Rose Grove - (H.S.)

05

"Dell, you've put up with enough bullshit these past few weeks with those kids. Live a little." My friend, Odessa, says loudly after I announce that I don't plan to get absolutely hammered at this club tonight. There was time in my life where I'd go to clubs every weekend and forget where I was by the end of the night, and that was far from fun. Working with kids and getting a real job forced me to realize how irresponsible that kind of lifestyle was. With that being said, I still can't say no to a girl's night every once in a while.

I roll my eyes with a smile "I don't mind the kids, Essie. It's the lesson planning that wears me down the most." I explain with a slight groan, knowing I had to begin working on next week's assignments tomorrow, probably with a hangover from hell considering I can't control myself when I'm around Odessa.

"Whatever." She grins and takes my hand as we get to the line in front of the club. This place is always packed on the weekends since the nightlife in this city is pretty boring everywhere else, but Essie always finds a way to cut the line. I think it's her amazing body and captivating personality that gets us in, but she swears up and down it's because she's well known here.

I love the girl but sometimes she gives herself way too much credit.

"Hey, Teddy." She says with a large grin as we approach the large bouncer that's sporting a purple polo shirt with the club's logo. He looks her up and down with a stone-cold face, seemingly trying to figure out how she knows his name.

"Are you on the list?" He finally speaks as he looks down at the clipboard that he has in his large hands.

She tilts her head "Well, no. Can't you just let us in?" She asked in a sultry voice that we both know she doesn't sound like usual. I roll my eyes and hide behind her in embarrassment, if she gets rejected I don't want to be involved.

"If you're not on the list you have to wait in line with everyone else." He says in a dismissive tone, not even looking up at her as he spoke. It's getting late so I'm sure she isn't the first nor the last to try to skip the line.

She huffs and crosses her arms "I always get in. Do you have a manager I could talk to?" She whines, angry about not getting her way. She grew up comfortably, as she likes to call it, so she doesn't take well to being told no. It's something I've been helping her work on because she hates it just as much as this bouncer probably does.

"Odessa, please. I'm not in the mood for public humiliation." I say quietly from behind her, hoping she'll just drop it and we'll wait in line like everyone else. It's only ten, we have enough time to wait, she just always has to feel like she's VIP.

She turns around to talk to me but then someone coming out through the entrance door catches both of our attention. When my eyes meet theirs all the breath is stolen from my lungs "Della?" Harry asks with a cigarette dangling from his lips.

"Yeah, hey," I say in a shy voice as I step around Essie so he has a better view of me. I had been slightly avoiding Harry at work because I loathe confrontation and I'm still upset that he left flowers at my house.

The club was the last place I thought I'd run into him.

"He giving you trouble?" He asks, pointing to the bouncer with his thumb. I open my mouth to speak but I close it back up when I can't find the words. The awkward tension from not seeing each other for a little bit mixed with how good he looks tonight is throwing me for a loop. The black dress shirt hugs his torso in a way that compliments his chest muscles and his tight pants leave little to the imagination.

"Yeah, he's going to make us wait in line," Odessa says and I immediately facepalm. It was bad enough to have her embarrass us in front of a stranger, but her doing this to someone I know is like the tenth circle of hell.