Tennessee Line to LA Lights (A Matthew Gray Gubler FanFiction)

Chapter 5

A loud thump forced Stephanie's head to flick upwards. She glared at her friend, a smile gracing her face. "That seriously is not funny Adrienne."

"It's not supposed to be funny," Adrienne chuckled, "It was, however, meant to get your attention and well, that worked out well. Now, as for tonight, you and I are going to get our sexy on and we are gonna hit just about every club we possibly can, all in the effort to help you forget about a certain boy."

Stephanie shook her head, "I'm not in the mood to go clubbing."

"I will not be taking no for an answer. I will be following you to your place, where we will get you all hot and stuff and then it'll be my turn. Now, wrap it out so we can get out of here."

Stephanie briefly thought of protesting but decided that it would be a wasted effort, so instead, she just sighed and grabbed her bag. "Fine, let's go."

Adrienne clapped her hands together and followed her friend out the door, a slight skip in her step. Stephanie couldn't help but giggle at her enthusiasm.

Donned in their clubbing finest, they exited the cab at their first stop. The bouncer guarding the entrance, noticed them straight away and immediately allowed them access into his establishment. They strolled in, the music was thumping loudly and a large mass had already started to form on the dance floor. It was still fairly early, but it appeared as if downtown LA was the place to be. Drinks were offered and so the fun of the night began. The dancing didn't stop. The drinks didn't stop. The girls ushered themselves through several nightclubs. Each stop the crowds seemed to be larger and the drinks seemed to flow more freely. Stephanie was drinking away her black cloud of sorrow. The alcohol was sloshing away the memories and thoughts of Matthew Gubler. She had a smile on her face and laughter in her soul. It may have been a manufactured happiness, created by the assorted liquids that she continued to pour down her throat, but for tonight, she would take it.

By one o'clock in the morning, they stumbled their way out of the last club, attempting to hail a cab. More giggling was being done than actual attempting and it took the kindness of the bouncer to actually get them on their way home. Stephanie's apartment was the closest, so they had made the decision to just crash there for the night. More stumbling ensued and Stephanie managed to get her friend into her spare room. She flopped down on the bed, face first and immediately curled up into a ball. Stephanie removed her shoes and carefully covered her up with the blanket resting on the end of the bed. She went into the kitchen and grabbed two bottles of water, setting one next to Adrienne before tripping into her own bedroom. Her shoes were kicked off and her small clutch was tossed onto her bed. As she went to peel off her dress, she noticed that her phone had slipped out. She reached forward and pressed the home button, the screen lighting up and revealing several text messages, a couple missed calls and a voice mail. She picked up the small device and took it with her into the bathroom. Pressing the play button, she flipped the water on to allow it to warm up. His voice broke through the din in the small space and she quickly picked the phone up, bringing it closer to her face.

"Hey...umm... Stephanie. It's Matthew. I just...umm... wanted to call and apologize for my behavior in Vegas. I was angry and...well I was confused and nervous and I didn't know what to say to you. It was recently brought to my attention that I should let you explain, let you give me your side of the story. So, it's late now and who knows when you'll actually get this message, but I'm in New Orleans and you know that I'll be up, so call me. Um...yeah, just call me."

The message went silent and Stephanie checked the time of the call. It had taken place a mere hour ago. She checked the current time in New Orleans. It was almost four but she did know the teenager him, and he was never one to go to bed early. She could take the chance and call him, even in her drunken state or she could sober up and call him in the morning. It wasn't a difficult choice, and she hastily hit the redial button, the phone started loudly in her ear. The ringing continued, once, twice, three, four times and she was just about to hang up, when his gravely voice answered.