Disclaimer: We do not own Twilight. We do own a couple of tickets to Spank! The Fifty Shades Parody musical, for tomorrow night!

Chapter 5

We walk into Willie's and the after-party is in full swing. A waitress is walking around to the tables, passing out shots to everyone. Some of the girls are sitting, some are standing...and a few are dancing on top of tables.

I specifically remember the first night I saw the team in here. A lot of them were still in their derby clothes, but with regular shoes on. I thought maybe they were a band or groupies. I wasn't sure who they were, but I knew they were very entertaining. I couldn't keep my eyes off them. They completely lit the place up and it was as if they were living in their own little world. It was so intriguing. I wanted in.

I asked Marcus that night who they were and he told me they were derby dolls. I had no clue what he was talking about. He started telling me about their bouts on Friday nights and that they always came here for their after-parties. The next Friday, I forced Jasper to come with me and the rest is history.

We met Emmett here at the bar one night. He told us that he was a ref for their league, gave us a lot of insider tips and schooled us in the sport. The three of us have hung out ever since.

"Hey, I'm guessing it was a good bout tonight," Marcus says, as we walk up to the bar. He nods over to the table where the team is sitting, getting louder by the second. "Those girls have already paid the electric bill tonight." He chuckles.

"And, see that table of guys over there? They just sent them their second round of shots." He looks over at a group of men sitting at a table in the corner. They look a little out of place. All of them are wearing dress shirts and slacks, something that I would wear to work, but never here. It's way too stiff for a place like Willie's.

The girls all slam their shots back and then loudly thank the men across the bar. A few of them blow kisses and wave seductively. I see Britney Smears bend over and give them a good glimpse of her lacy bloomers.

"Oh, hell no!" Emmett mutters.

"Don't make me have Felix toss you out tonight, Emmett. I don't want any trouble," Marcus warns.

"No trouble here, boss. I'm just going to make sure those posers know what's mine." He stalks off toward the table. When he gets there, he stoops down and whispers something into Barbie's ear. I see her lips turn up into a sly grin, responding to whatever line Emmett is feeding her. He is a smooth motherfucker when he wants to be.

Emmett turns and gives the guys at the table a warning glare, as he walks back over to the bar.

"How about a couple of beers?" he asks Marcus.

Marcus fills two mugs, the froth spilling over the side. Emmett takes them and turns back to Jasper and me. "Ladies," he says, taking the mugs and walking back over where Barbie is sitting.

"Sometimes I wish I could kick his ass," I tell Jasper, after Emmett is out of earshot.

"I wish I had his balls! Dude has some big cojones," Jasper adds. "Speaking of balls, are you planning on talking to Cherry tonight?"

I let out a deep breath. "Yeah, I mean, I sorta have to. If I'm going to start giving her lessons tomorrow, I, at least, need to see where she wants to meet and exchange numbers or something."

"Looks like you better get on that before she's so blitzed she doesn't remember," he says, watching as the entire table of girls tosses back another shot.

My stomach feels nervous. I know what I need to do, but I suck at stuff like this. I know that whatever comes out of my mouth is going to sound completely stupid and I'll be kicking myself later. I can't just walk up to that table full of girls. Maybe she'll come up to the bar or I can wait around long enough until she's ready to leave and catch her on her way out.

"Here, drink this." Marcus slides a shot of Jager over to me.

I scrunch up my nose in disgust. "I only drink Jager when I'm drunk."

"I'll take it," Jasper says, shooting it back.

"How about some Patrón?" Marcus offers.

I nod. I can already tell I'm going to need some liquid courage.

Jasper gets up and goes over to talk to Emmett. I know he's trying to work up enough courage to talk to Punky. The two of us are quite the pair. Neither of us have ever been able to just go up and talk to girls like Emmett does.

I take two shots of Patrón and order a beer. Turning around on my bar stool, I watch the table of girls. A song they all apparently like comes on and they start squealing and jumping up and down...a few already stumbling. I focus in on Cherry, who is leaning on Tits McGee, as she tries to climb up onto a chair to stand on the table.

I want to tell her that I don't think it's a very good idea. She looks like she's already drunk and I don't want her to fall.

She finally stands up on the chair and steadies herself, then plants a foot onto the table, finding an empty spot in between all the shot glasses and beer mugs.

Her teammates are cheering her on at this point, hooting and hollering. She's garnered the attention of most of the patrons in the bar, especially the table of guys in the corner. Her long brown hair swings wildly, as she moves her body fluidly.

During the middle of the song, she lowers herself almost all the way down to the table, her ass on full display, and I see the expression on the faces of the guys behind her. They want her. I have news for them: they can't have her. I know she's not mine, but I'll be damned if she's going home with any of them. I don't know if it's the Patron taking over or what, but I feel a surge of confidence.

The whole bar is applauding as the song ends and Cherry's friends help her off the table. The team goes back to drinking and having a good time, but I still I keep my eyes on her.

Marcus offers to get me another drink, but I decline. I don't want to cloud my judgment too much. I'm on a mission and I plan on succeeding.

Cherry gets up from the table and walks over toward the bar. Now's the moment I've been waiting for all night.

I swallow the lump in my throat and shift in my seat, adjusting the bulge in my pants.

"Marcus," Cherry sings out, leaning over the bar, her tits practically spilling out of her shirt. "My friends and I are out of beer!" she pouts. "Do you think you can help us out?"

"Of course, sugar. Anything for my favorite girls," Marcus says, giving her a wink and walking away to fill a couple of pitchers with beer.

Cherry looks over at me, propping an elbow on the bar and leaning onto it for support. "Hello, Edward," she croons, making my mouth feel like the Sahara Desert.

I clear my throat, hoping I don't sound like a prepubescent teenager when I try to speak. "Hey, Cherry."

"Did you enjoy the bout tonight?" She looks at me, her eyes blinking slowly. I can tell that she is completely inebriated.

"Yeah, it was fantastic!"

"Thanks." She just stands there looking at me for longer than would seem normal. Her eyes focus on mine and then travel down. I don't know what to say to break the awkward silence and she seems completely okay with not saying anything at all.

A girl with long brown hair comes running in our direction.

"I gonna throw up! I'm gonna throw up!" She says, as she flies past us, heading to the bathroom.

I know she's one of Cherry's teammates, but I can't think of her name. She's new to the team this year.

"Fresh meat," Cherry says, laughing under her breath.

"Is she OK?" I ask.

"That's Katie Cutabitch. She's a little spit-fire and hell on wheels. And, have you seen the size of her tits?" Cherry asks, wide-eyed, grabbing her own. "They're bigger than Barbie's, and that's saying a lot."

I swallow hard, trying to keep my mouth from gaping open. This conversation is not happening. I can't pull my eyes from the way Cherry's hands are cupped around her perfect tits, something I have dreamed of doing myself.

"Oh, and she's fine," Cherry says, drawing my attention back up to her face. She glances over my shoulder toward the bathroom. "She says that out on the rink, too, but she's only actually done it once. During her first bout her nerves got the best of her.

"It's her birthday today, so she's partying extra hard tonight."

"And, what's your excuse?" I ask, jokingly.

"Well, in case you didn't notice, I kicked ass out there tonight," she says, leaning on the bar for support.

"Yeah, you...you were fucking amazing. Congratulations on breaking your record, by the way."

"Thanks," she says, looking at me again. I don't know why, but when she looks at me the way she is right now, I feel so exposed, as if she can see more than what's on the surface.

Katie comes brushing past us, throwing her arms around Cherry.

"Have I told you how much I love you?" Katie asks Cherry.

"Only a few times," Cherry laughs out in response, wrapping her arms around her waist, in an effort to steady them both.

"Well, I do. I really really love you," she says, in a drunken slur.

"I love you, too, Katie Bug, now get your ass back over there and finish your shots!" Cherry says, slapping her on her ass. "If you throw up, I'll make sure Coach gives you extra suicides at practice!"

"You're a Seattle Sex Packet!" Cherry says, using a slightly drunk, but authoritative voice. "Don't forget that! We have a reputation to uphold!"

"Calm your tits, C! I've got this under control," Katie says, as she walks backwards toward the table. She almost falls on her ass, but one of the other girls catches her, leads her back to the table, and puts another shot in her hand.

She turns back around to look at Cherry and yells across the bar, "Seattle Sex Packets!" This results in the rest of the girls joining in her cheer, Cherry included.

When Cherry turns back around, I feel an urgency to say something to her. I can't let her leave without asking about the lessons. I was hoping that she'd be the one to bring it up, but it's obvious that's not going to happen. Missing my opportunity is not an option. I've got to man up and just ask her.

"Uh, so...uh, do you still want to do those guitar lessons?"

Her face morphs from this trance-like state into one of realization and then something else that I can't explain. She squints her eyes and kind of cocks her head as she looks at me.

"Yeah, right...yeah, the, uh, guitar lessons." Now she's the one stuttering, fumbling over her words. She stands up straight and brushes her hair back with one hand, like she's trying to think straight. "Is that supposed to be tomorrow?"

"Well, I mean, it can be...if you still want to, but if not, that's totally cool and we can always reschedule...or, you don't have to do it all, if you've changed your mind." My thoughts all come spilling out and running together.

She laughs, doing that giggle-snort thing she did the last time we spoke, covering her mouth with her hand. It's so fucking cute. I'm not sure if she's laughing at me or if this is just one of those "I'm drunk and everything is funny" kind of laughs.

She puts a straight face on and then says, "Yes, I still want to."

Her body sways, and I instinctively reach out to steady her, holding onto her arm. "You okay?"

"I'm good. Yeah, I'm fine. I just...you know what? I don't think I ever ate dinner," she says as she leans over and braces herself on the bar stool in front of her.

I squat down so that I can see her face. She doesn't look so good.

Marcus shows up with the pitchers of beer and looks across the bar and down at Cherry. He motions that he's going to take the beer over to the table and I nod in agreement.

"Hey, why don't I get you something to eat? How about some fries or a sandwich or something?"

"Fries with cheese," she says, never looking up, laying her head on her arm that is draped over the bar stool.

I flag down one of the waitresses and order her some fries with cheese.

"Do you want to sit up here by me or I can help you back to your table?" I ask, wanting her to stay, but expecting her to leave.

"No, I'll just sit here," she says, slowly picking her head up and sitting on the bar stool instead of laying on it. "If I go back over there, they'll just give me shit for being such a lightweight...and I'm not a lightweight," she tells me passionately, like she's begging me to believe her. "It's just that I didn't eat dinner, because I don't like to eat before bouts. I don't want to throw up on the rink. That would ruin my rep," she continues, pleading her case. I listen, completely enamored by the drunk girl sitting next to me. "I mean, what kind of street cred would I have if I ralphed all over the rink? You know, I saw a girl spew all over the rink one time. They had to call the bout. There weren't enough mop buckets in Seattle to clean that shit up. They had to bring in the power washers..." She continues this non-stop monologue until her fries show up. She trades talking for eating, wolfing down her fries, not missing a crumb or a clump of cheese.

She pushes the plate away, leaning back on the bar stool. "Much better."

Before I know what she's doing, she leans over and kisses my cheek. "Thank you, Edward." I just about lose my shit, briefly feeling her soft lips brush my skin.

"It was just a plate of french fries," I laugh nervously.

"You saved me from being harassed by my friends," she says.

"Well, then you owe me," I say, surprised by the words that come out of my mouth. It's as if I forgot that I'm talking to Cherry, the unattainable girl on skates who is known as a man-eater.

"Exactly! I mean, first, you save me from beating the shit out of my car and give me a ride, now this," she says, motioning toward her empty plate.

We both laugh, enjoying the easiness between us.

"So, are we still on for guitar lessons?" I ask. I feel like I'm pressing my luck, but I have to know.

She takes her phone out of her pocket, handing it to me. "Put your number in. I'll call you tomorrow," she demands, a little bit of the Cherry I'm familiar with coming out. I do as she asks, putting in my name and number, and hand it back to her.

"You gonna be okay getting home?" I ask, genuinely concerned about her safety.

"Yeah, don't worry about me!" She waves me off, still a little unstable as she stands up and turns to walk back to her table. She looks back at me briefly and waves. I hate to see her leave, but I love to watch her go. I'm hoping, in her intoxicated state, she doesn't notice me ogling her ass...again.

Shit. She probably isn't going to remember any of this tomorrow, anyway.

I toss down some money onto the bar to cover my drinks and Cherry's fries. As I turn to look for my friends so I can let them know I'm heading out, something catches my eye.

Paul walks into the bar and straight over to where Cherry is sitting. He pulls her chair away from the table, muscling it around, so that she's facing him. I briefly catch a glimpse of her face, before he stands in front of her, blocking my view. He leans over, caging her between his arms and I have to leave. I can't stand there and watch. The mixture of fury and jealousy is too much for me to handle.

So, I walk out.

A/Ns:

Jenny Kate: There Paul goes again, showing up at the most inopportune time!

Jiff: He seems like an ass to me, just sayin. I'm more concerned about about our Edward. I hope he's okay.

Jenny Kate: I think this is just new territory for him and he's not exactly sure how to handle Cherry and Paul...he doesn't know how serious they are or anything. I'm hoping after a certain guitar lesson, he'll gain some confidence! I'm Team Edward, as always. *wink* Who's with me?

Jiff: *raises hand and jumps up and down* Me! Forever and always!

Jenny Kate: EDWARDIANS UNITE! I have no idea what I'm talking about. Ignore me. So, we have a little shout-out in this chapter and it goes to our birthday girl, Katie_Boberg, aka "Katie Cutabitch". Her birthday was on Tuesday, so we're a little late getting this posted, but hopefully she'll forgive us. *bats eyelashes* If you are friends with her on Twitter or Facebook and you didn't wish her a happy birthday, please go do so!

Jiff: We love you, Katie Bug! MWAH!

Jenny Kate: We also love our fabulous beta, Mauigirl60! Thanks for all of your help, B!