I guess.”

“Oh my god. Isn’t his dad the freaking governor? Oh wow. Oh, shit, Livie. What’re you going to do?”

“Do?” I echoed, surprised. “Nothing. What would I do?”

“I don’t know, go up to him? Tell him off for ditching you?”

“Sol, I was fifteen, it was seven years ago.”

Sol shrugged. “Maybe so, but you never got over it.”

I was saved from coming up with something to say to that by Rashon’s arrival. He gave us a big white-toothed grin and leaned across the bar.

“What’ll it be, ladies? The usual?”

“You know it,” I said to him. Then I thought better of it. My usual was a White Russian and I wanted something stronger than that tonight. “Actually make mine a Long Island.”

“Long Island ice tea for the lady,” Rashon said with an appreciative nod. “You ain’t playing around tonight.”

“Geez, Livie,” Sol said.

“What? Is it Friday night or is it Friday night?” I asked her.

She chuckled. “I’ll just have my usual screwdriver,” she told Rashon, who got busy making the drinks.

When we each had our drinks in hand we made our way to a side area, one of many, that had semi-circle couches arranged on varying levels of floor elevation. This created cosy spots that weren’t as loud, where you could chat with friends or, if you had a date, get what passed for a little privacy.

Before we even reached the booth we were heading for—our favorite—a trio of obviously underage girls stumbled into us. Some of my drink sloshed onto me.

“Oh sorry!” one gasped.

Then another squinted at Sol. “Oh my god, aren’t you Ms. Cruz?”

I saw Sol’s face blank and then drain of color.

The whole reason we’d ever gone to the trouble of finding Tryst in the first place was because Sol’s a teacher at La Mesa High, and her principal had some pretty draconian rules about what his teachers could do on the weekends. If he found out she’d been out clubbing and drinking, she’d be in deep shit.

We had figured some hidden hole in the wall club near downtown San Diego was far enough from La Mesa and hard enough to find that we’d be safe from running into any of her students.

Up until now, we’d been right.

“Uh,” Sol uttered, frozen.

I reached out and grabbed the teenager’s wrist, opening myself up to the special talent I mostly managed to keep buried.

Sure enough, I got a glimpse of her recent past.

I was trying to sneak out of the window of my bedroom, but the stupid thing was jammed. I heard a noise outside my door. Dad! Home from work already? Oh, he’d skin me alive if he caught me.

“Jessica?” his voice came through the door.

I rushed to open it, swinging it wide enough so he’d see the books I’d artfully laid across my bed. “Yeah?” I said, keeping my voice bored.

“What’re you up to this evening?” he asked.

“Just studying,” I said. I added a little edge of irritation. Let him think I took being grounded seriously and was mad about it.

“Alright. Good.”

He left, and I shut the door, then resumed pulling on the window.

At last, it lurched open.

She pulled her wrist loose and I came back to myself, feeling breathless and dizzy as I always did after I got a vision.

“Jessica?” I said, peering at her as if trying to place her.

She gave me an alarmed look. “Yeah. Do I know you?”

I gave her my best snotty-grown-up smile. “I know your dad. We work together.”

It was Jessica’s turn to go pale. She glanced at her friends. “You do?”

“Oh yeah,” I said, pursing my lips for a moment thoughtfully. Then I said, “I’m kinda surprised to meet you here. He was just telling me about how he had to ground you.”

Jessica took a step back. “Uh—no—I’m sure you’re wrong about that.”

“No, no, it was just today. He was showing some us some pictures of you and then he told us—”

“Uh,” Jessica said, clearly panicking.

The friend that had spilled my drink stepped in. “Oh, please, Miss,” she said. “Can you not tell Jessie’s dad you saw her here? Please?” She and the other girl with Jessica gave me big eyes as if that kind of thing would work on me. Was I some adolescent boy who’d cave at the sight of big blue eyes with long eyelashes?

Please.

I had the original big blue eyes with long eyelashes.

“I don’t know,” I said pensively. Then I glanced at Sol. “I mean, I guess I can understand wanting to keep what you do in your free time private...”

Jessica looked from me to Sol and understanding dawned on her face. “Right! People should be able to go out clubbing without everybody talking about it!”

“Exactly,” I said.

“Absolutely,” Jessica gushed. “I never saw you, Ms. Cruz.”

“And I never saw you, Jessica,” I said, miming locking my lips and throwing away the key. “Glad we understand each other.”

Sol pulled me away from the girls to our booth, which was mercifully empty. We collapsed into it in relief. “That was too close,” Sol moaned.

“Your principal is a dickweed,” I said.

“He really is.”

“I just hope Jessica keeps her mouth shut,” I said.

“Thank you for doing that. What did you see?”

“Just that her dad grounded her and she snuck out.”

“That’s such a useful superpower,” she said, then took a long sip of her screwdriver.

“Naw, not usually,” I said. “Sometimes it still takes me by surprise and all of a sudden I get to see what somebody had for breakfast or something.”

Or the boy I was desperately in love with telling his father he didn’t care about me at all.

I peeked over the side of the curved couch’s high back and tried to catch another glimpse of Theo.

If I touched him now, what would I see?

All of a sudden, I really, really wanted to try and find out.

No. No way.

You are not going to approach Theodore Geroux in this nightclub and try to grab his wrist or something.

I could just happen to be dancing...

No.

Maybe trip and almost fall—

No!

I just wonder what he’s been doing these last seven years.

Hooking up with stupid girls who fall in love with him and then dumping them, that’s what.

Maybe. Maybe he’s got a serious girlfriend. I bet if I touched him I’d see...

NO.

But even as I finished my drink and the alcohol started to warm me up and make me feel looser, I knew I was going to try to do it.