"Oh come on, don't be a baby," Chris shouted over the loud music and hollers that reverberated throughout the bar. He smirked at the young Skye, bobbing his head to the music and watching the liquid bounce in the beer bottle.
Skye bit her lip, looking down at the bottle in her hand. Chris had handed it to her a few minutes ago and she was too scared to drink it. She was only sixteen and the most she'd had was a can of Limerita a foster sister snuck to her. Not wanting to disappoint her new friend, Skye now plastered on a smile and tilted her head back, letting the liquid fall into her mouth.
It didn't taste as good as she'd hoped, but she didn't dare let Chris know that. She pressed her lips together and shot him a thumbs-up.
"Come on!" he shouted. "Finish it off!"
Skye sighed and shook her head, closing her eyes as she gulped the rest of the beer down. It burned a little in her stomach and she had a strong urge to vomit it all back up. Chris was impressed with the teen's drinking skills and made her down another beer bottle before she finally cut it off.
Skye began scanning the crowded bar for her other friends. Her eyes finally landed upon her friend Heather, who was seated on a disgusting sticky couch next to her boyfriend. Skye weaved her way through the crowd, heaving a sigh of relief when she finally managed to escape the mass of people. She set her beer on the table in front of the couch, yawning and collapsing into the chair behind her.
"What happened to you?" Heather asked as she took a sip of her gin and tonic.
Skye grumbled, removing her beanie and rubbing her hair underneath. She was sprawled out on the chair, tired and just wanting to go home. "Chris gave me two beers."
Heather stuck out her bottom lip. "Oh, how sweet!" She tilted her head, stirring her drink. "Baby's first drink."
Skye rolled her eyes, scoffing and sitting up a little. She slid her beanie back on and rested her chin on her hand. She nodded to the clearly-wasted, sleepy boyfriend next to Heather. "I just want to know when they're going to hurry up and give me my end of the agreement."
Heather looked at her boyfriend, running her thumb over his cheekbone. "All good things come with time." She was clearly too infatuated with the man next to her to be paying attention to Skye, so the younger girl took the opportunity to slip away, sliding into the restroom.
Skye looked at herself in the mirror, leaning against the counter. She sighed, turning on the faucet and drinking a bit of the water with her hands. She scowled and spit it out onto the floor immediately. "Bad decision," she told herself. "Not the only bad one I've made tonight," she mumbled, stepping into a stall and sitting back on the toilet, slouching against the wall behind her. She tore off a square of toilet paper and started folding it into a paper crane like her middle school friend taught her. Her fingers weren't working at their best and she got so frustrated with it she yelled and tossed the paper outside the stall.
Skye knew she shouldn't have gotten herself into this. Last week, she'd overheard her senior friend, Heather, talking about her boyfriend, Brian's, tech gang. She managed to get his number from Heather and started stalking his MySpace and records. She found out that he currently attended the LA City College as a comp-sci major and she was able to coerce Heather into telling her about Brian's business with his roommates. Apparently, he and his two tech-savvy friends were dumpster-diving and putting together high-quality, powerful computers designed for hackers. Obviously, Skye became interested. Sure, she had that old ratty laptop she won on a bet last summer, but it could only do so much. Plus, its battery was crap. A new computer might mean freedom from the god-awful foster care system.
And now here she was. Stuck in a bar bathroom, crying, apparently. The boys had wanted to "initiate" her into the group before giving her the free laptop. She knew she'd have to work a lot for them to earn their respect so she half-planned on taking her new computer and running.
Skye straightened up when she heard the restroom door opening. She watched the feet from under the stall and sighed in relief when she realized it wasn't Heather's shoes. Flushing the toilet for effect, she left the stall and washed her hands. She wiped a dirt stain off her cheek before leaving, closing her eyes for a moment as the loud music flooded her ears once more.
At some point, Chris and the other guy Alex had bought Skye a few shots of whiskey, and being the always-grateful foster kid she was, she had to accept the offers. Getting drunk wasn't something the girl was familiar with, so naturally she didn't handle it too well.
The bartender wiped off the counter in front of the three friends, eyeing the confused Skye closely. She seemed sad, disoriented, almost, and the two guys next to her seemed a little too comfortable.
The bartender eyed Skye. "Hey, kid, how old are you?"
Skye mumbled something under her breath but smiled and laughed to herself instead. The bartender looked to Alex for an answer.
Alex grinned widely, wrapping his long arm around Skye's narrow shoulders and roughly jostling her around. "Aw, Skye here turned 21 on Tuesday. Girl's never had a drink in her life." He ruffled the beanie on her head.
The bartender narrowed his eyes in suspicion but left them alone. Technically, he was supposed to ask for ID, but he didn't feel like ruining someone else's Friday night. He made a mental note to keep an eye on her just in case.
"Okay, so, I was, like, 'No! You can't take my gym socks!' But she didn't listen. She didn't," Skye told the friends surrounding her, crossing her arms and scowling, pouty. She was sitting on the sticky couch, Heather and Brian next to her and Chris and Alex standing near, both heavily drinking.
"Hey girl," Chris said, stumbling toward Skye and droopily smiling at her. "You excited to join our gang eh?"
"Yeahhhh!" Skye replied, playfully punching his arm. "That new…" She hiccuped. "...computer sounds real good to me right about now."
Chris nodded, closing his eyes and dancing to the music. "Yeahhh...you're gonna be great on our team. Brian's girl says you're real smart."
Skye nodded, smiling a droopy smile herself. "Uh-huh, smart enough to take the laptop and leave 'soon as I can."
"Mmhmm…" It took Chris a second to comprehend that. His eyes widened and he began to get angry. "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?"
Skye's eyes widened. She stood and motioned to the door with her thumb. "Buddies, I think it's about time I go."
"Like hell," Alex said, grabbing her shoulder to stop her. Skye was much smaller than these older guys and, even drunk, knew she didn't have a chance against them in a physical fight. Swallowing, she pressed her lips together and tried to focus.
"Let me go," she demanded.
"Not when we buy a whole week's wages worth of drinks for you!" Chris shouted, shoving her back a step. "And you go and tell us you're just gonna scam us?"
"I bet all you wanted this whole time was that goddamn laptop!" Brian chimed in, pointing an accusing finger at Skye.
"YOU'RE NOT WRONG!" the girl yelled, reciprocating the men's anger. Heather looked up at Skye, sending her a mental warning to leave before it was too late.
It was too late.
Skye felt the impact of the punch before she saw the fist. Her entire jaw blossomed with pain and she fell backwards, disoriented. When she regained her balance, she saw Chris clenching his jaw and waving off his hand. Skye grabbed her face, feeling the blood already tricking from her lip. She furrowed her brow and squared up, ready to fight the two men in front of her. She managed to kick Chris in the groin before they were interrupted.
"GET OUT OF MY BAR!" came the bartender's voice. Everyone scurried away.
Skye stepped back from Chris and Alex, realizing what she'd done. She was a 16 year old, in a bar, drunk...Oh, holy hell, was she in trouble.
"You!" the bartender shouted at Chris and Alex. "Get the hell out!"
The guys flipped a few birds and dirty looks before leaving, but not before Alex kneed Skye in the chest. The girl got the wind knocked out of her and doubled over, just enough time for Brian, Chris, Alex, and Heather to escape. Heather gave Skye one last look of apology before grabbing her coat and lacing her arm into Brian's.
The bartender crouched down, putting his hand on Skye's shoulder. "Hey kid, I'm sorry I called the cops on you," he said gently. She looked up at him with pleading eyes. "I knew you were way too young to be here. I was worried something bad was going on with you and those guys and figured it'd be best if you got out of here somehow."
Skye nodded, leaning back onto the bottom of the couch and clutching her stomach. "I get it."
The bartender pressed his lips together and nodded, standing as he motioned to the cops who were entering.
"You again? Mary Sue…" one officer grumbled as he fumbled with the handcuffs on his utility belt. He and another woman grabbed Skye's arms, gently lifting her to her feet.
The man started cuffing Skye's hands behind her back. "You've got to stop getting yourself into trouble," the policewoman said to her. She tutted at the cuts and bruises on her face. "And look, you got yourself hurt this time."
"And drunk," the man mumbled. He nodded at Skye. Go ahead and walk in a straight line toward the tables for me."
Rolling her eyes, Skye attempted the task, but failed. The woman had to grab her arm to keep from falling. The man scoffed. "Drunk as a...whatever the reference is."
They started to lead Skye out of the bar. "We'll see what the judge has to say this time," the man said. "But I have a feeling this isn't gonna look good for you."
"I'm sorry," Skye mumbled quietly. "Didn't mean…"
"I know, Mary Sue. We're gonna try our best," the woman said.
The man shoved Skye into the police car, buckling her seatbelt for her before hopping into the driver's seat. The woman got into the passenger's.
"I really didn't mean it this time, I promise," Skye slurred. "I didn't."
"I know, honey, I know," said the woman. She sighed, pressing her lips together as she watched the city go by.
Finally, they approached the police station. "We're here, Agent May," the man said.
Melinda May nodded, looking up at the building. Pressing her lips together, she took a deep breath. She was going to miss this assignment.