Pride & Pre-Med Curriculum

Chapter 26

"Jane!... 

Jane, I 'm too hot. I need a drink." said Lizzy, as she comically tried to pantomime to Jane the fact that she was both hot and thirsty.  "I'll be back in a minute." pointing to her watch.

"What?" Jane shouted over the loud music. It was pounding throughout the club and the bright, strobing lights blinked in tandem with the loud lyrics.

"I said I need a water!" Lizzy shouted again, acting like she was drinking from an imaginary glass.

"What?" Jane motioned to her ear, communicating her inability to hear Lizzy over Charlie's shoulder.  Obviously, Jane was not fluent in drunk sign language.

"I said," Lizzy was nearly screaming, "that I'm hot!!!" She was quite sure sure Jane finally understood since the last three words echoed in the resulting silence after the music abruptly ended. Everyone looked in her direction and she blushed so brightly, her face felt as if it was on fire.

She wondered why she was still here. She had made her token appearance and danced with a few guys. The music was too loud and she was too preoccupied to enjoy herself. Lizzy only had a light buzz, but she just wasn't in the mood tonight.  She had a bit of a headache and she knew it would get worse if she drank any more, so she decided to finish the night with some aspirin and sipping water in a quiet corner, if only she could find one.

"Stating the obvious again, I see, Miss Bennett."

Her head swiveled in disbelief at the familiar voice. No, no, no, she silently begged any powers above that he had not once again witnessed her moment of embarrassment and heard her shout a moment before.

"Darcy?" Her hazel eyes met his laughing blue ones in shock. "Charlie said you weren't going to be here?" His grin widened as he considered her a moment.

"Well, I hadn't planned on it originally, but my plans changed at the last minute. I thought I would stop by and ring in the new year with my buddy."

"Good luck prying him and my sister apart. It's like they have been glued together at the hip tonight."

"Well there is also the fact that there are a lot of hot girls here. I hear one can include you in that group as well?" he chuckled smugly.

"It figures that you heard that.  Every time I fumble or falter... well, you have an amazing propensity for ill timing whenever my dignity is in peril." Lizzy face palmed herself that once more he was present to bear witness to her mortification.

"I think the majority of the people in this room heard you. Over half of them agree from the approving looks I saw thrown your way. The male half and a few of the women, at any rate." He had the nerve to wink flirtatiously as he attempted to charm her.

"I didn't mean it that way." she replied hotly.  "I was trying to tell my sister I needed some water... oh, nevermind! I don't now why I should want to justify myself to the likes of you.  I was just leaving." Lizzy turned and started making her way through the crowd to the fringe of the room where it was less crowded.

She knew it was rude as she abruptly left the others, but she was just so, so very tired.  She'd been fighting off so many drunken sods tonight... Some tried pawing her, some had nearly knocked her over with their over powering alcoholic breath, but all had used really terrible pick up lines and with each new attempt she continued to get more melancholy and...just unbelievably tired. 

She found herself missing Gage.  Why couldn't he have been here with her - just this one night?  Who takes last minute trips hundreds of miles away  when they work for a Senator?  What could he possibly be doing on New Years Eve?  Could his errand be that critically important?