The Dating Club

Drunk Dates, Bad Dates and Disappointing Dates

Chapter 18: Drunk Dates, Bad Dates and Disappointing Dates


I stride down the hallway towards the main entrance, pushing people away like I am parting the Red Sea, ad grabbing and swigging from other cups as I walk, suddenly patched. I lurch forward and to the sides a few times, my shoes rubbing against my heels painfully, and I attract a few strange looks but no one says anything. I look around but Parma is no longer where she was, so I take a left and turn down another hallway, leading to more rooms and what looks like a winding staircase at the end.

     There are less people down here but I plan to find her no matter what. Raising my head confidently I shake my hair off of my shoulders, and continue walking.

     I climb the stairs quickly and it's then I can make out the sound of a high pitched giggle coming from one of the rooms. It's followed by several bangs and another screech of a laugh.

     I pause for a minute to see if I can feel anything, and beneath the drink and my newly found confidence, yes, there it is, my heart breaking a little. Why did he choose her? What did I do? These are questions I will never find the answer to unless I find Parma and show her up for the phony fake she is.

     As I am reaching for the door knob it occurs to me that I have no plan. I can not just go inside and start hurling accusations at her with no proof. What should I say? My mind feels a little like sand, and I rub my forehead slowly, willing something to come.

     Before I can take the time to think a hand snakes it's way around my waist and pushes me against the wall so I am held on my back by someone.

     The smell of cigarettes holds me frozen in disgust before I can realise who it is. A very, very drunk Tom smirks at me lazily, hands roaming my sides roughly. His nails dig into my skin at my hips and I yelp in surprise.

     "Get off of me!" I say in disgust, pushing against him. He leans back and then springs forwards again like a carton character, frowning at me.

     "I thought you were looking for me babe, so I came and found you. You're supposed to be my date, and you just walked off as soon as we got here. It's not very polite."

     "Maybe I was disappointed," I huff, pushing against his chest again but it's as though he is made of solid iron, and in my tipsy haze I cannot rack my brain for a way to get him off of me. His hands rake up my legs and slide under my dress, hitching it up a few inches.

     "I promise I won't disappoint you, baby. Lets take this into the next room," he whispers in my ear, pulling me into the door I have been stood outside.


     Tom does not seem to notice the brief silence as we interrupt Parma and Luke's make out session beside the bed, and instead continues to slam me against the wall as he tries to convince me he is worth kissing. He mashes his mouth with mine despite my protests, and I squirm uncomfortably.

     By now I'm beginning to panic, as nothing I do seems to make a difference. He is in the wrong position for me to knee him in his monkey nuts, and he has my arms trapped beneath me.

     Just behind Tom I can see Parma and Luke sat in silence staring at us, each with a different emotion on their face.

     Luke looks furious, and all I can think about is how I wish Tom had not chosen this room to gate crash as I do not want to incur the wrath of an angry, interrupted-in-the-middle-of-something-important Luke Tripe tomorrow morning.

    Parma however is clearly enjoying watching me being groped. Her eyes are dancing with amusement, and a cruel smile plays on her lips. "It's funny how quickly you move onto different boys Jessica," she says slyly. "What a change you've made in the last few months. You know, everyone used to say that you were just a really frigid loser, hanging out with a nerd and -"

     "Parma stop pissing about-" I manage to get about before Tom silences me again. By this time his hands have reached my underwear and my breath stutters for a second as I freeze up.

     And it's then that I know what I need to do, but I'm so terrified that I can't move, and all I can see is Luke and Parma and how his hand rests against her leg so easily, and how he can watch me without caring at all.

     "Get him off," I whisper, and she laughs in response.

     "Get him off, Parma," says Luke, and my heart skips a beat.