Super late update but I just got into my dream school and I was celebrating! I can't wait to write for the rest of my life because I truly love this so much! Here's a chapter for all of ya'll, the people that keep my dream going. All the love xx.
Song for the chapter: Here's To Us by Halestorm
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"Here's to us, here's to love,
all the times that we messed up.
Here's to you, fill the glass,'Cause the last few nights have kicked my ass.
If they give ya hell, tell em to go fuck themselves, here's to us, here's to us."
"I need two beers and pronto!!" Clair reaches over the crowded bar at the club, the bartender reaching behind him to grab two bottles. I didn't have the heart to tell Clair that I wouldn't be drinking tha beer, but holding onto it all night would will be enough to satisfy Clair.
"This is so fun," her energy jumps off the walls, Clair's body moving to the music as the beers get handed to her. "I'm so glad we're doing this!" She brings the cold beer bottle up to her red lips, the paint marking her bottle for the rest of the night.
Kristina and I glance at each other, a wave of worry passing through us. Clair wasn't really acting like herself, her energy feeling a bit too forced. Of course Clair has always been a bubbly person, but she's never bounced off the walls like this before.
I looked around the club, my eyes scanning over every drunk, looped-up person in here. Kristina's hand reached for mine, her way of trying desperately not to slip away into old habits. Part of me is scared that it may be too soon for Kristina, that she shouldn't be in a club full of alcohol and regrettable decisions.
"Do you think this could be about Louis?" Kristina asks me, her voice barely audible over the club music. The DJ had been playing some kind of jumbled beat, a song that I never would've danced to in a million years.
"I think she's trying to forget him in all the wrong ways," I admit as I observe her ordering her second beer. Clair is trying to forget Louis and her heartbreak by getting wasted and dancing until her feet are sore. This isn't the way that Clair should be mourning her breakup, she should be eating until she's a stuffed turkey and laughing along to movies with Kristina and I.
I pull on Clair's arm, guiding her away from the bar. "What are we doing here?" Clair looks at me in confusion, her chilled beer still in her hand. "This isn't you," Kristina pulls the beer out of Clair's hand slowly, making sure to not insult or hurt her with the action.
"I just wanted to shut my mind up," Kristina and I wrap our arms around Clair, obvious that she needed her friends in this moment. Clair is being honest with us about her breakup, and for once I wanted to be here completely and totally for her.
The first thing I wanted to do for Clair is bring her out of this club, to just get her away from the crowd of drunken dancers. Kristina and I hold onto Clair, our arms linked with hers as we drag her out of the club, her eyes on the ground as we leave.
"I'm sorry I made us come all the way here," Clair says once we're outside, the air around us cold and bustling. The line outside has only gotten longer, various college students just waiting to get in and have a fun weekend.
"Don't be sorry," I say as I wrap my arms around her body, pulling her for a hug. Kristina wraps her arms around us, our bodies all huddled against each other's in the cold night. Guys whistle in line, their gross gawking not getting to our heads though.
"Let's get out of here," Clair says through her chuckling. Her eyes are a bit puffy, but she has no tears littered on her cheeks. Clair has always been better at keeping her emotions in check, not crying at every corner. I've admired her strength since the first day I met her.
"We don't necessarily have to go home," the girls look at me confused, not sure what I'm hinting at. There was one place that I knew would provide a good time while also not being crowded by drunken idiots.
I lead Kristina and Clair to my car, excitement welling up in my chest for where I was about to bring them. The boys were the ones to initially unravel this gem of a place to me, and so I guess I could thank them for the good time we were about to have tonight.
"Where are we going?!" Clair asks, intrigued by the mystery I was keeping. I smile and keep my mouth shut, a smirk on my face. We all get into my car, actually happy about leaving the crowded club and heading for the place I had suggested.
Clair didn't need to forget about Louis by getting wasted and accidentally sleeping with some stranger; she needed her friends, and a night full of laughter. I'm still pissed at Louis for whatever he did to Clair that caused their breakup, but then again I don't know the whole story even as I wished I did.
I drive down the highway, my car getting closer and closer to the most rural part of town. "Where the hell are we?" Clair asks as I continue driving down the road with a smile on my face. Last time it had been midnight and the road was completely empty, at least tonight there had been some cars traveling down this city road.
"Don't worry, we're almost there," Clair sits back in her seat, a skeptical smile on her face. I'm betting Clair just thinks I'm taking them into a forest and leaving them there, but in reality I was just taking them to a different kind of club.
I pull into the exit, ecstatic to finally be at the place. Being in the half empty parking lot was bringing back memories, a lot of good ones that I never wanted to forget. I'd love to come back with the boys, but then again I was happy sharing this with my girls. It was time to make some new memories.
"What is this place?" Kristina asks as we all exit the car together, the music from the bar ringing through the air. It seemed rowdier tonight than the last time I'd been here, but then again the last time I had danced for like two hours without paying any mind to anything else.
"Liam brought me here almost a year ago with Niall and Zayn," I purposely leave out Louis' name, not wanting to upset Clair more than she already is. Kristina, Clair, and I walk into the bar, the smell of fried food invading our senses right as we walk into the bar.
It was practically empty, just a few tables surrounded by guys and their food. Some of the guys I recognized from the football team at school were laughing and eating in the corner, their varsity jackets tight on their toned bodies.
"I know that one," Clair says waving to the guy with dark brown hair, his chin scruffed up with stubble. He looks over at us, motioning for us to go over to their table. Clair drags Kristina and I along, her confident stride a total opposite from the one at the club.
"Hey Matty," Clair steps to the side, allowing Kristina and I to see the guys around us. Somehow with Clair we were always ending up around other people tonight, our party of three turning into a crowd of many.
"Who are your friends?" Matty asks, his tongue darting out of hi mouth to swipe across his lower lip. A shiver runs down my spine in discomfort, and Kristina reaches for my hand, her hand intertwining with mine and pulling me away from the group.
Kristina and I stand by the empty bar, away from Clair and the football players now. She looks into my eyes, concern laced in them. "We can't stop her from hooking up after a break-up, especially if that's what she wants to do." I glance back at Clair, how she had already been hanging all over Matty's arm.
The guy seems nice, and at least she knows his first name right? I wanted to feel better about this whole thing, but all of my excuses wasn't making any of this easier. Clair should be able to do whatever she wants, but from experience, I know that casual sex doesn't make anything feel better but just even more complicated.
"Nothing is stopping us from watching her from afar though," I say, taking a seat on one of the stools at the bar. Kristina chuckles and takes a seat beside me, her arms resting on the chipped wood of the bar counter.
Clair giggles and flips her hair in front of the boy supposedly named Matty, his hand travelling to her lower back. It almost makes me want to run over there and act like her mother, but then that would be weird and I'm pretty sure Clair would hate me for it.
Kristina doesn't see any of what I do since her back is turned towards them, but I can tell that she notices my worried expression. I shake away my concern, reminding myself that Clair is a grown adult, and she can handle herself in this kind of situation. Even as Matty continues to drag his hand lower on her body, I just keep my cool, my silence.
"Are you hungry?" I ask Kristina, desperate to change the subject. She nods almost immediately, reaching for a menu across the bar. Kristina and I keep our eyes glued to the words on the menu, our minds pretending to not be focused on Clair for a second of the night.
Music plays throughout the place, the worn out speakers muffling the tracks. Kristina still bops her head to the music, not affected by the shitty voices playing through the speakers. My eyes shifted to look at Clair every few seconds, the thoughts in the back of my mind being all about her.
"You need to stop looking back at her," Kristina whispers to me, her eyes still on the food items listed on the menu. Of course my gaze lifted from the menu and was now focused on Clair once again, surprised as she makes her way over to Kristina and I.
"She's coming over here with that guy," Kristina furrows her brows and puts the booklet down, her body turning in the stool to see what I was. Clair is practically wrapped around Matty's fingertip, her body slung right onto his. It was creating a thick lump in my throat, something queasy and uneasy building as I watch Clair get slung around in his arms.
"I'm texting Liam," Kristina whispers before Clair is in hearing range. I allow Kristina to text him, hoping that he'll answer right away and come down here to get rid of sleazy Matty and his varsity gang.
Matty stops in front of Kristina and I, Clair tripping over her own feet while making her way over to us. "You girls don't have to worry, we'll take care of Clair," Matty says, his arms holding her up. What did they do to my best friend?
"Actually," I say as I get up off my seat and grab a hold of Clair, pulling her out of Matty's hands. "We've got her, she does live with us after all." Matty's face is stone cold, his jaw locked as I keep Clair behind me.
"Haven't you guys noticed that she doesn't want to go home," Matty says, his large hands reaching for her behind me. Clair can barely speak for herself at this moment, so I'm doubting that she can make any decisions herself.
"Just leave it, you're not taking Clair," I keep my hands on Clair's wrists, the guys beside Matty's side coming to stand right by Kristina and I. "Don't be that kind of guy," I say one last time before Matty's friends rip my hands off of Clair's arms, their hands lifting her up and guiding her back over to Matty.
"You better let the woman go douchebag," Kristina and I turn our heads to the sound of Louis' voice, surprised that Liam had gotten here so quickly, and that he had brought Louis. Matty chuckles, his white teeth taking up practically the whole expanse of his face.
Liam walks over to Matty, his arms crossed over his chest. Louis is right by Liam, the both of them building a wall in front of Matty. The arrogant football players just scoff, smirks on their faces as we all stand there looking like a fight from an old western movie.
"What did you say dickwad?" Matty takes a step closer to Louis, his build and height towering over Louis' small frame. Kristina and I look at each other, our eyes wide as we take in the scene a mere few inches in front of us.
"I said, and I quote, give me back my girl," Matty chuckles again, his boys holding onto Clair still. Everything that happens next takes place so quickly that I still can't believe it even happened. All I remember is that matty lifted his arm to punch Louis, but Kristina was actually the one to throw the punch.
"What the fuck?" Matty says, holding onto his bleeding nose. The three of us look over at Kristina, our faces as shocked as hers. Louis takes this moment of shock and confusion to grab Clair and get us the hell out of here.
"Let's go, let's go," Liam walks behind us all, making sure that matty and his gang never catch up with us as we all shuffle into separate cars. Liam takes his back alone, while Louis comes with Kristina, Clair, and I.
I get into the driver's seat and start the car, hoping to get the hell out of here before Matty can get his search team and find out where we live. Kristina pants in her seat beside me, her red hand clutching her chest. I chuckle at the sight, still completely surprised that she hit him that hard.
"When did you join fight club?" I ask, laughing as I drive down the highway. Kristina chuckles and looks down at her hands, comparing the weapon against the idle one. Louis adjusts Clair in the back seat, her body laying over his lap.
"Who knows what those assholes drugged her with," Louis says, his hand smoothing her hair down, keeping her calm. Kristina and I stop our joking around and stay quiet for the rest of the ride, all of us just holding our breath to see when Clair would wake up.