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I gave them a jerky nod. “Okay, be ready in ten minutes. I don’t want to be late. Dress for a club.”
With that, I walked back to my car, my hands shaking with nerves completely different from the kind I had dealing with Laurens.
I smiled to myself. I’d done it. I invited them out and they didn’t reject me.
The broken little girl inside of me giggled, feeling lighter than she had in a very long time.
Chapter Thirty
I pulled into an already packed parking lot in front of the club, needing to park on the grass. Seth stopped his truck right next to me, while Paxon pulled in on the other side, sandwiching my car in.
I climbed out, the wet grass sinking in slightly. The others all gathered, Paxon on the phone, frowning.
“No. I know, I promise. I already sent you the details, we’ll be kicked out after midnight anyway.” He listened before sighing and hanging up.
“Your dad?” I asked, thinking about the man who had met us at the diner.
“He’s just being a worrywart again. If I don’t send him texts like every five minutes, he’ll show up too.”
Toby snorted. “It’s not every five minutes, and you know it.”
Paxon shrugged. “Feels like it. How can I have fun when I have to keep thinking about checking with my dad.” He glanced at the building. “What are we doing here anyway? Dancing?”
I laughed. “You don’t want me dancing.”
I pulled out my laptop bag from the passenger seat. Bryan was the first to grab it from me to carry instead. I gave them a shy smile, extra nervous knowing they were going to be there with me. I looked them over.
Damn. They were handsome, and all together, they were perfect.
All five of them wore varying shades of dark jeans. Bryan wore a red polo shirt that stretched over his chest, showing how fit he really was. I hadn’t realized he was more than book smart. He did take care of his body. Seth was in a dark brown shirt that said ‘My Give A Damn’s Busted’ right across his broad chest, reminding me of what he did for a living. Construction work did wonders for the male body. Toby wore an unbuttoned light gray shirt over a white one, and he made his light brown hair extra spiky with gel. Justin was in a black button up, his blue eyes more evident. Paxon was in a black and green striped shirt with the lines going horizontal. He had a leather cord around his neck, tucked into his shirt, and a black beanie on his head.
I walked over to him and swiped his beanie off his head.
“Hey,” he said, reaching for it.
I shrugged, moving out of range of his reach. I was feeling brave tonight, so I wasn’t going to hold back. Maybe tomorrow I’d feel embarrassed, but I was here for one reason and that was to have a good time. Instead of giving it back to him, I stretched it over my own head. It was soft and warm. I liked it. It also managed to feel like an extra layer of protection.
“You’re going to get hot in there wearing this,” I said.
“And you aren’t?”
I smirked. “I won’t be moving around as much as you will be.”
“What are we doing here anyway?” Seth asked. “It’s only Tuesday, and you all have school tomorrow.”
“Ah, old man. Tired already?” Toby teased, slinging his arm around Seth’s shoulders. Seth shrugged Toby off and glared at him before turning to me.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “There are enough bored college students around because of the community college nearby. Tuesday nights are actually the best nights to come here because they have drink specials and cheaper entrance fees. Jose picked this day because of a particular mean professor who teaches a huge lecture hall for about four hundred students. All the students want to unwind after a grueling class like hers. This is the place to come. Especially after a test.”
“And you know this because?” Bryan asked.
“Someone told me once.” I grabbed Justin’s arm, tugging him closer to the club. “Now let’s go. Jose already knows I’m coming, and I don’t want to be too late.”
The others caught up to us. The line at the front stretched around the corner. I bypassed them all and walked up to the bouncer.
“Cadence!” Tim grinned with his arms still crossed over his bulky chest. He was an intimidating guy, even when smiling. I had been scared of him the first time I met him, but he was easy to warm up to and how could I fear a man who adored his little girls. Whenever he had a free moment, he was more than happy to talk about them and show off pictures. The man spoiled his daughters. I also quickly learned that with him around to watch my back, no one was going to hurt me. He wouldn’t let them, and one look from him often had them changing their minds and backing off.
“Hi, Tim. I wanted to show my friends this place.”
