.: VI :.
Trigger Warning: Assault and Attempted Sexual Assault
"Jo, stop whining!" Blair instructed as she ran a flat iron through her hair. Once she reached the end of the grouping of hair she was fixing, she twisted her wrist towards herself, creating a curl at the bottom of her long blond hair. "The more you whine, the longer we take and you know how antsy Natalie and Tootie are to get going."
"I just don't understand why we have to go clubbing," Jo answered with a roll of her eyes. She lifted one arm up over her head and swiped deodorant against her armpit. "It's loud, you have to yell to be heard, and you get charged an arm and a leg for drinks." After recapping the lid, she placed the stick onto the sink counter before leaning closer to inspect the eyeliner near the corner of her right eye.
Blair looked at her reflection in the mirror, fluffing up her hair with her empty hand. She moved to the side to give Jo more space. The two were crammed into Jo's small bathroom, attempting to share the mirror. Blair made quick work of flattening another section of her hair. As she slid the flat iron down, her eyes followed her hands motion. She stopped upon noticing Jo bent over the sink, her long dark hair cascading around her shoulders. Blair's eyes studied her, the slope of nose to the strength of her jaw, the highlight of her collarbone, all the way to the gap of cleavage in between Jo's breasts.
Jo quickly sat up and grabbed a hold of Blair's wrist, pulling the flat iron away from her hair. A small cloud of smoke wafted into the air. "Are you trying to burn your hair off?"
"Not on purpose," Blair commented, waving her hand to disperse the smoke. She coughed lightly at the burnt hair smell.
"I don't know, I think you'd look good with short hair," Jo said. She took one more look in the mirror at her eyeliner before picking up a mascara wand. "We shouldn't go for mullets again though."
"Yeah, that wasn't a great look," Blair agreed, placing the flat iron down onto the counter. She pulled the plug from a wall socket before reaching up and fluffing her hair. She then paused, before looking at her reflection, smiling brightly. "I mean, I made it work."
Jo sighed before reaching out and gently pushing Blair on her left shoulder before finishing up her makeup with a quick swipe of lip gloss. Exiting the bathroom, she rushed into her bedroom to continue to get dressed.
"Can we go now?" Tootie called out. "I want to get there before all the available dance partners are taken."
Jo ignored her as she fastened the last few buttons on her belly shirt. She smoothed her hands down the front of her shirt, trying to get out any wrinkles. She then took a seat on her bed as she began to put her shoes on. After tying the laces on her shoes, she moved to grab her wallet off the dresser when she spotted the gun sitting in her top dresser drawer. Jo placed the gun into the back waistband of her pants, before grabbing a blazer jacket and pulling it on. She placed her wallet into her front pocket before exiting the room and heading into the living room.
"So, where is it we're going?" Natalie asked. She was sitting on the couch next to Tootie flipping through a magazine.
"The Silver Dagger," Tootie said excitedly.
Jo's steps faltered. "Um, that may not be the best place for us to go," she said slowly. Blair exited the bathroom with a wall of steam following her. Her hair was pulled into a half up, half down style. She was dressed in a light pink loose blouse and black leather miniskirt with matching black high heels.
"Why not?" Natalie asked.
Jo cleared her throat before running a hand through her hair. "It's not the type of club you're used to going to," she answered. "However, I know of another great one," she said with a smile. "We just have to take three different subway trains to get there."
"Why would we do that when we can just walk to The Silver Dagger?" Tootie pointed out.
"For the record, I have said numerous times I don't want to go."
"You've been in a foul mood since we bumped into your old friend three days ago," Blair commented. She took a seat on the arm of the couch, crossing one leg over the other. "I thought having fun with us would somewhat change your mood, JP."
"Don't call me that," Jo snapped.
"Your friend Brittany does," Natalie pointed out.
"She's not my friend!"
"Okay, what's the deal Polniaczek?" Natalie questioned. "Why don't you want us to go?"
"Oh," Blair said with a smile. "I get it." She got up from the couch and walked over to Jo, standing by her side and placing her hands on her shoulder's. "Don't worry, Jo," she pleasantly, "I'll leave some men for you."
Tootie and Natalie burst into laughter as Blair moved to reclaim her seat. Jo huffed, placing her hands onto her hips. She slowly shook her head back and forth. "Okay," she said lightly. "if you want to go to The Silver Dagger, let's go." With that, Jo stormed over to the front door before wrenching it open. "After you, your majesties," she commented with a deep bow.
Natalie and Tootie let out cries of excitement as the group made their way into the Silver Dagger. Neon lights lined the walls and blue silks hung from every corner of the room, connecting to a chandelier in the center. A long bar was nestled at the back of the room, with seating lining the two out walls. The dance-floor was packed with people dancing to Vogue by Madonna.
"Should we get a table?" Blair asked.
"What?" Natalie shouted.
Jo cupped her hands around her mouth and leaned closer to Natalie. "She wants to get a table!" she yelled.
"What?" Natalie repeated.
"Hot guy, by the bar," Tootie said, smacking Natalie in the arm with her purse. Natalie grabbed Tootie by the wrist and began to pull her through the mass of people.
"Oh sure, that she heard," Jo said, rolling her eyes. She let out a cry of pain as a red-haired woman wearing a skintight green dress passed by them, stepping on her foot. "Watch it, will ya?" she demanded.
The woman turned a scowl on her face, which quickly disappeared once she locked eyes with Jo. "I'm sorry about that," the woman said with a wave of her hand. "It was an accident. You know how hard it is to move around in these places," she added, reaching out to gently place her hand on Jo's arm.
"No, I don't," Jo muttered. She quickly pulled her arm away but covered up the action by moving to pull her pants up a bit higher on her hips. In doing so, she moved her jacket away from her side, displaying the sliver of skin along her abdomen. The woman's eyes flashed n delight.
"Hey, would you be interested in joining me and my friends for a drink?" she asked.
Blair quickly stepped forward and grabbed Jo by the hand, giving it a light tug. Jo leaned her head towards Blair's lips so that she would be able to hear what she had to say. To keep herself balanced against the throngs of people, Blair placed a hand on Jo's chest by her shoulder. "Hey, I found Natalie and Tootie, and there is a table by the bar we can sit at," Blair said over the loud music.
"A ladies woman, huh" the woman asked with a giggle. "Looking for another?"
"I'm fine with my three, thanks," Jo said with a small smile. With that she allowed herself to be pulled by Blair deeper into the club. She let out a quiet cry of discomfort as Blair tightened her grip around Jo's hand each time a woman had attempted to come up and talk to Jo.
Finally, the two mad their way up to the bar, shouting their orders to the bartender. Blair immediately erupted into a smile once she noticed how handsome he was. His piercing blue eyes lit up as he smiled. She quickly pushed Jo over to the table that Natalie and Tootie were sulking at.
"Are you two okay?" Jo asked, taking a seat next to Tootie.
"No," Tootie snapped. Jo looked at her, raising an eyebrow, before turning her attention over to Natalie.
"She's annoyed because the few guys she's been talking to are only interested in hanging with their friends," Natalie explained. She smiled politely as a few women walked by their table, giving small waves. "Though, the women here are very friendly," she commented.
Jo couldn't help but snicker. Tootie huffed. "I'm glad you find this funny. I came here looking for a date, not more friends. I already have enough to deal with in being friends with you three."
Natalie and Jo shared a look before laughing. "Us?" Jo asked.
"We're the problem?" Natalie added.
"You're the ones who got me drunk," Tootie said. She pulled a napkin out of the holder on the table. She then began to fold it into different shapes. "You're bad influences," she said with a smile.
"You decided you wanted to drink," Jo pointed out. "We didn't think you were ready."
"And we were right," Natalie added with a nod. "No one told you to drink the whole bottle by yourself."
Before Tootie could respond, Blair slumped into the seat next to Natalie. Her eyes were wide as she stared straight ahead. Natalie reached out and waved her hand in front of Blair's face, who still didn't blink. "I think she's broken," Natalie commented.
"He rejected me," Blair muttered.
"Welcome to the club," Tootie said, tossing the balled-up napkin at Blair's face. Jo and Natalie erupted not laughter as Blair flinched.
"But, I'm Blair Warner," she insisted. "Normally people are falling at my feet." A pained look then crossed her face. "He even said I'd make a good pair with his sister."
"I don't think you can have too many friends," Tootie said with a shrug. Natalie and Jo shared another look, smirking at each other. "Who's his sister?"
Blair pointed out on the dancefloor. Jo let out a small laugh when she spotted the red-haired woman with the tight green dress dancing close to a brunette woman wearing a zebra print pink dress. The brunette had her arms wrapped around her dance partners waist, the two moving smoothly to the rhythm of the music.
"Looks like she rebounded fast," Jo commented to herself.
"Here are your drinks," a waitress said as she walked up, holding a tray of glasses, looking down at her notepad. "Sorry for the delay.
"It's no problem," Natalie said as she received her drink. Blair muttered a thank you, continuing to sulk as Jo smiled graciously as she took her beer.
"And for y-" the woman jumped when Tootie turned to look at her. She quickly slammed the drink down onto the table before shuffling away.
"What was that about?" Natalie asked.
"I don't know, but she really looks familiar," Tootie said as Jo slid her drink over.
"Who cares?" Blair demanded. "Not one guy has looked at!" she cried. "Though I have had plenty of women compliment my looks, but its not the same. It's better when they're jealous."
"I'm surprise you all haven't figured it out by now," Jo commented before taking a long sip of her beer.
Natalie, Blair, and Jo looked at each other before looking back over at Jo, who rolled her eyes before leaning forward. "Everyone here plays for their own team, if you catch my drift," she whispered.
"They're all into sports?" Blair asked, wrinkling her nose. "It must be a mad house here during the Supper Bowl."
"It's Super Bowl, to start off," Jo said with an eye roll. She looked out to the dance floor as Wiggle It by 2 in A Room started to play over the speakers. She half smiled before pointing. "That's what I mean," she said.
Natalie, Blair, and Tootie followed Jo's finger before gasping in shock as they watched numerous pairs of men and women coupling up with their same sex partners. Natalie and Tootie quickly looked away as a few of the women closest to them began to grind on each other. Blair, on the other hand couldn't help but watch them closely, as if entranced by their movements.
"This is a gay bar?" Natalie hissed.
"I tried to tell you," Jo said with a shrug.
"You didn't try hard enough," Natalie snapped.
"Now, Natalie, this may not be a bad thing," Tootie said slowly. Natalie looked over at her with wide eyes. "I mean, this way we won't have to deal with any creeps."
"Who says all creeps are men?" Jo questioned.
"So, you've been here before," Natalie asked.
"No, I haven't," Jo answered, "but things here don't necessarily stay a secret. Although, unless you're directly involved, those of us from the Bronx have an unspoken pact of minding our own business." She drained the rest of her beer before letting out a light burp.
Blair blinked before looking away, focusing on her drink. Natalie tapped her fingers on the table as she looked out at the dancefloor once more. "This would make a good written piece."
"Don't even think about it," Jo snapped. "There's nothing special here. They love someone just like everyone else," she said. Blair looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. "Anyway, I'm going to the bathroom.," Jo instructed.
"It all makes sense now," Blair said as Jo brushed past. She then let out a laugh before flipping her hair. "Of course, the women here find me attractive." She smiled brightly. "I mean, I am me."
Jo made her way over to the bathroom, stepping to the side as a couple of women emerged from the bathroom giggling to each other. One of them tripped over their shoes and bumped into Jo, spilling her drink down her front. Jo looked down at her shirt before letting out a growl of anger as the two women apologized. Jo brushed them away before storming into the bathroom.
Walking over to the sink, Jo ripped some paper towels out of the nearby dispenser before turning on the faucet and sticking it under the running water. After the paper towels were thoroughly soaked, she began to rub them against the stain on her shirt. A moment later the door creaked open.
"Taken; I forgot to lock the door," Jo called out.
"It wouldn't be the first time we've gone to the bathroom together," Brittany said as she slinked inside the room, locking the door. "Although, doing it in a gay bar may give the wrong impression," she added with a laugh.
Jo stopped scrubbing her shirt, and looked up, locking eyes with her former friend in the mirror. She slowly reached out and turned off the water before tossing the wad of wet paper towels into a nearby trashcan. "What, are you following me now?"
"Its my job to make sure you've done yours," Brittany answered. She walked over to the mirror, pushing Jo out of the way. Pulling a tube of lipstick from her back pocket, she pulled the cap off, the loud pop echoing I the small room. She applied some more to her lips before recapping the tube. "And, according to my research, you haven't."
"I've been busy with-"
"Your friends," Brittany repeated with a sneer. "I wonder how long it'll take for you to turn your back on them." She placed the lipstick back into her pocket before turning to face Jo. She reached out and ran a finger down Jo's cheek. "You know what you have to do if you want to leave. But, just for reassurance in case you're thinking of disappearing again..." Brittany walked over to the closed stall door and knocked twice.
Jo took a step back as the door flung open and G sauntered out with a smirk. Jo moved to reach for her back, but Brittany quickly grabbed her arm and twisted it high up. Jo let out a cry of pain as she felt, and heard, a pop in her shoulder. Brittany plucked the gun from the back of Jo's waistband before placing it gently onto the ground and sliding it over to G.
G checked that the safety was turned on before pulling back the slide and checked inside the barrel. He turned the gun upside down, catching the bullet into his empty hand. Afterwards, he popped out the magazine and examined its contents before sliding it back in. G placed the spare bullet into his pocket. He then placed the gun on the edge of the square sink.
Brittany kicked the back of Jo's knees, causing her to fall to the floor. Brittany released Jo's arm and quickly turned her over, before striking Jo across the face. As Jo reached up to hold her face, Brittany quickly moved to crouch near the top of Jo's head, grabbing her by the wrists and pinning them to the floor.
G walked towards Jo's legs before kicking at her right ankle, moving her legs apart. Jo let out a loud yell which G slamming his fist into Jo's stomach. She wheezed as the air rushed out of her lungs. G dropped to his knees in between Jo's thighs. He then reached out and began to unbutton her pants.
"Don't," Jo weakly cried, trying to move her legs closed. "Don't! Please." G grabbed Jo's pants by the pockets and began to tug them down. "Please, stop!" she yelled.
Brittany looked down into Jo's face, her smirk quickly disappearing. She let go of Jo's wrists and grabbed G's in a tight grip. "Don't do it," Brittany insisted. G looked over at her. "It wasn't supposed to go this far."
G roughly brushed Brittany away before looking at Jo. He frowned when he noticed the faraway look in her green eyes. She was staring up at the ceiling, breathing deeply, a tear spilling down her cheek.
"This has happened to you before," G said. He reached into one of Jo's pockets and pulled out her wallet. "I'm not a monster, JP, but I will be if you don't stop testing my patience." He tossed the wallet over to Brittany who quickly caught it against her chest. She then reached down and slipped the wedding rings off Jo's left hand. "We'll take these for collateral," he added.
G snapped his fingers before getting to his feet. Brittany quickly got up from the floor, brushing the dirt off her knees. She placed Jo's wallet and rings into her pockets before moving towards the door. She unlocked the door and allowed for G to leave first before exiting the room.
Jo reached up a shaking hand to wipe at her nose. She let out a sound of disgust once she spotted blood on the back of her hand. She made quick work of pulling her pants back up and re-fastening the top button. Jo rolled herself to her stomach before carefully moving to her hands and knees, before standing.
Wincing and grabbing her abdomen, Jo shuffled over to the sink. She grabbed the gun and placed it back in the waistband of the back of her pants. Finally, she looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her face began to redden along her right cheek, her right eye was a light pink and constantly watered. The blood along her nose was beginning to dry.
Jo let out a deep sigh as she grabbed some more paper towels, beginning to soak them after turning on the faucet. She carefully unfolded one before placing it against her face, relaxing under the cool liquid. The bathroom door opened once more. "Get out!" she cried, pulling the paper towel away from her face. She froze once she spotted Blair in the mirror.