And Then There Was Victor

Chapter 10

I throw my hands up in the air. "It's like being with my brothers all of the time, you guys have no filter around me, you fart, you talk about girls' asses, I can't even mention the word menstruation – you see! - before the lot of you are gasping in horror, I need a change!"

Jon is the first one to recover from my rant. He comes closer and in a stage whisper so ridiculous he says, "Are you on your period and should we be sensitive about this?"

"Oh god," Victor said and I saw him place his face in his hand.

Jon, however, doesn't look like he's trying to insult me and I realized that none of these three musketeers know how to deal with a woman. Zero clues, zip, nada. I took a deep shaky breath and leveled him with a look.

"No, but thank you for asking," I said. "Never ask again."

I don't let them speak, I marched right out of the Atrium, refusing to allow them to damper my mood. I was going to Club Test tonight, I was going to look hot, and I was going to dance without restrictions or pressures.

Isla picked me up at 10 p.m. and I stifled a yawn when I entered her car, I was not a night owl at all. She looked stunning, her dress was a tiny wisp of a thing, plunging down low into her navel. It helped that she had small perfect breasts that didn't need to be held up with duct tape. She was already smoking when she looked me over.

"Hot," she said. I looked down at my top and jeans, I felt a little underdressed compared to her.

She drove like a maniac, zig-zagging in and out of traffic, pushing people off I-4 in a brazen and uncompromising manner. I was holding on to the oh-shit-handle with all of my strength, eating my red lipstick right off my lips. I was almost relieved when she pulled up to a small nondescript location, found parking and stopped the car with a lurch. I was going to vomit. She thought it was hilarious.

"You're so pure, god, what a thing," she said. She stubbed out her cigarette on her heel and then she tossed her hair back, a cascade of pitch-black dyed curls.

"I don't know about pure," I said.

"You're a virgin, right?" She pointed a long black nail at me but she had a kind smile on her face. I nodded. "I'm going to get you laid, that's what I'm going to do. You'll thank me."

"I can figure it out on my own," I said as we walked to the Club entrance.

The music was pumping with furor, and I noticed guys dressed in a lot of leather, lounging by the entrance and smoking. I suddenly felt self-conscious, I wasn't dressed right, I barely showed any skin, and the only thing that was scandalous was my red lipstick which I was sure I had eaten in my panic at death on the highway to hell.

"Relax," Isla said and grabbed my hand. As we walked closer to the entrance we got a cat-call which made Isla smile and me blush. I was a little confused until the bouncer who sat on a barstool by the door looked us up and down.

"Carbon," Isla said and smiled at the man.

"Man, I haven't seen you in ages," he said. He was a fairly large man, looked a lot like a Sumo wrestler, with a thick black braid going down his back, wearing nothing but an open leather vest and pants, his slanted eyes painted black, and a large gold hoop earring on his lip.

She tossed her hair at me. "Brought a little something."

"Ok, short rack, come on in," he waved us in.

"Short rack?" I hissed at Isla as she pulled me in.

"You're short and you've got a rack, take the name and embrace it," she said.