3. Chapter 3 - Layrin
Chapter 3
I was really starting to regret my decisions. Vivian had somehow convinced me to let her give me a “club girl” makeover. Supposedly, it was essential for her to have fun. At first, I thought it was okay, giving her something to focus on other than that loser Jimmy, but now I wasn't so sure.
When we got to her place, she already had some guy waiting at her door with a toolbox. She slipped him a couple twenties, and he changed out her locks. She quickly threw a bunch of Jimmy’s things into a trash bag and left it out front with a note that said he was her problem now. Eyes glossy with tears threatening to spill over, she came back into the house. I was going to step up and give her a hug, but she closed her eyes, took a couple shaky, deep breaths, then opened them with a smile and focused all her attention on me.
Standing in front of her full-length mirror, I almost didn't recognize myself. I was wearing a skintight baby blue off-the-shoulder dress that rode up my thighs, causing me to tug down the barely there hem every few steps. Partnered with a set of silver heels and my hair down in big wavy curls, the only thing missing was a neon sign with an arrow that said “Come fuck me” on it.
Vivian came out in a similar sexy skintight white tube-top dress and red heels that matched her lipstick. When she handed me this dress, she told me I would fit in it better since I had bigger boobs, and I had to admit I was glad she had given me something with a little fabric on my arms.
She clicked her way over to me, twirling some of my hair in the process. “I know you’re oblivious about this kind of thing, but fuck, Lay! You look hot as shit!” My cheeks bloomed with heat before I looked away. I had always been uncomfortable with people giving me too much praise for… well, anything. Miss Vaughn would often use the switch on me if I got too cocky about anything, always reminding me of my place in this world. Just to the trauma bucket.
I gave her a small smile, glad to see a little pep in her after today. “Let's go before I change my mind.” She smiled wide and squeaked her excitement then snatched my hand, grabbed her clutch, and flew out the door, not allowing me a moment of hesitation.
We walked a few blocks and got some cat calls, to which Vivian flipped them off, telling them they didn't have enough dick or money for us. They backed down at her angry girl persona, but I checked for my lipstick knife just in case one of them thought they could try to take us. You always had to be ready for that kind of shit.
A shiver ran up my spine, and I looked around, trying to figure out where that feeling had come from. Over the years, I’d been able to hone skills that I’d learned while living in the orphanage and on the streets after I turned eighteen. One of those was to be able to sense when someone was watching me. I snapped my head around to where I thought I felt the eyes, but I was met by an ATM.
“What’s up, Lay?” I glared at the machine, still experiencing that sensation of being watched, like I was the prey and my predator was close. I shook it off and smiled at Vivian.
“Oh, nothing. Always trying to be careful in the streets, right?” She looked around, taking me seriously, then squeezed my arm and faced forward.
“Always the dependable and smart one. I feel so safe with you.”
I looked back at the ATM again, glaring at it before I told myself I was crazy. I didn’t want to ruin the night with my overprotective reactions. Tonight was about Vivian and helping her forget that loser.
It wasn't long before the pounding of the music could be heard from around the block. The closer we got, the more I could feel the vibrations from the concrete running up my legs. “Watch this,” Vivian whispered, then she tugged me along, strutting up to the bouncer.
She placed her hand on his arm, rubbing it up and down as she gave him her hundred-watt smile. “We would like to get in.” The bouncer looked down at her, then to the line that went around the corner.
“There’s a line to get in.”
She laughed into the sky before she looked back at him. “I don't think you understand. We want to get in now.” She took her other hand and slowly ran it down my front, her fingers digging into the thin dress with the tease of some girl-on-girl action.
I tried not to fidget, hating when she did this kind of shit, but I knew it would work. It always worked. Vivian had a knack for knowing just how to push a man. I needed to move this along, so I waited until her fingers got right below my stomach then gasped in pleasure. That had him fumbling with the rope, telling us to go in.
Vivian pushed me forward despite the crowd’s complaints. I looked back to see her whisper something in his ear and give him a kiss on the cheek before turning away to smirk at me.
She looped her arm through mine, giddily pulling me closer so I could hear her. “That was great thinking!”
I rolled my eyes and shrugged. I knew she wouldn't give up or back down. She would’ve stayed there all night if she had to, and I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to get in, dance, and drink the right amount before we needed to head home by midnight. Nothing good happened after midnight.
We shoved our way through the throngs of drunk or high people. Bodies crashed into us, hands wandering, and Vivian pushed someone before we got up to the bar. The bartender glanced at Vivian and held up a finger, telling her to wait. Before she blew up, I managed my way in front of her, calling out to him. He did a double take and immediately came over to us. Well, I guess Vivian’s makeover was worth it.
“What would you like, beautiful?” His hollow words made me want to roll my eyes and call bullshit, but the parched look from Vivian had me putting on my best diner smile.
“I need two vodka tonics, extra lime.” He winked at me starting to make our drinks.
“Seeeee? I told you that you’re gorgeous,” Vivian whispered in my ear. “You could have men falling at your feet.”
I knew what she was saying, but I had seen so many women on the streets play the beautiful card. It might work for a while, for a few things here and there, but in the end, you either ended up dead or in a situation you couldn’t escape. I was not about that life, no matter how desperate I was.
In a flash, our drinks appeared in front of us, and Vivian took hers, telling me to meet her on the dance floor. I slid my card across the counter, wanting to keep my eyes on Vivian. “Close out the tab.” I didn't have a bunch of cash to spend on drinks, but for this first one, they were on me.
The bartender's fingers landed on mine, his voice coming out husky and hopeful. “Really? I was hoping you would keep it open so I could see you more.”
It was a lame attempt, and I was wasting time with this idiot. I threw my chin toward the cash register. “Naw. I’m planning to get these paid for from here on out.”
His lips pursed, and he grumbled under his breath as he cashed me out. Well, he’s not getting a tip with that kind of attitude . I worked the services gig myself, and if you got a rough client, you grinned and took your loss like a gangster. If not, that affected your tips.
Maybe he was used to girls falling for his shit? If that were the case, he’d fucked with the wrong girly.
He plopped the bill on the counter and immediately turned away, smiling and fawning over some other chick, but I just laughed. Yep, that's a zero. I crossed a double line through the tip section and signed my name before turning around to hunt down Vivian.
I sipped on my drink before trying to take on the bouncing and grinding crowd. The vodka tang hit the tip of my tongue before the sweet notes of the bubbly tonic followed, then the slice of the bitter lime took over. I closed my eyes and savored the moment, enjoying the drink while the music flowed through my body. Once my body had the beat down, I went on my search. Matching the crowd's rhythm, I was able to cut through the grinding people without spilling my drink while I gazed around for my blonde little vixen.
I found a spot that had higher elevation, where I could easily scan the crowd. The music bumped so hard it rattled my teeth, but it didn’t prevent the shiver that ran up my spine, telling me someone had eyes on me again. Lowering my head to my drink, I gazed through my lashes, trying to find the watcher.
Bodies swayed and jumped to the music, but my eyes snagged on a single solitary person whose hair sparkled with gold streaks underneath the light, just like the boys from my past. Longing and hope surged inside me, causing my body to move before I even thought about it. Racing down, I shoved people aside until I got to his spot, but he had disappeared.
Circling a few times, that hope dissipated just as quickly as it had come. Shoving my hand into my hair, I berated myself. Why the fuck did you think you would see one of them again? They're gone. Never coming back. You were nothing to them, just a silly girl they played games with as a kid. Let the past go, Layrin.
Smacking myself, I recalled the reason I was searching the crowd in the first place. I found her with her drink held up high, dancing with some idiot with slicked back hair and tattoos coming out of his collar. Tattooed bad boys were her kryptonite.
The crowd was closing in, like they somehow knew that a song was going to start that was going to make them crazy. I cut my way through to her just as her eyes snagged on mine. She smiled big, too big. Shit!
As soon as the beat started to pound, I grabbed her chin and looked into her eyes. Her pupils were so big they looked like saucers, and the corner of her nose had some white dust. I growled, “Vivian!”
She patted my cheek, rubbing her nose before looking at me like I was being unreasonable. “Come on, Lay! Just have fun with me. Let go for once. No one is out to get you.”
“Everyone is out to get everyone,” I mumbled even though I knew that she wasn’t in the right headspace to understand that.
“Who the fuck are you?” the guy behind her said as he grabbed her hips to yank her back. Glaring at him, I quickly downed my drink, grabbed Vivian’s, and drank hers before I shoved both cups into his chest, making them his problem. With that, I grabbed her hand and went off. All I knew was that I needed to get her away from him and get this coke to burn through her system now.
“Lay! That was badass!” Vivian exclaimed, but I only held on to her hand harder as I moved us into the middle of the dance floor.
Yanking her around to face me, I argued, “And that was reckless, Viv! You don't know that asshole!”
She stuck out her lower lip and frowned. “It's just a little coke, Lay. It's not that big of a deal.”
I grabbed her head between my hands, bringing her forehead to mine. “No. It's not just a little coke. It's you putting your life in someone else's control. You don’t know it’s coke until you sniff it, and then what? What if he laced it? What if he tried to take you to a back room? It wasn't like I was around yet, and the music was so loud I wouldn't be able to hear your screams.”
She swayed her body to the beat, eyes still on me, so I gripped her harder to focus. “Girls like us end up on the front cover of newspapers with shitty articles written about how we should've known better. I want better for you.” Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and swayed with her. “I know Jimmy hurt you.” I felt her tighten up, about to yank out of my grasp, so I held on.
“I know that you want to drown out your pain and numb yourself, but that's not the way to do it. That's only giving that shithead power, and we refuse to do that, right?!”
She nodded, tears in her eyes. It broke my heart, but that wasn't my role tonight. I gave her ass a smack, shocking her out of her sadness. “So, let's have fun. We can just dance the pain away together. You and me.”
Smiling, she wrapped her arms around my neck, burrowing her head into me as she let out a small cry. “You're right. I know you are.” She lifted her head and swiped at the tear that was rolling down. “Plus, there are no tears allowed in the club! I wanna dance and forget that fucker.”
I let her pull my arm as we danced with each other. A few guys gave us hungry looks, but that was their problem. It wasn't about them tonight; it was about us. Not about forgetting the pain, but letting it go.
We danced and danced until her body moved more gracefully, unlike the jerky motions that came with the drugs. Her eyes seemed less clouded, and it made my heart happy to see her just being herself. Young and free.
“Holy shit, Vivian! Oh my god! I haven't seen you in ages!” A striking redhead danced up next to us, and Vivian let out one of those ear-splitting girly screams before she launched herself at this woman. I had my guard up because I had never seen her before in my life, but I told myself to be a little less protective. It seemed like Vivian knew her.
Vivian let go of the woman and turned toward me. “Lay! This is Rachel. She and her mom lived with us while they were going through a hard time.”
Rachel nodded at me, her smile sparkling while her eyes assessed me. It felt like a lioness sizing up competition, cold and calculating, but I stuck my hand out anyway. “Hi, I’m Layrin. I work with Vivian at the diner.”
“And my best friend!” Vivian giggled before looping her arm into Rachel’s. I got the feeling that move was more for me than for her by the way her eyes kept bouncing from Rachel’s to mine. I didn’t know what was up with this chick, but I wasn’t competing with her for anything.
Suddenly, I felt those two drinks I’d pounded earlier and needed to go ASAP. I touched Vivian’s shoulder to get her attention. “Hey, want to come with me to the bathroom? That badass moment is coming back to bite me.”
Rachel interjected, “Aww, Viv, I wanted to talk some more. The bathrooms are just right over there.” When I eyed Vivian and nodded toward the bathroom, Rachel followed with, “Don’t worry, girl. I’ll watch out for Viv, and we can keep dancing! I promise we won’t move from this spot.”
Vivian gave me a shrug and a smile. “I went before.” She tapped her nose, and I took a breath. She winked at me. “I promise I’ll be a good girl and wait right here for you. Scout’s honor and shit.”
I grumbled, “You were no scout.” Then I felt the urge again. “Fine. Stay here.” I glared at Vivian and Rachel, who rolled their eyes as they nodded. I didn’t like leaving her behind. I felt responsible for her since this was all my idea. An old voice filled my mind. Remember the orphanage. You look out for yourself, no one else. Three golden-haired boys flashed in my mind, and my heart gave a painful tug. If it wasn't for them, I might’ve really lived my life that way.
Nodding to both of them, I turned around. I needed to trust Vivian. She seemed like she knew how to handle that girl, and she was coming down off the coke high, so she had her mind about her. I should only be gone for like ten minutes.
I hadn’t gone to a lot of clubs in my day, so I was stunned when the line for the women's room wrapped around the wall and along the side of the dance floor.
What the fuck? It was going to take me fifteen minutes just to get through that line. I glanced at the guys and noticed no line and very few guys even going in. Well, fuck this. I would just have to go super fast. I darted for the men’s room, continuing on despite voices calling out that I was going into the wrong room.
“What the fuck?!” Some guy standing at the stall was looking at me in shock.
“I’m just going to pee, then I’m out of here, okay?” He nodded despite his open mouth and dazed eyes, so I stomped to the stall and locked it shut. I easily took care of my business, getting it done as fast as I could, and left that stall.
The guy was still there, holding his dick, while I washed my hands. He tried to give me his best sultry voice as he said, “Did you want to get a peek at the goods? I can show you if you're that thirsty for some dick.”
I grabbed the paper towels and wiped my hands clean. “Nah. That one has piss all around it. That's gross, dude. Maybe clean your dick off before offering it to someone.” He stuttered as I made my quick escape.
As soon as I took a few steps away from the door, a familiar slimy gaze landed on me, and I shuddered. Before I could react, a hand grabbed my arm and yanked me back down into the inky shadows of the hallway. I was shoved up against the wall before I could scream. Hands caged me in, and Finn’s face flickered beneath the shadows.
He bent his head near my neck, the scent of booze came off him so strongly my head hurt. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming out tonight, Layrin? I would’ve got you and your friend in the VIP section with me.” His lips hovered over my shoulder, and his body tightened. I looked next to my head, where his hands were curled into fists.
“I have been very gentle with you, Layrin. Been slow and kind, because I know what you went through.” My whole body jerked at his words. What the fuck did he mean by that?
He chuckled and stepped closer to seal our bodies together, making us look like two lovers. All I realized was that it was going to be harder to knee him in the balls with his body this close, but balls weren’t the only weak point on a man.
“Yes, my little bird. You flew away from that orphanage, from the town that called you the black cloud.” He ran a finger down my cheek. “One of my new guys is from that backward ass town. They saw you and immediately told me about it, so I kicked his ass for you. Do you like that, Layrin? I can protect you from all of them.”
His lips were just a breath away from my neck when he sighed. “God, you smell so good. I’ve been waiting so patiently for a taste, but I think my resolve is waning.” I tried to keep my breathing soft and even, not letting myself get worked up by the situation I was in. I needed to keep my wits about me to figure out how to get out of this.
A finger ran down my neck, along my collarbone, and down my shoulder. I suppressed the shudder that I was sure he would interpret as excitement even though it was really disgust. “Then I saw you like this, looking like a dime for me, and I knew this was my moment. I'll make you mine, tonight.”
His eyes changed in an instant, going from sleazy to predatory. His hand ran down my body, grabbing at it like it was already his. His salacious smile caused my stomach to curdle because I knew that look—this man was about to take what was in front of him, willing or not.
I needed to think of something to get myself out of this.
When I felt his fingers curl around the bottom of my dress, I remembered I was in heels. While I didn't have enough room to knee him in the balls, I did have enough to hurt him in a soft spot and get away.
I sagged against the wall, making my body relax so he’d think I was giving in. His eyes sparkled at my defeat, his tongue swiping at his bottom lip as he backed up just an inch to look down at my body with hunger. Letting one of my legs fall to the side, he gave me the room to widen my stance.
It only took a second, just a second, to lift that escaped leg and slam my heel right into his foot with all of my might. He swiped at me with his fist, but I bent down to dodge it as he crumpled over, howling at the pain in his foot. Not wanting to waste any time, I had turned to run when I heard a very familiar sound, followed by blood curdling screams.
Pop, pop, pop, pop.
Chaos descended on the dark hallway, with people scrambling to get away. Everyone was pushing me back when all I could think about was Vivian. I needed to get Vivian out of here.
Pop, pop, pop.
“Finn! Get out here, you motherfucker! I know you stole my money, bitch!”
Fucking Finn! He’d brought his fucking gang shit down on us. If I wasn't so locked on trying to reach Vivian, I might’ve turned around and kicked him in the stomach, but that didn't matter now. I needed to get Vivian out of here.
It was hard to get anywhere when you had to move against the current of fearful people. Shoving them back for a second, I kicked off my heels, using one of them as a way to get people to part. They quickly caught on to the psycho with a silver heel and began to part for me, which made it slightly easier to get back into the room.
Bodies were littered around the dance floor, making it hard to find anyone. My heart began to pound as my eyes darted everywhere, scanning the crowd for my friend. I just needed to know that she wasn't on this dirty floor. I needed to confirm that she had escaped somehow.
Men at the front were still calling for Finn, waving their guns around at a few of his guys, trying to find out where he was.
I almost took a breath of relief when my eyes snagged on an abandoned red heel in front of a booth. Bright blonde strands stuck out from under the table. My heart dropped, and a buzzing filled my ears as I slowly got on my hands and knees, making my way closer.
Each shuffle forward felt like I was crawling on glass, my chest pounding loudly. No. Please. Please don’t let it be her. Please be someone else. Anyone else. I pleaded to a deity I knew didn't exist, but it was all I could do.
I vaguely heard the gunmen shoot again, flinching at the sound, but my eyes were glued to the blonde hair splayed out in front of me.
Curled up beneath the booth, the person was holding their stomach. Bright red liquid escaped from their hand and onto the floor. The white fabric of their outfit turning a bright red, just like the abandoned shoe inches away from us. A sob began working its way through my throat as my vision blurred. My hands wouldn't stop shaking, but I knew I needed to see who this was.
My shaky hand gently moved the golden locks aside, and Vivian’s sky blue eyes, half lidded, found mine. She took a shaky breath, using all her strength as her voice rattled something, low and garbled. Blood seeped out of her mouth as she whispered, “Lay. Run.”
Her eyes rolled back into her head before her whole body slumped. “Viv.” My whisper was more of a sob as I forced my shaky hand to push on her leg. She just needed to stay up, keep awake. “Vivian.” My voice grew a little louder as my breathing came out faster. Waves of pain took over my body before I grabbed her and violently shook her.
Her head lolled side to side with no reaction, not even a wince at the pain. Her face was an immovable statue, cold and still.
Feeling like my world was crumbling, I cried out loud, and one of the gunmen yelled, “Who the fuck was that?”
I was in my own world, unable to be scared or move away from my dead friend. Dead . That was what Vivian was right now. She was dead, and I would never be able to talk to her again.
Why was she dead? Why did it have to be her? What did she ever do to these fuckers? Nothing. Vivian had done nothing . She was just some girl with a shitty life who was trying to find some light at the end of the tunnel. She’d worked hard to try to find it.
Was this my fault? Was I really cursed? Did I bring bad shit with me wherever I went? Combing my hands through her hair, I was getting the sinking feeling that what they all believed was true. I was the bringer of death and destruction, even if I didn't mean to be.
Police sirens sounded in the distance. The gunmen cursed, said “Fuck it,” then ran off.
A set of hands grabbed me and yanked me out from underneath the booth. I pushed away on instinct, clawing and punching at the hands until a stern, deep, angry voice broke through the haze. “Hey. Hey! We need to get out of here before the cops come. Now.”
My reply came out in a foreign, lost voice. “My friend. I can’t leave my friend. She’s all I have.”
The hands grabbed my face, and I tried to shove them away, but they were stronger than me. The voice growled in my ear, “Would your friend want you dead?”
No. She wouldn't. Lay, run . Those were her last words. Even while dying, she knew how the system would go. The cops would have me give my story, but if they didn’t catch anyone, they would somehow loop me in, trying to use me as bait to lure someone forward. They would use me like everyone else in this world.
That horrible voice in the back of my head bled forward, sinking into my psyche. She died because of you. Because you’re the cursed child. A dark cloud. You just claimed your latest victim.
Choking down a sob, my knees wobbled, about to crumble again. I heard “Fuck this,” then the person threw me over their shoulder and ran out the side door.
Bouncing around on someone's back shook me out of my cloud of despair, and I noticed that the person was wearing black army boots, black pants, and a black shirt. With how this person was holding me, I was guessing it was a man, but I didn't really know. So caught up in my grief, I noticed nothing but the clothing and that angry, deep, gruff voice.
I felt a sting in my leg and called out to my savior or captor—I didn’t know which yet. My eyes began to droop, and the world faded away. For once, I didn’t fight it. I gave in to sweet, blank darkness. Finally, I can escape .