The Dangers of Good Friends
Nelys the Alchemist
Friends are there for you when you're feeling alone and unwanted by the opposite sex
Chapter 3: Clubbing
Relena eyed the club dubiously. Texas Hold 'em was the local dance club she had been trying to avoid for quite some time. Nothing had been able to get her there so far, until today.
"And I'm not even dressed for it." She grumbled as she paid the ridiculously high cover to get in the door. The door thug allowed her entrance and any internal dialog she'd been having ceased as a wave of base laden techno country remix washed over her disgruntled form.
The club looked rather nice in the colorful flashing lights that decorated every corner. Bar top tables littered the area surrounding the entrance, a long and shiny bar held court along one wall and softly lit booths admitted a cozy atmosphere for the drunk along the other wall. The back of the club was taken up entirely by the dance floor, as anyone would expect, and the dance floor was taken up entirely by a wall of people. As expected on a Friday night.
Relena waded through a great number of people, some a little buzzed, some a little lit, all of them sweaty from the hot lights and heavy dancing. She made her way to the bar and grabbed the attention of the male bartender as he shook various liquids in a shaker.
"Looking for my friend," She yelled into his ear. "Tall with short red hair, probably wasted?"
"That's a lotta people here, but you probably mean her." He laughed, gave her a wink and pointed to the end of the bar where a very familiar looking head was turned towards a man and talking very animatedly. She gave him a smile as thanks and slowly excused her way to the far end of the bar trying not to mix with any of the aforementioned sweaty bodies.
As she approached the man getting talked at turned his attention to her and away from the animated redhead. He gave a little wave that he must have thought was very cute and the redhead snapped her head around to glare at the blonde in the formal dress.
"Cathy," Relena shouted with a smile. "And you said I never come to visit?"
Catherine's eyes lit up in recognition and she promptly spun around on her barstool to face her good friend. She wore a sleeveless dress of emerald green that hit mid thigh to show off both her toned legs and quite impressively toned arms.
"Releeeena!" She said in an overly happy voice. "I thought you were some sniper coming to ruin my conversation with…with…" She spun back around and leaned towards the man with the jaunty wave. "What's your name again?"
"Greg."
She took another trip on the stool and faced Relena. Greg looked to have more to say but was now facing the back of her head.
"My conversation with Greg. But you're here now!" She gestured to the seat next to her, which was surprisingly empty, before pulling Relena to sit next to her on the spinning seat. "I've been saving this seat just for you!"
"Where's everyone else?" Relena shouted above the base. Cathy's face promptly dropped into a frown.
"They abandoned me to go to Scooters, you know how much I hate that stupid sports bar and-"
"They just left you here alone?" Relena said in alarm. And drunk? Going unspoken in her mind.
Cathy waved her hand away dismissively. "Nooo, I told them to get the hell out. They know I don't like Scooters, stupid sports bar. Sandy and Beth and Kristen can all go drown in their sockertini's."
"But Cathy, you know how dangerous it is to go clubbing by yourself-"
"I'm not by myself! I'm with-" Cathy brightened again and flashed a grin before sailing around on her stool to face the man next to her. She looked at him expectantly.
"Greg." He finally replied looking a little tanked himself. "You know, we could-"
"With Greg!" Cathy turned back around to Relena, who watched her small frame nervously for the moment she fell off the damn stool. "We're having a great time. Really we are – here have a drink!"
The bartender was signaled and a martini was dropped in front of Relena before she could blink. Clearly someone knew she would be coming.
"So why the irate message?" Relena put her hands on the glass for show.
"Message?" Cathy picked up her own martini and took a pretty big sip. Relena was impressed.
"You left me a message saying you were going to become a nun since no one cared enough to rip your clothes off." Cathy blinked and Relena rolled her eyes and continued. "Then you called me a selfish slut and ordered me here."
Cathy frowned at Relena's glass until she tipped it up and took a swallow. The tart apple flavor did little to mask the burning of the alcohol as it went down but the burn was forgotten after a couple of minutes.
"Oh yeah." Cathy replied after her friend had taken in a sufficiently large enough amount. "I did call, when the others left for Scooters, stupid sports bar. Isn't this place much better?"
"I don't know, I've never been to Scooters. You know I'm not much for clubbing." Relena straightened slightly to keep her dress from getting wrinkled. "And you're making me late for a dinner date."
"Is that why you're all dressed up?"
"Yes."
"I thought you dressed up to come out with me!" Cathy raised her glass high and kept it there until Relena clinked her own against it and they both took a drink. The man on Cathy's other side leaned forward and slid a finger down Cathy's arm to get her attention. Off she went to swivel to his side where she smiled brightly.
"Who's your friend?" He asked, flashing a drunkenly thought of sexy smile between the two women. Relena fanned herself to get the spike of alcohol from his breath out of her face, lest it intoxicate her further. And it was getting a little warm in the place.
Cathy's eyes narrowed to little bitty slits and she set her face in her best 'you're in deep shit now' scowl.
"Her name is inconsequential." She shouted in an icy tone. "And you have overstayed your welcome."
The fire in her eyes had his eyebrows up to his hairline.
"Go find yourself some blitzed little blonde and don't step a foot in my path again."
And here was where Relena got a fair idea of what was bothering her dear friend. Greg angrily moved away from the bar and into the crowd.
Cathy spun her stool back to Relena with less enthusiasm than moments before and picked up her drink with a pout. Eyes downcast she drained the rest of her glass before slamming it back on the bar and motioning to the bartender. He moved over with a chuckle and looked to Relena.
"Another for you as well?"
She started to decline until Cathy shoved her drink practically up under her nose.
"Drink Relena drink so I'm not alone here." She continued to push the glass until Relena finished it before looking back to the bartender with determination. "She'll have another as well."
Relena let out a breath at the fire in her mouth, her eyes watering. The things she did for a friend.
"Cathy-"
"It's not fair Relena!" Cathy waved her arms towards the masses on the dance floor. "All these men tonight and nobody gives a damn about a gorgeous redhead with a drop dead body." She stood from her stool to show off the dress. "I'm a faaantastic person and not one guy tonight has asked for my number."
"Well Cathy, you're not in the best place to be-"
"Damn it all how come all the best guys are taken and what's left only want to flirt with the married women?" She picked up her glass while readjusting herself on the stool, a fare feet of work for someone as drunk as she was. She took down half her drink before releasing a breath.
"I'm not married Cath-"
"Practically! And you've got such a gorgeous guy too! How come all the cute guys I know have to be taken or my brother???"
Relena rolled her eyes and took a drink from her own glass to mask the gesture.
'Here we go…'
"All the very best men have been snatched up long ago. The good ones would rather buy you or Hilde or Beth a drink than me. And you don't even deserve one! Heero can buy you the whole entire bar if he wanted to, or just take it at gunpoint!"
She swirled the green tinted liquor around a moment before slinging it back down her throat. Relena followed suit with a more dignified swallow and felt her cheeks heat up.
"I'd love a bar taken at gunpoint for me!" Cathy exclaimed before turning to the bartender and waving with fury for his attention. She shoved two glasses at him and demanded chocolate in the next round and then faced Relena again. Relena blinked and wondered when Cathy had gotten two glasses.
She looked down at her empty hands and made a mental note not to drink anymore apple-tini's. She leaned forward and poked Cathy in the arm.
"Trowa would take a bar at gunpoint for you." She said matter of factly.
"Only if I asked him to! And then, then he'd only stand there and blink at me until I confirmed I wasn't joking." Cathy scooped up her choco-tini and savored the first small sip, closing her eyes.
"Heero on the other hand would run off with determination to make the bartender lay every bottle at your feet if you mentioned you were thirsty." She pointed at Relena before clinking her glass against the blonde's and both drank.
"Pfft," Relena replied. "He'd spend the whole night sitting next to me glaring like a five year old I wouldn't let have any dessert."
"I'd give Heero my dessert any time!"
Both women giggled until Relena was pulled back to earth by a hand touching her elbow. She and Cathy looked up at the slim man with the light brown hair. He was dressed to impress in a black suit with no tie and Relena could tell from the blinding glare coming off Cathy's smile that she was pleased.
He leaned forward between the two with a grin.
"Hey ladies," He yelled over the driving beat. "Can I buy you a drink?"
Relena felt her world tilt slightly but was not so far gone yet. She opened her mouth to speak.
"Why certainly!"
She snapped her eyes to Cathy, who was oblivious and rosy cheeked and grinning at the man like he'd just asked her to marry him.
"We just got these." She spoke up and the man turned a smile her way.
"If not a drink, maybe you'd like to dance?" He held his arm out to Relena.
'Uh-oh.' She snuck a glance and wished she could scoot her stool back a few feet.
Cathy's face had taken on a shade of red to match her hair. Her glass went 'tink' as she placed it on the bar, very loud considering the booming base and funky beat. She stood and jabbed the man in the chest to get him to straighten up.
"Maybe she'd like to dance? What the hell is wrong with me?!?" She reached out and grabbed Relena's hand, lifting it up to the man's face. "Maybe she'd like to go dance with him huh?" One hand poised on her hip, when she received no reaction she looked down, scrutinizing the hand she held up before looking at Relena shocked.
"Where's your ring??"
Relena pried her hand back and held it up to her red face. "I'm not married Cath."
"Practically!" She rounded on the man again. "I am a fine wine of sexual desire. And you'll never know what you missed. Go away."
The man moved quickly back into the throngs and Cathy sat heavily onto her stool again. She was calm and collected and lifted her drink to her lips.
"A fine wine of sexual desire?" Relena asked.
"Yes," She nodded. "Aged five years for perfect vintage."
Relena snorted, her hair falling around her glass. "It has not been that long."
"Relena, why can't I find someone?" Her eyes turned pleading.
"Maybe they're all beer drinkers." Relena said with a giggle. She pointed to a blonde dancing wildly on the dance floor when Cathy didn't respond. "See? That one's half gone, must be a Bud."
Cathy chuckled at Relena's weak attempt to lighten her mood.
"Oh c'mon, don't wallow. You're better than every guy here. You really want a relationship to start with some guy who picks you up from a club with the promise of a drink and a dance?" Relena put her glass down and faced her friend in earnest. "Not everything in the world surrounds meeting that perfect guy. And none of them are perfect anyway. Didn't I tell you what Hilde and Duo fought over a while back?"
"Well it would be nice to curl up with someone on a cold night, or to not have to go to bed alone."
"Heero hogs the covers!" Relena jumped to her feet and Cathy's eyes went wide.
"Relena, so what if he-"
"You have no idea! I wake up all the time to find a corner over my stomach and everything else wrapping him up like a mummy!" Cathy cracked a smile that Relena didn't notice as she gestured.
"Oh and heaven forbid I pull at them, he turns to me half asleep and grumbles to stop taking all the blankets! And in a queen size bed too, you'd think there'd be all the room for each of us but oo-oh no. Once he got used to it he took his half out of the middle." Relena was yelling at this point, so as to be heard over the din. Or that's what she told herself. She really had no explanation for the wild gesturing and high pitch that had colored her words.
"And you think you can sleep in when you date a morning person?" Her eyes narrowed as she pointed to Cathy. "Get that outta your head right now unless you want to be branded a slug who can't appreciate the sunrise. Sure, laugh the first time he calls you Bad Mood Darlein for throwing the pillows at him to go away but you'll be grinding your teeth after the fifth time."
"But isn't it nice to have someone to come home to?" Cathy was smiling full out now while Relena paused to drain her glass.
"Only if you don't mind getting lectured on leaving your products out on the bathroom sink, I mean really if I don't care about the cap of the toothpaste why should he?"
"You're just saying this because you're drunk!" Cathy swiveled on her stool towards the bar to pick up her drink and finish it off.
"You're the one drunk here, nooooot me." Relena replied taking two tries to get her glass on the bar. "How many of these have you had anyway?"
Cathy shrugged. "five maybe, I don't know. We started with shots."
A man came walking up into Cathy's view and before Relena could blink she was on her feet.
"Her name is taken now get the hell outta here!"
Relena laughed as the man walked off. Cathy turned to her.
"That still pisses the hell out of me." She said before grabbing Relena's hand. "C'mon, let's dance!"
Cathy pushed through the bodies, pulsing with the beat , until the two managed to secure a square of the dance floor for themselves. Then they danced silly. Literally.
They swung each other around and put on a show, trying out ridiculous old dance moves they'd seen in movies. They laughed at each other and ignored the men that popped up periodically to woo them.
When Relena's dress was soaked across her back and it was too hot to dance they retreated back to the bar and had another round to cool down until they were ready to dominate the dance floor again. Both girls knew how to hold their liquor (thanks to Sally Po and a place called the Dim Bulb) but enough vodka will take its' toll on anyone.
Before they knew it, it was two am and they were stumbling up Relena's walk, shushing and giggling at each other.
"Ouch – who put that lion there? Go 'way kitty."
"That's a presen from me, he's not real! Hous-warming from last year!"
"Aww you got me presents!"
More giggling as the two made their way to Relena's door.
"I kin get inside."
"Nooo, you're too drunk. Heero will like to kill me if he finds you like this."
"That's why," Relena whispered, precisely measuring out her words. "We have to be quiet…" The fiddling scraping sounds of a key fumbling against a lock echoed through the night.
"What's wrong with this fucking key??"Relena exclaimed rosy cheeked from alcohol and frustration.
Which set Cathy into a fit of giggles, which sent Relena into a fit of giggles.
Which is how Heero found them when he opened the door a minute later.
The light from the interior of the house came beaming out and fell across the glazed eyes and ruddy cheeks of the two girls, cutting off the laughter as they looked up into a very stern face.
"Uh-oh." Relena said without thought.
He contemplated them for a moment, leaning his shoulder against the doorframe.
"Dinner?" Heero finally said with an arched eyebrow. "An hour at most?"
"Well," Relena glanced at Cathy before working to set her face into a more responsible and serious expression. "It…took longer than expected-ed."
"Uh-huh."
"Oooooh," Cathy snickered, knowing she was not the target. "Releeeena's in trooooouble."
Relena shot her a dirty look before being smothered in a quick hug by her redheaded friend. She swayed when Cathy released her and after the world stopped spinning she found her partner in crime backing away down the driveway.
"It's been great fun Rel but I gotta go back to my empty empty apartment," Cathy started stumbling backwards and down the driveway. "No one waiting up for poor little me! Thanks again for coming out with me, let's do it again soon!"
"Traitor!" Relena grumbled as her friend waved and climbed into the cab. She turned and went into the house under the guise of being sober, straight backed and sure footed, focusing hard on not crashing into any of the dancing furniture under Heero's watchful eye.
Friends are also there to get you in trouble. Especially single friends.