Elle - Book 2

Chapter Two.

Ace

Saturday 12th June

        I walked out into the bar and saw Kit on his knees, building one of the stylish tables that I had mistakenly ordered flat-packed instead of built. "You didn't have to do this, you know that right?" I said to him as I walked over and handed him a bottle of beer, before I placed my beer on one of the assembled tables. 

 "I didn't have to, but you sure as fuck weren't doing all of this by yourself before opening night along with everything else you have to do, were you? You dick," he said to me, dropping a screwdriver on the floor to grab another one.

 I had made the decision a few months ago to purchase a bar near to the college that I met Elle. After I dropped out of college due to my father getting sick and my mother needing my aid to care for my sister Avery, he had given me a lump sum of money to apologise for my sudden end of studies and to help get me into a career and to support Avery and mom should they need it. I had thought about what I was to do, and decided I would have most fun and make decent profits from opening bars, this one being my first.

 My dad got sick about five months after I left Elle, and I dropped out of school and moved back to my old apartment to be closer to my sister. Mom was in and out of hospital with dad and had her hands full when he was home, and so I was looking after Avery nearly full time. When he died, I was living at their house to sweep mom back on her feet as well, and so my life had been in so much disarray that I hadn't used the money until recently when mom was back to semi-normal and Avery had a stable adult to care for her.

 I still remember a week after he died Delilah had walked over to me with an envelope and handed it to me with a sorrowful smile. I was confused but took the letter anyhow, and read the note in the handwriting I knew all to well to be Elle's.

 'I know we aren't speaking, and I know you don't want to see me but Lil and Kit told me what happened. Even though you didn't speak to your dad much or like him really at all because of everything he did, I know how hard it is to lose a dad. You won't want to admit it but it must hurt and I can't imagine what your sister and mom are going through as well. I'm sorry, and I hope you're okay. I'm thinking about you.'

 I had simply thanked Delilah for the message and didn't allow her to see the effect that letter had on me, only allowing the tears to fall as I read it when I got home. That letter was still sat in the top drawer of my bedside table and I read it when I need it.

 "What's up bitches?" Delilah's voice echoed in the room as the front doors burst open. I startled from my thoughts at that sound.

 I looked up at my best friend and rolled my eyes as she walked in with two cases of beers in her arms, she dropped them down on one of the tables and snorted when one of the legs fell off and she only just managed to grab the beers before they toppled to the ground. Kit glared at me as it was one of the tables I assembled. 

 "That is why I'm fucking here, because you don't know how to build a table," he said to me. "Imagine opening night, everyone would be falling onto their asses because you're shit at DIY," he deadpanned and I smirked, swigging my beer.

 Delilah opened one of the cases and cracked open one of the cans, taking a few chugs of the beer. "You know I own a bar, right? You didn't have to bring alcohol," I reminded her, twirling my finger around for her to take in her surroundings. 

 The bar had taken a lot of remodelling to make it what I wanted it, it was dark with sleek black and red walls with strobe lights beaming onto the dance floor. It wasn't your usual bar, there were three or four podiums on the ground and cages hanging from the ceiling for dancers to perform, and a large stage to one side of the dance floor for live music to play. I would not be playing cheesey pop music for drunk youngsters to dance to, it'd be alternative music and would be filled with dancers, sex, and whatever went down within these walls.