"I like dollars, I like diamonds, I stunting, I like shining," Cardi B rapped as green, purple, blue lasers and strobe lights beamed and flashed from every direction. Enough to disorient any conscious mind. The music vibrated against our flesh with every wall numbing bass. I saw the volume in the intermediately lit room. Hadn't even had a drink yet and we were too hype. I ticked to the ground. Randy followed, competitive as always. He began with hand performance and catwalk. The crowd took notice and began clapping on beat. Randy head spun around and around before he dropped into duck walk. His hand performance reeved the crowd before he spun then death drop. "Ow!" dropping ten times at once with his tongue hanging out. Who knew your favorite nurses got down like this! My flats had an advantage tonight. Somebody would've thought I was from the West Indies. We danced through a few songs before resting up with drinks. After I got a few drinks in me, I was worse. Drake- Nice for What played when a dude approached me talking about something. I crippled his pride with my Drake bobblehead. The guy mouthed stuck up and walked off. Mission accomplished! Randy and I were laughing at everything and everybody. We were so giddy whenever we got together and my Drake impersonations were superb.
At the bar Kendrick Lamar - Loyalty played, A low hazy beam of purple filled the room. Setting the mood. I almost began a slow roll when I looked over my left shoulder near the entrance and spotted Carlton. And of all people walking in with him, was Sierra lagging behind. She kept trying to pull her too little dress down. My face sizzled as my brain sent neurons to slap the shit out of my heart.
"Shit! Cala, don't let that bother you. Noooo, not that. That ain't shit right there. Two ain't shits." Randy rubbed my shoulder, trying to pep talk me.
"I'm cool..." I attempted to look unbothered. Randy gave me an offended eye. He knew me better. I wanted to be cool. I really wanted to.
I sat my drink down and watched the glass bar. "Nuh-uh, Cala. You can't be looking affected in front of them! Come on now!" he pushed me in my back.
"I said I was alright," I spoke low into my reflection on the bar.
"Well, you are going to have to laugh. Laugh, now bitch!" he hollered. I looked up to his seriously concerned face, worried about me and I burst out laughing. He followed with the loudest laugh in the club. Clapping his manly hands."WOOO!" and we were back at it falling all over each other in tears laughing for no reason at all.
Bless that bitch heart for having him. Them two being in the same vicinity as me broke my mood no matter how hard Randy tried. I couldn't unsee them fucking in my house. I needed to sell it. 'Throw the house away' in the words of Randy Burton. She looked like she went to bed stank. Rough day looking ass. "Come on Cala, let's dance. You can't sit here, you keep sinking into your feelings. Bout to ruin my night."
"I'm sorry. You're right. I can't move right now. Go ahead I'll catch up." I was short with him--allowing Carlton to have power over my present state.
"Ah hell--You know I'm not going to leave you looking flicted by yourself at this bar. They'll really talk then." he stood beside me with his back and his elbows rested on the bar.
He swayed his hips to the music while I kept my eyes on my drink, swirling the ice around with my straw. "He coming this way sit up! Poke your chest out!" I popped my head up to his words. "Don't look panicked, bitch! Poke your damn chest out! Shit!" Randy turned around and pushed my lower back in for me to sit up straight.
"Why the hell is he coming this way?" I managed my face straight, but my nerves were all over the place. I tried my hardest not to turn my head in the direction he was coming from.
"I guess because he wants a drink. I mean we are at the bar." Well that made sense.
"Well let's go!" I looked to Randy not able to keep my face calm.
"If you don't!--" His lips folded in like a mom struggling to keep from hollering at her kids in public.
My nerves were about to come crashing down. I loathed Carlton with every molecular molecule of me. I gave him years of my life. Loyalty, Loyalty, Loyalty! I fought this man, hand and foot. The things I went through with him was for nothing! A waste! I made myself sick thinking about him beating and cheating on me. All because I thought I was being loved. Somehow I loved him the entire time and he didn't even like me! Now after all the texting he's been doing about how he loves me and those females he cheated with didn't mean anything. He dare show up in public with the mut he cheated on me with!!! I should break this glass on this bar, take the broken pieces and stab him in the neck, then her in the eyes. It's so hard to be humble.
"What's going on?" Carlton's voice made my skin crawl the same way removing bugs from ear canals did. I twitched. He approached me from behind then to my right. I looked up, facing him. He actually looked decent. That's it, decent, nothing more. I felt Randy jabbed me in the ribs. I knew he was thinking talk bitch. Randy's motto was Expect it and Be Unaffected. And right now I'm supposed to look unaffected.
"Nothing," I answered flat. Randy jabbed me again harder. "Living good, doing well, and un..bothered," I forced some enthusiasm into my voice. I assumed Randy wanted me to give Carlton hell, that's all I had in me at the moment.
"Really?" he raised his brows challenging my integrity. Mocking me in my face. I heard Randy clearing his throat from beside me.
"Yes really. That's why I haven't been able to get back to those begging texts you've been sending daily." I slid Randy my hand from behind and he slapped it. Mission Give Him Hell: Initiated. Carlton scratched his head unable to return a comeback. He laughed uncomfortably.
"You look... nice tonight." his eyes lingered over my plain dress.
"Thank you, what do you want? Why are you talking to me? How about leaving." My tone was cutting.
"Whoa, there she is! I was waiting on the bitch." he laughed, looking to the waitress.
"Ah hell naw! Go back to where you came from!" Randy piped up for me.
"Yeah well, this bitch is asking this bum to get the hell out her face." I snapped back.
"Tell your girlfriend to mind its business," Carlton insulted Randy.
"I'm more of a man than you are and that's with my dick tucked!"
"Look! Didn't you bring your pet? The Anubis face bitch. It's against the law for pets to roam freely in public places!" I sliced Carlton with my words.
"I didn't come with her! She's just here!" he argued. He was getting loud.
"Now what we not going to do, is ack like we didn't see you come through those doors looking like Ennis and Jack!" Randy added getting louder.
"Mind your fucking business!! This hasn't a damn thing to do with you!" Carlton roared at Randy's comeback. Stepping closer with the recognizable anger and need to overtalk while pointing his hand.
"And she doesn't have anything to do with you! But hey! You're here!" Randy's wasn't backing down and I was right in the middle of them. I hopped off my stool to decrease the distance of the two, but my efforts were overcome. I felt the chaos from both sides of the room. The music was only background noise by now. The red lights created special effects for a destructive screen.
"Leave us alone!" I yelled to Carlton. I was frustrated! He came over here only to fuck up my mood.
"Tell your prissy bitch to close its mouth." He was pushing into me to get closer to Randy. I felt consumed by two men.
"Come close it for me. I don't have a problem with hitting feminine people, so try me! Try me!" Randy splayed his arms out. Some of the people near us began to look towards our way. A crowd drew. I could see people far off being shuffled by three huge bodyguards making their way through the crowd. I was moved by the pushing arms and elbows. Carlton stepped inside Randy's bubble, pointing his finger to Randy's face. This is bad. This is very bad. They were both arguing so vociferously that I couldn't hear what they're even saying. It was like two angry pit bulls ready to maul one another if their chains break. Randy stuck his neck out and kissed Carlton smack dab on the lips. Broken chains.
Holy shit!
Carlton pushed Randy hard into his chest. Knocking him unsteady on his heels. Carlton threw a wind cracking blow. His arms were long and his fist was large. I knew those hits. I pushed him into the bar so that his punch wouldn't land. His eyes shifted to me before a body rushed between us spearing Carlton, knocking him to the floor. I assumed it to be a bodyguard. I grabbed the bottle from the bar and raised it ready to go after Carlton. When I looked down beside me, Ethan was there wailing relentlessly on Carlton's face. He was probably ten, twelve punches in. Carlton's face was actively swelling beneath Ethan's fists-- beyond recognition in a pool of blood. A huge guard pushed me out the way and tried to restrain Ethan from hitting Carlton anymore. It took two of the men to wrestle Ethan down. They were barbaric, wrapping barbaric arms around Ethans neck placing him in a deadly choke hold.
"Go to sleep! Go to sleep!" one of the guards yelled with his huge arms wrapped around Ethan's neck and head.
Ethan managed to fight off the huge men. Voluntarily backing off Carlton who was completely unconscious. People were screaming and yelling, bombarding us from every direction. Complete pandemonium. The music stopped and the club lights came on.
"Call 911!" "Daaaamn!"
"Is he dead!?"
"What the fuck yo!" "Y'all should've fought at home!"
The guards hurriedly rushed Ethan out the doors. The crowd gathered between us-- making it impossible to keep up. I watched Sierra run to Carlton unconscious body grabbing him like he was dead. She screamed over him and cried hysterically. It looked like the scene from Baby Boy. I could clearly see his respirations. He wasn't dead. Got damnit he wasn't dead. I looked down at her in disgust then took Randy's hand and led him out the door with me. Randy cursed out everybody as if he had just fought.
"Yea! That's right! That's what his weak ass get!" Randy shouted into the air, waving his hands all over the place.
We stepped outside where the harsh air attacked my bare legs and ears. The guards stood in front of the entrance blocking Ethan from re-entering. He paced hard and fast like a maniac bull.
"Ethan!" I yelled, trying to push past a guard who was unabating to let me through.
"Move out her damn way!" Ethan bellowed, approaching him ready to take him on again. The guard chuckled and leaned a little so that Randy and I would have to squeeze by. Once I broke free Ethan pulled me into him fast, squeezing me tight in a desperate hug.
"Are you ok?" he leaned back to search my eyes then my body checking over me to see if I was hurt.
"I'm fine."
His breathing was rapid and labored. He pulled his jacket off, wrapping it around my body. Humming me into his scent. My mind suddenly sunk into a realm of content and security. His knuckles were swollen and red. He was scared. I couldn't grasp how he knew to come at such perfect timing. Carlton would have beat both me and Randy for that kiss. Ethan looked to Randy while holding me still. Holding me tight.
"How about you?"
Randy eyes flickered between me and Ethan as he pulled his heels off,"Yes. I'm good." He replied shocked that Ethan cared to even ask. Ethan nodded his head. Ambulances and police sirens wailed from a distance.
"We should get out of here." I looked up to Ethan's face. I couldn't figure if he was mad at me for coming when he asked me not. I don't guess he foresaw something like this.
A small crowd of people exited the building. I spotted a very casual Mike Throne in the horde of all the staggering partygoers. He was walking and talking with some foreign guy whose head was as bald as his. He had a thick black beard and was very muscular built.
Ethan searched his coat pocket, pulling out his wallet. "Ride with Randy, I'll follow." He pulled out his card and handed it to one of the guards. "Have the owner call me." The guard nodded and accepted the card, sticking it in his back pocket. The cold two a.m. wind made me shiver all over once I stepped away from Ethan to be placed inside Randy's Camaro.
Ethan's LED lights followed behind us as we passed the cops on the way out.
"Wooooooow, Cala." Randy laughed. Smacking his steering wheel.
"Wow is right! What the hell possessed you to kiss him!" I was livid! He could have gotten us both killed!
"He got all in my face calling me gay!--I know I'm gay! I figured maybe he was the confused one."
"Oh my God Randy," I rested my hand on my head. "He was going to kill you... you better be glad Ethan showed up when he did."
"I know that shit right, Lois Lane. Superman must have heard you. He came in like a bird, like a plane!" he laughed. I couldn't joke with Randy. Not at the moment I was upset and confused.
"I wonder how he knew to come myself." I bit my lip to help me figure this out. Not that I wasn't thankful. I knew that could be me in the ambulance instead of Carlton had Ethan not came.
We pulled in to Randy's garage while Ethan waited at the curb.
"Well this was fun," Randy looked to me almost pouting. His shit way of apologizing for almost killing us and creating more chaos inside my chaotic life. I reached over and hugged him in forgiveness.
"Thank you for having my back tonight," I said into our hug then kissed his unnaturally smooth cheek. He turned and smiled at me thoughtfully.
"I love you girl. And as long as I am around, you'll never have to fight alone. He approached you talking shit. My best friend instincts kicked in. That's all." he stated nonchalantly. "He was fucking with you and that was fucking with me."
"Yea, Randy. I love you too."
Even on the grayest of days, he lets me know, the Sun still shines behind the clouds.