“Hey Jordie!” I greeted happily as I laid lazily on my bed at home.
“Hey Jaycee!” Jordyn replied with equal amounts of happiness as me. “I miss you dude!”
“I know right!” I exclaimed. “I haven’t talked to you since I set you up on a date with Zacky.”
“Oh my God, you’re right!” Jordyn gasped. “That was like a month ago and I didn’t even tell you how it went!”
“We’re shitty friends.” I announced, causing Jordyn to laugh.
“Indeed we are.” She giggled. “Let’s change that though. You, me, and a few other friends, tonight at Liquid?”
“Sounds fun. I need to let myself go anyway.” I agreed.
“Yeah. And if we get drunk you can just have Zacky pick us up.” Jordyn continued. I nodded and rolled off the couch.
“Sure thing. I’ll talk with Zach about it and meet you tonight, okay?” I informed her.
“Sounds great. See you tonight babe.” Jordyn squealed before hanging up. I laughed and cleaned off my screen before walking to the bathroom and jumping into the shower. Today I didn’t have any plans so it was a perfect night to hang out with my other friends. Matt was supposed to come over today but he was getting his hair shaved again and then he would be meeting up with the others to play music to their little hearts’ content. I took extra time in my shower to clean myself before getting out and wrapping myself in a towel. I pulled up Zach’s contact and began texting him.
Hanging out with Jordyn & friends tonight. Be our ride if we get drunk?-K
I’ll be Jordyn’s ride any night ;) –Z
I’m taking that as a yes.-K
I rolled my eyes before beginning the process to make me Night-club ready. I blow-dried my navy hair before pulling out my straightener. I was too lazy to curl it, and I wanted to keep it original. After I straightened it I pinned back my shortest layer so that some of my hair was out of my face. I put on silver eye shadow and thick black eyeliner and mascara before switching my lip ring to my black one. I went out to my closet and pulled out a form-fitting red dress, wanting to feel a little sexy. I pulled out black stilettos and slid them on before looking at the time. It was about seven, and even though it was a little early, I grabbed the necessities before walking out of the house.
Heading there now, too excited to wait.-K
No prob, I’ll be there by about eight or so.-J
I shrugged and went to my car, trying not to trip as I walked down the stairs. It had been a while since I had worn heels, but they made me feel sexy. I slid into my car and took off my heels before pulling out of the parking lot. I was glad to be hanging out with Jordyn and the others today, since I haven’t seen them in forever. I was such a shitty friend when it came to keeping in contact. I guess I’ve just been distracted.
When I reached Liquid I slid on my shoes and headed inside. I squinted at the florescent lights as I entered the club and looked around. It was packed as usual, all young adults like me. I walked over to the bar and immediately gave the guy my ID before ordering a drink. None of my friends would be here for another hour, but that didn’t mean I had to wait for them to get relaxed by some drinks. As I sipped on my drink, a boy that looked to be about my age walked over to me. He had blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes, and he was about as tall as Brian. He was wearing a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, black straight jeans, and converse. He sat down next to me and ordered a round of shots.
“Hey there.” The guy said, sending me a cunning smile. I couldn’t help but feel awkward just as much as I felt flattered since this was probably the first time a straight guy came up to me in a club to talk to me.
“Hi.” I answered quietly, my shy side kicking in. I watched as his eyes scanned my body, my face getting as red as my dress when he smirked.
“What’s a beautiful girl like you doing alone at a club like this?” He said cunningly, a sexy smile running across his face.
“I’m waiting for my friends to come here.” I answered quickly, trying not to let myself stutter. I had to admit that the dude wasn’t that bad looking, but he didn’t compare to Matt or Brian. He was cute, but not cute enough to take me home.
“When will they be here?” He purred, sliding himself a little closer to me. I chugged down the rest of my drink and wiped my mouth a little with my fingers.
“Eight.” I announced simply. He nodded and put his hand out to me.
“The name’s Brady.” He introduced. I put my hand in his and he squeezed my hand.
“Jessica.” I gulped, not feeling comfortable to give him any of my nicknames. He smiled and handed me a shot. I was a little worried but it was free so I took it gratefully and threw the burning liquid down my throat. I held back a disgusted face and shook my head a little before turning my attention back to him. I ordered another drink and took a sip as he watched me intently with lustful eyes.
“So Jessica, are you single?” How do I answer this?! Technically I was, because Brian was just a friend with benefits and my relationship with Matt wasn’t official for irritating reasons. Maybe if I got drunk enough I could go set Gayle on fire. I still didn’t know how to answer this, but I knew that if I said yes Brady would try to take me home.
“Uh, no.” I stammered as I took another gulp of my drink. I could feel a small buzz, but it was nothing I was worried about. I didn’t plan on getting drunk until my friends got here.
“What a lucky man.” Brady huffed, looking slightly disappointed. I let out a silent breath of relief when Brady’s eyebrows rose. “So what’s the guy’s name?” why does he have to ask complicated questions?!
“M-Matt.” I said, choking on my drink a little. What was I supposed to say? Out of Brian and Matt, Matt was somewhat closer to being my legitimate boyfriend than Brian. I didn’t want to say Brian anyway, because that’d be weird to say I was dating him if we didn’t have feelings for each other. I didn’t know what Brian felt, but I just enjoyed his company. He was a great help to cheer me up about the Matt thing, but I never took enough time to picture me with him before. I shook myself out of the deep thoughts I was having of the status of Brian and I, since I was currently in a club, getting hit on by Brady.
“Nice name.” Brady grumbled. He slapped down enough money to pay for his shots as well as my drinks and chugged the last two shots before smiling warily at me and leaving. I sat awkwardly as I sipped on my drink, replaying what just happened. Around the third time that I replayed it, there was a tap on my shoulder.
“I saw that.” A low voice murmured. I turned around to see Jamison standing behind me, a goofy look on his face. “That piece of man candy was totally trying to get with you.”
“Well sucks for the man candy because I have enough as it is.” I mumbled to myself as I scowled into my drink. I looked back at Jamie to see a shocked look on his face.
“What’s wrong, Jay?” Jamie asked, concern filling his voice. I sighed and finished off my drink, grimacing a little when it burned my throat.
“Nothing.” I puffed. Jamie gave me a look and I sighed again. “Boys are just stupid.”
“Trust me, babe, I know.” Jamie agreed as he nodded his head. I raised my eyebrows and stared at him.
“But you’re-”
“Yes, Jay, we all know that I like dick. But that doesn’t mean I don’t know how shitty of a gender us males are sometimes.” Jamie chuckled. I pursed my lips and laughed a little, surprised by his honesty. Usually my guy friends would be like ‘guys are fucking awesome!’ Jamie let out a sigh and pinched my cheek. “Why do you think most of my friends are girls?”
“Touché.” I laughed. He sat down and began to order a round of shots when I heard a squeal.
“Jaycee!” Jordyn yelled. I stood up and hugged her, nearly crashing into Jamie’s legs as Jordyn jumped into my embrace. I laughed and let her go to watch Jordyn bounce with excitement.
“Hey babe.” I greeted. The bartender put the shots on the bar and before Jamie could even pick up his hand from the bar surface, Jordyn was downing two of the shots.
“Bitch, you do not drink my shots before I do.” Jamie barked, shoving Jordyn a little. She snickered and stuck her tongue out at him before setting the shots down and grabbing my hand.
“Come on, Jay, everyone else went to the dance floor.” Jordyn chimed as she pulled me away from Jamie. He followed behind us as Jordyn pulled me to the complete other side of the dance floor, which was also right next to a bar.
For about an hour, Jordyn, Jamie and I all danced together. Well, Jordyn danced. Jamie and I just kind of awkwardly swayed as Jordyn grinded up against us. I, on the other hand, didn’t feel like using my gay friend as a stripper pole and just did my awkward hand dances. All this time, though, all the friends that came with Jordyn never showed up. She said that TJ came with her, along with a few other friends I hadn’t met yet. Jordyn kept shoving drinks down Jamie’s and my throat, so both of us were somewhat tipsy. Finally, at about ten, Jordyn disappeared for a few minutes, before reappearing with two girls.
“Jaycee, this is my two other friends.” Jordyn proclaimed proudly.
“My name is Cass.” The shorter one greeted. I mean, the way shorter one. Cass had to be only about 4’10”, which was horrifyingly small for a 21 year old. She had cotton candy pink hair with light purple strips in her hair and a nose stud. Her dark make-up made her deep brown eyes bigger and darker compared to her pale skin. She was wearing a tight black tank top with a yellow tutu and black and white striped knee socks which were worn under those converse secret high heel things. If you asked me, it kind of looked like she was stuck in a scene phase, but then I took that back because some people in the club were wearing weirder things, and she honestly looked adorable in it.
“And I’m Lyssa.” The other said quietly. She was about my height and had auburn hair color. She also had a nose stud, and she was wearing light make-up. Her purple dress was cocktail style and had a black bow under her chest area. She was wearing black heels identical to mine, as well as fishnet tights. Taking in their appearance, I almost didn’t catch her name.
“…Lyssa?” I repeated. She nodded and I scrunched up my eyebrows. “Is that short for Melyssa or Alyssa?”
“Nope.” She replied. I nodded and smiled before waving at them.
“I’m Jessica. Jaycee for short, and Jay for shorter.” I listed. They chuckled a little before looking at Jamie.
“Jamison, why don’t you get us some shots before going to find TJ, Dalton, and Alyx? I’m sure TJ is probably grinding up on some poor innocent soul right now.” Cass commanded in a sweet voice. Jamison rolled his eyes and nodded before walking off to the bar. We made small talk before Jamison came back, and when he did we sucked down the shots. Now everyone was a little bit loose around each other and we all began dancing, myself included. After about half an hour of dancing, we all just stood and talked. Lyssa zoned out and stared at the bar for a little bit before slapping Cass’ arm.
“Dude. Dude. Dude.” Lyssa repeated, her eyes flickering from her friend back to the bar. Cass glared at her and slapped her arm roughly, causing Lyssa to yelp.
“What?” Cass snapped. Lyssa pointed to the bar and Cass squinted her eyes before they went wide.
“I think that guy is watching us.” Lyssa whispered quietly. They both looked down at the floor and I glanced over my shoulder.
“Of course he is, who would wear fucking aviators in a dark club?” Cass said roughly. I smiled at their conversation as I stared at the figure. He was pretty unmistakable with his aviators, bandana/hat combo, and tattoo sleeves to make up for his sleeveless shirt.
“He’s not a stalker.” I chuckled as I turned a little to him. He shot me a smile and I returned it.
“Hey, that looks like…” Jordyn began, squinting her eyes to see him more clearly through the bright dance floor lights. The other girls mimicked her and as though it were like a timer they all shot up. “Is that M. Shadows?”
“Nah.” I shrugged as I left our group and walked over to him. His grin widened and I stopped in front of him and crossed my arms like he was. “What are you doing here, stranger?”
“Just watching this stunning girl try to dance.” He retorted, chuckling a little. I rolled my eyes and punched him lightly.
“I thought you were supposed to have band practice tonight.” I stated. He nodded and I raised my eyebrows. “Why are you here?”
“We did have practice, until Emma came in and took our bassist from us.” Matt informed me as he shifted his weight. I could vaguely see him roll his eyes, and I copied him.
“That girl has got him on a chain.” I addressed as I shifted my weight.
“You’re telling me.” Matt agreed. I smiled and cocked my head to the side, curiosity overtaking me.
“So how did you know I was here?” I persisted. Matt flashed me a grin and I bit my lip.
“Zach mentioned that you asked him for a ride if you got drunk at a club. I automatically assumed this one.” Matt explained. I smiled lightly.
“Good assumption.” I mused. He chuckled and nodded before stretching his back against the side of the bar. I looked back at the girls, who were all watching me with wide eyes. “Do you want to go dance with my friends?”
“Aren’t they going to freak out that I’m M. freaking Shadows?” Matt asked, mocking my voice as he recited what I have called him before. I rolled my eyes and punched him before shaking my head.
“Not if I say your name is Charlie.” I suggested, deciding to use his middle name as an alias. Matt scrunched his face up and shook his head.
“Even if I was Charlie, I’d have the same tats as M. Shadows,” Matt retorted matter-of-factly.
“You’re a huge fan?” I offered. He shook his head and I sighed and pouted. “Fine. We’ll just tell them not to freak out. Please come dance with me?”
“Who can say no to your pouty face?” Matt giggled before pulling me into a hug. I smiled and pulled him to where my friends were gawking. I held back a snicker as I watched Cass stare up at Matt, who towered her by over a foot.
“Guys, this is my… friend Matt.” I informed them. I saw Matt flinch a little at the label I gave him, but I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want any of them to tell everyone in Huntington that I was dating Matt, because that would get back around to the boys. Especially if Jordyn fawned over it to Zach or Emma.
“You… You know M. Shadows?” Cass stammered. I nodded and wrapped my arm around his waist.
“Yeah.” I answered happily as I laid my head on his shoulder. Matt squeezed my side and kissed the crown of my head before turning attention to them.
“Nice to meet you.” Matt said in a sweet voice. Cass and Lyssa looked sick, but Jordyn just looked a little excited. She had already been on a date with Zacky Vengeance, so meeting Shadows probably wasn’t as nerve wracking as it would be if she never met Zach.
“Oh, sorry. This is Jordyn, Lyssa, and short stack over there is Cass.” I introduced as I pointed to them. Matt laughed and looked at Cass.
“I can’t believe there could be someone shorter than Short Shit.” Matt snickered. Cass squeaked and Matt laughed again before looking at Jordyn. “And you must be the beautiful Jordyn that Zach wouldn’t shut up about.”
“He doesn’t shut up about me?” Jordyn swooned. Matt smiled and nodded.
“He really likes you. As far as I know Zach’s not that busy tonight, maybe you should hang out with him later.” Matt suggested. Jordyn nodded excitedly and hugged Matt.
“Thank you!” Jordyn squealed. Matt chuckled and patted her back before she pulled away. “So let’s dance!” We all began dancing again, loosening up again after figuring out the stalker was just my secret boyfriend. Matt stood behind me with his arms around my waist as I swayed back and forth between his grip, not really up for dancing.
“You’re looking beautiful tonight, by the way.” Matt whispered. My face flushed and I smiled shyly at him before looking away. “Why don’t we head back to your place for the night?” I shivered as his lips touched my ear and I nodded excitedly. I told the girls I was leaving and waved goodbye before nearly running out of the club, my hand entwined with Matt’s.

Notes

Well, I learned my lesson on asking you guys who you wanted xDD (oh, btw, the score was Syn-9, Shadz-7, if I counted correctly) Seriously guys, way to start an effing shitstorm on my story xD <3 So at first I was going to have you guys comment on what you wanted me to name it until I realized that the sequel title really needs to be based on what happens at the end of this book. So I'm going to leave a list of the four (used to be three) names I have picked out for it and you think on those and come back to this list after the book is done and tell me which you think fits how TVH ended:
1. Feelings Unsure
2. Show Me What It's Like To Be Set Free
3. Time Soaked With Blood (Turns Its Back)
4. You've Fallen Asleep In Denial (Given to me by reader Kassipoola, thank you <3)
So think on those and tell me what you think will fit when I end this story-- which will be at chapter 80. Hold on to your feels, folks ;3 ~Jessi