"I am just a girl. Not the kind of woman men would like to meet. Just another girl. No one ever looks at in the street." -I am just a girl by ABBA.
Scarlet's POV:
After pulling into the school's parking lot, Lia shifted the car into park before lifting the handbrake. We hurriedly grabbed our stuff before exiting the vehicle.
As usual, all eyes, both female and male, were on Lia and she didn't even notice. Or she probably did and just didn't care. Under the scrutiny of many, she casually strutted towards the entrance while I scurried after her like lost sheep.
"Scar, don't look now but Jason at your 6 o'clock is staring right at you," She shoved me on the shoulder as we stood at the lockers.
Me being me, I immediately turned my head, looking at him.
I could practically feel her eyes through the back of my head because of how carelessly and quickly I disregarded her instructions.
I shifted back to my original position. "I think he's staring at you, Lia," I stated, giving her a small smile.
She looked at him then at me then at him again and I watched as her facial features slowly changed from hopeful to an expression of sadness.
Lia was one of those people who found happiness in relationships and sex. So it was rather fitting that she believed that was the case for others.
Day in and day out, I wore this aura of misery and despondency. It wasn't intentional but more of a default setting. So it comes as no surprise that Lia would want to make me feel better being the amazing friend she is. And in doing so, she would try and set me up with random men and boys that couldn't care less about me and more about her.
Obviously, that wouldn't have made me happier but she enjoyed trying to find a date for me and I didn't want to take that away from her. It would be like taking a bone from a dog.
"Lia, it's fine. I'm used to this by now and I have absolutely no problem with you getting all the attention because that means people don't notice me." I quickly spoke up.
I was being partially honest because I really did hate the attention. There was always this constant fear of people judging me.
However, I did find Jason attractive, probably not as much as I did in my freshman year but he was still a very good looking human.
What made me feel horrible wasn't the fact that Jason himself wouldn't see me as more than a blurry face in the shadows. But that every guy would view me as the girl no one sees.
I wasn't saying that male attention would make me happy. But it would make me feel a little special for once.
I guess I just had to live with the unfortunate reality knowing that guys like him would never show interest in a girl like me
Her lips curled into a soft smile before her hands gripped both of mine in a tight grasp while maintaining eye contact.
"Scar, I just want you to be happy and maybe live a little. Find someone who will give you joy," She admitted.
"I love that you care but I'm fine," I whispered, throwing my arms around her neck and pulling her into a warm embrace.
After we broke away from the hug, she flashed me a tight-lipped smile.
Diverting her gaze to everything but me she rubbed her hands together nervously. A clear sign that she was itching to say something.
I groaned in annoyance.
Lia always had that specific look on her face whenever she knew I wasn't going to like whatever it was that she had to say.
"Spit it out," I said, placing my hands on my hips waiting for her to speak.
"Ok there is this club that just opened called Club 100 and I heard a bunch of the seniors are going on Friday night and I was wondering if you..." She rambled on about whatever party I had no interest in going.
"No, no, no, no." I cut her off almost immediately, shaking my head aggressively.
"C'mon Scar." She pleaded.
"Lia, we can't even go...we aren't twenty-one." I knew that wouldn't stop her from going but I needed an excuse.
She smiled, slyly in response.
"Soooo...I'll just flash my tits to the bouncer for him to let us in." She shimmied her chest whiled moving towards me.
I giggled holding out my hands to stop her from coming nearer.
"Uhh," I sighed, holding my head down in thought trying to come up with an excuse.
C'mon Scarlet think, think.
"I have a history assignment due next Monday. Sorry I can't go." I slumped my shoulders, feigning my sadness.
"Shut up Scar. I pay attention in History and I know that assignment is not due till next month." She rolled her eyes at me.
Oops. I forgot that was the one class she was always mentally present in.
"Come on Scar. It'll be fun, I promise." She begged once again, giving me those puppy dog eyes, curving her lips into a small pout.
I couldn't possibly say no to that.
"Fine. I'll go," I muttered under my breath, letting out an exasperated sigh. She pumped her fists in the air as she jumped around in triumph with the brightest smile plastered across her face.
This girl was going to be the death of me.
We talked a little more before the bell rang signaling that my two-hour session of Math with Mr. Brady was about to begin.
...
After listening to the monotony of Mr. Brady's voice for the majority of the class, I was relieved that it was coming to an end.
With fifteen minutes left in the session, I sat in the back of the classroom writing the last set of notes while Mr. Brady scribbled on the board.
But then I heard the soft creaking of the classroom door opening to reveal Phoenix Knight. He strolled into class almost two hours late with zero care in the world while all the students stared at him in awe. Whispers echoed through the space as he made his way into the room.
I wasn't boy crazy but I could acknowledge when someone was attractive, and Phoenix was one of those people.
He was severely attractive.
Phoenix was one of those men who exudes raw sexuality, whether it was intentional or not, his mere presence could send someone into overdrive. He wasn't a male model but he definitely should have been.
He had this ever-present aura of power and dominance constantly around him. His hair was midnight black and it was usually groomed to perfection.
However this morning it was messy, his unruly curls hung over his face. But he still looked breathtaking.
His nose complimented the prominent cheekbones on his jawline that were sharply carved. His skin was a warm tan color with a rich, golden undertone to his complexion. Similar to that mellow-brown hue that hit the forest around sunset.
Today, he wore a gray hoodie and some black ripped jeans that showed little glimpses of the skin on his leg that was pulled taut against his muscles. Anyone with eyes could see that he worked out. A LOT.
His earlobes were adorned with little silver, shiny knobs while a matching delicate chain hung from his neck.
I wasn't able to tear my eyes off of him since he entered, simply because of how captivated I was by him. And I'm sure my gawking classmates would concur that statement.
You could barely see his tattoos unless he wore a t-shirt and even then you saw that they were sparsely placed on the length of his arms.
But when he lifted his arm to scratch the back of his head, you could see some ink drawn on his lower abdomen and the deeply engraved V that disappeared beneath his pants, and all I could think about was how I wanted to run my han-
What is wrong with you Scarlet?
I quickly snapped out of my trance and reminded myself that he wasn't as a nice as he looked.
"Mr. Knight, you're late once again. So you will see me in detention later today at 4 pm sharp." Phoenix smirked but said nothing in response, navigating through the rows of desks and chairs to find his seat.
Mr. Brady repeated his statement with even more hostility in his tone. "DID YOU HEAR ME MR. KNIGHT?!"
Phoenix slowly turned on the ball of his feet facing Mr. Brady. "No, but I'm sure the people next door heard, so maybe you should be asking them and not me." He said sarcastically, earning himself another detention.
...
The week went by faster than I expected, with my same boring routine.
It was now the day of the week that I had dreaded the most.
Friday.
I thought that with enough time, like a week, Lia would have forgotten that I agreed to go to that stupid club with her but she made sure to constantly remind me of my decision, which I now severely regret.
I tried to feel excited but no matter what I did I still couldn't find it in myself to want to go. There were so many things that could go wrong.
We could get arrested for underage drinking. We could get kidnapped or raped. I could have a panic attack and ruin her night.
But Lia was adamant that we would enjoy ourselves. And I haven't been out in a while so maybe it would be good for me.
It was now 7:00 pm and Lia had just arrived at my house to help me get ready. She said she was going to make me look "alluring." I laughed in her face because even God himself couldn't make me look good.
I was barely 5'6 and my legs were short and stubby. My boobs were pretty big for my age but I always tried to keep them covered. My hips and butt on the other hand were average size.
Before high school, I really worked on my body to look a little less curvy and I did see the changes. My waist got smaller, my legs were thinner and my cheeks weren't chubby anymore.
But no matter how much weight I lost, I still hated my body, hence why I always tried to cover it up as much as possible.
Lia brought with her a plethora of outfits for me to choose from because supposedly sweatpants and oversized t-shirts were not an option for tonight. And that was the only things in my wardrobe.
We narrowed it down to two options. The first one was a black spaghetti strap body con dress that had lace fabric, about an inch in width, running the full length down the side of the dress. It also had a deep v-cut in the front. In short, the dress showed EVERYTHING.
I chose the second option because although it was on the tighter side, it wasn't as revealing as the previous outfit, allowing me to feel comfortable.
It was way more modest, consisting of a pair of tight leather pants and a cotton-fabric, crimson red long sleeve bodysuit that showed a little cleavage but just the right amount. The top was also very form-fitting and Lia paired it with some black boots.
She wanted me to let my hair down tonight both, literally and figuratively, and I wasn't so keen on the literal part but I was going to try and let loose tonight.
We met in the middle and opted for a high ponytail with my curly hair falling just below my neck. She did my makeup and I told her to do it as naturally as possible because I didn't want my skin to start breaking out.
But knowing Lia she had to get her way in at least one aspect of the makeup look, so she applied bright red lipstick.
And it was a wise decision. A very wise one.
When she was finally done, I took a look in the mirror, pausing in my position for a while. I saw a completely different person staring back at me. This girl didn't hide behind, baggy clothes or the insults of others. This girl didn't get panic attacks before every outing. This girl looked like everything Scarlet Rose was not.
She was older in more ways that's one and more mature in her own right. She was confident and ready for a night on the town.
Scarlet who?
Lia's gaze was fixated on me, staring in awe before she began to clap. "You look amazing, Scar."
Honestly, her compliment made me feel even more self-assured like I could take on the world.
...
At around 10:00 pm, we made our way to the club. We took an Uber because Lia was convinced we would get wasted tonight, she probably would but definitely not me. I for one didn't like the taste of booze and I also wasn't too keen on being severely intoxicated amongst a bunch of men.
Lia wore a red mini dress that hugged all her curves perfectly, showing off her beautiful legs. The dress also showed an extensive amount of cleavage which the bouncer could not take his eyes off of. Her plan indeed worked because he absentmindedly let us in.
She flashed me a smile, giving me an 'I told you so' look and I playfully rolled my eyes in response.
Club 100 looked brand new. The dance floor was spacious with beautiful light fixtures that hung high in the ceiling, giving off various hues of color at different intervals.
As soon as I entered, my eyes traveled to a sizable lofted floor that I presume was the VIP section. Followed by the long stretch of wooden table with a variety of drinks behind it, indicating it was the place they sold the drinks.
Then I was greeted with the foul smell of sweat, cheap perfume, aftershave, cigarette smell clinging to people's clothing, and alcohol. I could feel the music beating against my eardrums and the sound of glasses clinking, cutlery scraping, the thump of glass mugs onto the tabletop, and the constant chatter of people. It was the typical bar setting.
Lia pulled me out of my trance when she grabbed my arm and dragged me through the dense crowd towards the bar.
This was going to be a long night.
...
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