Chapter Nine
Mik pulls Natalie back, in turn pulling Karen up, safely over the edge of the building. She stands a little dazed for a minute.
"Natalie?" she asks. "Thank you. Oh my God."
"Are you ok?" Mik asks the now much sober Karen. Karen thinks for a minute.
"Yeah, I'm ok."
"Come on," Mik says, helping Karen back down to the club and out onto the sidewalk where Fred's still standing.
"Got her down then?" he asks. "She ruins everything for you and then you save her life," he says, directly to Karen. "You, you, megabitch!"
"Thank you, Natalie," she says.
"And Mik," pipes up Mik, standing beside her. Karen smiles at her and then turns and leaves, walking back down the street home.
"Do you think we should have taken her home?" asks Natalie.
"Nah, she can do that by herself," say Mik. "You wanna dance?" Natalie nods and they head back into the club, closely followed by Fred.
After a while longer in the club - after Fred had repeatedly smashed full bottles of spirits behind the bar to the bar tender's amazement, and his dancing amid the throngs of people on the dance floor, which wasn't totally in time or of any particular style – Natalie and Mik head home, having not found Simon again, and not bothering to look any harder.
"Do you suppose Karen's all tucked up in bed?" Mik asks on the way home.
"No, she's probably out partying, it is, after all, Friday night," says Natalie.
"Sure, we'll see her at school on Monday, and then she can properly thank us."
"You want a ceremony too?" asks Natalie in amazement.
"Yeah!"
"Well I think you'll be unlucky there. At most she won't be as mean, hopefully. She'll be nicer to us now won't she? We saved her life," says Natalie.
"She better be nicer to us. And anyway, Tuesday is Valentines. Maybe you'll get something from Simon," says Mik. Natalie shakes her head.
"I don't want anything from Simon. He's a loser and I am over him. You should be a relationships therapist Mik. When people have broken up should be there to give them confidence in themselves, self-esteem, and make them realize that all guys aren't worth anything," says Natalie.
"That's a good idea, I now have one career suggestion Natalie, thank you," says Mik, bowing low. "You could become a nun!"
"Mik, you'll never be a relationships therapist."
