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“I made a plan to get out of there. I decided I’d make him so uncomfortable he’d have no choice but to kick us out. Leaving the bathroom unlocked so he’d accidentally walk in while I was showering, walking around naked when I knew he was due home from work, getting changed with my bedroom door open, that kind of thing. One day, he was in his bedroom and I walked in there in only my underwear. He lost his shit at me. Told me to put some clothes on and act like the kid that I was. We were fighting so loudly that we didn’t hear Mum come home. She came into the bedroom and saw her teenage daughter standing there in skimpy underwear with her boyfriend. I could actually see the moment the idea hit her. Like in a cartoon when a lightbulb appears over their head. She accused him of sleeping with me. I’ll never forget the look on his face. The blood drained from him and he looked like he was going to puke. Mum wouldn’t listen to his denials, so he pleaded for me to back him up. I had a choice. I could be a decent person and tell Mum she got it all wrong. Or, I could stay silent.”
Sassy shakes her head.
“If I knew how far she was going to take it, I might not have gone along with it. But all I could think about was moving out of there and getting my freedom back. I wanted to stop walking on eggshells waiting for the moment Mum pulled the rug from under me by breaking up with him anyway. So I stayed silent. I stood there, watching as Mum threatened to go to the police and have his daughter taken away from him. She walked out of that relationship with the keys to his car and enough money for a deposit on a rental for us. He was miserable and confused about how things went so pear-shaped so fast. I wanted to change my mind and come clean, but for the first time in my life I was scared. It’s a heavy accusation to make. I had the sensation of being on a runaway train I couldn’t get off. It was easier to just leave with her.”
“Fuck,” I exhale, running a hand through my hair.
“I know,” Sassy squeezes her eyes shut. Shame written all over her face. “Mum moved on fast, but the guilt was too much for me. I vowed to myself I’d keep looking after Britt, to help him out as a single dad. But when he caught me in his house again, he flipped out. He probably thought it was a new scheme to get more out of him. He physically threw me out of the house, telling me to never show my face there again or he’d kill me. I was black and blue from tumbling down the stairs but that’s not what hurt. I promised him he wouldn’t see me again, so now I sneak there when he’s not home.”
“That’s … quite a story.”
“It wasn’t my finest moment.”
“Your mum did all of that, just to extort him?”
“Nah, for her it’s more about being the victim.” Sassy shrugs a shoulder. “It’s her favourite role in life. She didn’t want to be the bad guy wrecking the relationship with her cheating.”
I can’t imagine having a mum like that. Her upbringing was clearly lacking.
“Is all of this sneaking around really worth it?” I think of what would happen if Gav had caught us today.
“I love Britt. Of course she’s worth it. And Gav’s too busy with work and making ends meet to worry about things like bake sales and homework. By helping him out, I’m atoning for my sins. Even if he doesn’t know about it.”
We sit in comfortable silence until I pull up in front of Sassy’s dorm building. She reaches for the door handle.
“Thanks for spending the day with me.”
“It was … interesting.” I grin at her and she playfully smacks my arm before climbing out of the car. I watch her until she enters her building and I know, deep down, that when it comes to this girl, I’m going to get in to trouble.
Chapter11
Colt
The Uber driver pulls up at the address Sassy gave him earlier. I notice the long line of people waiting to enter the nightclub. Not that you’d know it was a nightclub.
Fever is one of those funky places that are hidden in plain sight. A dark doorway on an unassuming street, with no signage. The only clues are the faint beats coming from within, and the lineup.
“I’ve never been to Fever,” I had told Sassy earlier today on our shift at the newsagency after she finished telling me she was going there tonight. Shocked to hear that, she ended up inviting me along. I still don’t know what this is between us, but she seems to like hanging out with me.
Fever is in the next town over, which is why I haven’t been before. Uni students don’t bother travelling far when there are plenty of pubs and parties within walking distance to their dorms. But I like a change of scenery, and won’t say no to a night out. Especially when Sassy is involved.
She skips the line and walks straight up to the bouncer, who greets her warmly and lets us in.
“VIP treatment,” I joke and she shrugs.
“We have an agreement between our clubs. They go to The Nest any time they want, and they look after us girls when we come here.”
We walk down the dark corridor, the beats getting louder by the step. Through a tasseled doorway, we arrive at the nightclub. The room is jumping with people and loud beats. It looks like most clubs on the inside, but I can feel it has a grittier edge. It’s quite dark inside, and the people on the dance floor look older than my usual college kid crowd. Sassy walks straight through the people and heads towards the bar. She’s wearing a short, silver skirt, chunky platform heels and a black top that covers her front but shows a lot of skin where it ties up at the back. Her hair is out in long, purple and black waves. I watch people take notice of her as we walk through the crowd. It’s not only me who is entranced by her.
Reaching the bar, Sassy leans across the counter and shouts our order to the bartender. I pull my wallet out to pay for the drinks, but she waves my hand away.
“Nest girls don’t pay,” she says and reminds me of the agreement between the two clubs. “It’s in our best interest to have the security guys hanging around our club, and it’s in Fever’s best interest to have more girls hanging around here.” She winks at me, then turns back to the bar as our drinks arrive.
Sassy has ordered us both a vodka and soda, but there are also two tequila shots sitting there. I raise an eyebrow, and she grins mischievously.
I slam my shot down, the clear liquid burning its way through my body. We grab our vodkas and go in search of Sassy’s friends.
As we push through the crowd, I realise Fever isn’t only one room. There’s a large dance area and then a lot of smaller rooms connected by dark and twisty hallways. I wouldn’t want to lose Sassy in here. I don’t think I’d ever find her again. We enter a Moroccan themed room. There are large colourful rugs covering the floor and curtains draped on the walls. The seating is low and there are cushions scattered everywhere. Tall shisha pipes and small tea light candles cover the low tables, leaving a haze of smoke through the air. The music isn’t as loud in here, so I can hear Sassy when she tells me she’s found her friends. A group of about fifteen people are lounging on cushions in the corner. Several bottles of tequila, bowls of lemons and plates of salt are on the table in front of them. One glance at this crew and I can tell they’re Sassy’s friends.
