Chapter Twelve
Jet
I felt good that night, better than good. Actually, I felt alive. A few of my buddies and I were doing a little pre-drinking at my apartment before heading to the club. They were a great group of hilarious guys and we always had a blast out hunting for the ladies.
“Hey guys, finish up your drinks. I'm calling a cab; let's head out.”
It was probably another 15 minutes before the cab showed up and we all piled into it, ready to hit the nightlife.
I hadn't seen or heard from Natalie in a few days, and it was probably for the best. I had decided to give up trying with her, and move on. She clearly wasn't interested in me, and I couldn't keep beating a dead horse. I still thought about her, though; she really did mess with my head. It was frustrating thinking about her sometimes. I felt like I had failed in winning her over, and I hated failing at anything. I really just wanted to be near her.
That was the past talking, however.
Tonight I was ready to find some new squirrel.
The cab pulled up to the destination of choice, and we got out and headed to the door. The doorman did his standard checking of IDs and we paid the appropriate cover charge, and in we went. We walked up the stairs to the higher level, and as I turned the corner with my friends, there sat this redheaded stunner at the bar with her friend, Julie. The sight of her caused me to stop in my tracks, and one of my buddies behind me bumped into my back. He saw where I was staring and said, “Hey, man, you already did that. Find someone new.”
I shook my head. I really was an idiot. But he was right about one thing. I was there to find someone new. We headed to the opposite end of the bar to avoid any awkwardness. The two of them glanced up at us, but quickly went back to their drinks. I noticed Julie whispering in Natalie's ear while looking at me, and I hoped to hell something wasn't brewing up between them. I just wanted to have a good time without any drama.
We grabbed some drinks and headed to the dance floor, because that was where you picked up girls. I grinded up against a p
articularly foxy blonde, and she melted into me like butter, and it was just that easy. We swayed together with the music, but I still couldn't help but glance a few times at the bar to see if Natalie might be missing me. She had her back to me though, and seemed to be in a pretty deep conversation with Julie.
The blonde, whose name escaped me at that point, turned to face me, and wrapped her arms around my neck. She pushed herself very close against me, and I felt some movement in my pants. Her lips found mine, and the next thing you know, we were making out on the dance floor. It looked like my night was shaping up pretty good. Her tongue lost itself in my mouth, and things were getting pretty heated between us. She tasted sweet, but there was no spark there. Nothing like what had ignited between Natalie and me, but that's okay; this was just for one night. I would never see this girl again after that. We continued to make out, and it suddenly struck me that Natalie could be watching us. I stopped kissing the blonde immediately, and glanced at the bar. Natalie and Julie were gone; they had completely left the bar. Had she seen me making out and stormed off? Had I been too insensitive by moving on right in front of her even though we were never a thing?
I looked down at the blonde, who had a confused look on her face. I smiled; she was really pretty, and I decided that I wanted to see more of her.
“Do you want to come home with me?”
She nodded eagerly. I grabbed her hand, and I whisked her off the dance floor, heading down the stairs of the club. This was going to be the girl who would help me forget all about Natalie, and make me feel really good. I didn't bother to say goodbye to my friends. They knew where to find me; they all had phones. No one worried much about each other, as the game was to find someone to take home, not to end up going home with your buddies. That was typically classified as a bad night out. No one wanted to go home alone, especially if you were the only one.
We left the bar, and I felt the cool night breeze hit me as soon as we got out the door. It was refreshing after being inside the hot, stuffy club. I put my arm around the blonde, and held her tight as we headed down the street. I heard a scream as we got further down the street, and I thought I saw a few people further down as we got closer. Then I realized that it was Natalie and Julie. To my horror, I saw the guy who was clutching on Natalie, trying to rip the purse from her arm. He swung and hit Natalie across the face, loosening the purse from her grip.
“Hey!” I shouted.
The guy took off running, but I wasn't about to let him get away. I let the blonde go, and took off after him. I tore past Julie and Natalie, and kept a steady pace. He wasn't in very good shape, because it wasn't long before I caught up to him. I leapt at him, tackling him to the ground. I felt the air whoosh out of him.
“Get the fuck off of me, man.”
“Oh I'm gonna get off, alright.”
I turned him over and punched him square in the face. Blood spurted from his nose and sprayed on my shirt. I punched him a few more times before I stood up. Once I did, I kicked him in the ribs until I heard a crack. The guy howled in pain.
“I suggest you get the hell out of my face. If I were you, I would think twice before touching another female.”
The guy rose slowly from the ground, and I watched him carefully to make sure he wasn't going to make another move. He hobbled down the street, and I almost regretted not beating him to death. I picked the two purses off the ground, along with anything that had scattered from them. I carried them back to the girls, and realized awkwardly that my little blonde friend was talking to Natalie.
Natalie looked up at me. She looked so sad that it almost broke my heart. I noticed that blood was seeping from her lip. When he had hit her, he must have split her lip. I should have killed him after all. I looked back down the street to see if I could still see him but he was long gone.
“Are you okay, Natalie?”
She nodded, tears welling up in her eyes, and then falling down her cheeks. “Thank you for getting my things.”
I looked over at Julie, who seemed a little calmer. “Are you okay, Julie?”
“Yes, he came out of nowhere. It all just happened so fast.”
“That's so terrible.” We all looked over at the blonde as she spoke, and I realized once again how terrible it was that she was there with me.