I Said No

Chapter twenty seven

I feel the bass pounding in my heart. The dimmed lights and drinks in everyone's hands make the entire crowd look beautiful. Everyone's smiling and having fun, dancing and laughing. Those guys that got us in are still all over us.

"I need to go to the bathroom," Alicia says loud enough for all to hear, her eyes shooting darts at me and her eyebrows raised. This is it— our getaway.

"Me too!" I shout back. "Thanks guys for getting us in."

"How about a drink?" One of the three guys asks me in a Spanish accent.

"Yes we would!" exclaims a very drunk Layla as she grabs onto one of them very tightly. He's short and quite round. Definitely not her type. She's into the very tall and lean and not our dads' age kind of guy. Maybe it's all just an act to get us more drinks. She leads him to the bar, holding onto his hand. "Three vodka crans!" She shouts to the bartender and then proceeds to hand them to Alicia and I as they come up. I am surprised they served her. She's obviously intoxicated.

"Ok, I really need to go to the bathroom now!" Alicia eludes it's time to go. We walk away with our drinks in hand, but Layla doesn't follow us.

I walk back to her and whisper in her ear, "Let's dump them. Come to the bathroom with us."

"I don't want to. He's cute," she slurs.

"He's not cute. You're drunk. Come with us."

"No thanks," she replies and then starts kissing the man. I grab her by the arm and pull her away.

"I need her to come with me," I yell over the music. "Sorry." I rush her away from him. He was completely ready to take full advantage of her, touching her butt and kissing her back. We get back to Alicia who is waiting in the very long bathroom line. "I got her," while mouthing "she's drunk." Alicia gives me a nod.

"I want to go outside and smoke." Layla yells and then turns and starts walking away without any response from us.

"I actually have to go to the bathroom," I say to Alicia. "Could you go with her. Keeps those guys off of her... Shit, she's already kissing him again!" I yell as I point over at her.

"I'll handle it."

Now Alicia is pulling her by the arm away from that guy. And out they go. She is probably going to get that smoke in now.

The line is so immensely long. I'm in the far end of the line, on the other side of the room, which continues through a hallway and then into the women's bathroom. I finish the drink that is in my hand and then look at my phone. Nothing. No texts, no calls.

I look around at my fellow bathroom compadres; girls laughing, crying, some with their legs crossed trying to hold it in. There goes a girl skipping the line, running to throw up. She holds her mouth and looks pale as a ghost. She makes it all the way to the door without one person protesting her skipping the entire line. Oh, I spoke too soon. As she was opening the door, a girl stops her and starts yelling. Whoops, that girl just got puked on. Guess she should have been understanding. I laugh out loud. Did that just happen? Can't wait to tell Alicia and Layla.

"Emily." I turn to see who is calling my name. "Who the fuck do you think you are talking so much shit about me?" Oh no. Not her. I've never met her in person, only seen her on Facebook when I've stalked her. "Yeah, I had his baby. You're not even with him. Get over it."

"Who are you?" I ask. Trying to play coy. I can't give her that edge. I've never met her in person. Maybe she'll believe me. But wait, she's never met me either. She must have looked me up too.