AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“She does too much,” Javi said, his face to his phone. “It’s not sustainable.”
Huh. I agree. Maybe Mr. High Beams isn’t so bad after all. Perhaps I should trust Kai’s judgment a bit more.
“She doesn’t need to go to school,” he continued. “She makes enough with us to pay her bills, plus she’s been running some guy’s social media accounts for extra cash. I don’t understand what she’s studying for if she already works.”
I released the biggest, most abandoning sigh I could muster. Never mind. Not only was this guy an idiot, but this was the first I was hearing of Kai’s second job. Why the hell hadn’t she told me?
Upon entry to the bar, I was immediately hit with a wall of smells, people, hookah smoke, and alcohol. It was a small, dark place that looked much more like an Irish pub with strobe lights and decorations tossed around haphazardly. Truth be told, that’s exactly what it was. Kai even helped string the fake flowers along the ceiling; she told me all about it. Needless to say, it was not the kind of place one wanted to see with the lights on.
“Look!” Kai shouted over the music, pointing her finger. “That’s what I do!” She ran in the signaled direction, pressing herself right up against the bar. Atop the surface was a blonde girl in neon pink lingerie. She was dancing in a rather…suggestive way. The girl noticed Kai, kneeled on the bar to give her a kiss—on the fucking mouth—and resumed her work. Kai then returned to us just as my heart broke once more. “That’s Estefania! We dance together sometimes.”
I faked a small smile as the air around me picked at my skin, taunting me. Not only did she leave me, but she left me for this? I already knew she was a gogo dancer, but… It had been hard enough to sleep without her already. Now lying in bed alone, thinking about this place, knowing she was here and being able to visualize exactly what she was doing and who was watching? I wouldn’t be able to handle it. I could feel my brain conjuring up the vividly horrible scenarios it would play for me on a loop every night once I returned home.
I didn’t have a problem with Kai making her own choices, and I always loved it when she danced. I made it to every competition and performance I could throughout high school. And she was good. She excelled in contemporary, always telling fascinating stories through her art. The sexier stuff was cool too, and I definitely enjoyed watching her express herself, but she just wasn’t as connected to it. And all of this, this gig at this bar, just didn’t feel right.
“So, are you gonna strip down and show us your moves?” June asked happily as if this entire place wasn’t a massively offensive shit on my chest.
“No!” Oli and I shouted simultaneously. I knew Oli didn’t want to see it. I didn’t want anyone else to.
“Oh, come on, you dorks! It’s just a dance show,” Kai said. “And don’t worry. I’m off, so you’re safe.”
Thank fucking god. I was pissed enough about the whole night as it was. I certainly didn’t need to be pissed off and horn— Nothing.
“You should see it sometime!” Ana said from my right side, reminding me of her presence.
“Yeah, it’s awesome,” Rachel added, reminding me of hers as well. “She does this thing where she jumps up high and then smacks down into a split. Everyone goes wild for that one.”
I dragged my fingers down my noticeably hot cheeks. Fuck. I just wanted to get through the night so we could move on to the fun stuff like hanging out just the four of us, far away from these loudspeakers and at a reasonable time of day.
I decided a shot might help my nerves and approached the bar, bringing Kai along with me to help carry a round over to our group. My face tightened as I kept my line of vision on the counter and not on the half-naked girl dancing right next to me. Not that I condemned the occupation in any way, but I certainly wasn’t interested in looking. It was just way too much human, way too close. That paired with the sweaty air and the blown-out bass made for an incredibly pissed-off man…boy…whatever…Jonah. Kai obviously noticed because she was giggling at my discomfort as she often did. Her glee was the only silver lining.
The girl behind the bar, whom I assumed was not Nico though Javi had been speaking with her since we entered, served us a round of shots. I reached my fingers into my pocket for my wallet, but Kai immediately placed herself in front of me.
“No! No, no, no,” she said nervously, pressing her body over my wrist to cover it and looking around us quickly. She wrapped her arms around my ribs as if she were hugging me and looked up from under my chin.
I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion.
She offered me a giant, fake smile. “Don’t let people know you have money. You’re not from here, and they can tell. Keep an eye on your wallet. This round is on the house.”
“I’m not allowed to have ten euros for shots in Madrid?”
She stiffened her tone through that terrifying grin. “You’re on vacation. I know your mom gave you a wad of cash before you came because I know her, and I know you didn’t think to put it somewhere safe because you have no street smarts.” She was right. “Do not open your wallet in these parts until you’re carrying a reasonable amount and do not let people know where you’re keeping it.”
I sighed and lifted my hands to the bar nonchalantly to take a shot with her but, before we could, Javi said something to her from where he was standing. He spoke in Spanish, so I didn’t understand, but by the way he flicked his hand at me, I assumed he was asking Kai not to get so close, which was something he didn’t do when Estefania kissed her. By the way she whisper-yelled her next sentence and gestured to my waist, I assumed she was letting him know what had happened. But what did I know?
She turned back to me with a shot in her hand, clinking her little glass to mine and downing the worst tequila I’d personally ever tasted. My body glitched for a moment as the terrible liquid burned through me. We then weaved the other glasses into our fingers and brought them to our friends as my disdain for the place only grew.
But I was being negative. I was here and that was a fact I couldn’t change, so I had to at least try, like Kai did. After handing out the shots, I took another moment to observe the inside of the bar. If she was spending so much time here, there had to be a reason for it. She had to see something in it.
Nope. Nothing. All I could perceive was thumpy music, cheap hookups, bright lights, and a lack of personal space. All things Kai hated. All things I hated. So, what the hell was she doing trying to fit in in a place like this?
“Kai, are you comfortable here?” I finally asked, bending down so she could hear me. “These people are…not like us.”
Her face twisted like she might’ve been a little offended by my assessment. “It’s no biggie, Jo.” She jumped her shoulders once. “This is what people our age do. Plus, I’m lucky to have a job.”
“You have two, which you failed to even tell me about. When did you—?”
She sliced a hand through the air. “I’m not rich, Jonah.”
