I'm Not Perfect (Michael Clifford)

Chapter 27

Chapter 27

“Hello?” I say quietly into the phone.

“Hey, We’re going to get burgers, where am I picking you up?” He asks.

“I am kind of working on homework, in the library” I whisper.

“Alright I’ll be there in 10 minutes to pick you up, be ready” He says, hanging up before I can object. I glance at the clock, it’s noon, I guess I could use some lunch.

“Hey, I’ve got to go get some lunch with Michael, catch you later yeah?” I say to Luke.

“Yeah, sounds good” He says before getting distracted by his work. I pack my bag and leave the busy boy to his work. I walk out into the beautiful LA weather to see Michael leaning against a pillar.

“They wouldn’t let me in because I don’t have an ID” He states plainly pulling me in for a hug. I instantly react to his warm embrace and my mood brightens. “Now, to In-and-Out” He says before grabbing my hand and leading me to his car.

We get to the restaurant and order our food. There is never a dull or silent moment between the two of us, I am either listening to or telling a story at some point. I tell him about my brother, the video with Leo, but our soul topic was music. We discussed our favorite types, songs that make us happy, and Michael tried to explain the rush you get when you’re performing. When we were finished he drove me back to the dorms.

“You’re coming to the club with us tonight, right?” He asks as he pulls into the parking lot.

“I didn’t know anything about this” I admit.

“Oh, well me and the boys are going to Jersey’s tonight and I want you to come” He invites.

“I guess I can make that work”

“Good, now go get ready and all that good stuff, we’ll pick you up at 7” He says with a smile.

“Alright, see you then.” I say before exiting the car and giving him a small wave. I make my way back to the dorm. I rummage through my closet looking for club worthy clothes, hidden in the back is the perfect thing. It is a tight, short royal blue dress, this is definitely good. I grab my shower bag and head down the hall. When I’m done it is another hour later, I brush my hair and dry it. I quickly curl it into little ringlets before pulling it up into a high ponytail. Then I put on my usual makeup, adding a bit more black eye shadow since it is a special occasion. I grab my small clutch and slip on my black high heels. I check the time and it is 6:45. Just on cue there is a knock on the door, I open it to see a cheery Michael.

“Holy shit” He mutters taking in my body from head to toe.

“Is something wrong?” I ask with concern.

“Oh dear god no, You look stunning” He compliments before taking my hand and leading me out of the room to the car.

"Oh my god" Ashton breathes when I get into the large SUV, his eyes raking down my body as I sit down

"Watch your eyes, Irwin. She's mine" Michael warns making Luke chuckle while looking out the window.

Michael takes the seat next to me, placing his hand on my knee and rubbing his thumb in a small circle. Then the driver takes off down the street 

.....

 When we arrive at the club it is packed, there is a line almost down the block, I guess this is the place to be even on a Thursday night. We all hop out of the car, Michael helping me out since my heels are kind of hard to walk in. We walk hand in hand right through the entrance without even waiting in line, they must be regulars here or something. We follow Ashton to a table in the back of the place and we all take a seat. A short man comes over and sits a pitcher of beer right in the middle of the table.

“If you want some just take it,” Michael yells over the music into my ear.

“But I’m under age” I start to worry.

“It’s fine, you can pass as 21” He assures me putting his hand on my thigh.

We all sit and talk over the music for about an hour before they finally start playing some good music. I have only had a few drinks but I am starting to get a little hazy, oh well its college. I grab Michael’s hand and pull him to the center of the dance floor. He pulls me close to his chest and puts his hands on my lower back, and we sway to the beat of the music, just like everyone around us. By the end of a few songs I can tell that Michael is done dancing so I let him go.

“You can go back to the table, I am going to use the restroom” I yell to him and he nods before walking through the crowd to the table. I start to make my way through the dance floor to the bathroom in the far corner. But before I can get there someone grabs my wrist and pulls me into them. The first thing I notice is the reeking smell of alcohol. I know immediately that whoever this is isn’t one of my Australian friends. The stranger turns me around so I can see his face, he is a tall older man with very sharp facial features and stubble. I can tell that he is extremely drunk by the look in his bloodshot eyes.

“Hey sweetheart, What is a beautiful girl like you doing all alone?” He slurs pulling me close, I try to escape his grip but he is too strong.

“Please let me go” I struggle.

“Now why would I do that?” He stutters.

“Because I said so” a voice says from behind me, but his grip only gets tighter. “Let her go”

“Make me” He challenges. Before I could comprehend what was happening whoever was behind me punched the drunk in the face, causing him to spill his cup of beer all over my back. He lets go of me as he falls to the floor. He starts to stand up but before anything can happen the savior pulls me through the crowd. When I get to see him, I see Calum’s black t-shirt leading me through the mess of people dancing. He pulls me out the door and onto the sidewalk.

“Are you okay?” Calum asks with conern.

“Yeah, I think I’m fine” I say shakily, that couldn’t have gone any worse. Calum pulls me in for a hug and I return it because it is just what I need at the moment. That’s when my mind goes crazy. What if Calum wasn’t there to help me? What would that guy have done to me? I start to shake at the thought

“Let me text the boys and tell them it’s time to go” He explains.

“Can you tell Michael to grab my purse off the table?” I ask.

“Of course”

After a few minutes of waiting the boys finally show up.

“What happened?” Michael ask while pulling me in his embrace.

“It was just a drunk guy, I’m fine” I assure him.

“Are you sure? You’re shaking.” He says into my neck.

“Yeah, Michael” I lie. He lets go of me just as our car pulls up to take us back home. Maybe alcohol isn’t a very good thing for me, whenever it is around bad things happen.