How Do You Do?

32: Literally Meant Underground

Miscommunication- Arms Akimbo

Drea leads us down a really creepy looking alleyway, opening a trap-door like cover from the ground. I see moss covered stairs, the smell of drugs and alcohol emitting from the small space.
"So when you said underground club, you--"
"Literally meant underground," she finishes, and lets me go down the steps first so that she could close the door behind us. I clutch the strap locked onto my body tightly, nervousness seeping into my bones. What if Rick doesn't accept my offer? Then I basically hand him what he wants, and his credibility for holding his side of bargains is pretty low.
   And then there's the part about leading Drea into danger. I mean, she's got two other kids to worry about, and she doesn't need that. She's also got her whole life ahead of her, with a great career as a guitarist. We're already releasing our first album as a group in two weeks called "What You Hear in the Shadows," and so many people are excited for it. I can't take her from that.
   As we're about to know on a creepy looking door that Drea says leads to the club, I pull her back. "Maybe you should go back, this is my fight," I tell her honestly, and she laughs.
   "You kind of need me," she says, and I'm about to tell her that that's not the case when she knocks on the door, earning a glare from me. The door slides open, and a massive bouncer man appears, his eyes bloodshot and his teeth rotting and crooked. I scrunch my nose up at his smell as well.
"Show me," he says, his voice cracking and gruff. I furrow my brows. Show him wha--
Drea turns her back towards him and throws her hair towards her front, revealing her left ear to him. Behind it is a small diamond shaped tattoo, with intricate designs running through it. He nods, his gaze turning to me, his eyebrow raised.
"She's my plus one," Drea says curtly, and he stares for a while before nodding, slowly moving from the doorway to allow us in. Drea grabs my arm gently and leads me inside, the scent of strawberry emitting from her black leather jacket, which is a great change from the vile smell of the place.
She grins at me. "Told you that you needed me."
My eyes land on Rick immediately, and he's sitting with a group of men around him. He's twirling vodka in his glass, making me shiver in disgust. He was drinking that before--

Don't go there, Stevie.

It's hard enough to look at him, after all, he's haunted my dreams for the past six months, never leaving, always taunting. His eyes meet time, and I step closer to Drea. She notices, and follows my gaze to see him. He smirks, and motions towards us, and immediately, men start to pursue us. My eyes widen, and I know that I've dragged Drea down with me.
I let go of her and walk towards them calmly, and brush passed them, much to their surprise. However, my attempt to keep Drea out of this fails, because I can hear her struggling from behind me. I don't turn around though, because I'm guessing that based on how surprised those men were, it'd be a sign of backing out. So, I keep walking towards my nightmare, legs shaking and my left hand spazzing in my hoodie pocket. This was such a bad idea, I should've let the boys know. But if I had, May would probably be dead.
I calmly take a seat at the table, my seat directly across from Rick. Drea is shoved into the chair next to me. "She has nothing to do with this, Rick, let her go."
He smirks. "As far as I'm concerned, she's a big part of this, Love. She got you in here, so she's gotta know something."
"She knows that I wanted to find an old building with rusty pipes for artistic purposes," I laugh out, my face blank. I've had years of practice with Mom and the many men she'd bring home. He slouches back, tapping his finger on the desk, thinking. After a bit, he nods at the men, and they release her shoulders.
   "You're free to go, Love, I've got this firecracker now," he tells Drea, with a smirk, and she pales, quickly reaching over and clasping our hands together. Before she can say anything, I cut in.
   "I've got a proposition for you." Apparently my statement is funny, because all of the men start to laugh. Annoyance twitches inside of me, but I know better than to show it. I've got to try.
"Really, now? What could you possibly have to offer, besides yourself? Which is the current bargain might I add."
"It's something that you've been after for a long time, before Eve and I," I say, my gaze level with his. Realization floods his face, as well as anger. He sits up and leans over the table, into m personal space. Good, I've got his attention.
"How could a little girl like you possibly have managed to obtain what I want?" He sneers, and the urge to spit in his face grows by the second. But, I have him interested. This is a good start, he's in my court now.
I lean back in my chair, getting comfortable. We could very well be here for a while, unless of course Rick decides that his deal is better. I try to ignore my heart rate every time the vile creature gets close to me, or how I want to cry every time his evil gaze meets mine. "The same way a, "little Girl," like me manages to pay mortgage on the house she managed to buy right out of her mother's hands without her even knowing," I sneer, but I back off. Don't get him angry. "But before any deal is struck, I want to see May."
"Fine, you can see her when I can see that you've got what I want," he says, standing slightly. I smirk, reaching into my backpack and pulling out the small envelope. Opening it in front of their eyes, I pull out his greatest wish.
"One ticket to Brighton, England, ready to leave in seven hours."

Okay I'm going to stop telling you guys that I'm not going to update anymore for a while until it's actually going to happen XD winning book will be announced tomorrow!!!