Page 53 of I Love to Hate You
“To Kendrick!” the group shouts, before knocking back the shots.
The second my stomach is burning from the whiskey, I slam my glass on the table and stand up with my arms raised. “Another one!”
“Whoa, you’ve got to calm down, girl,” Samantha says with a look of apprehension on her beautiful brown face. “I’m trying to have a good time, not get dragged out of here because I can’t walk on my own.”
“Oh, y’all are going to leave me hanging?” I ask the group.
“We’re not leaving you hanging, just slowing down a little bit,” Derek answers.
I look at Kendrick. “Even you? I thought you were a superhero?”
He raises his hands as if to show he’s unarmed. “I never said that, and I can’t be a superhero if I’m drunk off my ass.” He smiles at me and picks up his glass of clear liquid to take another sip of it.
“Then what is this?” I say, snatching the glass from him and bringing it to my nose. “Water? You've been drinking water after our shots? Oh, my god. What kind of superhero are you?”
“The kind who’s smart enough to keep his wits about him in a place with a reputation such as this. Especially when the guys we had beef with earlier keep looking up here.”
I shift my eyes and look over the railing at the bar on the first floor, and sure enough, both guys from earlier are stealing glances up here every few seconds. From their vantage point, they have a clear view of our table.
“What the fuck are they looking at?” I bark, frowning hard as I make eye contact with the one who pushed me.
“Maya, don’t,” Kendrick says, followed by Erica standing up and placing a hand on each of my shoulders.
“Maybe we'll just sit back down and relax,” she says soothingly, slowly pushing me back down into my seat. “We’ve had a great time so far. Let’s not ruin it.” I sit down in my chair and automatically raise my cocktail to my lips. Erica glances at me for a second before addressing the rest of the group. “So, anyway, I was thinking we should start an intern group chat. Wouldn't it be nice if we could communicate with each other about projects and assignments from work? That way, we could help each other get better and secure our futures at Bell Liberty. Because I don't know about you guys, but I would really like this internship to become a permanent gig.”
“You’ve got that right,” Chad says.
“Definitely,” Derek agrees.
“Okay, so how about you all just give me your numbers, and then I’ll create a group and text everyone from it so you’ll all have my number,” Erica says, pulling out her phone.
Each intern takes turns telling Erica their number, and she inputs them all before typing in a message and sending it out. One by one, I watch everyone take out their phones and input all of the new contacts from the group, but when I reach for my phone, I don't find it.
“Shit,” I say. “I think I left my phone in my car. Does anybody want to come outside with me to get it?”
Kendrick is the first to respond, quickly looking at me. “I’ll go with you, but let me use the bathroom first.”
“See, that’s what you get for drinking so much water,” I joke, smiling at him.
“Whatever. Just make sure you don't go without me. I’ll be right back.”
Kendrick gets up from the table and heads to the bathroom, and once he’s gone, I realize everyone around me is on their phones laughing at a meme Erica sent to the chat. Samantha leans over and shows it to me before sending a response that I hear chime on everyone’s phone at the same time. Let’s just call it a clear case of FOMO, but I want my phone and I don't want to wait for Kendrick to return.
“I’ll be right back,” I announce to the group, and everyone acknowledges me with head nods before going back to the new conversation they're having via text only. “Okay then,” I say to myself, before leaving the VIP area and walking downstairs.
When I reach the exit, I get a black stamp on my hand of a straight jacket that will allow me to be let back in without having to pay, and I walk out into the crystal clear night. There’s still a long line of people waiting to be let in who probably never will be, and they eye me as I jog across the street to the large lot.
My footsteps aren’t as steady as they usually are because the shots I’ve taken have combined with my cocktail, and they’re doing a fantastic job of making the world spin. Nonetheless, it’s a beautiful night in the city, with stars shining above me like tiny guardian angels as I go through row after row in search of my car. When I finally find it, I struggle to pull my keys from my purse to unlock the doors, but I manage and hear the audible click of the locks disengaging.
I get to the car and pull the handle to open the door, but I never get it open. I’m distracted by fast-approaching footsteps from behind me, and when I turn around to locate them, I’m hit in the face so hard my vision immediately cuts out and I land on my back with a loud and painfulthud.
When I manage to get my eyes open, I’m looking up at the beautiful night sky I was just marveling over, but the view is impeded by a man as he steps over me and looks down with menacing eyes and the smell of strong liquor escaping his mouth.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” the first man from the bar says as he stands above me with one foot on each side of my body. “Your boyfriend’s not out here to protect you now, is he?”
“What the fuck?” I mutter, but before another word can leave my lips, the man bends down and cocks his fist back before sending it barreling down, silencing the night.
Kendrick
