Venomous ▻ Sweet Pea

09. chapter nine

The group was laughing and joking amongst themselves as FP stepped onto the stage, gaining everyone's attention. "Alright, everyone. We have a few young ladies here that are ready to put on a show and earn their Serpent stripes. What do you all say? Are you ready?"

The bar resounded with cheers and cat calls, causing Toni and Blair to roll their eyes.

"First up we have Venus Adams. Let's give her a hand, guys," FP spoke, and at that, Toni and Blair cheered for the girl along with the others, wanting to be supportive of Toni's soon-to-be girlfriend.

The music began and Venus walked out, moving with it as she moved to the pole, shedding layers of clothing here and there along the way. Whistles and cheers sounded through the bar with each piece, and Toni crossed her arms, a little scowl on her face.

"Just focus on Venus. It'll be done soon," Blair told the other girl, squeezing her arm lightly.

Toni nodded, relieved when Venus' dance was over after not much longer. Going to the end of the stage, she met up with her, helping her gather her clothes and then heading to the bathroom as the men around the room cheered.

FP went back up on stage to introduce the next girl, a girl named Noelle. Blair had seen her around, and had even talked to her a few times. She seemed to be trying to get in with Ivy at the bar, despite it being abundantly clear that Ivy, Blair, and Toni had it under control.

As her dance began, so did the whoops and whistles from the crowd. Blair looked around the room, not bothering to pay attention to the girl's dance. When she looked over at Sweet Pea, however, she frowned, seeing him looking as if he were about to start drooling.

She rolled her eyes lightly, looking back toward where Noelle was down to her skimpy set of lingerie, starting to finish out the dance. Her gaze moved back to Sweet Pea, still staring at her in something of a trance.

Letting out a little huff, Blair turned on her heel, moving through the crowd back toward the bar. She wasn't sure what it was that was getting to her. She couldn't be jealous — could she? This was Sweet Pea. Sure, they were hooking up, but they were best friends. Plus, if he was interested in Noelle, she would have heard about it.

At least that was what she told herself, yet still, she reached over the bar as Ivy had her back turned, tending to one of the older Serpents at the other end of the bar. Grabbing a bottle of tequila, she quickly turned on her heel, walking toward the pool tables instead of going back to where Sweet Pea and Fangs stood.

She cracked open the bottle, taking a long swig, wincing slightly as the liquid burned on its way down. Grabbing one of the racks, she began to rack the billiard balls, then set herself up to break. She grabbed a pool cue, lining up her shot, telling herself for every shot she missed after breaking, she'd take a swig of alcohol. It seemed like an innocent enough game.

After breaking, she sunk three balls into the pockets, then missed, prompting her to take a large drink from her bottle of tequila.

She put the bottle down after she drank, spotting Sweet Pea and Fangs across the room talking to Noelle. Noelle's hand reached out to touch Sweet Pea's arm, resting against his bicep as she laughed at something that had been said, the boys grinning as they looked down at her. It all caused a sinking feeling in her stomach.

She downed a bit more of the tequila before sensing someone walk up beside her, an unfamiliar voice speaking up. "Hey, you're Blair, right?"

Blair looked over to see who was talking to her, brow furrowed as she locked eyes with one of the Serpent hopefuls in his late teens. She could have sworn his name was Jamie, or Jace, or something of the sort.