BETWEEN YOU TWO AND I

CHAPTER 5

    'Wassup mami, you looking good,' one of the passengers on the platform waiting for the train said to me.

  'I know, thank you,' I said confidently. He seeemed to genuinely complement me so I took it.  

   'Que guapa,' (spanish for how beautiful) he said again checking me up and down. 'Can I have your number.' 

  Slowly I shook my head and took the next train to see my girls. As I boarded, I heard him say something like 'you are a prostitute anyway, who would want your number.' It's crazy how quickly these cat-callers switch up.  

       The salon wasn't very busy. Kendra and the girls were also ready, doing last minute touch ups to their makeup and hair. 

     'Kenny, I got-chu the new lashes. In the drawer by the dryer,' Kendra 's mom was saying while I was walking in. That's the thing about Kendra 's mom. She didn't mind that we were going to the club let alone on a school night. She was mad chill about everything so much so that Kendra had to remind her to be a mom sometimes.

       'Hey, so long as you graduate and don't get pregnant, I'm happy,' Kendra once told me that her mom usually says that to her. 

    After we all decided we looked good enough and took insta pics, we filed into Kendra 's mom 's car and away to the club we went.

    Club 96 was already lit up by the time we got there and it was only 8pm. I mean it was a thursday night but still newer clubs were usually quiet until 10ish. We grabbed a reserved table (told you the bouncer was Jay 's brother which meant our IDs weren't checked).

      One of the weeknd 's songs was playing seductively in the background and people were just vibing. Totally my kind of atmosphere. It almost felt as if I was on vacation in a night club in Greece.

   'I'm buying first round. What do you guys want?' Amal asked pulling out her debit card. 

   'Yo, I don't want to get drunk. We got school tomorrow,' Jay said laughing. For a second, we forgot we were actually in high school, not some girl bosses at the club after work.

    'Girl, don't worry, we are just getting mocktails and cherry cokes with a little splash of vodka,' I said cooly giving Jay a little kiss on her cheek. She nodded pushing me away playfully. 

     'So mocktails?' Amal nodded and disppeared into the crowd before coming back quickly with her arm around a guy.

    She handed me her credit card and said over the loud afro beats that were playing then, 'I'm gonna dance with Kyle here. Here Belle, you buy us drinks and save me a galaxy punch.'

       'Yeah, sure,' I smiled. I placed her debit card in my purse and picked out my credit card. I knew Amal didn't have as much cash as I did and I didn't want her blowing up her little savings on overpriced fruit juice. So I decided there and then that drinks were on me.

   I walked over to the bar to order the drinks. A guy in the club uniform was cleaning up  in at one of the nearby booths. Some club-goers had spilled their drinks. I recognised him.

    'Chris Hunter?' I said walking up to him. Remember the basketball player on the bench in the laccrose field earler that day, that guy is him.  'Hey what's good?' I asked.

  'Hi, Belle,' he said smiling at me as he picked up the mop bucket and walked me to the bar counter. 'How did you get in here?'

  'Jay 's...' I almost ratted out Jay 's brother, the bouncer before I stopped myself.  I cleared my throat. 'You know, the usual way.' I lied.

    'You're nineteen already?' he asked me raising an eyebrow.

    'Uh...how come you work here?' I asked changing the subject. 

   'My pops owns the club. It opened last month and we live upstairs.'

     'So that's why you are always late to first period. You live all the way downtown. Must be nice,' I sighed.

     'And expensive,' he replied.

     He handed me a shot of tequila. 'On the house,' he said as he began mixing drinks besides the other bar tender. I laughed nervously. 

     'Just sip it slowly and here is a lime piece,' he said bringing it to my lips. I sucked on the lime taking in its zesty goodness. Immediately the burning sensation from the Tequila in my throat fizzled. He placed his thumb in my mouth and i bit on it playfully.

   'You look spicy,' he said after scanning me. 

   'If you think this is hot, you should see me on prom day,' I said pulling him to the dance floor. 

   Now you know us black girls, we got that riddim. Work, by Rihanna ft Drake came through and I went loca, bringing all my best moves. Hunter was so into it and he was on beat as well. We danced the length of the song before I remembered the drinks and my friends waiting for me.

    'Hey you and your friends can have free drinks all night,' he said his face flushing when I told him we needed drinks. 

     'Thank you so much,' I said giving him a quick peck on the lips. He didn't pull away...like some people. *cough* *cough* 

   'Hey no worries. Mocktails coming right up,' he said going bach behind the counter.

   Okay I admit it. I'm hightly attracted to Hunter. He has an amazing body being an athlete and all. And those green eyes; wow. And he has that little 

       I mean he has some reputation for ghosting his three previous girl friends, but it wasn't as if I was hoping he would marry me. I just wanted to have a good time.

  'Hey guys, you wouldn't believe who I just met?' I said strutting over to my friends a big smile on my face.

   'Chris Hunter?' Jay asked.

   'Yeah, how did you know?' I asked.

    'Nigga, you think we couldn't see you grindin' all up on him on the dance floor,' Amal said.

    'Oh, that. We were just dancing,' I said sitting next to my friends.

    The mocktails arrived and with them these big club sandwiches and fries and even three steaks.

   'Girl, he must have REALLY liked the dancing,' Amal said tickling me slightly. We dug in, and I gave Amal back her debit card.

  After eating and getting a second round of drinks (this time WE payed) I went looking for Hunter to say thank you. 'He's in the cooler room behind the kitchen,' one of the bar-tenders told me.

   'Hey you,' I said finally locating him. He was removing some cold cuts for sandwiches from the fridge.

  'Hey yourself,' he said grabbing me by the waist. He nuzzled gently against my neck and my long dead butterflies came full and alive. My body stiffed up, I was rooted to the ground I was standing on.

My eyes grew wide when he began tracing his tongue across my neck and along my clavicle.

  He then looked at me with those mesmerizing green eyes and whispered, 'I know a place.'