The Track

CHAPTER 3: Club Zen

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CHAPTER 3: CLUB ZEN

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ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TO KK

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Club Zen was beautiful.  It wasn’t grungy or reeked of thrown up alcohol, it was actually really nice.  Zander just walked us through the door past the long line, which was beginning to stretch around the block.  The bouncers eyed me at first, but Zander just wrapped an arm around my shoulder and walked us through.  He led me past the dance floors to the top room on the second floor which overlooked everything.  

I was so engrossed in my people watching that I didn’t even notice the two guys that entered the room.  

“Zander!  What’s up man!”  One of them yelled.  

“What are you doing here?” The other questioned curiously.  

They were both really handsome and seemed very familiar.  I could have sworn I had seen them both before.  And then it hit me, the tattoo’s of the first guy were indeed familiar.  I recognized them from the contests, they were riders, and if i recalled correctly they didn't have the best of reputations.  After Zander shook their hands, their gazes finally sought me out and they stared openly and appreciatively, I got a little uncomfortable. 

“Well who do we have here.”  Said one of the guys in a suave voice.  Zander looked annoyed, but I doubted they caught that look because he wasn’t an easy read.  

“This is my number one girl, Rory.”  Said Zander.   

“Well, I’m Aaron and this is Jeremiah.”

“Nice to meet you guys.”  I responded lightly.

“I didn’t know you had a girlfriend.”  Aaron asked and Zander looked uncomfortable.

“Um yeah, she’s not my girlfriend, but she’s better than that, she’s my best friend.”

Aaron and Jeremiah just looked at one another and a gaze passed between them that I couldn’t place.

“Well if that’s the case then you wouldn’t mind if I asked her to dance?”  Aaron asked, and I was under the impression that there was some weird internal battle going on between Aaron and Zander.  

“It’s up to her man.”  He said noncommittally.

“Rory, you wanna dance.”

I weighed my options.  I came to the club to have a good time, to dance and flirt.  In the end I accepted and he grabbed my hand and led me down the stairs.  Right as we got to the dance floor the song changed and he led me into the center of all the people.  It was a song meant to grind to, and I wasn’t sure just how comfortable I was with that, and especially with him.  He grabbed me and we moved to the music, I felt his hands glide over my hips trying to go further down and I pushed his hands away.  He tried it again and this time I pushed his chest.  There was a look on his face, something like triumph and I saw him glance up towards the second floor.  This wasn’t about me, he was trying to piss off Zander I realized, and I just shook my head, I was officially over the situation.  

Just as I started walking away he grabbed my left wrist.

“Let go.” I said, but he wouldn’t loosen his grip.

“We didn’t finish the song yet.” He said with a smirk.

“I don’t care.”  

I tried to pull my wrist out of his grip, but his fingers just sunk further and further into my skin.  I was starting to get angry, when I pulled again and his grip tightened some more I opened my hand and slapped him across the cheek.  I had hit him hard and he took a little step back.  

“Don’t you ever touch me again.”  I said.  

I saw him recover from the shock, and there was a surprised smile on his face as he put a hand to his cheek, it was then that he started to come after me.  But as I started to run away from him I got into a more private part of the club where hardly anyone was around. I ran straight into someone’s muscular chest, and strong hands wrapped around me.  When I looked up I saw Zander and I physically relaxed as I felt him against me.  

“Get behind me.”  He said as he pulled me behind him, his hand clasped around my own and I leaned forward so that my front was touching his back.  I heard Aaron walk up to Zander and I knew that this wasn’t going to be good.

“What the f*%k do you think you were doing.”

“Zander, Zander, Zander, I was just having a little fun with your friend.”  

I peaked at Aaron from behind Zander, and he was wearing this horrible smirk.  

I don’t know what it was, but I couldn’t help myself.  I walked around Zander and before I even thought it through, I balled up my right hand and punched him in his nose.  I felt Zander grab me and then I heard him swear.

“F*#king bitch!!!.” He screamed at me as he got up and rushed us.  Zander stepped in front of me and punched Aaron, but Aaron got back up quickly and before I knew it they were on the ground.  I watched in shock, it was all my fault.  

I went to try to go help Zander, even though he didn’t need it, but I felt obligated nonetheless.  As I started towards them strong arms closed around me and I let out a little scream.  It was Jeremiah.  I saw Zander look up and Aaron got the upper hand then, punching him square in the jaw.  

Everything was happening so fast, but after that I lifted up my left leg and smashed my heel onto Jeremiah’s foot.  He let out a yell, but didn’t let me go.  Somehow I managed to wiggle out of his hold enough so that my arms were free.  I elbowed his ribs as hard as I could, and I heard his yell of pain as finally released me.  

The lights in the club were spinning around, alighting Zander and Aaron in a rainbow of colors.  Where the Hell is security? I thought to myself as I looked back at Jeremiah.  He was coming towards me again and I knew what I had to do.  I let him get two feet away from me before I kicked him in the most sensitive area of a mans body.  He doubled over in pain and I grabbed his head and brought my knee up into his face with as much force as I could muster.  

He was out, and definitely down for the count.    

I remembered Zander then and saw him straddling Aaron punching him over and over.

“You will never ever touch her… I‘ll kill you before you…!!!”  He was yelling and Aaron was trying to flip him, but Zander landed a good punch.  I knew Jeremiah was down so I ran to them, I grabbed Zander and pulled him up.  

It was like he was a different person, his eyes were almost glazed over with anger.  I put my hands on either side of his face, shaking him a bit.

“Zander… hey.  Hey look at me!!!  I‘m fine, I‘m fine!!!”  I yelled over the sound of the music.

His eyes focused on me and I saw the recognition in his face  He wrapped his arms around me pulling me into a bone crushing hug that lifted me right off of the floor.  I wrapped my arms around his neck and returned the hug, closing my eyes.  When I opened them again I saw Aaron running at us with a bottle in his hand aimed right at Zander’s head.  

Everything started to happen in slow motion and I saw him raise the bottle above his head.  I pushed Zander away as hard as I could and I threw up my right arm as the champagne bottle collided with my skin, shattering and slicing its way into my arm and face.