"One more stop."
"No, you promised!"
If he was listening, he didn't show it. He pulled over at a club. She gulped when she saw it. It was one thing to break her grandmother's rules, but it was entirely different to break them twice! Luckily for her, she was too far away to do anything.
She covered her ears as they walked into the club. The blaring music from the speakers was enough to make her deaf.
"What are we doing here?" She screamed above the music.
"It's karaoke night!"
"I can't sing!"
"I know!"
"Then why did you bring me here?"
"I take great pleasure in watching you make a mockery of yourself!"
"You're a jerk, I want to go home!"
"After one song!"
"No!"
"Suit yourself!"
She watched a girl ascend the stage. Mic in hand, she boldly sang the lyrics on the large screen before her. At least her voice is pretty, she thought. She glanced at her watch, her face pale when she saw the time. It was nearly two a.m. She glanced at Laurent, who was chatting with the bartender. "Jerk," she mumbled. Standing up from her chair, she walked towards the stage. She held the mic timidly, wishing the earth would swallow her. The lyrics of 'Wrecking Ball' are displayed on the screen. She tightened her hold on the mic as she sang. After what seemed like forever, the song ended. She dropped the mic and ran towards him.
"I'm done, let's go!"
"You weren't lying when you said you were a terrible singer," he chuckled.
"The worst, now can we go?"
"Sure!"
She folded her hands across her chest. "And no more stops."
"Spoilsport."
"Agreed?"
"Fine."
She clapped her hands in excitement and dragged him out of the club, not waiting for one of his sarcastic remarks. They got on the bike and finally headed for her house.
"We should do this again sometime, Sparky."
"Can you stop calling me that?" She said, alighting off the bike.
"Nope."
She sighed in disbelief. Scrambling to the window, she waved him goodbye. Her eyes went to her watch. It was two-thirty in the morning. "Jerk," she mumbled again. She hurriedly climbed the tree and opened the window. Carefully, she placed her left foot into the room, followed by her right foot. "Phew!" She exclaimed, wiping the sweat off her brow. She was about to walk to the bed when the lights suddenly came on. She held back a scream because staring at her was Jack's annoyed face.
She felt her knees turn to jelly. Her palms became sweatier, and her eyelids droopy. It seemed like a dream, a terrible one she wanted to wake up from.
"M…Mr. Everton," she stuttered, "what…what are you doing here?"
"Where were you?" He snarled. She fidgeted with her fingers, her gaze stuck to the ground.
"I was um…"
"I didn't think you would sneak out to meet your boyfriend."
"I don't have a boyfriend!" She barked, her gaze meeting his.
"Save it, Julianne," he growled.
"You know what? I do have a boyfriend and I was with him, all night! It's none of your business what I do with my life, you're not my father!"
She smirked, seeing the growing rage in his eyes. As far as she was concerned, no one could tell her what to do, her grandmother being the only exception. But, she was too far away to do anything.
"I'm sure Mr. Heathrow would love to hear that you're wandering around the city with some boy."
Her face suddenly went pale. He smirked, knowing he had found her weak spot. "That's a cheap move, even for you."
She raised her hands in surrender. "I give up, you win! I've learned my lesson. Can you go now?"
"Acting sassy, eh? Guess I'll just have to tell him."
"Oh please, Mr. Everton!" She begged, "If you tell him, he'll send me back! I don't want to go back."
He stared at her figure, licking his lips. She noticed the glint in his eyes, she was familiar with that look. She took a step backwards abd he took one forwards. She tried taking another step but he suddenly grabbed her by the arm. She tried to wrestle out of his grip, but he was too strong. He pushed her against the wall, her head hitting it hard. He reeked of grease, beer and cigarettes. Her thoughts went back to the day of her birthday, except there was no knight in shining armor to come to her rescue. Luckily for her, she didn't need one. The last thing she wanted was his filthy paws on her.
He stared at her hungrily, his hold still tight on her. In one swift motion, she kicked him in his tender spot. He howled as he fell to the ground. Not wasting another second, she gathered her thoughts and ran to the window. She opened it, went down the tree, and ran into the night.
________________________________________
She ran out of the street, not looking back. She glanced at her wristwatch. It was 3:00 a.m. She shivered from the cold, suddenly feeling very sleepy. What she would do for a warm bed!
She stopped running, resorting to walking. She decided to call Mr. Heathrow, she felt he would know what to do. She searched her pockets for his business card and remembered she left it in her bag, which was back at the apartment. She pulled her phone out of her pocket, deciding to call Kyrie. But alas, her phone's battery was down! She cursed under her breath, kicking a stone in her path. Tears threatened to roll down her cheeks, and a lump formed in her throat. She wiped them off, refusing to cry. Her eyes lit up when she spotted a phone booth. She walked at first, but soon began to run towards it. She shoved a quarter into its slot and held the phone in her sweaty palms. She froze, suddenly realizing she didn't know Kyrie's number. As a matter of fact, she didn't know anyone's number! Her knees buckled once more, the phone slipping through her fingers. She suddenly remembered a phone number. She didn't remember whose number it was, but for some reason, it was at the back of her mind. She hurriedly dialed it, praying that the person would answer the call. When she heard the baritone voice on the other end, her heart skipped a beat.