Hello my Titaneers, it's been so long!
As always, I never forgot about this story, life just got busy. I promise I won't ophan this story, it just might have slower updates.
Honestly, I have about the majority of the bar night written and I wanted to finish the night before updating, but I am tired of staring at this chapter.
If you need a refresher, you can start at chapter 43, as that's the start of the Friday, or here is some quick recap points:
During the football game (ch44), there were multiple villain attacks on high schools, and Raven lost control during the battle but regained control with the help of Jericho (ch45). She was really upset about this and cried to Beast Boy about it (ch46), as she feels like her life is falling apart (her powers failing, her relationship with Lance is far from perfect, and she keeps having accidental moments with Gar).
Speedy and Wonder Girl (Roy and Donna) figure out each other identities during a battle and finally make-up properly after Roy's cheating incident with Jade (ch45).
Jennifer leaves the the game during the halftime performance to do some Hive Five mischief, even though Karen expressed how important the performance was as it was broadcast on live TV (ch44). The mission failed, however, giving Jinx some relief as the mission was part of a bigger plan that would negatively affect Wally (ch45). See-more revealed that he stole the plans they need, so they can proceed with the bigger picture plan, causing Jinx anxiety cause she doesn't want to hurt Wally, but she wants to get into the Brotherhood of Evil (ch46). Also, Scarlett has been bullying Jennifer for the past month since she knows Jinx's identity, however, Scarlett has a weird fascination with Kori.
I think that's its recent events, but I want to remind of you some lesser-known characters:
Ivy: She was an OC that I developed very early on in the story as Kori's bestie. Honestly, she isn't important except that she dated Dick before Kori did. I am trying to lower her screen time and cut her out of the story as there are better characters to focus on.
Sarah: She actually is a DC character that dates Cyborg in the Teen Titans Go comics that are canon with the animated show. Since she's cannon, she'll stay in the story. Since she's canonly Cyborg's love interest, they might have moments together. Who knows?
Alrighty, sit back and enjoy this hot fresh story.
Estimated Reading Time: 35 minutes; ~9000 words
Chapter 47:
The night air was filled with the buzz of energized youth and the beat of music that was coming from inside Cheers and Beers. Currently, most of the group of friends were standing alongside the outside wall of the bar, waiting in line to get their IDs checked.
"I told you we needed to hurry before a line started to form." Toni hugged herself, trying to shield the night breeze.
"To be fair, I don't think any of us thought a line would form in such a short time." Garth looked at the small line that wasn't seeming to move. "Here, Toni." He said as he took off the blue flannel he was wearing and wrapped it around her small frame.
"Guys, don't worry about this line," Wally turned to face all his friends before draping his arm over Kori's shoulder. "It just means it will be packed inside, which is fun!"
"Oh, I can't wait to dance. It sounds like so much fun in there." Karen started dancing to the muffled music as Sarah joined her.
"This night will be glorious!" Kori cupped her cheeks with her hands, "However, I wish friends Donna and Roy were with us."
"I'm pretty sure they'll come meet us a lil' later," Victor said, "You know how couples can be with their alone time."
"Too bad they'll have to wait in line, especially in this weather." Adrienne looked behind them, watching even more people add to the already long line. A shiver traveled down her spine as the crisp wind started to blow harder. She turned back to look at the group, noticing Gar carrying a huge paper bag. "What's in there?"
"Huh?" Gar looked at the goosebumps that started to form on her mesh-covered arms as she pointed at the bag, "Oh, I forgot! I got you something." Adrienne just gave him a confused look as he pulled a silver birthday sash and a sparkly crown out of the bag, "Ta-da!"
Adrienne just blinked, already thinking her current outfit was too bold for her. She didn't particularly want to add more sparkly things to it.
"C'mon girl," Karen nudged Adrienne, knowing her friend was about to protest. "It's your birthday celebration. It's literally the only night you have to wear it."
"And you'll probably get free drinks," Toni joined, pulling Garth's flannel closer to herself to keep warm.
Adrienne looked at her group of friends, whose faces were screaming for her to do it. "Fine." Adrienne puffed with a small smile dancing on her lips before slipping on her slash and placing the crown on her perfectly straightened hair.
Gar just stared at the girl with adoring eyes, happy he was able to lift her mood a little compared to the crying session that took place earlier in the tower. "Gar!" A familiar voice broke his attention away from Adrienne and towards the parking lot. He scanned until his eyes met his girlfriend, who was walking up to the group.
"Terra," He called her over, walking out of line to meet her and lead her to the group. "Hey guys, this is my girlfriend, Terra."
"Mind if I cut in line with y'all?" Terra smiled at the group as she rubbed the back of her head nervously, intimidated by the large group of friends.
Some of the members of the group, particularly Kori, Dick, and Victor, were stunned to see their ex-teammate stand in front of them.
"The more the merrier!" Karen broke the awkward silence, waving her and Gar back into the line. "I love your outfit!" She pointed at Terra's yellow flared pants that were paired with a tiny, cropped V-neck tank top.
"Thanks." She smiled again with a chuckle as she slipped her hand into Gar's.
"Nice to see you again," Garth greeted as others nodded in agreement.
"I've been dying to meet you guys!" Terra said, loosening up. "I've heard so many stories from Gar. I would have introduced myself after the game, but Gar kinda disappeared after halftime."
Gar chuckled as he pulled on the collar of his shirt, "Sorry, my mom told me I had to do all my chores if I wanted to go out tonight. But let me introduce you to everyone" Gar smiled as he pointed at all of his friends, saying their names and them politely waving back.
"So Terra, have you ever been to this bar?" Wally asked, curious about the girl that made his best friend tense up.
"A couple of times, but it's never been this packed so early," Terra motioned towards the growing line, "But I think it's cause everyone is celebrating."
"Celebrating what? Our football wins?" Victor asked, feeling a sense of pride that his football team was gaining so much attention.
"No, that their high schools got destroyed," Terra explained, "Everyone thinks they'll have to be out of school for at least a couple of weeks to repair the damages."
"I heard about that!" Sarah said as the group finally made it up to the doors of the bar, "Thank goodness school wasn't in session when it happened."
"Guys, have your IDs ready," Dick said as he approached the counter. "Ladies first," He gestured at Kori who just let out an excited giggle.
"This is so exciting!" Kori said as the girl behind the counter stamped her hands, indicating that she was under 21.
He just gave her a soft smile, before he gave his ID to the girl behind the counter. He watched as the girl looked at his ID and back at him with a face of disbelief. "You're Dick Grayson, Wayne's son?"
"Yeah?" Dick rose his eyebrow at the weird behavior.
The girl just smirked before handing him back his ID and patting the counter, indicating for him to put his hand up on it. Instead of stamping his hand, she wrapped a 21+ years wristband around his wrist and lingered her finger over his hand. "I get off at midnight if you want to hang out," the girl said with a flirty smile.
"Right," Dick pulled his hand away from the counter and walked to meet Kori, who was waiting for the rest of her friends to get their IDs checked.
"Do you know that girl? She seemed very nice to you." Kori asked with a sweet smile.
"No, she was just someone who was to be friends with a millionaire's son," Dick remarked, stopping himself from rolling his eyes.
"Yes, Richie!" Wally walked up to the group and her up Dick's wrist like it was a trophy, "We can get drinks now! Let's party!"
"I love this song!" Toni said as she danced closer to Garth. "C'mon, dance with me, love."
"I'm not really good at dancing," Garth said in a shy voice as he looked around to see all of his friends either dancing around him on the dance floor or sipping on drinks at a pub table, which was a tall table that you could stand around.
"Then why'd you follow me out to the dance floor?" Toni waved her hips to the music, "Mate, I know you have at least one dance move up your sleeve."
He thought carefully, trying to see if he could translate any Atlantean swim moves into dance. He smiled before grabbing her hand and spinning her around into him and then back out, with them being connected by only their hands. He then pulled Toni back into him, but this time dipping her. He joined her in the dip by leaning into her body, leaving only centimeters away from each other's bodies. A blush grew on both of their cheeks at the boldness of Garth's move as they both quickly released from each other.
"We brought shots!" Wally's voice was heard from afar, causing the two to awkwardly step away from each other and head over to the table where Wally and Dick were carrying drinks.
"Ooo, everyone gets one?" Karen asked as she arrived at the table that was surrounded by Garth, Toni, Vic, Kori, Wally and Dick. "What are were cheering on?"
"Yeah, anyone who wants one." Dick lifted his cup as friends copied him, "To having great friends that lead to greater times. Cheers." With that, anyone who had a shot in their hand tapped it on the table before drinking it.
"Oh, that did not taste good," Kori shivered as she set the small cup on the table, "Now I understand why you drink such little amounts of this drink."
Dick chuckled before handing Kori an orange drink with a cherry on top, "I figured you wouldn't like the vodka shot so I got you this."
Kori looked at the drink before looking at Karen, almost as if she was asking the other teen for permission. Karen, however, didn't notice, as she and Sarah both took another shot before pulling Victor back to the dance floor, "Um, Karen gave us this long talk about taking drinks from people," Kori started, looking into Dick's sapphire eyes, "But she took that shot from you and now you are offering me a drink. I am very confused. What do I do?"
Dick chuckled at her question, knowing her as Starfire was very curious about Earthly customs. "Sometimes a person will put something in another person's drink, and it will make whoever drinks it not in control of themselves," Dick paused, not liking to admit what humans were capable of, "and they will try to take advantage of the person since they are not in control of themselves."
"So that is why she said to only take drinks from people you trust," Kori looked back at the drink and then at Dick's sapphire eyes.
"Do you trust me?" Dick asked in a low voice, one that only Kori could hear. Kori just gave a soft smile before turning the straw towards her and sipping on the drink, not letting her eyes leave his. Dick took the moment to admire her, the way her pink dress fell on her curves, her hair dancing on her shoulders, her eyes brightening as she sipped her drink.
"This drink is delicious," Kori smiled at Dick before taking another sip, "Please, what is this beverage called."
"It's a Honey Tangerine Whiskey Sour," Dick replied. It was the closest drink to mustard that he could think of.
"Did you save a drink for us?" A voice said from behind the two, causing them both to turn.
"Donna!" Kori quickly handed the drink back to Dick before wrapping Donna in a bone-crushing hug, "Oh I have missed you so much!"
"Took you long enough," Dick bumped fists with Roy, who was side by side with Donna.
"Sorry, we're late. We got distracted," Roy tried to stop heat from rising to his cheeks at the thought of the couple's steamy make-out session after the two woke up from their nap.
"Want to take a vodka shot?" Wally popped up, who was just talking to Garth and Toni. "It's the only drinks we have at the moment."
"Sure," Roy grabbed two small glasses and handed one to Donna, who had just been released from Kori's hug.
"I'll get both of you a proper drink after this," Dick grabbed a glass as Toni, Wally, and Garth did the same.
"I going to stick to this delicious drink Richard got me," Kori whispered to Donna, as she took back her drink from Dick and let Donna take a sip.
The group lifted the shot once again, clicking their glasses, before letting it burn the back of their throats.
Adrienne swung her legs as she sat on a bar stool. She let out a sigh, leaning her elbow on the sticky bar top and resting her face on her hand. She pulled out her phone from a purse Karen let her burrow and stared at the most recent message from Lance.
'See you inside'
Sent thirty minutes ago.
She let out another annoyed sigh before twirling the birthday sash around her finger.
"Lonely on your birthday?" A deep voice said from beside her.
She slightly turned her bar stool to see an older guy wearing a university t-shirt sitting on the barstool next to her, looking at her like she was a snack.
"Just waiting for someone," Adrienne replied, turning back to stare at the bottles of liquor behind the counter.
"Why don't I buy you a drink while you wait?" He smiled as he tried to catch the bartender's attention, "Then you can introduce me to your friend. I hope she's as pretty as you."
Adrienne rolled her eyes before turning to look at the college guy again, "Not interested," Adrienne said flatly.
The guy just scoffed before looking at her again, "Hey, I was trying to be nice. You need to learn to just relax when a guy…"
"Excuse me," A familiar voice said behind the two, cutting the college guy off, "Stop harassing my girlfriend."
The guy looked Lance up and down before scoffing again, "There's no way this hottie would be with someone like you. No, she's spending the rest of the night hanging out with me." The guy started to reach his hand to touch Adrienne, but Lance caught his wrist.
Lance stared aggressively into the guy's eyes, twisting his wrist. "I advise you to leave the bar," Lance started to twist hard, hearing the bone start to pop as they rubbed against each other in an unfamiliar way, "Because if I even catch you looking in the same direction as my girl, I will break your hand."
The guy winched in pain before pulling back his hand as Lance let go of it. "Whatever, she's not even worth the trouble," The guy muttered before jumping off his bar stool and walking into the crowd of people.
"You didn't have to do that," Adrienne watched as Lance took the seat that the guy was just sitting in, "I could have handled it."
"I didn't want you to handle it. I didn't like the way he was looking at you," Lance said before flagging down the bartender, "Two rum and coke." The bartender nodded before she started to make the drinks.
"But you didn't have to hurt him," Adrienne said with a hint of anger, embarrassed at her boyfriend's aggressive actions, "What if he gets his friends and comes back?"
"Adrienne, he's gone. You don't have to worry about it. If he comes back, he's going to wish he never came to the bar tonight," Lance said as the bartender handed him the drinks and he handed her cash. Lance slid the other rum and coke to Adrienne. "Just relax and have a drink."
Adrienne moved the drink closer to her and stared at the rim. She wanted Lance to come to the bar, but the way he was acting made her think that she probably would have had more fun without him there. Instead of dancing and laughing with her friends on the dance floor, she was isolated at the bar.
"You know he won't have messed with you if you weren't dressed like that," Lance's voice scattered her thoughts.
"What?" Adrienne said, surprised at his comment. "Dressed like what?"
"Adrienne, you are wearing the shortest skirt I've ever seen and just a bra covered with a see-through top," Lance gulped his drink, "What did you expect to happen?"
"The way I dress doesn't give people permission to hit on me," Adrienne covered her stomach with her arms, suddenly feeling self-conscious.
"Why would you even wear it?" Lance looked her up and down, "It's not even your style."
"My friends chose this outfit for me," Adrienne in a shy voice, feeling embarrassed.
"Some friends they are," Lance said in a cynical voice, taking another long sip from his drink.
Adrienne opened her mouth to say something but decided not to when friendly faces walked up to their spot.
"Hey dudes, having fun?" Gar smiled at the couple but quickly felt the tension between the two.
"Oooo, how'd you get a hold of a drink, Lance?" Terra looked hungrily at the drink.
"I have a fake." Lance showed her his 21+ wristband. "You want one?"
"Definitely," Terra smiled as Adrienne gave the blonde girl a look of disapproval.
"I'll get everyone a round," Lance said before collecting what drinks everyone wanted and giving the order to the bartender.
"So do you go out often?" Gar asked, curious about Adrienne's boyfriend's hobbies.
"Not really," Lance replied flatly, not interested in keeping the conversation going.
Gar just chuckled at the awkwardness before the bartender came out with their drinks. After the drinks were passed out, Terra held hers up with a smile on her face, "To Lance being our plug for the night" She laughed before toasting her drink and taking a huge gulp.
"You having fun, Adrienne?" Gar whispered, noticing that she hadn't said anything since he'd been there.
Adrienne forced a smile, before finishing the first drink Lance had ordered her. She grabbed the second drive and took a sip. Great another rum and coke. I hate rum and cokes. Adrienne let out a frustrated sigh before turning the face Gar. "I'm just a little annoyed," Adrienne said in a low voice so Lance couldn't hear, but he was busy talking to Terra about his favorite drinks.
"Annoyed? No, you can't be annoyed. It's your birthday celebration," Gar tried to lift her spirits, remembering how she as Raven was crying in his arms only a couple hours before. "Is there anything I could do to make it better?"
Before Adrienne could respond, Terra grabbed Gar by the arm with an excited look on her face. "I just saw Amber and Dionne walk in! They're friends from my old school, you have to meet them." Gar opened his mouth to say something but was pulled away by Terra.
Adrienne just stared back at her cup, hating the drink but figured a little alcohol couldn't ruin her night any further.
"So why didn't you tell me it was your birthday?" Lance asked, looking down at his drink.
Well, Adrienne was wrong about her night not capable of being ruined any further. Damn, I just got caught in a lie. Do I tell the truth about lying to Gar about my birthday or continue the lie about my birthday just passing? Adrienne mentally kicked herself, knowing that both options were going to end badly. "I didn't want anyone to know it was my birthday. Gar kind of just found out." Adrienne finally spoke up, hoping Lance would just brush it off.
"So some guy knew about your birthday but you didn't feel like telling me, your own boyfriend," Lance said with a hint of hurt and anger in his voice. It didn't take an empath to feel the waves of jealousy radiating off Lance.
"I didn't tell you because I didn't want to be celebrated. Not by you or Gar. Gar just doesn't know when to stop." Adrienne felt bad about the lies she was saying about her friend, but she had to find the quickest way for the conversation to end. "Before I knew it, he had invited all my friends out and I couldn't stop it from happening."
"Your friends should know you better to know that this isn't what you'd want," Lance stared at his now empty glass.
Adrienne felt her body heat rise with annoyance, "You're just assuming you know exactly what I want?"
"You just said that you didn't want this." Lance gritted through his teeth. "Why are you being so difficult?"
"I'm being difficult?" Adrienne scrunched her eyebrows in anger, "You're the one making everything a battle. I just wanted one night to have fun and relax, and I can't even have that! You suck the life out of me sometimes." The words came out before Adrienne realized what she was saying.
It was too late though, as Lance soaked up every word with bitterness. He stared aggressively into her eyes, losing his reason. He locked her wrist in a tight hold and pulled her towards him. "You don't talk to me like that," Lance spat in her ear before letting her go and stomping towards the exit.
"You promise to play nice?" Jennifer said to Simon as she did her makeup in the visor of the passenger seat of Simon's Mustang.
"What, you afraid I'm going to jump out of the car and fight the meathead of a boyfriend you have?" Simon looked over at Jennifer as he stopped at a red light as she had a 'if you got the chance, you would' look on her face.
"Look, just give my friends a chance." Jennifer returned to doing her eyeshadow in the tiny mirror of the sun visor.
"Mhmm," Simon just hummed as he pulled into the bar's parking lot. "Man, it's packed tonight."
Jennifer closed the visor, finally done with her eye makeup. "You've been here before?"
"A couple of weekends," Simon answered as he found a parking spot in the overflow parking lot behind the bar.
"Oh, with those girls that always seem to be hang around you." Jennifer said with a hint of sass.
"Do I sense jealousy?" Simon turned to throw her a flirty smile, but it dropped as he noticed her exiting the car.
"Geez, it's freezing." Jennifer rubbed her arms in an attempt to generate warmth to fight off the chilling air, with her outfit not helping, an expensive ensemble featuring a purple flounced-sleeve crop top that had a v-cut in the back, paired effortlessly with a crisp white mini skirt and matching heels with coordinating purple socks. She complemented the look with her favorite purple choker and left her glasses at home to show off her fresh purple eye makeup.
"You want my jacket?" Simon started to pull off his brown leather jacket but stopped as Jennifer shook her head.
"There's no point, it'll be so hot and crowded inside," Jennifer said as she checked her phone. "Wally says he's waiting up front for us."
"Great," Simon gritted, hating how fast her focus turned to the redhead.
The two walked in silence as they weaved through the parking lot, hearing the music get louder as they approached the bar.
"Jenn!" A voice was heard and the two snapped their heads to see Wally standing by the entrance, waving them over.
Jennifer just flashed a smile at her boyfriend but got distracted by someone who stomped passed them.
"Simon, let Wally know I'll be a minute," Jennifer said before going after the furious teenager.
"Wait, I don't even know him," Simon called after her, but his words were ignored.
"Lance?" Jennifer called out as she chased Lance to the edge of the parking lot.
"Hey," Simon rolled his eyes at the voice before turning around and facing Wally, who was walking up to him "Where's Jennifer going?"
"Obviously to go talk to that guy," Simon said with an annoyed tone, looking Wally up and down.
There was an awkward pause between the two before Wally spoke up. "I'm Wally, Jenn's boyfri-"
"Yeah, yeah. I know." Simon cut him off, leaving more awkward silence.
"Should we go ahead and hold a place in line?" Wally asked, trying to find some common ground.
Simon just rolled his eyes before leaving Wally and walking over to the bouncer.
"You don't have to be so rude, geez," Wally muttered under his breath before turning to watch Jennifer talk to a guy with dark attire about fifteen feet away from him. He silently watched as the two conversed, noticing how Jennifer was trying to calm down the angry teenager, but was failing to do so.
"Who is she talking to?" Simon said as he walked up to be beside Wally, both of them now watching the conservation from afar.
"I think that's one of our friend's boyfriends," Wally replied, watching Lance's body language become more aggressive. "He seems close to Jenn, but I've never met him."
Just great, another guy that Jinx is close with, Simon rolled his eyes. He was really hoping Jinx would spend some quality one-on-one time with him tonight, but it seemed like the exact opposite was going to happen.
"I don't care!" The two boys heard Lance yell to Jennifer, "She clearly doesn't want me here so I'm leaving."
Right as Wally was about to start walking toward the two to intervene, Lance disappeared into the parking lot, leaving Jennifer standing alone. She slowly turned towards the front of the bar and started to walk towards her friends with a shocked expression on her face.
"What was that about?" Simon asked as soon as Jennifer got close enough to hear.
"I don't know," Jennifer said slowly, still processing their conversation, "He was angry because of something that happened between him and his girlfriend, but he never acts like that."
"Should we go after him?" Wally looked back into the parking and then at his girlfriend.
"No, it's probably best if we leave it." Jennifer shrugged it off, "Let's get in line."
"No need, I bribed the bouncer to let us cut." Simon smiled as they walked past the line and walked into the bar to get their IDs checked.
"Sorry about all that," Jennifer said to Wally after she and Simon received their drinking wristbands thanks to their fake IDs, "I didn't think I'd be dealing with drama the second I stepped into the parking lot.
"No worries, I'm just really glad you came," Wally slid his arm on her waist and pulled her close to whisper in her ear, "You look really hot by the way."
"So where are your friends, Jennifer?" Simon asked before turning around to see Jennifer's face covered in a heavy blush and Wally wearing a cheeky smile. Great, now I'm officially third-wheeling with Jinx. Could this night get any worse? Simon just let out a defeated sigh, which went unnoticed by the couple.
"Uh, let's get drinks first," She replied, trying to stop her cheeks from feeling hot from Wally's compliment.
"So, what are we drinking," Simon asked as the three approached the bar.
"Um," Jennifer hummed as she scanned the rest of the bar for her friends, "I'll do an Amaretto Sour."
"I'll have whatever you're drinking, man," Wally said as Simon just nodded before trying to get a bartender's attention.
"Hey, did Karen seem pissed about me leaving the game early?" Jennifer asked Wally as she fidgeted with her nails.
"Uh," Wally thought back to Karen's fiery comments when the group met up right after the game ended, "A little."
"Shit," Jennifer whispered as she started to bite on her nail.
"Hey, relax." Wally said softly as he grabbed her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers. "Everyone's in a good mood. Don't overthink and let what Karen's thinking ruin your night. Just focus on having fun tonight." Wally watched Jennifer take a breath, almost as if she was resetting herself.
Simon just watched the two interact, stopping himself from rolling his eyes so hard that he could see his brain. What does she even see in him? He sounds like he's off some cheesy rom-com movies that Billy would watch. His thoughts were interrupted as a pretty, tan girl wearing a sparkling dress ran up to Jennifer to give her what seemed to be a bone-crushing hug.
"Friend Jennifer! I am ecstatic that you are here!" The tan girl said as she quickly released the hug, "Getting ready for the night was not the same without you."
"Hey, Kori." Jennifer gave her a small smile before motioning to Simon, "This is Simon. Simon, Kori."
"Greetings!" Kori shone a bright smile towards Simon.
"H-hi," Simon stammered at her beauty.
"Oh Jennifer, you need to say hi to the rest of our friends." Kori turned her attention back to Jennifer, "Everyone misses you."
"As much as I want to," Jennifer tried not to sound hesitant, "But I'm waiting for my drink."
"Babe, you're good." Wally reassured her as he squeezed her hand, "We'll meet up with you guys when the drinks are ready."
Before Jennifer could protest, Kori pulled her away into the crowd of people, leaving the two boys alone. There was an awkward silence between the two, even with the deafening club music blasting.
"So, how'd you meet Jennifer?" Wally asked as he tapped the sticky bar countertop, curious what Simon meant to his girlfriend.
"We've been friends for a while," Simon replied, uninterested in the conversation, "We went to school together for a couple of years."
"Really?" Wally tried to hide his surprised tone. Unless Jinx was going to regular school while attending HIVE Academy, Simon has to be one of Jinx's teammates or someone from the HIVE. Wally mentally went through each of the villains he knew, trying to match them to Simon's personality.
"So why do you like Jennifer?" Simon's words cut through Wally's thoughts like a blade.
"What do you mean?" Wally asked, confused about where the question came from.
"You're dating her, right?" Simon said slowly as if he were explaining something to a child, "So why do you like her?"
"Why do you like her?" Wally said as he squinted his eyes defensively, trying to get a read on Simon.
"What? Who said I liked Jennifer?" Simon stammered nervously, not liking the sudden turn in the conversion.
"Your actions speak louder than words, dude," Wally replied coldly as the bartender finally arrived with their drinks.
Simon just stared at the bottom of his glass, wondering what Wally's plan was now that he knew Simon liked his girlfriend. He's seen enough movies to know that this was the part where the meathead jock beat up the less popular kid. He would usually fight back, but that was just a guaranteed way of Jinx ignoring him for a month.
"She has a lot of potential." Wally broke the tension with a calm voice, "When there's something she wants, a fire is lit within her that no one can put out. She is capable of so many things, and I hope one day she realizes it." Wally paused before taking a long sip of his drink. "Sometimes I feel like she holds herself back, though, and I haven't quite figured out why."
Simon looked at him with shocked eyes, not expecting Wally's honest response. "Uh," Simon turned back to look at his glass, "I like Jennifer 'cause she's really smart, like crazy smart. She also knows how to lead." Simon paused, not knowing if Wally actually wanted to his reasoning, "And she's kind of a badass."
"Kind of?" Wally laughed, lightening the mood, "She is a badass."
Both took long sips of their drink, wondering where the conversation was going to turn next. "Look, man, Jenn's had a really long, rough week. The last thing she wants to deal with is more drama." Wally said before finishing his drink, "Let's just get another round of drinks and enjoy the night."
Simon looked at Wally skeptically, not sure how to feel him. His mind flashed to how tired and stressed Jinx was after the failed robbing earlier that day. "Truce," Simon said before finishing his drink and calling the bartender for more.
"Friends! This is the most joyous experience!" Kori yelled over the music and twisted her hips to the beat.
"Yeah, it's pretty fun." Toni smiled as she watched Garth finally start dancing. "I guess you're finally feeling the alcohol?"
Garth just let out a laugh before dancing some more. "I guess."
"Yeah guys," Victor parted through the dance floor, "Dick bought some more drinks if you guys want some."
A few seconds later, almost everyone was surrounded by the pub table where Dick was passing out small cups. "Who wants lemon drop shots?" Dick asked with a huge smile, happy to see all his friends having a good time.
"Man, I can't do another vodka shot. I'll do anything but vodka." Garth said as he made a face, "Another one of those, and Toni will be holding back my hair."
Toni just nudged the boy in the side as the group laughed together. "You can have my drink. It's a Bloody Mary."
"Man, I would just take the shot." Victor tried to not seem disguised by the tomato juice-based drink. "Bloody Marys remind me too much of soup to be drinking them with alcohol."
"I love Bloody Marys." Toni defended herself, before taking a long sip of her drink.
"Here, have a beer." Roy handed his teammate a cold beer as his arm was wrapped around Donna's shoulders.
"Are we going to take these shots or what?" Karen cheered before almost everyone grabbed a glass and took the shot. "Woah, that was strong." She scrunched her face together as if it would help relieve the taste.
"You have any more?" A familiar voice said from behind Dick, causing him to turn away from his friends.
"Wally, where have you been?" Dick said as he handed him a shot, "You kind of disappear on me for a second."
"Oh, I was talking to Simon, Jenn's friend." Wally gestured to the tan boy who was standing next to him. After agreeing to let go of the negative energy between the two, they spent some time talking about sports and the newest video games while getting some rounds of drinks. The topics stayed superficial, but it was much better than the previous hostility. Wally turned to Simon, who was holding the drink they ordered for Jenn, "Wanna bring Jenn her drink? I'll meet you guys in a bit."
"Sure," Simon said before grabbing two shots and heading over towards Jennifer, who was chatting with Sarah at a different pub table.
"I see you are taking this 'party boy' Dick Grayson very seriously," Wally said as soon as Simon was out of earshot.
Dick just shrugged, a little looser from the alcohol. "I'm just doing what Dick Grayson, son of Bruce Wayne, would do."
"Right," Wally laughed as he grabbed a shot and quickly took it, "I wish I could see Bruce's reaction when he sees the credit card bill for all these drinks you're buying."
"Says the person who keeps drinking these paid-for drinks even though they know they'll not affect him," Dick chuckled, handing his best friend another shot as he grabbed one for himself.
"Yeah, it's purely for appearance," Wally said before both took the shot. It was times like this when he wished he could just let go of his superhuman abilities. He had never even come close to tipsy, and he probably never would. "No one would believe that the Wall-man doesn't drink."
"Well, I, Dick Grayson, do drink," Dick raised his empty glass.
"Oh yeah, you're feeling it," Wally just laughed, enjoying seeing his friend not be so serious for once. "Good thing you've got the best DD Jump City has to offer." Wally's eyes shifted to see Jennifer laugh along with Sarah and Simon. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to ensure Jennifer is having a good time."
Dick laughed as he watched his best friend walk to Jennifer, pulling her onto the dance floor. His eyes catch something sparkling dancing close to where Wally pulled his girlfriend. It was Kori moving her hips to the music, with her hair playfully swaying on her shoulders. She looks so beautiful, Dick felt his face soften at the thought of Kori enjoying tonight. He knew how badly she wanted to feel normal, and tonight was as normal as it gets. I'm going to kiss her. Dick decided, not caring if the alcohol was fogging his logic. He started to part through the crowd, feeling his heart rate increase with every step closer to the redhead.
He was just feet from Kori when his body jolted in the opposite direction from someone pulling him. "What?" Dick said as he tried to reorient himself, but it seemed that he did not do a very good job of pacing himself with his alcohol.
"Oh, hey Dickie-p" Kitten stopped herself, remembering the advice that Scarlet gave her on winning Dick Grayson over. This painfully included not calling him by what Scarlett deemed 'annoying' nicknames. "You look hot as ever. Got a dance partner yet?"
"Actually, I was about to-" Dick was cut off by Kitten pulling him close and started dancing to the music.
"I didn't think you'd come tonight," Kitten said, following the tactic that Scarlett gave her to try to get Dick to prove himself.
"Why'd you say that?" Dick replied, feeling the alcohol in his cheeks.
"Oh, you know," Kitten purred, slowly closing the distance between the two, "I figured Dick Grayson was a busy guy, throwing parties, taking girls out, the usual."
"Well, I'm here, aren't I?" Dick asked, standing with his arm crossed.
"Oh, come on," Kitten grabbed his hands and started to dance with him, "Loosen up. You can't have any fun being a stick in the mud. Let's dance."
Dick stared at the blonde, unsure how to feel. He watched as she moved to the music. For the first time, Kitten actually looked pretty, compared to her usually bombastic, loud attire. Her hair was down but missing her headband and was wearing a matching pink crop top and mini skirt that complimented her slim body while the white boots accentuated her legs.
"You going to dance, pretty boy?" Kitten reached out her hand to him.
Dick just stared at it contemplating, What would Dick Grayson do?
"Oh my gosh, Terra, do you remember when we snuck in here last year and got that cowboy-looking dude to buy us drinks all night?" Dionne laughed at the memory as she, Amber, Terra, and Gar sat at one of the limited booths within the bar.
"Or the time that we got black-out drunk at you at your last foster parent's house, and we were so hungover for church the next morning," Amber giggled as she sipped on her drink.
"Yeah, we had some crazy times," Terra thought back to the memories that she had made with her friends from her past school.
"I didn't know you partied that much," Gar said, hiding his disapproval with a chuckle.
"Oh, she was the life of the party." Dionne laughed, "There was this one time…"
Gar quickly tuned Terra's friend out as he looked throughout the bar for his friends, more like one person in particular.
"Hey T, have you seen Adrienne anywhere?" Gar asked his girlfriend as soon as there was a break in the conversation.
"Um, no. But I'm sure she's around here somewhere." Terra said before wrapping her arms around Gar and scooting closer to him within the booth.
"Did you notice anything weird when we got drinks with her and Lance?" Gar asked, feeling like he had left just as Adrienne was going to tell him something.
"No, not really." Terra twirled a piece of her blonde hair. "They probably just found a quiet place where they could be alone." Terra watched her boyfriend's face stay worried for the girl that she knew very little about.
"I'm going to go look for her," Gar decided aloud as he started to move within the booth.
"No, you stay here with Dionne and Amber." Terra looked at her two friends who were having a conversation amongst themselves in the other booth seat. "I'll find her and then you can introduce me to the rest of your friends."
Before Gar could protest, Terra jumped out of the booth and disappeared within the crowd of people dancing.
She quickly scanned the dance floor for any trances of the fair-skinned girl, but instead found all of Gar's other friends. She watched as Wally said something to an amber-haired girl, causing her to laugh before the two fell into a kiss. Terra turned to see Garth and Roy dancing with two black-haired girls. Roy suddenly pulled the girl with long hair close, leaving no space between them. Terra quickly deduced that Adrienne was not on the dance floor and started to head off the dance floor, before seeing an ebony-haired boy with shades on pull a blonde dressed in pink close and whisper something in her ear, causing her to giggle.
Terra just continued to push past the crowd until she reached the front of the bar, where a couple of people were playing on the pool tables and hanging around the bathrooms. She quickly slipped into the ladies' room, which had a long row of stalls on one side of the wall.
"Adrienne?" Terra called out into the half-empty bathroom. After waiting a couple of seconds with no response, she called out again, this time looking under the stalls for a familiar pair of shoes.
"Adrienne, I know you're in there," Terra said as her head hung upside down looking at a pair of shoes, "You're the only person I know that would wear black combat boots to a bar."
"What do you want?" Adrienne replied from the other side of the stall, not in the mood to talk to Terra.
"I'm looking for you, silly." Terra waited a second for Adrienne to reply, but instead, silence filled the air. "Alright, I hope you're decent, 'cause I'm coming in." Terra swiftly bent down and slid underneath the stall door.
"Terra, what are you doing?" Adrienne screamed as she lifted her knees to her chest as she sat on the closed toilet seat lid.
"What are YOU doing?" Terra asked as she popped up to stand, "Why are you sitting here all alone when you should be out there celebrating your birthday."
Adrienne just stared at the blonde girl. Azarath, it is so hard to talk to Terra and act like she isn't the same girl that buried me and the Titans in dirt. She shook off the thought as she realized that Terra was still waiting for an answer. "I'm just not having the best day and I was hoping I'd feel better after having some time to myself."
"Well, are you feeling better?" Terra said as she leaned up against the stall wall.
"Not really," Adrienne admitted, having some quick flashbacks of Lance's anger.
"Want to do something that might make you feel better," Terra asked with intriguing eyes.
Adrienne squinted at the blonde, "Like what?"
"Play a game," Terra said as she started to dig around her purse and pulled out a flask.
"A drinking game?" Adrienne's tone sounded questionable.
"Yes, my favorite drinking game." Terra unscrewed the lid of the flask. "To make you feel better, you have to release what made you feel bad." She took a breath, creating a dramatic pause. "It goes like this. You say one sentence of why you are upset and take a long sip. If the other person asks a question related to the sentence, they have to drink. If you don't answer the question, you have to take a sip."
"I see there's a lot of drinking in this game," Adrienne said, as she mentally went over the rules again.
"What harm can it do?" Terra said as she handed Adrienne the flask, "It always makes me feel better."
Adrienne stared at the opening of the flask, contemplating her options. I guess the worst that can happen is I get a little tipsy and have a good excuse to leave early. "My boyfriend assumed I liked rum and coke and I found out very quickly I despise rum and coke." Adrienne took a sip out of the flask and immediately winched.
"It's fireball." Terra laughed before grabbing the flask, "Dionne gave it to me for the night." Terra tapped her chin in thought, "Um, I was left completely alone in the bleachers after halftime."
"Alone? Gar didn't come back after buying snacks?" Adrienne asked as she watched Terra take a sip.
"Nope, and Garth left shortly after Gar left." Terra handed the flask back to Adrienne. "Drink up for the question."
"Damn it." Adrienne took another sip of the intense drink. "Okay, I find that I have a better time with another boy who's not Lance," Adrienne said before taking a long sip.
"Oooo, who's the boy?" Terra's eyes widen, interested in the change of conversation. Her face quickly dropped to a pout as she watched Adrienne take another sip for not answering the question.
"You sneaky vixen." Terra made a face as she stole the flask back and took a drink for asking the question. "I…" Terra paused, wondering if she should release her frustration, "I hate my foster dad and the impossible expectations he puts on me."
"Expectations? What kind?" Adrienne asked, not caring if she had to drink again.
"Well, he has this other daughter, but I've never met her or even seen her." Terra took another sip before handing the flask back to Adrienne. "Like there's no pictures of her or any trace of her for the matter. But he constantly tells me to be obedient like her and not question his will, or whatever."
Adrienne's face softened as she watched a sad look pass though the blonde girl, "Yeah, huh, parents can suck," Adrienne awkwardly said trying to give Terra some comfort
Terra just took a large swing from the flask in response, not wanting to get any more into the subject. "Enough of that, it's your turn again."
"I haven't had this much fun dancing since last year's junior prom!" Karen screamed over the music, soaking every second of the moment.
"We need to do this more often!" Victor laughed as he continued to dance. There were very few moments where he forgot that he was made up of mostly metal and bolts, and this was one of them. Moments where he felt like a normal teenager.
Karen quickly looked at her Apple watch, which lit up within the flashing neon lights, "Awe," Karen made a sad face, "Toni and I only have half an hour left before we have to leave."
Victor smiled before pulling Karen closer, "Then I guess we'll have to make the most of the rest of the time you have left."
Karen felt her cheeks burn, not being able to tell if it was from the alcohol or the possibility of a bold move that Victor might try. She took a light step away from Victor, "I'm going to get some water so I don't seem completely wasted when Toni's dad comes to pick us up." Before Victor could reply, she spun on her heels and headed towards the bar.
She quickly pushed passed the crowd of dancing teenagers until she reached the bar countertop that was surrounded by more people trying to flag down the bartenders for drinks. She quickly scanned the counter for an open spot that she could squeeze into, but instead found a face that made her heart drop.
"Hey, Jenn!" Karen said as she squeezed next to the barstool that Jennifer was sitting on.
"Oh, hey Karen," Jennifer said back in a weary voice, "You getting a drink?"
"Nah," Karen felt herself stumble but used the sticky countertop to catch herself. "But I see you're having drinks," She pointed towards Jennifer's 21+ year-old wristband.
"Oh, I have a fake," Jennifer nervously chuckled, before looking away while taking a sip out of her drink.
"Classy," Karen slowly spoke before looking for a bartender to get water.
There was a tense silence between the two, thick enough to be cut with a knife. Jennifer stared at her drink, before looking at Karen, who was still occupied. Karen is clearly not sober-minded, but I so badly want to clear the air and apologize, Jennifer thought before she quickly gulped down the rest of her drink. Fuck it, might as well.
"Hey Karen," Jennifer said after Karen finally received her water, "I'm really sorry for leaving right before the halftime show, I know how important it was to you and-"
"Where'd you run off to?" Karen cut Jennifer off, scanning her with piercing eyes.
"It was kind of a family emergency," Jennifer picked at her nails, immediately regretting bringing up the touchy subject while Karen was intoxicated.
"Kind of?" Karen's words split the air. "You missed the most important halftime performance because of a kind of?"
"Karen, I'm sorry." Jennifer reached out to gently touch Karen's arm.
"Jennifer, sorry doesn't cut it," Karen pulled her arm away, "You've missed so many practices with these half-baked excuses and expect everything and everyone to be fine with it."
"I'll try harder. I'm just going through a lot right now-"
"Harder?" Karen asked, feeling her muscles tense, "You know if anyone else pulled the shit you do, they would be suffering serious consequences."
Jennifer paused, not likely the way Karen was speaking to her. She was worth more than being chewed out surrounded by intoxicated people. Yet, she wasn't angry. She wanted to prove to Karen that she deserved a second chance. "What happened to me being more than a spot within a routine? To me being a friend? Karen, I care about the team and I didn't want to let you down and-"
"Let me down?" Karen scoffed, "You let the whole team down!" Karen felt her head spin as her actions felt like they were being played by a different body. "Jennifer, we needed you. I asked one thing from the team, and you were the only one that failed to do it."
"What do you want me to do about it now?" Jennifer blurted, trying to control her emotions. "I am trying."
"You're not trying hard enough," Karen stately coldly before letting out a sigh, "If you have so much going on in your life, maybe you should take a break from the cheer team."
Jennifer stared back at Karen, afraid to speak. "What are you trying to say?"
"Jennifer, I'm putting you on probation from the cheer team," Karen the words left her lips without permission, "No practices and halftime performances until further notice."
"B-but-," Jennifer's voice cracked.
"I hope you figure out whatever you're going through," Karen's words left the air stale as she grabbed her water and disappeared within the dancefloor.
Jennifer just stared at the spot where Karen was previously standing in shock, refusing to believe what just happened. Her mind was shattered as she saw someone wave her down from the other side of the bar, demanding her attention.
Jennifer numbly got up from her bar stool and started to head towards the person.
"Why did it take you so long to get here," Scarlett hissed at Jennifer. "For a meta, you are unbelievably slow." Scarlett waited for a response, but just watched as Jennifer just blankly stared at her torturer, wondering when her bad luck would end.
"Where's my new wardrobe?" Scarlett crossed her arms impatiently.
"I haven't gotten it yet," Jennifer replied blankly.
"What do you mean you haven't gotten it yet?" Scarlett spat.
"You asked for it like hours ago," Jennifer said, finally snapping out of her shock. "I haven't had time."
"You really are an incompetent piece of work," Scarlett pinched the bridge of her nose. "I thought the reason you left the game in such a rush was cause you wanted to get in my good graces." Scarlett watched Jennifer's lip tighten, "Oh, I see. You and your little team went on a mission." Scarlett paused, loving getting under the girl's skin, "I bet you failed that too."
"I'll get your stuff before the weekend is over," Jennifer said flatly, "Are we done here?"
"No," Scarlett grabbed Jennifer's wrist and yanked her forward, "We're done when I say we are done." Scarlett squinted her eyes at Jennifer, making sure they had an understanding. "I need you to get Kori to drink this." She commanded as she handed Jennifer a leather flask.
Jennifer just opened the flash and took one whiff and immediately knew that it contained more than alcohol. "No, I'm not drugging Kori, that's illegal."
"Oh looks who's talking, little thief," Scarlett harshly poked Jennifer's chest. "And you do as I say, remember?" Scarlett stared intensely into Jennifer's eyes until Jennifer broke the contact. "Matter-a-fact, you're going to drink out of it for even questioning me."
Jennifer's eyes widened as she looked at from Scarlet to the top of the flask and back to Scarlett. Jennifer hesitantly raised the flask to her lips as she realized that Scarlett wasn't going to budge.
"Good girl," Scarlett watched as Jennifer gulped the drink, "You have two options, you drink it or Kori does, but if I see anyone else's lips even come close to the flask, you're little secret will be posted on every social media outlet before sunrise." Scarlett smiled evilly as she watched Jennifer make a disgusted face at the harsh drink. She unforgivingly grabbed Jennifer by the back of her neck and pulled her close, "But I'll warn you, if you try to be a hero and drink it all on your own, your dimwit-of-boyfriend will be driving you to the nearest hospital to get your stomach pumped to only find out it's a lost cause. Your best bet is splitting it with the redhead tramp and hope you both make it out of this bar."
What do you think? Do I still have it in me?
As I said earlier, I have more of the night already written, so hopefully, it will be posted in late February/early March. Of course, if you pass the review goal, it will be posted within 24 hours :)
The whole bar night is expected to have 2-3 more chapters. So we still have so much fun to unpack!
Fun Fact: This story is 10 years old. I have been working on this for a decade. Wow! If anyone has been here since the early chapters drop a review! That being said, some of the early chapters are rough and cringy. I am going to rewrite them, not changing any plot points, just the style and the oh-so-many grammar errors.
Thank you so much for reading! See you next time 3
Review Goal: 890