Bittersweet

viii.

Val spent the majority of the rest of her evening after school sat in a cafe, avoiding the idea of going home that night. The day slowly came to an end and the cafe slowly became emptier and emptier, and before she knew it it was dark out and a slight breeze blew.

She knew the shorts and fishnets she decided to wear that day weren't going to keep her warm throughout the chilly night. She sighed, trying to think of any place that stayed open through the night when something came to mind; a nightclub.

"Closing in ten, miss."

Val looked up to catch the eye of the barista standing over her table, a feeble smile hiding his pity before he turned out and went back to whatever it was he was doing. As he did so, Val stood and grabbed her items, rushing to the bathroom.

She locked herself in one of the stalls and turned to face the mirror. Sitting her bag up on the counter, Val rooted through it to find the mascara and lip gloss she kept with her and applying it to her face. She continued to root through her bag for something club-suitable to wear when a buzz coming from her pocket interrupted her. It was a text.

Richie:
where are u??? lucas has been texting me, hes worried sick!! call me! xx

Val blatantly ignored the worried text from her best friend, shoving her phone back in to her pocket before continuing to search through her bag. She finally found what she was looking for and pulled the black lace dress out of her bag.

Val rid herself of her shorts and sweater, keeping her fishnets to keep her somewhat worm. She pulled the dress on and did her best to keep it from riding up over her butt. It was small and skimpy, she knew it'd do the job. 

Before leaving the bathroom, she pulled her hair from the plaits they were left in and ran her fingers through the curls. She then sprayed herself in perfume and deodorant, took one last look at herself and smiled. She was ready.

The barista ogled her closely as she strutted past him and shot him a smile before leaving the cafe. The cold hit her instantly as the door shut behind her and she continued to make her way down the street and towards the town where she would find the nightclub's.

The one and only place she could think of that stayed open until five in the morning was Shoreman's, a club near the river that she hoped she'd get into without being ID'd.

The town was bouncing, young adult's and teenagers roamed the street, stumbling and lips pressing together. The cold was only slightly ruined Val's buzz, but she was ready to sneak in to Shoreman's and have rancid men buy her drinks. 

She reached the area and the music only got louder the closer she got. A bouncer stood at the door, a couple people stood around the outside, a fag between each and everyone's fingers. 

Val strutted right up to the door as confidently as she could, ready to make her way right inside when she felt a strong hand grip her arm and pull her back; the bouncer. 

"ID, please," he grunted, his voice bland and face straight. 

Val furrowed her eyebrows and laughed before moving to go inside, but she was stopped again by the same hand gripping her arm. "I said ID, please, love."

"I don't have mine with me, but really, I am eighteen," Val chimed, showing off her teeth with a smile. She almost moved to walk in to the club for the third time but this time the bouncer didn't pull her back, he pushed her back.

"No ID, no entry. It's the law, love."

Val's mood dropped to the floor along with her confidence. She was cold, and she was alone, and most importantly she was terrified. She knew it was too late to go home now, she'd get a fist full.