She's Stronger Than You Think

A Real Date

Nate and I drove for a while. I was a little surprised when we ended up at a place that was clearly out of town. No Regrets, the neon sign read. It looked like a shady nightclub. I could hear the music from the car.

"I don't think this is a good idea," I said as Nate got out of the car. "This place looks kinda sketchy."

Nate rolled his eyes, but smiled. "Oh, come on. How can you not like clubbing? Your cousin owns a big nightclub downtown."

"I thought I wasn't supposed to mention him," I smirked.

Nate came around to the other side or the car and opened the door for me. "Don't be a smart mouth," he said. "It doesn't suit you."

"I think it does," I said. I took his arm, and he escorted me in.

The club looked a lot bigger on the inside than on the outside. The music was just as loud, and it was rather crowded, though not as much as I had thought. There were places to sit towards the entrance, and a massive dance floor with a DJ booth. I realized it wasn't exactly what I had thought. The people around seemed respectable enough, and the employees were kind. I could see why Nate seemed to like this place.

"Interesting place for a real first date," I said above the music.

"Good or bad interesting?" Nate asked.

"We'll have to see," I answered.

We danced for a little while; Nate taught me a few moves, since my own knowledge of dancing seemed a little limited. After a couple of songs, my feet began to hurt, so Nate suggested we take a break. The DJ had just switched to a quieter song anyway.

We went and sat on one of the round couches near a bar. We ordered some drinks and chatted about life while we waited for someone to make them. I had to admit, it was nice to get away from everything. I didn't have to worry about anyone watching me, at least I hoped so, and Nate made me feel as though nothing else mattered.

Until I felt something cold splash ontop of my head. I stood up fast, with Nate right beside me.

"Oops. So sorry," a dark-haired woman said.

"Are you okay?" Nate asked me quietly.

"I'm fine," I said woodenly. I stared daggers at the smirking woman.

"Oh, hey Nate!" A man walked over toward us. "I see you've met one of my friends."

"Oh hey!" Nate greeted him with a distracted smile. "(Y/n), this is my friend AJ."

"Hi," I said. "Could you excuse me for a moment?"

The men nodded as I hurried away. I could feel the woman's eyes on me. I quickly grabbed some napkins and stepped outside. I wiped the drink off of my face and chest, trying not to let my anger get to me. As I was finishing, the door to the club opened. I looked up and saw the woman from before.

"Was this really necessary?" I asked.

"Look, I'll just cut to the chase and tell you what's gonna happen," she said. "You're going to call a taxi, or get in whatever vehicle you came in, then, you're going to drive home, and never come back to this club. Oh, and the most important thing? You're going to leave Nate, and let me have him."

I scoffed and crossed my arms. "And why exactly am I going to do that?" I questioned. "Because you told me to?"

"Exactly," the woman said. "I don't want to use force, but I will if I have to."

By now, a small crowd was gathering, eager to see a showdown. I straightened my back, not wanting to look like a wimp. I really wanted to wipe that stupid smirk off of her face.

"You have no idea who you're trying to deal with," I said. She clearly didn't know my position with Nate.

"If you think you're scaring me, you're sorely mistaken," the woman continued. "Now, beat it. I wouldn't want to have to mess up that pretty face of yours."

"What are you going to do? Scratch me with those poor excuses of nails?" I retorted.

The crowd waas growing. They were beginning to get excited.

"I'll have you know, this manicure cost me almost $200!" She yelled.

"And yet, you still managed to look cheap." I turned to re-enter the club.

However, I didn't make it to the door. I was suddenly pulled back by my hair and thrown to the ground. The crowd roared. I barely had time to react before I felt a body ontop of mine, and a fist made contact with my face. Luckily, I was wearing high heels, which actually worked out to my advantage.

I kicked my foot into the woman's stomach. She grabbed it in pain. I used this time to roll us both over, so that I had the advantage over her. She reached up for my hair again, but I grabbed hers at the same time. She tried to force my hand away, but her fingers were still locked in my curls, so I held on.

Finally, she let go, and I was able to stand up on my own. A few guys tried to help, but I pushed them away, insisting that I was fine.

Until I heard a voice yell, "Don't move!"

I looked up to the source of the voice. Nate. He was here now, staring down the woman who had picked her fight with me. He aimed a gun at her.

"NO!" I cried, without really thinking.

I lunged at Nate, and tackled him to the ground. A shot rang out, hitting someone's tire of their car. I wrestled Nate for a minute, before I managed to get the gun away from him. We both stood at the same time; I pointed the weapon at him this time.

"(Y/n), give me the gun!" He called.

I stared for a minute, trying to blink back tears. Then, I lowered my hands to my sides, and said in a low voice, "No. We're going home. Now."