ᴛʜᴇ ʀɪᴠᴀʟꜱ ᴄᴏɴᴛʀᴀᴄᴛ

₀₀₂

𝘞𝘙𝘌𝘕 𝘑𝘈𝘔𝘌𝘚

I HATE MEN. THEY'RE BIG, sweaty, slobbery animals who don't know personal space. They think everyone wants them and that they can have everyone. It's a laughable thought.

Me and Lex got to 'Breakers', the club, about an hour ago and we've been squashed in between college kids for the majorette of the time.

I feel gross by association, all sticky and damp. Everyone jumping up and down to the music, the lights that are flashing in every direction. It's chaos, but one that I used to get caught up in.

Lex and I finish our travel through the ocean of people and find a place to sit at the bar. I sit down on the plush seats as Lex orders our drinks. Then when she's about to sit down, a man with clean cut blonde hair, cuts in front of her and waves down the bartender.

"Excuse me." Surprisingly Lex is the one to open her mouth before me. But she doesn't say much after the man looks over at her.

I can practically see the hearts forming in her eyes, and I see the same star-struck look on the blondes' face. They stare at each other for a few seconds before the man smiles. It's a very attractive smile, one I think he uses rarely.

Sensing the tension between them I grab my drink from the bartender and slip away from the two. I only look back for a second to see Lex smiling while the guy starts saying something.

As I make my way through the crowd for the second time, I sense the feeling of eyes trailing me. I ignore the feeling and finish my hike to an open seat. But just as I go to sit down, another guy falls into the seat. I cross my arms and clench my fingers around my glass.

"Excuse me. I was just about to sit there before you pushed past me." I keep my voice level and my eyes narrowed.

"Oh. My fault sweetheart," Ew. "You're welcome to sit on my lap if you're in need of a place to rest your feet." His smile is slimy and wobbly. He reeks of whiskey and barf.

I'd rather kill myself. I spin around but a hand on my wrist halts my movements.

I grind my molars together before turning around to find the greasy haired man's hand wrapped around my wrist. His smile is still stuck on his ugly face while his friends-i'm assuming-whoop behind him.

I crane my head down, so I can speak to the man. I lower my voice so only he can hear me. "Remove your hand from me before I cut it off, wipe the floor with it and shove it down your oddly wide throat."

Immediately his grip falls from my wrist and he swallows thickly. The stupid grin is wiped off his face and he rests his back against the chair. His buddies look towards him and then me. I don't hide the disgust present on my face and resume walking into the crowd. Again.

I take a sip out of my glass and feel the music thrumming through the floor. It's all too much, and i'm taken back to a couple years ago. When I used to come here every night, dancing and drinking. And more drinking.

Suddenly my drink tastes sour and I lower it from my mouth. I don't drink often anymore, I never want to go back to the days where alcohol was my lifeline, to the point where I was willing to give up the rest of my life for another taste.

I was so...burnt out. I didn't know what else to turn to.

Sure I had Lex but I never talk to her about stuff like that. And plus it only lasted a few months, not like I was struggling for a long time like others. It was a couple months and that's all. Other people had it worse.