Life Finds a Way

Chapter 38

As it turned out, the rest of the group decided to skip dinner and meet them at the club. It was in no small part due to the location. It was a hole in the wall kind of place in Sector 5. That wasn't the real problem, it was the fact that it pretty much exclusively served junk food. If you wanted a cheap burger or a hot dog, this was the place to go. Zack confided that Reno was the one to show him this place while they were waiting for the food to be handed to them over the counter. Clarissa found the whole thing amusing, though she refused to explain her laughter until after they left. As it turned out, the burgers were actually pretty good. All in all, it was a good meal, even if it was not what she had expected.

When they got to the club finally there was a short line waiting outside. Reno told them to wait while he ran up and talked to the bouncer. After a few gestures back and forth he pointed back to where Zack and Clarissa were standing. The bouncer's eyes widened slightly before he motioned them forward. Reno looked smug as the bouncer lifted the rope for them to enter. He leaned over and whispered to Clarissa as they passed the man. "See, you don't know what you're missin'. I can pull all kinds of strings, yo."

She didn't bother answering him, instead she turned back to the bouncer as they passed with a smile. "Thanks!" His answering smile was enough to put a scowl on Reno's face, which made Clarissa smile even wider.

Once they were inside, the music was loud enough for her to feel it moving the air. She tried to look around, but it was just dark enough and crowded enough that it was difficult to see very far, even with enhanced eyesight. Zack grabbed her hand and led them around the edge of the dance floor to the bar. When they got close Clarissa saw that Genesis was standing there. He was wearing what he probably considered casual clothes, a tailored jacket over a button down, but at least he wasn't wearing a tie. They hadn't quite made it to where he was when he turned and caught sight of them. His eyes widened slightly before a scowl overtook his face. He turned abruptly and walked away. She barely heard Zack when he commented on it. "Huh, I didn't think he was going to come. I wonder what was bugging him. He looked pretty pissed."

She didn't have the slightest clue as to why he might be pissy this time, but she wasn't going to let it get her down. They were here to celebrate anyway. She pushed thoughts of the angry red-head aside as she sidled up to the bar with Zack. He leaned down to talk to her, but he still had to yell. "What do you want to drink?"

She wondered briefly if they even had the same drinks on Gaia. She decided it wouldn't hurt to ask. He was still leaned toward her, so she turned so she could yell back. "Do they have margaritas?"

He gave her a funny look at that, so she immediately decided the stuff she was used to was a distant memory. She didn't give him a chance to ask her what that was before she yelled back again. "Never mind. Why don't you surprise me? Just make sure it's not sweet."

"Not sweet? You sure?"

His look of confusion made her laugh. "Yes, I'm sure."

He shrugged before turning to get the attention of the closest bartender. She couldn't understand what he was telling the man, but she decided, the worst that could happen was that she didn't like it. At least then she would know what not to order when she ordered the next one. It didn't take long before he turned to her and handed her one of the two drinks he had in his hands. After that he grabbed her hand again before leaning over to speak. "Be careful with that. I'm going to take you to where everyone is sitting, but we might get jostled."

She gave him a nod but pulled on the hand he was holding before he could take off. The glass was so full it might spill even if they weren't jostled so she went ahead and took a sip. Much to her surprise, it was familiar. It was a simple martini. Even though it wasn't as dirty as she usually liked them, it was still pretty good. She smiled back at the anxious look on Zack's face. She tried to give him a thumbs-up with the hand that wasn't holding the drink, but since he still had a hold on it, it was kind of awkward. She got her point across though, as he flashed her a smile before turning to take them around the other side of the dance floor.