All five girls piled out of the car. We had to take one of the other girls’ cars because Alice’s R8 was only a two-seater. I wasn’t exactly the most comfortable drive squished in the backseat with Chani and another one of Alice’s friends. Mind you, I kinda liked being squished with Chani, but not so much with the other girl.

We waited in the line for a while. I was thankful I at least had Chani to talk to, as the other girls were in their own worlds, talking about things that didn’t interest me. Eventually, we were let inside, out of the cool night air, and into the hot, stuffy club.

First thing Alice did was get everyone a drink, to make sure we had our ‘dancing juice’. After downing our drinks, we headed out to the dancefloor. Chani and I started dancing together while Alice and her new friends grouped up together. They were laughing, looking over at us.

“Chani?” I whispered in her ear as we danced close together. “Are they…laughing at us?” She looked over as they laughed, looking away before glancing back over at us and laughing again. I didn’t think I was just being insecure.

She looked back over at me, turning my chin to face her. “Don't worry about them, Mali.” I looked at her sadly before nodding, trying to ignore them.

The music lulled, and so did our dancing. Chani attempted to speak over the music, telling me she had to go to the bathroom. I told her I’d find us a seat so we could sit down. We went our separate ways. Eventually, I found a free table with a couple of barstools. I sat down at one. Alice and her friends were still out dancing, seemingly having more energy than me.

I looked around the area, seeing that the tables were mostly packed. One table seemed to be looking in my direction, a bunch of guys laughing and glancing over at me. It didn’t take long for one of the guys to get up and come in my direction.

“Hi.. hey…nice to meet you.” He extended his hand in my direction. I could smell from here that he was drunk.

“Hi…” I glanced in the direction Chani had wandered off in, wanting her to return and save me from this already too-long conversation.

“What ya doin’ all here by yourself?” He spoke, bracing himself against the table.

“I’m…not alone, actually. My friends are dancing right now.”

“Well, I can keep you comfy right here until they get back.” He paused for a moment. “You know, so no one bothers you.” He spoke again, beaming.

“Oh god.” I cursed under my breath. “No, thank you.” I shook my head. “I’m really okay waiting by myself. Really.” I insisted, hoping he’d take the hint.

“How ‘bout juss five minutes?” He slurred his words as he leaned in towards me.

“How about no?” I leaned away from him. He truly reeked of alcohol. “My girlfriend is coming back soon.”

“Ah, come on, baby, don’t be that way.” He reached forward, grabbing one of my hands.

“Leave. Now.” I scowled at him. “Your friends may think this is funny, but I certainly don’t.”

“Hey now, don’t act like a bitch.” He scowled back, lowering his tone. “I’m just being friendly.”

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“No. You’re not.” I tried to pull my hand from his, but his grip tightened. I looked towards the dance floor, but Alice and her friends were too busy to notice. Looking back at the guy, I realized his friends were getting up and circling around the table, like hyenas on the prowl.

He laughed at my attempt. “C’mon, let’s go dancing.” He pulled at my arm, pulling me out of my chair.

Before I could even figure out what was happening, he was on the floor with Chani standing over him. “Leave her the fuck alone!” She yelled at him, before looking over at his friends. One guy swung a punch in her direction, but she ducked out of the way and moved back.

“Run.” She turned to me, grabbing my arm and dashing forward, pulling me along. We ran out of the club and past the bouncer, who looked at us in slight shock. “Come on.” She pulled me toward where we had parked. Eventually, we arrived back at the car. “Can’t leave you alone for five minutes, can I?” She cracked a smile before becoming more serious. “Are you alright, Mal?”

I nodded slowly, realizing what had just happened. It all had happened so fast, and my heart was racing, but now I just felt scared. “I--I guess.”

“Come here.” She looked at me sadly, before opening her arms. I stepped forward and embraced her, burying my face in her chest. “You’re fine now.” She spoke softly, rubbing my back. “Let’s just call the girls and tell them we’re leaving.”

“Alice might get mad at me…” I shook my head, standing back.

“Fuck Alice.” Chani cursed under her breath. “Why don’t we just ditch her and her new buddies and go to the hotel room by ourselves.”

“Well…” I looked around. “I don’t want to stay out here. I’ll just tell her what happened and that we went to the hotel. She can come there later if she wants to.”

Chani took a deep breath before nodding. “Alright. You should text her.”

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Chani and I had made it back to the hotel room, which we had to ourselves at the time. I still owed Arthur the video and asked Chani if she minded if I did it in the main room. She said she didn’t as long as she could sneak a peek. I called Arthur and began stripping for him after he picked up. I did it slow and teasingly, trying to give him a good show. I couldn’t see too much in the video, but I could see his appreciation growing. I ended up stripping down fully; for whatever reason, I wasn’t nervous about it anymore, maybe because he had already seen me mostly naked. I grabbed my phone, but there was a knock at the hotel door, likely Alice. I hung up after saying goodbye, and Chani grabbed me some pajamas to get changed into before we opened the door.

“Mali.” Alice looked at me sadly; she cupped my face in both hands. “Are you okay? We came as fast as we could after I saw your text.” I glanced at the other two girls. Neither of them looked all that happy, causing me to shrink down.

I nodded weakly. “I’m fine now. It was just scary.”

“I should’ve paid more attention.” She sighed, shaking her head. She seemed to be feeling genuinely bad about what happened. I was scared she might be mad at me for making her leave, but it seemed she couldn’t care less, unlike her friends.

Eventually, we all settled into the room. One of Alice’s friends took the couch, while Chani and I agreed to share the bed. Alice had turned the TV on, but Chani and I were busy quietly chatting.

“Are you sure you’re okay now, Mal?” Chani brushed some hair out of my face. We were both lying on our sides in bed, under the covers.

“Yeah. I’m fine. Thank you again for saving me.”

“I’d do it anytime.” She smiled slightly.

“Hey, Chani?”

“Yeah?”

“What food do you miss the most now that you don’t eat meat? Mine’s kafta kebabs.”

“Ooh, hard question.” She laughed quietly. “I would say a burger, but there are some really good hamburger alternatives out there. So maybe…” She seemed to think. “Oh, you know what my mom used to make that I loved. She used to make chicken fried steak with gravy. It was so good.”

I smiled slightly. “If I ate meat, I’d ask your mom to make me some.”

Chani laughed. “She’d happily make it too.”

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