One Deep Breath

Chapter Three

By the end of her first week of her last semester, Jolie was feeling really good. Her classes were going to be pretty easy, and she was loving her internship. She was essentially playing around on social media sites and writing copy for a slew of different clients.

Even things with Landon were going smoothly, though she knew that could change at any moment. He was keeping in touch daily and wasn't falling off the map as he had a tendency to do in the past. But he wasn't being overly pushy about the future either, so Jolie was reveling in the ease of their current relationship.

And being back on her own on top of everything else going so well meant she hadn't felt anxious since that day in the coffee shop.

Jolie had thought back to her Starbucks crush who had quickly disappeared without even telling her his name for a day or two, but by the time Friday afternoon had rolled around his memory was fading fast.

Back in their dorm, Rachel and Jolie started scheming their plans for the evening.

"Ash and Leah are thinking about Four tonight. I know it's not our typical scene, but I think it might be fun. It's a break from the usual and won't just be swimming with Sumner students. What are you thinking?"

With that Jolie was able to infer that Rachel was trying to stay away from Mike tonight. She was definitely game; Four was a new club downtown, closer to the business district than where most of the typical college bars were. It was much more upscale. You'd actually have to have a legit ID in order to get in, as opposed to their regular hang out spots where minors could get in easily with fakes.

Now that they were all over 21, age wouldn't be the issue when it came to getting in, but Four always had a line around the corner.  Being January, waiting in line in the cold sounded less than appealing to Jolie.

"Leah swears she knows one of the bartenders and he swore he'll put us on the list so we don't have to wait in line," Rachel added, answering Jolie's unvoiced concern.

Jolie laughed.

"Alright, I'm in. I need to find a better outfit. Probably a dress, that place is fancy," Jolie wiggled her eyebrows and giggled.

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Jolie was jammed into the back of cab with Rachel, Leah and Ash headed downtown to Four. As they pulled up, Jolie saw the line outside and sent a silent prayer that Leah actually came through with her promise of getting inside quickly.

Piling out of the backseat, the four girls scurried up to the front of the line.

"Hi, we should be on the list! Leah Sirouli, Ashley Tyler, Rachel Thompson and Jolie Snow," Leah smiled sweetly at the 300lb man blocking the entrance. He eyed the girls up and down, didn't bother to look at the list, and held the door open.

The long line watching the four girls in tight, teeny dresses walk right past them all let out various gripes and groans. Jolie, Rachel and Ash followed Leah inside and straight back to the bar area where she jumped into the arms of an extremely attractive bartender.

"Brett! He let us right in! He didn't even check the list!" Leah squealed with delight.

"I told Joe if he saw a gorgeous blonde with three hot friends to let your asses in quick before you had to suffer in this cold," Brett spoke as he held a giggling Leah in his arms.

Jolie was grateful. The tiny cobalt blue dress she had on was extremely short and the below freezing temps made the outfit completely unreasonable. She figured a short dress and high heels at Four meant at least a few free rounds, and her friends all appeared to have had the same idea.

"Alright ladies, five shots of Patron, on me, to start the evening" bartender Brett said as he disappeared back around the bar. After taking a round of shots with them, he let them have their space, allowing for various men to take turns coming over and offering up rounds on them. Four pretty girls surrounded by lonely and eager men in a fancy club meant their clutches stayed closed.

A few rounds of tequila, and too many vodka sodas later, all four girls were stumbling off the dance floor when Brett waved them back over to the bar.

"There's an open booth up in the VIP area, why don't you girls head up and get comfy. I'll send a bottle up?" Jolie hadn't heard Leah mention Brett before, but he sure was pulling out all the stops tonight for her. Leah, drunk, flung herself across the bar and kissed him hard.

Pulling back just as quickly, Leah winked at the smitten bartender and wasted no time prancing over to the staircase.

Rachel and Jolie looked at each other and laughed, then linked arms with Ash and started up the steps after Leah.

At the top of the stairs were rows of plush, oversized maroon booths, most of them occupied, with the exception of one in the back corner. The bouncer assigned to VIP pointed them to the empty booth with a small smile.

While they settled into their comfy booth, a cocktail waitress walked over with an oversized bottle of champagne and four glasses. Leah started gushing over Brett to the waitress, while Rachel and Ash started scouting the surrounding booths for cute guys.

Jolie was starting to realize she was way more intoxicated than her usual Friday night out, but she having a good time. She pulled out her phone to see if Landon had tried calling or texting, but he hadn't. Scrolling through her feed, she haphazardly began seeing what everyone else's night was chalking up to be.

Her pulse spiked when she saw Landon's latest post - some redheaded slut taking a picture while he kissed her on the cheek.

Seriously? Jolie thought. Her rage turned to disappointment, which turned to spite, all within seven seconds.

"J?" Rachel grabbed her phone before Jolie could stop her.

"Asshole!"

"Let me see," Ash peered over Rachel's shoulder so she cold see what they were looking at.

"Give it," Jolie snapped as she grabbed her iPhone from their hands and took a quick screenshot of the image.

She sent the picture to Landon, no caption. Then she powered off her phone. Landon probably wouldn't even bother to respond, and knowing she wasn't reachable would stop her from checking her phone every five minutes.

Jolie looked up into three sets of concerned eyes, waiting for her reaction.

"Jo, it's probably nothing. He's just drunk and being a dumbass, don't worry about it tonight, okay?" Ash offered.

"Yeah. Whatever. Let's just keep drinking, kay?" Jolie rolled her eyes and shrugged. Then she held up her glass of champagne, and downed it all at once while Rachel, Leah and Ash watched with concern, sipping theirs.

Turning the conversation away from Landon, Jolie asked Leah to start spilling the details on Brett-the-bartender. Leah happily obliged, and the girls moved theconversation into much happier territory.