Chapter 11: Girl's Night
"I'm still not sure this is a good idea," Honey said nervously as she and Go Go stood on the sidewalk, a nearby streetlight illuminating the dark street. Currently, Honey was dressed in a fluorescent pink, spaghetti-strap minidress along with a pair of wedge sandals. She had removed her glasses, and wore her hair in a high ponytail.
"Oh, come on, Honey," Go Go groaned as she leaned against a nearby concrete ledge, "You're already dressed up, and we've already taken a cab all the way down to Koreatown, so maybe we've reached the point where you can loosen up and have a little fun?"
As she spoke, Go Go, currently dressed in a shimmering silver halter top and ripped, black jeans with black, high top sneakers, looked up at Honey. Seeing the stricken expression on her friend's face, Go Go let out a sigh.
"You're allowed to have fun," Go Go said, her expression softening as she spoke, "You know that, right, Pam?"
Honey said nothing as she crossed her arms and looked away from Go Go.
"Anyway," Go Go continued with another sigh, "Violet should be here with her friend soon."
"What was her name again?" Honey questioned quietly, "Sue?"
"Yeah, I think so," Go Go concurred with a nod.
"Hey guys!" Violet's voice called from down the street. Looking in the direction the call had come from, Go Go and Honey spotted Violet waving at them as she made her way down the sidewalk with Susan at her side. Currently, Violet was dressed in a lacey purple top that left her midriff exposed along with tight, black pants and black, high heeled shoes. Susan, on the other hand, was dressed in a black tank top and white short shorts with frayed edges along with black and white sneakers. Violet wore her hair in her usual style, while Susan held her hair up with a black clip at the back of her head.
"Hey, Freshman," Go Go greeted with a smirk as she pushed herself off the concrete ledge, "Looking good."
"Thanks," Violet replied with a smile before gesturing to Susan, "This is my friend, Susan."
"Hey, Sue," Go Go said as she offered Susan her hand, "Name's Yuri, but most people call me Go Go. This is Honey."
"It's nice to meet both of you," Susan replied as she shook both of their hands.
"Love the hair by the way," Go Go commented, "Looks practically natural."
"Oh, thanks," Susan said as she touched her white locks self consciously.
"So, where are we going?" Violet inquired.
"There's an awesome club nearby," Go Go explained as she motioned for the others to follow her, "It's this way."
"Wait, a club?" Violet asked in surprise as they began making their way down the sidewalk, "Like a nightclub?"
"Yeah, I'm not talking about a country club, Freshman," Go Go replied with a snort of amusement.
"Um, I don't want to put a damper on the night, but I'm only eighteen," Violet explained nervously, "I don't think they're going to let me into a place like that."
"Oh ye of little faith," Go Go chuckled, "Don't you think there's a reason we're going to a club in Koreatown?"
As Go Go and Violet talked, Honey and Susan trailed behind them. While they walked, Honey's brow furrowed in confusion as she noticed Susan repeatedly glancing up at her.
"Is everything alright?" Honey questioned as she looked down at Susan, who stood a full head shorter than her.
"Oh yeah, sorry," Susan apologized, her cheeks turning red as she looked away from Honey and rubbed the back of her neck, "It's dumb."
"What?" Honey replied, giggling in amusement at Susan's reaction.
"Well, it's kind of a weird question," Susan began, Honey's friendly laughter putting her at ease, "But how tall are you exactly?"
This caused Honey to let out a laugh that Susan couldn't help but smile at.
"Six feet," Honey replied, biting her bottom lip in a way that made Susan's chest contract, "And that's without the heels."
"Wow," Susan replied with an awkward laugh, looking away from Honey as a confused expression briefly crossed her face, "That's….that's something."
"What about you?" Honey asked, tilting her head as she spoke, causing her ponytail to drape over her shoulder.
"Me?" Susan replied, blinking her thoughts away as she looked back at Honey, "Oh, I'm four, eleven. Whole different weather system down here."
The joke caught Honey off guard and she let out a laugh that caused Susan's heart to speed up for a second, prompting her to rub her face uncomfortably.
"So, what do you do, Susan?" Honey asked as they walked, "I mean, I'm guessing you're not a student anywhere."
"No, my college days are way behind me," Susan replied with a chuckle as she stuck her hands into the pockets of her shorts, her mind racing as she tried to form a cover story, "Just over here, being in my late twenties, working at the old grindstone."
"You make it sound like you're so old," Honey observed with a giggle, "Go Go and I are in our twenties too, you know."
"Yeah, I suppose," Susan said as she smiled up at Honey, which caused the taller woman's own smile to grow more.
"You didn't answer my question though," Honey pointed out.
"Oh, right," Susan replied as she began nervously scratching at the back of her head, "I, uh, work for the government."
"Research?" Honey inquired.
"Uh, military?" Susan answered, sounding unsure of the word as she said it as her hand lowered to the back of her neck, "I mean, I know I don't really look like the type to be in the military…."
"No, I…." Honey trailed off for a moment, her gaze drawn to the bulge of Susan's bicep as her cheeks turned pink, "I think you look like you could handle yourself."
"Wow, uh, thanks," Susan replied, blushing as well as she grinned broadly.
"We're here," Go Go spoke up, drawing the pair's attention.
Looking up, Susan saw that they were standing out front of a multistory building that looked like nothing less than a black box. A pair of spotlights flanked the one door leading into the building, guarded by a single bouncer who was managing the line of people waiting to get inside. Above the door, written in blue neon lights, was a Korean hangul.
"What does that mean?" Susan questioned as she gestured towards the sign.
"Chum," Go Go answered, "It means dance in Korean. Simple, but fitting."
"Looks like a fun place," Violet observed, able to feel the beat of the bass even from this distance.
"Maybe too fun," Honey added, looking at the long line of people trailing from the door, "How long do you think it will take us to get in?"
"Oh, wow, you thought we were waiting in line?" Go Go questioned with a snort, "Please."
With that, Go Go made a beeline for the bouncer guarding the entrance, prompting the others to follow along. As they approached, the bouncer, a young, tall Asian man with broad shoulders and a bukly build barely contained by his black blazer, matching t-shirt and blue jeans, glanced at them, before doing a double take as he saw Go Go. Sighing, the bouncer turned to face them as the group reached him.
"Anyoung, oppa," Go Go greeted with a smile and a wave.
"Oh, don't you oppa me, sachon," the bouncer grumbled as he crossed his arms over his broad chest.
"Wow, hey, where's the family love, Geon?" Go Go replied, playing at being hurt.
"You ran out of that last time you were here, Yuri," the bouncer, Geon, answered.
"What happened last time?" Go Go questioned as she quirked an eyebrow at Geon.
"You mean you don't remember breaking a glass over a guy's head while your boyfriend dislocated his shoulder," Geon answered, "Which was really impressive, but still."
"He put something in a girl's drink, Geon!" Yuri argued with exasperation, "What were we supposed to do?"
"Get me?" Geon suggested, looking at Yuri like she was stupid, "It's sort of my job to deal with that kind of thing."
"Well, sorry for doing your job for you," Go Go half-apologized before stepping back, "But I'm trying to show my friends here a good time, and they were pretty excited when I told them my handsome, single cousin worked at this really cool club."
As Geon looked over at them, Honey managed to awkwardly smile at him. Violet and Susan, on the other hand, had caught on to what Go Go was trying to do, prompting Susan to smile flirtatiously at him while Violet bit her bottom lip and shyly played with her hair.
"Um, well," Geon began to say, his face heating up as he looked at the girls before his eyes narrowed and he pointed at Violet, "Wait, how old is she?"
"Um, enough?" Go Go answered nervously.
"Yuri, come on!" Geon hissed angrily, "Getting into fights in the club is one thing, but bringing in someone underage? I could lose my job for that!"
"She'll be fine," Go Go reassured him, "I'll take care of her."
Geon's expression said that this, if anything, only worried him further.
"Fine," Go Go sighed as she crossed her arms, "If you let us in, I'll make it worth your while."
"How so?" Geon asked with a quirked eyebrow.
"I'll do any work you need on your car, for free," Go Go grumbled, "For a month."
"Three months," Geon countered as his eyes narrowed.
"Two," Go Go retorted, glaring up at him.
"Deal," Geon agreed with a sigh, clearly unsure about what he was doing as he stepped aside and gestured towards the door of the club, "Welcome to Chum, ladies."
"Come on, girls," Go Go grinned back at the others as she beckoned them to follow her inside.
"Try not to break anything while you're in there!" Geon called after them, "Or anyone, for that matter!"
Past the entrance was a corridor that branched off into a coat room. Heading through a set of double doors at the end of the corridor, the girls were met by the almost deafening sound of the pounding music that filled the air. Most the club was made up of a single, two story room, with a large balcony hugging the walls of the floor above them. The center of the room was occupied by the dance floor, which was made up of square panels that glowed the same shade of blue as the club's sign and flashed in time with the beat of the music while along its edges various tables and couches had been set up for people to sit in. One side of the room was dominated by a long bar underlit by electric blue lights and manned by a small army of bartenders who were taking orders from a small portion of the swarm of people in the club.
What drew everyone's attention though was the DJ stand set up directly across from the entrance. Made up of a two-tier dias, the DJ, a young Asian man in sunglasses, stood on the upper tier behind a stand that appeared to be some kind of combination of a turntable and a lighting control system. The second tier was occupied by large machines that the girls quickly realized were holographic projectors. Currently, the projectors were creating the partially translucent images of a quartet of your women that some of the girls recognized as a Korean pop group. The holograms gave the illusion that the women were giving a live performance, singing and dancing along with the music the DJ was playing.
"Wow!" Violet said in wonder as she took it all in, her voice barely audible over the blasting music.
"I know, right?" Go Go replied with a laugh before motioning for the others to follow her, "Come on!"
Following Go Go, the young women made their way into the mass of people that were mingling around at the edges of the dance floor.
"Alright, Honey, you take Sue and grab us a table," Go Go instructed as she pointed at Violet, "I'm going to take the Freshman here to get us all some drinks. What do you guys want?"
"I'll take a gin and tonic," Susan replied.
"I'll just have a water," Honey added.
"Cool, two gin and tonics, got it," Go Go replied before she took Violet's arm and began leading her through the crowd towards the bar.
Barely repressing an amused smile, Susan looked up at Honey as the taller girl sighed.
"Your friend can be a little….forceful, huh?" Susan inquired.
"You noticed that, did you?" Honey replied with a chuckle before she straightened up and glanced around, looking over the heads of the other people in the crowd, "Oh, there's a table right over there!"
"Lead the way!" Susan said before following Honey as she made her way through the crowd.
At the same time, Go Go and Violet had managed to make it to the bar and catch the attention of one of the bartenders.
"What can I get you ladies?" the bartender asked.
"Two gin and tonics, a bottle of your cheapest beer and…." Go Go trailed off as she looked at Violet for the answer.
"Oh, uh, I don't really know," Violet mumbled, a stricken look on her face.
"Two of your cheapest beers," Go Go said to the bartender, who nodded and left to fill the order.
"So, you and Fred, huh?" Go Go questioned as she turned around and leaned her back against the bar.
"I mean, it's nothing serious," Violet replied somewhat awkwardly as she played with her hair, caught off guard by the abrupt change in topic, "Not yet, anyway."
"Hey, no pressure," Go Go replied with a chuckle, her gaze focused on the dance floor, "You make out with him after you left?"
"N-No," Violet answered, her cheeks blushing brightly, "I just gave him a kiss….on the cheek."
"Cute," Go Go observed with a smirk, "And that's probably for the best. I'm not sure I could have handled it if you had answered yes to that question."
"What's that mean?" Violet questioned with a furrowed brow.
"It's just that I can't picture Fred in any kind of romantic situation," Go Go elaborated, "He's been my friend for so long that he's a complete sexual non-entity to me. Like my cousin Geon, or a lamp."
"I mean, that can't be the only reason," Violet replied with a laugh, "Weren't you and Wasabi friends before you started dating?"
"Yeah, but have you looked at Wasabi?" Go Go retorted, her cheeks coloring as she bit her bottom lip emphatically, causing Violet to laugh again.
"So, what is your guys' story?" Violet inquired, "How did you get together?"
"Well, surviving an alien invasion helped," Go Go joked with a snort, before her expression turned contemplative, "But I'm pretty sure Wasabi had a crush on me through most of our friendship."
"And you?" Violet pressed.
"Like I said, I've always thought Wasabi was attractive," Go Go answered, a small smile on her face, "But I pushed that sort of thing away for a long time."
"Why?" Violet asked, before her expression turned stricken, "If you don't mind me asking, that is."
"Nah, it's fine," Go Go replied with a dismissive wave of her hand, "Before I went to college, I didn't really have a lot of friends. I was kind of an asshole as a teenager. And I also dated more than a few guys who were even bigger assholes than I was."
"So, you didn't want to risk losing his friendship," Violet observed, "And you didn't want to get hurt again."
"Pretty much, yeah," Go Go agreed with a nod, "I'll admit, it took a lot for him to crack that nut, but in the end, I'm happy with how things turned out."
Go Go's comment caused Violet to smile at the young woman, before a thought came to her.
"What are the others up to tonight?" Violet inquired.
"Well, I know Riley and Tip are having a slumber party," Go Go answered with a shrug, "I think they may have borrowed Baymax too. I would have liked to include them but I figured it would have been morally irresponsible of me to sneak a pair of twelve-year-olds into a club."
"I suppose it would have been," Violet agreed with a laugh, "What about the guys?"
"I have no idea," Go Go replied as she looked at Violet with a questioning expression, "What do guys even do when we're not around?"
Meanwhile,
"I am being victorious!" Oh declared as he stood on the couch in Fred's room, waving a video game controller above his head while Hiro, Wasabi, and Fred, also seated on the couch with controllers, looked at him in exasperation, "I am being the champion of the Smashing Brothers! I am-"
The rest of Oh's celebration was cut off as Hiro smacked him on the side of the head with a pillow.
Later,
The four young women had gathered around a standing table near the club's dance floor, a few empty glasses and bottles scattered across the tabletop as they nursed their current drinks. Taking another sip of her beer, Violet almost gagged and made a disgusted face, causing the others to laugh.
"Ugh, nope, that's awful," Violet complained as she looked over at Go Go, "Light beer isn't any better than regular beer. How can you drink it?"
"Well, I don't drink it for the taste," Go Go answered with a roll of her eyes before she downed the rest of her beer and set it on the table with a thud of finality, "Come on, we'll find you something you can stomach."
As Go Go led Violet away from the table, Susan shook her head in amusement before turning her attention towards Honey.
"Thanks again for letting me come with you guys," Susan stated, "It's been a lot of fun."
"It has!" Honey agreed, giggling bubbly as she finished her drink and set it down on the table, "I'm starting to think it was a good thing that Go Go dragged me out tonight."
"Why did she want to drag you out tonight?" Susan inquired.
"I'll admit, I've been kind of cooping myself up in the lab lately," Honey explained with a tone of embarrassment, "I've honestly been trying to keep myself busy."
"Why's that?" Susan inquired.
At this, Honey's expression turned stricken, causing Susan to clench her hand into a fist and bite her bottom lip with worry.
"I'm sorry," Susan quickly apologized, "You don't have to tell me if it's too personal."
"No, it's fine," Honey replied with a shake of her head, "I mean, it is personal, but I think it would be good to talk about it."
Shifting uncomfortably on her feet for a moment, Honey sighed before continuing.
"I had a boyfriend," Honey stated, "Tadashi. He was part of our group of friends before we got together and….and I'm pretty sure I was in love with him."
"I'm sensing a "but" coming," Susan observed.
"But he died," Honey said quietly, almost imperceptible over the blasting music, her eyes misting up as she spoke, "There was a fire and he….he didn't make it out."
"Oh my God," Susan whispered, her expression sorrowful as she instinctively reached out and put her hand on Honey's, "I'm so sorry."
Honey blinked in surprise at the other woman's touch, but didn't pull away as she quickly wiped the half-formed tears from her eyes.
"Thank you," Honey replied and gave Susan a small smile that caused the other woman's heart flutter, "As you probably have already guessed, I took it pretty hard. I spent a long time in a dark place emotionally before my friends managed to pull me out of it. And even after, I've been trying to keep busy."
"Why's that?" Susan inquired.
"I don't know," Honey admitted with a shake of her head, "Part of me just feel like….like it's not fair that I get to go on enjoying things while he….doesn't."
"Look, I never knew this guy," Susan said, a concerned expression on her face, "But I can't imagine he'd want you to just….work yourself to death because he wasn't around anymore."
"I know," Honey agreed with a sigh, "My friends have pretty much said the same thing, but….I just think I need to work through it, you know?"
"Well, it makes me happy that you came out tonight too then," Susan replied before smirking, "If you'd like to talk about something funny, we can change topics to my crappy love life."
"Sure," Honey chuckled.
"Well, I guess the big thing is that I was almost married once," Susan said before she downed the rest of her drink.
"Really?" Honey questioned in surprise, "What happened?"
"My wedding day got canceled because of a freak accident," Susan explained, "And afterwards, I guess you could say I….changed, and he didn't like it, so we ended up calling it off."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Honey said sympathetically.
"It's fine, really," Susan replied with a shrug and a snort, "Turns out he was actually a self-centered dick, and I just hadn't noticed. I feel like I dodged a bullet, if anything."
"Well, I'm happy that it worked out for you," Honey commented with a smile before she glanced at their still touching hands, "Are you….seeing anyone now days?"
"No," Susan answered with a sigh, "I guess you could say I've become a bit of a workaholic too."
"Birds of a feather then," Honey commented as she propped her head up with her free hand while nonchalantly turning her other one over so that she was holding Susan's, "I'm happy that you could come out with m-...out with us."
Looking down at their joined hands, Susan momentarially thought of pulling away from Honey. Lifting her head to look Honey in the eye, she instead smiled and gripped the other woman's hand tighter.
"Hey, this is a club, right?" Susan questioned with a smile, "You wanna dance?"
At the questioned, Honey's cheeks turned red before a wide smile spread across her face.
"I'd love to!" Honey replied before allowing Susan to lead her by the hand down to the dance floor.
A/N: So this chapter turned into a monster that quickly got a way from me. Ended up cutting it here and moving the rest to the next chapter. The good news is that means the next chapter will be coming out very soon. For now though, hope you guys liked this one! As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!