When Jake was going to drop me off, I asked, “You come here a lot, don’t you?”
“Uh…” His eyebrows bunched together. “A fair amount. Tara and Susan know people who work here.”
“You’re going to have to come with me. I need you to get me in.”
He did, nodding to the bouncers, and we were allowed to walk past them.
He hunched closer to me as we went through the door. “This is not going to help the situation. Erica really won’t want to see me.”
“Come on.” I scanned the nightclub.
It was just like the last time—dark with techno music playing and neon lights flashing everywhere while crowds of people were packed inside.
I spotted the big black booths in the back and grabbed Jake’s hand, tugging him behind me.
He turned his hand upside down to lace our fingers together. He pulled me to a stop and stood close as he peered down at me. “You know she’s not going to approve of me.”
I murmured, “One dilemma at a time.” The first one to deal with, my roommate and when I spotted Erica, her hands were flying in the air as she was talking. She was trying to punch a hole in the table with her finger when we got to the booth and was glaring at Wanker, who sat across from her. “That’s what she thinks, but she’s wrong.” Her lip curved up into a menacing glare. She punched the table again with that one single finger. “She’s wrong, Wanker. Wrong.”
I moved within eyesight of her, but I was still cautious. Was she mad and hiding it?
Her eyes grew bright and then went out of focus. Squinting, she shook her head and tried to focus again on me. As she did, the recognition lit up her face. A smile stretched from ear to ear. “My roommate!” She held her arms out wide but fell backward against her seat and started to pitch to the side.
Wanker shot over the table and grabbed her right arm. I jerked forward and grabbed her left arm. We steadied her, and then I slipped in next to her. Jake sat next to Wanker.
Erica gazed at Jake. Her lips stuck out in a pout. “You.”
Jake sighed. A server went past, and he lifted his hand in the air. “Drink, please.”
“You.” She started to get up, rising to stand where she sat in the booth. Her finger pointed across the table. “It’s your fault.”
Jake lowered his hand and shot me a look. “Told you my presence would be a bad idea.”
I waved that off and pulled Erica’s hand down. “Stop. Whatever’s going on has nothing to do with Jake.”
“Yes, it does!” She closed her eyes, lifted her head, and shouted, “I’m drunk, Jo! I’m drunk. Drunk. And you…you had a panic attack, and I didn’t know.” She patted my arm, still with her eyes closed. “I’m so sorry you had a panic attack. I didn’t know. Did I know?”
I caught her hand and held it. “You didn’t know.”
“Okay.” Her eyes opened, and when she saw Jake, they lit back up. “You!”
Her hand started to go up once again, but I caught it and snapped my fingers in front of her face.
I said, “Right here. Over here. I’m here.”
“You’re here. Oh, Jo! You’re here. Are you feeling better? I was worried, but I couldn’t leave, and you had a panic attack. Where did you go? I sent Dickhead to look for you.”
“Uh…” I remembered Bob had been in the lounge. “Oh, yes. We must’ve missed each other. I went home, or I was going home. I started to feel better, and then I went to Jake’s house. I thought he could…” What was I going to say here?
Jake lifted an eyebrow, a slight grin peeking at the corner of his mouth.
I rolled my eyes at him and said to my roommate, “I thought he might have special medicine for my anxiety.”
Jake lifted a hand in frustration and muttered, “Oh my God.”
Erica’s eyes got big again. “He does. He has drugs. I knew it!” She pointed at him again. “You’re the type to have those steroids and shit. Wait, does Susan know? I could use that against her. Does she take steroids, too?”
Jake’s hands spread out, palms upward. “I don’t have steroids. No one has steroids. Jo wanted booze. I had booze, but we left and went to your place instead.”
Erica sucked in her breath. “You brought steroids to our place?”
I started laughing. I couldn’t help it.
Jake shot me a look. “Thanks. This is probably the only thing she’s going to remember from this night.”
“You…” Erica rose from her seat. “You gave steroids to my roommate. Is she on steroids, too?”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” Wanker burst out, standing. He grabbed Erica’s hands and pushed her back down, and then he shot a look at Jake and me. His eyes were beady under his glasses. “You two are not helping. You were supposed to come and help her.”
Jake frowned. “She’s drunk. What else do you want us to do?”
“Five minutes before you arrived, she was planning murder. Said it’d be a double exposé since they just interviewed that killer guy.”
Jake’s frown deepened. “That killer guy? What killer guy?”
Erica grumbled, sliding down in the seat so that her feet were almost in Wanker’s lap, “That hot killer guy. You know who I’m talking about. I am sober enough to admit that I’m drunk enough not to remember his name. That guy.”
“Oh.” Jake nodded. “That guy. I remember.” His tone was sarcastic. His hand lifted in the air, and his fingers spread out. “It all makes perfect sense now.”
Erica glowered at him as she hunched down, and stuck her bottom lip out. “I don’t appreciate your tone. I don’t know what it is right now, but I don’t appreciate it.”
I wanted to hit my forehead. This was my roommate. This was Wanker, who was fine. And this was—I gazed at Jake—my friend and accountability partner. This was my team, whom I’d chosen to hide away with in my new life, and they were arguing over…I had no idea what they were arguing over. For some reason, I was fed up, and my patience was gone.
I started to stand up. I wanted to deliver some lecture, and again, I had no clue what I was going to deliver, but Wanker beat me to it.
He jerked forward in his seat and spread his hands in the air. His movement was dramatic, as was the look of disgust on his face. He looked from Jake to Erica and back again. “You two, shut the fuck up.”
“Uh…” His eyebrows bunched together. “A fair amount. Tara and Susan know people who work here.”
“You’re going to have to come with me. I need you to get me in.”
He did, nodding to the bouncers, and we were allowed to walk past them.
He hunched closer to me as we went through the door. “This is not going to help the situation. Erica really won’t want to see me.”
“Come on.” I scanned the nightclub.
It was just like the last time—dark with techno music playing and neon lights flashing everywhere while crowds of people were packed inside.
I spotted the big black booths in the back and grabbed Jake’s hand, tugging him behind me.
He turned his hand upside down to lace our fingers together. He pulled me to a stop and stood close as he peered down at me. “You know she’s not going to approve of me.”
I murmured, “One dilemma at a time.” The first one to deal with, my roommate and when I spotted Erica, her hands were flying in the air as she was talking. She was trying to punch a hole in the table with her finger when we got to the booth and was glaring at Wanker, who sat across from her. “That’s what she thinks, but she’s wrong.” Her lip curved up into a menacing glare. She punched the table again with that one single finger. “She’s wrong, Wanker. Wrong.”
I moved within eyesight of her, but I was still cautious. Was she mad and hiding it?
Her eyes grew bright and then went out of focus. Squinting, she shook her head and tried to focus again on me. As she did, the recognition lit up her face. A smile stretched from ear to ear. “My roommate!” She held her arms out wide but fell backward against her seat and started to pitch to the side.
Wanker shot over the table and grabbed her right arm. I jerked forward and grabbed her left arm. We steadied her, and then I slipped in next to her. Jake sat next to Wanker.
Erica gazed at Jake. Her lips stuck out in a pout. “You.”
Jake sighed. A server went past, and he lifted his hand in the air. “Drink, please.”
“You.” She started to get up, rising to stand where she sat in the booth. Her finger pointed across the table. “It’s your fault.”
Jake lowered his hand and shot me a look. “Told you my presence would be a bad idea.”
I waved that off and pulled Erica’s hand down. “Stop. Whatever’s going on has nothing to do with Jake.”
“Yes, it does!” She closed her eyes, lifted her head, and shouted, “I’m drunk, Jo! I’m drunk. Drunk. And you…you had a panic attack, and I didn’t know.” She patted my arm, still with her eyes closed. “I’m so sorry you had a panic attack. I didn’t know. Did I know?”
I caught her hand and held it. “You didn’t know.”
“Okay.” Her eyes opened, and when she saw Jake, they lit back up. “You!”
Her hand started to go up once again, but I caught it and snapped my fingers in front of her face.
I said, “Right here. Over here. I’m here.”
“You’re here. Oh, Jo! You’re here. Are you feeling better? I was worried, but I couldn’t leave, and you had a panic attack. Where did you go? I sent Dickhead to look for you.”
“Uh…” I remembered Bob had been in the lounge. “Oh, yes. We must’ve missed each other. I went home, or I was going home. I started to feel better, and then I went to Jake’s house. I thought he could…” What was I going to say here?
Jake lifted an eyebrow, a slight grin peeking at the corner of his mouth.
I rolled my eyes at him and said to my roommate, “I thought he might have special medicine for my anxiety.”
Jake lifted a hand in frustration and muttered, “Oh my God.”
Erica’s eyes got big again. “He does. He has drugs. I knew it!” She pointed at him again. “You’re the type to have those steroids and shit. Wait, does Susan know? I could use that against her. Does she take steroids, too?”
Jake’s hands spread out, palms upward. “I don’t have steroids. No one has steroids. Jo wanted booze. I had booze, but we left and went to your place instead.”
Erica sucked in her breath. “You brought steroids to our place?”
I started laughing. I couldn’t help it.
Jake shot me a look. “Thanks. This is probably the only thing she’s going to remember from this night.”
“You…” Erica rose from her seat. “You gave steroids to my roommate. Is she on steroids, too?”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” Wanker burst out, standing. He grabbed Erica’s hands and pushed her back down, and then he shot a look at Jake and me. His eyes were beady under his glasses. “You two are not helping. You were supposed to come and help her.”
Jake frowned. “She’s drunk. What else do you want us to do?”
“Five minutes before you arrived, she was planning murder. Said it’d be a double exposé since they just interviewed that killer guy.”
Jake’s frown deepened. “That killer guy? What killer guy?”
Erica grumbled, sliding down in the seat so that her feet were almost in Wanker’s lap, “That hot killer guy. You know who I’m talking about. I am sober enough to admit that I’m drunk enough not to remember his name. That guy.”
“Oh.” Jake nodded. “That guy. I remember.” His tone was sarcastic. His hand lifted in the air, and his fingers spread out. “It all makes perfect sense now.”
Erica glowered at him as she hunched down, and stuck her bottom lip out. “I don’t appreciate your tone. I don’t know what it is right now, but I don’t appreciate it.”
I wanted to hit my forehead. This was my roommate. This was Wanker, who was fine. And this was—I gazed at Jake—my friend and accountability partner. This was my team, whom I’d chosen to hide away with in my new life, and they were arguing over…I had no idea what they were arguing over. For some reason, I was fed up, and my patience was gone.
I started to stand up. I wanted to deliver some lecture, and again, I had no clue what I was going to deliver, but Wanker beat me to it.
He jerked forward in his seat and spread his hands in the air. His movement was dramatic, as was the look of disgust on his face. He looked from Jake to Erica and back again. “You two, shut the fuck up.”
