Light and Sweet: Sacred Hearts Coven (4 page)

The Bar

Ali came running back from the bathroom. “I never thought he would leave.”

“What do you mean?” Lilly asked her.

“I was waiting over there. I didn’t want to interrupt your goodbyes. Are you ready to go?”

Lilly grabbed her flashy clutch off of the table. “You didn’t have to hide over there like some kind of reverse stalker.”

“Yeah well, I didn’t want to delay the inevitable. I thought if I stayed at the table he would too. I’m not looking to spend my night in this stuffy restaurant. I am ready to party and listen to some rock, so let’s roll.” Ali picked up Lilly’s wine glass that was still half full and slugged down the rest of the wine.

“If you wanted a drink why didn’t you just order one?” Lilly put her arm around her friend and they walked out of the restaurant.

“Hey, I just don’t believe in wasting things. I’m very eco-friendly.” Ali laughed. “Besides, there are some people you just should
n’t let buy you a drink.”

Lilly looked around to make sure that Alan wasn’t anywhere within earshot by chance. “Thank you so much for coming to bail me out of this date. He was nice and all, but could we have been any more opposite?”

“Who set you up on this one and why do you continue to go out on blind dates?” Ali tucked her arm around Lilly’s arm and they walked together.

“Some chick Meg that works at the resume place set us up. She said he was perfect. She and I definitely have different ideas about what perfect looks or acts like. And I keep going on blind dates, because where else am I going to meet anyone? It’s not like I ever meet anyone when we go out. Sure, some creepy guys offer to buy us drinks, but that just isn’t getting it done for me. Not to mention after my last boyfriend, I really don’t want to get emotionally involved with anyone that has a routine of getting fucked up.”

Lilly and Ali rounded the corner to Magic Bar. They were surprised to see a line outside, and it was still pretty early. They walked up to the front door. Ali said something to a plump bald guy wearing a black tee that said staff. He was holding a clicker and as he opened the door for the girls to let them in, he pushed the button on the clicker twice.

“You know, you are out at these places and you’re not such a bad person. You shouldn’t be so pessimistic and judgmental about other people just because they are out at a bar.” Ali nudged her friend.

“I’m not judgmental, I am just cautious about whom I spend my time with,” Lilly replied.

“Look how well that worked out for
you with your hot date tonight,” Ali pointed out.

“Shut up!” Lilly punched her friend in the arm.

“Hey ladies, you don’t have to fight over me. There is enough of me for you to share,” a tall slightly lanky guy interrupted their playful banter. He wasn’t really bad looking, but he was no head turner either. Truth be told his comment shot his score on the creep-o-meter way up for the two girls.

Ali’s upper lip lifted like she was about to do an Elvis impersonation
, but the raised eyebrows showed her disgust with his lame line. “Eww, you can’t be for real?”

“What? I was just messing around. Can I get you
ladies a beer?” he asked, tying to save his thwarted attempt to hit on them.

Lilly noticed that his striped polo shirt was tucked too far into his cheap pair of jeans. He happened to be wearing a pair of sneakers that were designed to look like a pair of shoes; they were a big pet peeve of Lilly’s. “Um, no thanks. We just came from dinner and are good to go. Maybe next time. Enjoy the show.”

The girls walked further into the bar. The crowd was still a bit scarce because the line was still wrapped around the building making a slow crawl through paying the cover at the door.

“You see what kind of turds hang out in places like this? You
wonder why I go on blind dates,” Lilly asked her friend as she looked around wondering where they would stand or sit for the night.

“He was pretty garish, but stil
l, your dates are nearly as bad,” Ali agreed with her.

“At least they buy me dinner.”

“Yeah, one that I have to come drag you away from.” Ali wasn’t letting that one slide.

“Touché. Where do you want to go? Bar? Drinks?” Lilly asked.

“Bar yes. Drinks yes. And you are buying, girlie.” Ali giggled as they found a spot at the bar on the corner that had one stool left. “You can have the stool.”

The bartender eventually made her way over; she was petite and had a boyish quality to her. “What can I get you?”

“Two orange vodka and cranberries,” Lilly ordered the drinks and threw a twenty on the bar leaning her knee on the bar stool. She turned her attention back to Ali, “So tell me about this band you want to see.”

“They are called Breaking Blood. They aren’t headlining, but I saw them a few months back and they were pretty good.”

“Please tell me they are not a Goth band.” Lilly took the change from the bartender and left a few dollars on the bar and handed Ali her drink.

“Would you take a look around, do these people look like they are here to listen to Goth music?” Lilly skimmed the crowd and realized how silly that was. Although there were a handful of people in black, everyone in the bar looked pretty mainstream.

“Whatever, what did you expect with a name like Breaking Blood. I picture guys with thick black eyeliner, black lipstick and a pair of giant platform shoes to match.”

“You watch too many movies. Can’t music just be about the music and not about what the artists look like? Dude, it’s all open for interpretation, it’s art man. Besides these guys are like the most buff band ever. Wait until you see the
stacks of muscles on these guys,” Ali informed her.

Lilly sipped on her drink through the tiny straw that was meant to stir the cocktail. She looked down at her outfit and felt a tiny bit fancy with her sheer blouse on and decided to take it off.  “It is all making sense to me now.”

“Yes, I see. So much so you took your shirt off. You so need to get laid. Let’s find you a guy tonight,” Ali declared her mission.

The bizarre background music that was probably a random mix CD faded out. A girl that looked like she was in her early twenties with a straight blue-black haircut just below her shoulders with a blunt bang that almost covered her eyes bounced out on stage. She rambled on for a few minutes about a few up-coming events, announced the band line up for the night and then introduced the first band, Copper Heads.

The lights faded and a spotlight focused on the small stage at the back of the bar. To Lilly’s surprise an all girl band walked out on the stage. Each of them had red hair. Some more on the coppery orange side while another girl’s hair was bright, brick red.

“Do you think that is their real hair? Or do you think they just wear wigs?” Ali handed Lilly her empty cup.

“Probably wigs. Shit, you drank that already?” Lilly leaned over the bar to get one of the bartender’s attention. “Hey, can I get two more?”

“Get me a chocolate cake shot too.” Ali had a tendency to force the issue with drinking. Lilly loved her, but couldn’t believe how much the girl could drink.

“And a chocolate cake shot,” Lilly requested.

“Seriously? We don’t have Frangelico or any of that fancy shit here. Sorry, we are just simple folk here.” Her tone was way more mocking than someone working for tips should have been.

“Eh, tell her to just give me a shot of tequila then,” Ali said

“What she said,
” Lilly threw another twenty on the bar. “This is my last twenty and my last drink, you better find someone else to buy your drinks the rest of the night.

“Like that would ever be a problem. Besides, all I have to do is go find that creepy guy with bad shoes. He was keen on buying us beer. Maybe he has a keg of the extra light stuff in the back of his mom’s car.” Ali slammed the shot of tequila. “These girls aren’t bad, but I am ready for Breaking Blood!”

“Are they headlining? I wasn’t really listening to the girl who announced the bands,” Lilly asked, still sipping her drink through her skinny red straw.

“No they should be on next. The headlining band is called The West Front. I haven’t seen them or heard their music
, but everyone seems pretty stoked to see them. Chances are I will be too drunk to care when they come on.” Ali reached over Lilly and grabbed a white straw from the bartender’s napkin and straw holder. She popped it in her drink and began to suck.

“Why don’t you just slow down? I am going to have to carry you home. I am beat from my exciting date, so whenever you want to go let me know. Maybe I will splurge and get us a cab.” Lilly would have to take a cab home from the train station either way. “It probably won’t cost too much more to have them drive us both home, and besides, better safe than sorry.”

Ali hugged Lilly. “You are the best-”

Ali’s sentiment was cut off when she was thrust up against her friend, spilling the rest of her drink on Lilly’s white tank top. Ali turned aroun
d, “What the fuck, dude!”

Before the guy even had an opportunity to say anything, a girl with brown curly hair repeated her phrase to him saying again, “Seriously, what the fuck dude!” She smacked him across the face, “you are a real piece of shit.”

Ali and Lilly turned and looked at each other. Both of them had their eyebrows raised and their mouths crooked to the side.

The tall hunky blond in front of them tried to ease away from the girls, but the feisty curly haired girl continued yelling and slapping her hands at him.

“Marylou, can you help me wave down one of the bouncers,” he called over to the bartender.

“Look Camy, I hardly even know you. You need to back up off of me.” He was less reactive than most men might have been while they were being berated and physically assaulted. “You need to calm down and take a walk or something.”

“You don’t get the right to tell me what to do. Not after you used me and threw me aside like yesterday’s paper.” The more this girl yelled and flailed her arms around, the more she looked like a nineties troll doll by the minute.

Ali and Lilly were still speechless. They watched the crashing train wreck in front of them so intently they had not realized that Breaking Blood was on stage performing. Two big guys with bright yellow event staff tee shirts on came over wielding their mini flashlights.

The two men stepped between the couple, facing the troll. The bald black guy spoke first. “Are we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?”

Camy’s response was less than ladylike. She spit at him before proceeding to try and push what looked like a concrete wall out of the way to get at the guy she was fighting with.

The bouncers didn’t even say another word. They grabbed the girl by the arms and gently lifted her off the ground. All the while she was still screaming and kicking. They brought her to the closest exit and escorted her outside of the premises through the closest emergency exit.

“You see, that’s why I stay single, who wants to deal with that kind of nonsense?” Ali reached over and grabbed some napkins from the bar caddy and handed them to Lilly.

Lilly started to dab the pink drink that had saturated her once stark white tank top. The guy that she had been fighting with was tall and had a faux hawk type of haircut that could probably be tamed, but was gelled up into spikes at the crown of his head. He reached over her and waved down the bartender.

Lilly noticed that both of his ears were pierced. She thought that this guy definitely wasn’t worried about what others thought of him.

“Marylou, a club soda for the lady and whatever else she and her friend are drinking. I’m late and need to get back stage. I am supposed to grab waters for the guys?” He threw down a fifty on the bar.

“I got it, go ahead back. I will have the bar-back bring them back to you. I will send your change.” The bartender eagerly smiled at him.

“Thanks Mare. I can wait a second.” She hurried to grab the waters and handed him four bottles.

“Ladies, I’m really sorry for crashing your party.”

Lilly just looked up at him and stared into his baby blue eyes. They were not big and bright, instead they were squinted and seductive.

“Looks like I am going to owe you a new shirt.” He reached over and took the waters. “Maybe we can catch up later and I can grab your number.”

“Here you go, hun,” Marylou handed Lilly a cup of club soda and a clean bar rag. Lilly took it from her and stood up to try and dab it on her shirt.

“Cool buckle!” He gestured to Lilly.

She looked over to him and he lifted his shirt to not only give her a glimpse of his perfectly tanned flat stomach, but his belt buckle as well.

“Oh hey, looks like you at least have go
od taste in your fashion attire,” Lilly responded both in awe of the view and shocked to see he had the same belt buckle on.

Before he turned to walk back into the crowd he winked at her. Lilly felt like she just got thrown a fast curve ball. She wasn’t even sure what just happened.

“Can you believe that jerk?” Ali asked.

“Huh, yeah, I know right?”

“I can’t believe he just knocked me over and made me spill my drink on you and then suggested that you would give him your phone number.” Ali grabbed her new drink from the bar. “As if you would give any guy in here your number.”

“That was crazy, what do you think he did to that girl? He either really fucked her over or she is bat shit crazy.”

“Maybe both, who cares. He sucks, and he made us miss almost the whole set for Breaking Blood. Look at those guys. They all have their shirts off. I could just lick all that salty sweat from those muscular chests. Rarrrr.” Ali growled like a hungry lion. “You want to get out of here?”

“I guess so, we can watch the rest of Breaking Blood’s set. At least I have this other shirt to throw back on. Not sure it will hide this big pink stain.” Lilly put the sheer yellow shirt back on over her tank and grabbed her new drink from the bar. “Can’t let these drinks go to waste. Cheers. Here is to an interesting evening to say the least.”

The girls clinked plastic cups. Ali reached over the bar and grabbed two white straws and put them in their drinks and winked at Lilly. She turned back to ogle the band on stage.

Lilly reached into her clutch and grabbed a handful of singles she had from the change the bartender gave her earlier in the night. She waited for Marylou to come close enough to her part of the long bar that she could grab her attention.

“Marylou, can you tell me what the guy’s name was that spilled the drink on me?” She pushed the stack of dollars across the bar.

“His name is Leon. Oh, man he got you good. I guess the club soda didn’t help. Is this for us?” Marylou put her hand over the cash. Lilly gave her a nod. “Thanks. Enjoy the rest of the show.”