“They were sluts in school I guess not much has changed.” Soph scoffed and I shook my head. Please shut up girls, you're killing me. Nancy raised her glass towards Soph’s and they clinched it together. Internally I was cringing. I stood from my seat and glanced at them. I want to go home. I wanted to wrap myself up in cotton wool. My ego hurt. Not just about the rejection I was feeling from being stood up by Conway but the feeling of being ditched at Harvey’s wedding by Haz. My girls were supposed to be cheering me up, not bringing me back down. “Where do you think you’re going?” Soph stared at me, her eyes were glaring at mine and I crossed my arms against my chest.
“I want to go home.” Nancy pulled on my coat that made me thud back down in my chair.
“Oh fucking hell she’s gone funny Soph,” they shared a look and I held in a laugh “you know what this means.”
“Wine!” Soph finished.
“Are you pair kidding? You’ve got lectures tomorrow!” Soph’s eyes wriggled with delight.
“No we aren’t.” Nance sighed loudly as she looked over towards the bar.
“Well I’m leaving. You can come with me or stay here.” My mind was made up. I no longer wanted to be here. My anxiety levels were heightened.
“We can come back later when it gets a little more busy. You’ll feel fine once you’ve got the vodka in your system.” She pulled my arm and made me rise from my seat. I knew that I wasn’t going to win this battle. I really wasn’t.
Vens - Monday
Everyone had been on egg shells almost all night, nobody knew where Jay had gone and the fact he had just vanished was more unsettling than I remembered it being. Especially in our line of work. The evening drew on into night and the once peaceful buzz of the bar was becoming more intense. I looked towards Alfie who was nodding towards the bouncers. Nobody ever gets to budge a que in this place. What the hell is he doing? He must have a new girl. I smirked to myself as I watched his eyes light up and took a big swig of my pint. He caught my gaze and I raised my beer in his direction before I took another gulp. Chloe leant against my arm and squeezed it softly, she was looking more intently at me. Her big brown eyes were softer today and no longer hungry. A feeling of uneasiness overwhelmed me.
“Where's he gone Haz?” She muttered down my ear. I wished I had the answer to her question but I didn't. I shrugged and wrapped my arms around her in an effort to comfort her.
“He'll rock up, don't worry about it.” I gulped down the growing lump in my throat and ruffled her perfect platinum bob, she swiftly moved from my grasp and smacked my shoulder. She was now giving me the don't fucking do that again look as she patted her hair back into place. The music was blaring and it had suddenly gotten much darker, the flashes of light surrounded the room and I spotted a familiar group of three girls. Fuck it’s her. Her voice was now ringing in my ears and I shook my head. I studied her frame, the dress she was wearing was skin colour, it hugged her in all the right places, her thick dark waves were cascading down her back and I fought back the urge to hold my breath. Her fire engine red headed friend was drunk and so was the tiny brunette who she was with. I watched her struggle to pull her friend from the arms of a young lad. I grimaced for her and felt a tap on my shoulder. I nodded.
“That's the girl Jay likes,” I felt a stab of disappointment and I frowned, “if you want to know where he's gone it might be worth you approaching her?” My frown deepened and for some reason I found myself on my feet walking towards her. She was the girl. Out of all the fucking girls in Devon it had to be her. I rolled my eyes at the thought. The redhead was nowhere to be found and had left her battling with her extremely drunk friend. I touched the young lad's shoulder and tilted my head towards the tiny dark haired helpless girl.
“Enough lad yeah?” The darkness of the room made his expression unreadable, though I got the feeling he had stopped. The girl started to whinge.
“Why have you always got to be a spoilsport!?” She almost screamed at Avaya and I frowned at her as she began to wobble off towards the women’s bathroom.
“I'm sorry,” she began to speak and it was hard to hear by the continuous boom of the speakers “she's always like this when she's drunk.” I fought to find her expression and smiled to myself.
“Don't worry about it.” There was an awkward air and I reached out for her arm. “I was wondering if you'd like a drink?” She shook her head and moved her arm away from my grasp.
“I’m okay thank you?” She leaned in closer towards me and I assumed it was so that she didn’t have to raise her voice. The smell of her perfume surrounded me. I inhaled a deep breath and savored the moment. “I should really find my friends.” Shot down Vens… The urge to fold my arms was almost unbearable and I nodded. How do you woo a woman who wants nothing to do with you? This was a feeling that was foreign to me. Women loved me. She turned on her heel and walked towards the ladies, I followed her casually a few steps behind. I examined her body shape and smirked to myself. She was better than I
