Living Without A Heart

The Hen Night

It was Saturday night, the week before Hal and Alice were due to get married. Mary, Hermione, Sierra, Gladys (much to her dismay) and herself were had gone to three different bars and were currently at the Roving Eye. 

"What can I get you lovely ladies?"

"Vodka! straight up." Alice shouted over the music. The others ordered their drinks too, they drank them and then got up to dance- they were already very drunk. Alice threw back her vodka and then ordered a scotch on the rocks.

She had hoped that the more she drank, the more she'd forget about Hal but her plan backfired. In fact it made it more real, it felt like she was on a countdown and when it got to zero, her life would be over. An hour later Alice had drunk a full bottle of wine and hadn't moved from the bar. Mary decided to have a word with Alice. 

"Alice, you've got to have some feelings for Hal since you chose him after FP."

"Nope, none. He was just the first person to ask me out and you pressured me into saying yes despite me not wanting to."

"But you could have founs someone new if not FP..." she whispered glancing over at Gladys to see if she had overheard.

"If I had feelings for Hal, I wouldn't have told the registrar not to say 'you may now kiss the bride'."

"You didn't!" she gasped in disbelief.

"Yep, wouldn't kiss him if it was a choice between him and a fish! We'll consumate the marriage but I will never- ever kiss him! Like I'd have that dirty mouth near me."

"Why are kisses so important to you?"

"'Cause when you sleep with people it's just on the surface, you can detatch yourself from it and feel nothing but a kiss is powerful. It's intimate and fills your entire mind and it lingers."

"You know, no one would expect you to be a romantic. You surprise me!"

"Don't you dare call me a romantic!"

"Calm down Alice- your whole life is a love story."

"Blah, blah, blah..." she said like a toddler

"Okay little missy- I'm going to dance. Slow down with the drinking will ya!"

Alice mocked her once more when a tall man with dark hair and chiseled cheek bones strolled towards her. His ocean blue eyes roaming her body.

"Hey, gorgeous!"

"Sup," she replied draining the last of the wine.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing sitting by herself and drinking alone?"

"It's my hen night, my friends are up dancing but I can't stand it."

"Really?" he gasped "You don't look like a woman who's about to get married! Who's the lucky guy?"

"His name's FP" she answered dreamily "Hold on! No sorry, my fiance is called Hal but the love of my life is FP," she corrected.

"Why are you marrying this Hal guy then?"

"Well, long story short, Hal took something from me that was my life, after FP and I broke up- now I'm suffocating the both of us but he won't let me leave because of his reputation."

"Why did the two of you break up?"

"'Cause of something one of our friends did. Whoever it was wouldn't own up so to protect everyone we had to go our separate ways." she explained "I'd run away with him if it wasn't for Hal and that witch- argh!"

Gladys came up behind Alice and yanked her blonde curls. Given the force Gladys exerted on her hair, the stool topled from beneath her. She had managed to stop herself from falling on the floor with the help of the handsome stranger. 

"What the hell Gladys!"

"Your just never satisfied are you? All you'll ever be the tart he couldn't get away from quick enough..."

Alice threw a swift blow at her jaw sending a seering pain through her face. She was sent stumbling back into the guy next to them. Her fist connected with Alice's cheekbone. Air burst from Gladys' lips as a large force collided with her stomach. Doubled over, she dragged Alice's leg and left her crashing to the floor. Alice caught Gladys by the ankle and pulled her down to the floor beside her. Quickly she jumped on top of Gladys . She punched her. She slapped her. Gladys flung her head forward into Alice's face and everyone could swear they heard a crack. Blood and alcohol mixed together in Alice's mouth as she let out a wicked, unnerving cackle. Ceasing a handfull of hair, she gragged Glady's head upwards and breathed in her ear:

"Never-ever- lay your grubby little hands on me again!"

Finally, a bouncer ran over to them and lifted Alice off Gladys; he carried them both outside the club with the other girls trailing behind. The sky was pitch black and littered with millions of stars; the cold breeze stung their eyes.

Blood spilled down Alice's cheek, nose, and chin; her teeth were also covered in the red substance. Gladys had a bloody nose but her head and stomach was also in agony.

"What happened with the two of you?" Hermione questioned.

"That bitch was saying how she'd run away with FP if it wasn't for Hal and I!"

"Crazy woman just came over and dragged me off my chair by my hair!"

"Alice, you're getting married to Hal next week!"

"And? I've done nothing wrong!"

"You are just so toxic Alice! How long were you and FP together? A month? He's been with me for 4 years and counting!"

"Oh yeah? Who invited the wicked witch of the west? Do you need a sick bucket? You're looking a bit green! You just came because you wanted to make sure I marry Hal. You know that if I leave Hal, FP would choose me because he loves me, because he wants to be my partner not a blanket to keep him warm at night!" she retorted viciously, walking away cackling yet again.

"You're just a psycho! I mean who laughs when they almost get their nose broken?" Gladys screamed after Alice. Alice just kept on walking, not looking back but still laughing. Her bare-feet receeding down the street with her heels in her hand...

*****

"You're an embarassment!"

"Oh shut up! You were the one who invited the trollop to my hen night and the wedding so this is all your doing!" she snarled.

"You don't even care do you!?"

"No, not particularly." she answered calmly. "In fact, it was the most fun I've had in years!"

"How old are you? 20 or 10!? You are acting like a child!"

"Oh so when men fight that's cool but when I fight it's childish? What's wrong? It wasn't a cat fight if that is what your worried about; it was a proper fist fight- look at my busted knuckles if you don't believe me..." she ranted.

 "Let's get some things straight- no more bar fights, no more childish behaviour, no more getting drunk in public. I'll kill you before I let you taint my reputation!"

"I'm quaking..." she intoned sarcastically.

Hal stalked behind Alice and hissed in her ear:

"You will behave Alice... You're an intelligent girl so you know not to push me."

"I'm not afraid of you."

"The maybe you're not as intelligent as I thought you were..."