Crash Into Me

Chapter Four: Eli

Earlier that night...

Mike, Will, Jenny, and me are all out at Jay's, a night club in uptown Dallas. The hip-hop music is blasting and I can feel the bass vibrating in my chest. We are all sitting at a table that we reserved for Jenny's birthday.

"I think the birthday girl needs another shot!" Will shouts over the blaring music.

"I agree!" I say, as Mike nods along, waving down a waitress. A scantily dressed woman in a red crop top and black booty shorts makes her way to our table.

"Four shots of tequila! Put it on my tab!" Will yells over to her. The waitress nods her head and makes her way through the Friday-night crowd toward the bar.

"You're going to get me shit-faced!" Jenny shrieks. She's already had two shots of tequila, but it looks like shot number three is on its way. 

"That's kind of the point!" Will laughs, "It's your birthday!" Jenny, Mike, and Will are all ER doctors at the same hospital with me.

I'm trying to have a good time, but it's been hard with Jannine texting and calling me non-stop since our meeting at The Lounge a week ago. She won't leave me alone. It's getting to the point where I'm starting to consider changing my phone number.

"Excuse me!" Jenny shouts at some random guy walking by our table. He turns and smiles at her, thinking that she might be hitting on him. "Would you mind taking a picture of me and my friends?!"

He attempts to cover up his disappointment and looks as though he might say no before she quickly adds, "It's my birthday!"  Who can say no to that? He forcedly nods and we all smile for the picture.

"Four shots of tequila!" the waitress says, placing them on the table. She turns to me, and adds, "Let me know if you need anything else." She's trying to be seductive, but I'm not interested. I smile politely and nod. Will, Mike, and Jenny all look at each other and wait until the waitress walks away before they burst out laughing.

"Oh come on, Eli!" Mike says. "She's beautiful! Give the girl a chance!"

I shake my head, before lifting my shot glass, "To Jenny! Drink up!" The liquor burns my throat as I lick the salt around the rim and squeeze the lime into my mouth. Everyone does the same.

"Come one!" Jenny grabs Will by the collar of his white button-up shirt. He raises his eyebrows at Mike and me in excitement before turning toward the dance floor and following her.

"You think she's into him?" Mike asks.

"Oh yeah," I laugh. Jenny and Will have had this unspoken thing going on since she moved to our ER shift two weeks ago. This is our first night out with all four of us. Mike, Will, and me usually go out together, just us guys, but Will wanted to take Jenny out. He was too afraid to ask her on a date, so he made it a group thing instead.

The hip-hop music fades to a slower, quieter song and Will looks around, uncertainly wrapping his arms around Jenny's small waist, the sparkles on her short emerald green dress shining under the multi-colored lights. She pulls herself closer to him and steadies herself in her six-inch gold heels.

Mike takes off his navy blue sports coat and hangs it on the back of his chair while saying, "Hey man, I've been meaning to ask you," he finishes placing it behind him and turns toward me. I know what's coming next, but I don't try to stop him. "How have you been holding up?" He doesn't say Jannine's name, and I'm thankful for that. The sound of her name makes me sick. 

I shrug my shoulders, feeling the buzz of the tequila shot and other shots from thirty minutes ago starting to kick in. "I'm all right. It sucks, but it is what it is." I don't want to say more than that, and Mike picks up on that. He nods and loosens his gray tie.