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Entry start. The year was 4022. The day was Sunday, January 1. The time was 12:00 noon on the dot. This may seem like a…
I get that while living in a small town, you’re bound to hear secrets every once in a while. I’ve had a few secrets get…
Do you have friends that like taking you out of your comfort zone? Do they find some way to reassure you that everything will go…
Do you have friends that like taking you out of your comfort zone? Do they find some way to reassure you that everything will go well even if you think it won’t? If you don’t have friends like that, consider yourself lucky. If you do, you’re in luck. You’re not alone. I have two “friends” like that. Archie is probably my more sensible friend, and I can tell he’s just trying to make sure I’m living life to the fullest rather than staying cooped up in my house all day and night. He’d usually drag me out to just get some fresh air on a walk or drive around until we’re both ready to head home. Meanwhile, there’s Devin, our resident loose cannon. He definitely lives life to the fullest, but it’s to a point where it’s become a miracle of nature that he somehow hasn’t died yet. He usually tries talking me into joining him, but I end up trying to talk him out of whatever stunt he’s about to pull. One thing that I’ll admit is that neither one of them really take “no” for an answer whenever they suggest something fun for the three of us to do. I learned this fact the hard way about a month ago.
The two of them were visiting my place like normal after I had just finished intensely mourning a recently deceased relationship when Devin sat down beside me on the living room couch and sighed heavily with a wide grin. This always meant he had something up his sleeve and wanted to tell me. In other words, this was a clear sign he was going to do something stupid and involve us somehow. Apparently, he had decided that it was time to get out of the apartment and enjoy a good old-fashioned, alcohol-fueled club party. Archie was surprisingly backing up this idea (minus the alcohol part) since he also knew I hadn’t been in the right mind for a while. Naturally, I knew what I was going to say before they even had to ask.
“I’m not going,” I said.
“Oh, come on, man!” Devin whined. “It’s just one night. It won’t kill you.”
“I know that. But…I’m just not sure about going right now. I just got over…her, and I really don’t think I’m ready to head out just yet. Besides, if I do this, I just know it’s gonna end poorly, and chances are it’ll be your fault.”
“Jasper, my buddy, just hear me out,” he said while putting an arm around me. “You’ve been moping about this breakup for over two months. It’s seriously time for you to get back out there. Plus, you’ve been out to clubs with us before, and that’s how the last relationship started. Don’t you want another shot at finding the right girl?”
“Well…yeah, I-I guess,” I said uneasily. “I’ve moved on, but-”
“Then this is your chance!” Archie declared. “It’s literally just one night, and that’s it. And if you don’t like it, we’ll take you home with no questions asked. And we’ll be right by your side the whole time. Right, Devin?” He glared at him mildly threateningly. He was right to do that since we both knew about the jerk’s track record of disappearing on us.
“Yeah, yeah, we won’t leave you,” Devin said while rolling his eyes. He didn’t plan to keep his word, but I expected it at that point.
I thought it over. These two have been in my life for as long as I can remember, and we’ve been to a good number of parties and clubs before. They’ve gone to a few more than I have because I’m not a people person. However, they normally have my back at times, and it had been a bit too long since I’d been out. As much as I hated to admit it, they made good points. Just sitting at home wasn’t going to make me feel any better. Finally, I relented.
“Alright, I’ll go with you guys,” I sighed. “Might as well give it a try, right?”
“Yes!” Devin cheered. “Oh, and I heard that there’s a dress code, so you gotta find a good outfit.”
“What’s the dress code?”
“Apparently, it’s called ‘fancy but wild.’ Just dress up in the most ridiculous but stylish suit you’ve got, and you’re good to go.”
“Well, alright. I have something in mind, but I’ll surprise you when we meet up.”
Archie and Devin looked at each other and grinned.
“It’s the blue tux, isn’t it?” Archie asked me.
“Well, so much for the surprise,” I groaned. The two laughed, and I couldn’t keep from joining in.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
A week later, at around seven at night, Archie came to pick me up. He knocked on my apartment door, and as soon as I opened it, his eyes widened. Mine probably did the same when I saw his outfit. He had on a white sequined tuxedo with a black shirt and white bowtie. His brown hair was cleaned and neatly styled like usual. Honestly, he looked mostly pretty sharp, but the sequins of the suit made it seem like he was ready for a prom date. To be fair, I probably looked fine as well. I wore a light blue tuxedo with a white shirt and a black tie. We looked each other over.
“Nice suit,” I chuckled while locking the door behind me.
“Same to you, good sir,” Archie said while cracking a smile. “Ready to go?”
“Yeah, but where’s Devin?”
“He said he’d meet us there. He plans to leave with someone, so he wanted his own car to leave if it happens.”
“He’s not gonna pull it off.”
“He’s not, but you still wanna bet on it?”
I shrugged. It’s been a long-standing “tradition” for the two of us to bet if Devin will actually get a girl or at least a number when he claims that he will by the end of the night. He never succeeded most of the time, and we always knew that going into the bet. To make it fair, we mix up who’s betting if he’s successful each time. This time, I bet he wouldn’t get a girl.
Archie took me to a club that I didn’t recognize. I honestly can’t remember the name of the place either, but it was a lot larger than most others that we’ve seen. Devin was waiting by his car, and we parked near him. If anyone else saw him, it would’ve been obvious that he was with us because he wore a red suit with a black bowtie and white shirt. The sleeves of his jacket had small flame decals on the cuffs. His black hair was normally messy and drenched in gels, but he styled it to look neater for the night. Seeing him with that was a little strange because I was too used to how it normally looked.
“Wow, that suit brings back some bad memories…” Archie said as he shuddered uncomfortably. “Please tell me you had it cleaned after the last time you wore it.”
“It’s clean now,” Devin said with a sneaky grin. “But later, who knows?”
The look in his eyes let me know that he wasn’t planning to ease into the party. He was planning to go all out from the start, which quickly put me on edge before setting foot into the club.
“L-Look, guys,” I started anxiously. “Maybe we should start slow before we actually get too deep into this, you know? I mean, it’s my first time going out like this since the breakup, and I’m still kinda rusty at this.”
“Dude, how do you kill the mood before we even get into the party?” Devin said in annoyance.
“You. Shut up,” Archie said, pointing to him before resting a hand on my shoulder. “Jasper, I thought about it. If this is too much for you, you don’t have to do this. I know you’re not totally up for it, so we can do something else if you’d like.”
“No, no, I still want to go here,” I said quickly. “Let’s just start…slower, okay?”
“Would you quit worrying?” Devin said impatiently. “It always starts slow. Now, let’s get moving already!”
He proceeded to push us into the club. The inside was dark, but there were enough colored lights to be able to see almost everything. There were a ton of drinks being served, people mingling and dancing to the booming music in the air, and just an overall feeling of having a good time everywhere you looked. The entire club radiated with energy that started to get me excited to join in.
“Jasper…” Devin started while holding my shoulders and staring intensely into my eyes. “Are you ready to have the night of your life?”
“We’re already here, aren’t we?” I retorted. “Let’s do this, gentlemen!”
“That’s what I like to hear!”
He grabbed my arm and pulled me over to the bar.
“But first, have a drink,” he said. I blinked in surprise as he ordered us a couple of drinks. He knew me well enough to remember that I never drank alcohol or wanted to do it. “You’ll feel more relaxed if you have a couple of drinks in you. I know we just got here, but you’ll be a nervous wreck if you don’t.”
Devin admittedly had a point, and I came close to trying his idea until Archie dragged me away from the bar before I could even grab my glass.
“Contrary to what Devin will tell you, you don’t have to drink to have a good time,” he said. “You just need to loosen up and join the fun.”
He ordered me some water to be able to calm my nerves a little. I was even more relieved by the fact that one of my favorite songs was starting to play, and I couldn’t resist moving to the music. The dance floor soon filled with a lot more people including us. It felt amazing. The feelings that I felt as I danced and just forgot about all of my troubles were something that I absolutely needed. Keep in mind, this was said by someone who rarely dances, so I probably looked like a total idiot. At the time, I didn’t even care to notice.
Further into the night, as we enjoyed ourselves on and off the floor, I was finally winding down a bit. I began trying to find some breathing room to get a little break from the loud noise in my ears. As I squeezed through the crowded room, I accidentally bumped into a girl and made her spill her drink onto the floor as she lost her balance and fell.
“Sorry!” I said repeatedly. “I am so sorry!”
“No, no, it was an accident,” she said. We both had to basically yell to be able to hear each other. I offered a hand to help her to her feet, and she accepted it. “It’s pretty crowded in here, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, it’s actually kinda hard to move in here,” I said as I hoisted her up.
“You’d think whoever designed this place would have a bigger room to dance.”
“Or limit the number of people who come into it. I lost my friends to this crowd at this point.”
“I know how that feels. My friends are kinda lost in the sea of people, too, and I guess drinking by myself isn’t an option anymore.” She held up her recently emptied glass, and I instantly felt guilty.
“Oh, uh, sorry. If you want, I could get you another one.”
“Nah, don’t worry about it. It was just some juice.”
More people started bumping into both of us.
“Oh, this is ridiculous!” I exclaimed. “I need to get out of here!”
“Mind if I join you?” the girl asked.
“Sure, why not?”
We worked our way to the well-lit lounging area. It was quieter, but the music was so loud, it was still making the whole building shake. We caught our breath as we sat on a couch. Once I got a better look at her, I found myself examining her features. She had short black hair with blue highlights and wore a short black dress that showed her figure. I took a guess that her hair was the “wild” part of her outfit to fit the dress code, and I think she made it work. Once I got a clear look at her face, my heart started beating twice as fast.
“Um, I haven’t introduced myself,” I said, trying to mask my nervousness. “I’m Jasper. And you are?”
“Charlotte. Pleased to meet you…even after you knocked me over.”
“Right. And again, sorry.”
“I said it’s okay. Boy, you apologize a lot.”
“It’s a bad habit. But hey, at least it’s sincere.”
She got a chuckle out of that, which means I thankfully didn’t screw up just yet.
We got to talking for a while, and I found myself enjoying every minute. She was nice, funny, and had a bit of a sharp tongue. And as a bonus, she was single, which meant I had a good opportunity here. I was starting to believe that this was actually going to be a pretty good night for me despite my apprehensiveness about it. Of course, the night had other plans for me. Our talk was interrupted by some commotion going on back on the main floor. Archie soon came running to me, which let me know something was wrong and Devin was involved.
I was proven right immediately once he said, “Jasper, we have a problem.”
“Let me guess, I won the bet this time, didn’t I?” I said dryly.
“Yes and no. It’s a code red.”
“Oh, not again!”
“We need to go. It’s getting really bad now.”
That was just perfect. A “code red” was always expected when Devin was on the prowl, but we always tried to avoid it. Among us, that meant that one of us, usually Devin, was now in danger of either getting carried out of the club in handcuffs or a stretcher. Archie proceeded to pull me by my arm before I could tell him to wait. I really didn’t want to leave Charlotte at that moment, but I quickly told her to wait for me until I get back.
Archie brought me to the bar area where Devin, clearly drunk and unaware of what was happening, narrowly avoided getting grabbed by a very muscular and very irate man. Another girl, whom I wanted to guess was partially a catalyst for this situation, was trying to stop him.
“Stop! Stop! He said he didn’t know!” she yelled.
“Do I even need to explain what happened?” Archie asked me sheepishly.
“No,” I said. “I think I got it. Devin started drinking too much, and since we know he’s a lightweight, he already got drunk. He then ended up hitting on a girl who was already taken, and her boyfriend found out. Am I right?”
He stared at me in surprise.
“Why did I even bother asking?” he asked while facepalming.
“I’ve been in this situation before, remember? I was sober when it happened, and it still didn’t end well. And he’s been in this situation several times! Should we help him?”
“We probably should. He’s too drunk to fight back or run.”
“Alright, you calm the boyfriend down, and I’ll try to get Devin out of here in one piece.”
We split up. Archie managed to distract the boyfriend long enough for me to pull Devin out of the area. By the time I got far enough away, I had realized that he had completely lost interest in the last girl and had started trying to talk to another one. She smacked him when he got too into flirting with her leaving me pretty confused about how she was able to actually understand what he was saying. He was too out of it to be coherent when he spoke.
“Okay, buddy,” I gently said while holding his arms. “We’ve had a lot of fun for the last few hours, and you’ve definitely had enough drinks to last for a few months. Now, I think it’s time for you to go home and rest.”
“I’m not going,” he slurred. At least, I assumed that’s what he tried to say. “Let go of me! I still have to show that girl my magic tricks and my flying donkey.”
“You don’t know any magic tricks or have a flying donkey.” I paused when I realized how stupid that sounded out loud, but I shook it off. “We’re going home, now!”
“Jasper, head’s up!” Archie yelled from behind me.
The moment I turned in his direction, I was pushed to the ground by that same angry boyfriend. Devin sobered up just enough to push the guy back in my defense, and not one second later, fists were flying between them. I got up to try to separate the two, and Archie tried to help. Unfortunately, they were both stronger than the two of us put together, so there wasn’t anything we could do to stop this from escalating. And boy, did it escalate in a way I never expected.
I’ve noticed that when fights start anywhere, there always seemed to be some kind of energy in the air that instinctively made the men in the area want to join in or cheer on one of the fighters. Some other drunken idiots nearby started to brawl with each other once we bumped into them. Eventually, the club was thrown into total chaos. Things just went out of control so quickly, and it reached the point where some people weren’t even fighting. They might have just looked for an excuse to riot and just began causing some mayhem and destruction.
Two things made this night worse for me. First, I had given up trying to stay and calm things down and wanted to see if I could catch up with Charlotte to make sure she was okay. She wasn’t anywhere to be found, so I assumed she left soon after I left the lounging area. Of course, I was bummed about that, but what could I do at that point?
The second thing, which was arguably worse than the first, was that I didn’t even know how the night ended. At one point, I felt someone pull me from behind, and the last thing I saw was a fist coming right at my face. Everything went black at that point, and I heard and felt nothing else after I fell out. It was safe to say that the night was absolutely terrible, and the fun was definitely over.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
I woke up on the couch in my living room. I was only capable of opening one eye normally because the other was too swollen. My head ached worse than ever, and my entire body was sore. I looked at the window. It was broad daylight outside.
“Oh, man…what happened last night?” I moaned as I painfully sat up. That was a question that always scared me a little because a part of me didn’t want to know the answer.
“Hey, Devin, look who’s up,” I heard Archie say. He looked relatively uninjured, but he had a few scratches on him.
“Don’t care…” Devin moaned painfully. His suit was so torn up that it looked like someone ran it over with a lawnmower with him still wearing it. He also looked way more bruised and battered than either me or Archie, but he went over to my coffee pot without issues and poured himself a cup. “Need coffee…”
My blood started boiling when I heard that response. After I got knocked out trying to bail him out of a terrible situation again, he had the nerve to say that and nothing else? That man was lucky that I was in too much pain because I honestly felt like strangling him at that moment. I stood up, almost ready to do it, but sat back down because I got lightheaded almost immediately.
“Oh, forget it…” I groaned. “I can’t get rid of him even if I tried. Archie, tell me something. What happened after I was knocked out?”
“Well, to be perfectly honest, I really think it’d be better if you didn’t know,” Archie said uneasily, “but I guess you should know since you missed most of the action last night.”
“Just tell me. I can handle it.”
“Fine. After you got knocked out, the police were called in to stop the madness. A lot of people got arrested, some were hospital-bound due to the extra violence, but I got you guys out of there before any of us were caught. I took you both back here to your apartment and just let you guys rest. From what I’ve heard on the news this morning and on social media, things got so bad that the club had to shut down for a bit to clean up and rebuild.”
“Oh, god, I knew this was a bad idea…” I paused in realization. “Wait. Archie, how’d you carry a limp body and a drunken moron out of a building by yourself? No offense, dude, but you’re not exactly the strongest guy I know.”
“First off, none taken. Second, I didn’t do it alone. That girl you were sitting with when I found you came by and helped me carry you to the car. She then helped me drag Devin to the car after he passed out.”
“I didn’t pass out,” Devin said after he sipped his coffee. “Did I?”
“The pictures I took said otherwise. Plus, it’s not likely you’ll remember what happened after that vodka bottle hit your skull. And you were so drunk that I’m fairly sure the only person who could really understand you was…well, you. That hit didn’t help things either.”
“A vodka bottle?”
Really, it still amazed me to this day how Devin was still alive after that night.
“Wait, Charlotte helped you?” I asked.
“I didn’t catch her name at the time, but she was pretty and had on a nice black dress. For some reason, she told me to tell you to check your pockets when you woke up. I didn’t know what that meant, though.”
I checked my pants pocket and found a note in my wallet.
‘Text me when you can. C.’
At the bottom of the note was her number. Tons of emotions swarmed around inside me when I saw that. After all of this insanity, I still got her number. I didn’t screw up! I took some time to compose myself and just looked at the number. The next thing I knew, I picked up my cellphone and texted her.
“Hi, this is Jasper from last night. Is this Charlotte?”
A few tense minutes went by before she responded with, “Thank god! Yeah, this is Charlotte. You okay?”
“My eye and head hurt, but I’m fine.”
“Aww, poor guy. You had me worried for a minute.”
“I’m fine, my sober friend is okay, my drunk idiot is beaten and suffering from a hangover. I have no sympathy for him whatsoever.”
“Sheesh. Although, since it was his fault you got hurt, it kinda serves him right.”
I couldn’t agree more with that. We kept texting for a bit until I finally set the phone down and heaved a heavy sigh of relief and joy.
“So what did she say?” Archie asked with a grin. Devin looked at me expectantly with an equally mischievous smirk. They both knew what had happened over those texts.
“I hate you both so much for getting me out there,” I said. “But…thanks for doing that anyway.”
“Our pleasure,” Archie said while patting my back. “We’re proud of you, man.”
“On that note, since you’re good with a new lady friend,” Devin began, “I heard there’s another party happening-“
“Oh, shut up!” Archie and I shouted.
“Kidding! Sorry…”
Kidding or not, I didn’t care. The night was objectively a disaster, but I still enjoyed myself. I guess having just one night like that was all I really needed.
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