In a club

Vanessa's POV

The living room was a mess. Chairs had been flung to a corner. Broken shards of glass lay around like someone purposely smashed things to the floor. Pieces of paper littered the house and I just knew, that something even more terrible than usual had happened while I was at work.

“Your dad finally asked to be granted a divorce,” She said tiredly to me and my heart hitched. 

“Did you-?”

She sighed. “Yes, and immediately I did, different people came in here insisting to be paid their debts. They were pretty violent about it.” She recounted to me with her head facing up. 

Her face was grim with years of sadness and a tormenting marriage. She looked so old and tired.

And I felt weak at the news I had just received. 

I wondered why my dad had lived his life recklessly. He wasn’t just a gambler, he was also a chronic cheat. It was better he left us alone. 

Sighing deeply, I asked, “Would you like me to make you a cup of milk? It will help you sleep. I think you need to get what just happened over your head.” I said to her and she weakly nodded. 

I walked toward the kitchen and stood still when I saw the absolute carnage in the kitchen. Ceramic plates had been broken and I had to walk carefully so as not to get a single shard of the broken pieces in my foot.

After I had made her drink some milk, I plastered on a fake smile and urged her, “Come lie down, Mom.” I had to pull her up and supported her to her room. For some reason, her room was neat and untouched. The only place in this house that had not been completely trashed.

I wondered why?

“Thank you, Vanessa,” She sighed as she relaxed on the bed. I only smiled, petting her cheek. Then I watched her till she fell asleep.

As soon as she drifted off, I shut the door to her room quietly and walked back to the living room. I picked up my bag and walked towards the front door. I could not to stay home tonight. I had to get what had just happened out of my mind and that included getting wasted tonight and damn any consequences that came with it.

After all my happiness only laid at the bottom of a bottle.

I just wanted to be alone. That was why I did not even text Estelle, my drinking buddy and best friend that I was planning to get wasted at some random club. I could not handle having anyone around me while I was feeling so shitty after seeing my mother in that state.

And seeing the house completely thrashed.

Plus, the fucking monster that called himself my father had finally filed for divorce, and now all his many creditors were on our necks. All his creditors were ruthless, scary people who could do anything to get their money. My three jobs barely did enough to pay the bills around the house, so how could I deal with all of these?

I could not handle thinking about my grim future, so I would drown myself in alcohol. With that intent in mind, I walked through the many dancing and grinding bodies in the club towards the bar. Loud music vibrated through the walls, the smells of cigarettes and beer filtered into my nostrils. The partying was in full swing.

When I finally got to the counter, I collapsed on a stool and ordered as many tequila shots as I could. Then I started to chug it all down, ignoring the look the scary bar man was giving me. 

As I swallowed, my lungs, nose and eyes burned from the harsh alcohol, but I liked it. Soon, shot after shot, I could barely sit upright on my stool. The music sounded like it was coming from underwater.

But I felt great.

Some random beat started to play, and the club was on fire, screams and bodies dancing hard to the beat. I smiled and loosened my hair from my ponytail. I got off the stool, taking a few steps closer to the dance floor with my hair bouncing. Throwing my hands up, I started to move my hips around in an obscene way, feeling my short dress move around my thighs in a way that attracted night predators.

Soon, I felt one of the horny club guys slide beside me, trying to press his crotch against my ass while I danced. I turned around and pushed him off, glaring through my drunk vision. “Get off.”

With a scoff, I stumbled away from the dude and went back to my stool at the counter. But when I got to my seat, I saw that it was already occupied by some man.

“That’s my seat.” I snapped drunkenly. “Get off.”

The man looked away from his glass of alcohol to cast a lazy glance my way. And when my eyes focused on him clearly, my lips parted in shock. He was absolutely gorgeous. Glassy hazel eyes stared at me intensely, with a sense of dominance and power that rippled through my skin. His dark brown hair was sexy messy, and the grey shirt he had on did nothing to hide the toned chest muscles and abs lining his torso.

He was so handsome. And it made a hot blush flood my cheeks.

“Hey, you!” The scary voice of the bar man suddenly made me break eye contact with him. “Pay up for all the shots you had, you little bitch. Trying to run away?”

Being dead drunk gave me courage, and I showed him my middle finger, grabbing my bag which was still miraculously intact. “I’ll pay you your money, damn it.” I huffed, barely standing straight on my own feet.

I was still struggling to find some money in my bag, feeling the gorgeous guy staring down my body with those beautiful hazel eyes. It made my hands shake. Or maybe it was just the tequila I had. After a moment of digging through my bag, I froze in horror.

There was no money in my bag.