Chapter Forty Willow
Chapter Forty
Willow
Holy shit. This club is incredible! When we first got here I was a little apprehensive to let loose and let my guard down, but once Ella’s boyfriend Tommy bought us the first few drinks and the alcohol hit me, I haven’t stopped dancing.
The speakers around the club rattle the walls as ‘Don’t Stop - DJ HEARTSTRING, southstar’ plays out to the crowd and strobe lights illuminate everyone as a smoked filled haze surrounds us. Sweat drips from everyone as the humidity in the air reaches a high.
I close my eyes and breathe in as I completely let go and feel every single beat of the music, letting it move through me as the girls dance beside me.
I have missed this. Feeling this free. This is why I love music, specifically this kind of music.
Alina and I always used to blast cheesy hardcore rave songs when we were younger and it quickly turned into finding DJs we loved, music that made us feel lifted, made us forget any troubles we had, that completely took over us, and we soon became obsessed with going to clubs and raves at any opportunity.
The music mixes into ‘Chihiro - Gravagerz’ and I smile, eyes still closed and continue dancing, forgetting absolutely everything back in New York.
I’m so lost to the music it takes me a minute to realise someone has moved in behind me, grinding against me and their hands land on my hips. I immediately know it isn’t one of the girls and I turn around quickly to find it’s one of Tommy’s friends.
I didn’t catch his name, none of us spoke to the guys who came to pick us up from the airport or the group that arrived after us tonight.
I push him back a little from me but he doesn’t get the hint, he moves towards me again smiling down at me with a hint of nastiness behind it.
“Dude, get the fuck away from her, she doesn’t want to dance with you.” Alina shouts at him over the music. He just laughs in her face as she steps in front of me while Gigi pulls me closer to her.
“You wanna dance then?” He says to Alina as he reaches down and pulls her towards him by her ass.
Oh no.
All I see is Alina smiling at him and not in a friendly way, but in the way she smiles for herself because she’s going to enjoy what she does next.
I don’t have time to grab her and pull her back before she leans back a little and punches the guy straight on the jaw. She did it so quick, he has no clue what’s happened for a few seconds before his senses come back and grabs her by her throat.
“Think you’re fuckin’ tough you stupid bitch?”
He’s right in her face now and she claws at his hands.
Gigi and I quickly grab at his arm and she tries to kick him in his groin but he’s holding Alina too close to him.
I try to unwrap his hand from Alina’s neck, and despite her face now turning slightly red, she brings a hand up to his face and scratches down one side of him before trying to stick her fingers in his eyes.
Why the hell is nobody around us stepping in to stop him?
I see Ella and Mia running to Tommy and his group to get their attention meanwhile Alina’s eyes start rolling back in her head and this guy doesn’t let up on her despite Gigi and I doing everything we can.
I start to panic and look all around us for someone to help, but everyone just steps away and looks the other direction.
I see another guy who’s backed up from us standing there with a bottle in his hand and without thinking, I grab the bottle from him and use all the strength I have to smash it over this guys head.
He finally lets go of Alina and Gigi catches her before she drops to the ground just as Ella, Mia and Tommy make it to us just as blood pours from his friend’s face.
“What the FUCK are you doing Finn?” Tommy snarls in his face as he grabs him by the back of the neck and walks him off through the crowd towards a set of doors at the back of the club.
Ella helps Gigi walk Alina through the crowd to the exit and Mia grabs my hand to pull me out behind them.
“Ella who the hell does your boyfriend concern himself with?” Gigi shouts as we pile outside onto the street and I check that Alina is okay.
“Alina look at me.” I hold her face in my hands, looking in her eyes as she gasps for breath, holding her throat. Her entire body shakes like she’s going into shock and I know I need to get her back to the hotel.
“I’m calling an Uber. Are you guys coming with us?” I announce to everyone and Ella looks between us all nervously and Gigi scoffs at her while shaking her head.
“You’re honestly going to stay here with him?” Gigi questions her furiously.
“I need to find out what the hell happened and why his friend has done this and why he is even friends with a guy like that!” She replies in shock, looking between us all.
“What happened is that his friends are fucking assholes Ella!” Gigi says, pointing to the club.
“I’m just going to go find him and make sure he’s sorting this mess out.”
“What about THIS mess…” Mia speaks up, throwing her hands up in the direction of Alina and I.
“That Finn guy wouldn’t take no for an answer Ella. Willow did the only thing she could do after he attacked Alina. The only mess here to make sure is sorted is getting Alina home safe.” Mia adds as she comes to sit beside Alina and I.
Ella looks around us all before nodding, looking back up towards the doors of the club and then back to us.
“You’re right, I’m sorry guys. Let’s just get the next Uber and get back to the hotel.”
Gigi books the next available ride and I clutch onto Alina like she could evaporate into thin air at any second.
I’ve never seen a guy act so violent towards a woman before, not in real life, not my own experience with it.
Suddenly I’m terrified that we’re here in a city we aren’t familiar with, that’s being paid for by men none of us know apart from Ella, and even she now seems scared about what’s happened.
The sooner this weekend is over, the better.