His Dark Obsession

Chapter 1: Friends in Need

"That was a tough week!" Ian brought ice-cold beer to his lips and peeked at his friend Jake, who was busy checking out the crowd.
"Yeah! It means it's time to Parrtttty, bro!" Jake zealously commented, all the while staring at a group of girls grinding on the dance floor.
"Douche!" Ian muttered under breath and hid a smile. Even though Jake was one of his closest friends, he couldn't help but dislike this side of him. The guy was always playing around with women's feelings, it got crazy at times.
"Slow down, stallion!" Ian patted on his shoulder and then continued, "Don't you get tired? You have too much sex, with too many different women!"
"It isn't like you don't!" Jake fired back, laughing.
"Jake, have you forgotten Elise already?" Ian asked concerned, as he reminded his friend of his ex who had tried to harm herself because of his philandering.
"She was insane, Ian. That girl was crazy!"
"She was emotionally weak, vulnerable." Ian interjected.
"Who cares, man. I am over it." He slapped Ian's chest then, "You should get over it too!" He winked, and flashed his friend a wicked smile as he backed up to the dance floor, flowing to the rhythm of the music blazing in the background.
Ian shook his head as he stared after his friend, trying to fake-moonwalk backwards, as two women huddled around him. Ian knew Jake was going home with a girl tonight.

Tara had come to the club to console her friend Rachel who had recently gotten divorced from her husband of two years. It had been really tough on her, she wasn't coping well. Tara could do very little for her friend so she decided to show her a good time; maybe a girls' night out was going to do the trick. She wished Rachel would forget all about the lying, sneaky...manipulative asshole.
"He broke me, Tara. He did! I am never going to love again." Her friend exclaimed as hot tears and mascara rolled down her face. The drink in her hand tilted dangerously and she drunkenly rambled on. "Why did he do it? Why? Am I so unlovable?"
"No, love. There is nothing wrong with you. It is his loss." Tara reassured her. "You are beautiful, inside and out. Don't ever let yourself forget that!" Saying this, she took a travel-sized Kleenex pack out of her bag, removed a tissue and started wiping her friend's face clean.
Tara felt Rachel's pain. Mason had done her wrong. He had been a completely different person from what he had initially made himself out to be; and over the course of their marriage he revealed a dark and ugly side to him which was intolerable for Rachel and which eventually led to her filing for divorce.
"Tara, I am all cried out! I don't know what to do now..."
"You pull yourself together and you move on. Consider this chapter closed." And then giving her a mock salute, much like a sailor on a ship, Tara continued, "Onto new adventures you go, my sweet!"
Rachel gave her a weak smile, "You think I will be able to do that?"
"Yes!" Tara replied encouragingly, "I have every faith in you."
"Oh, Tara! Your energy is so...infec...tious! I wish I were half as optimistic as you." Rachel gave Tara a smile through her tears and then passed out on the table. Tara realized that her friend was totally wasted, she decided to call it a night.