The Bad Girls' Club (12 page)

I fumbled in my top to fix my errant boob.
‘Can you fix the tie for me?’

I noticed that strange look on Beth
’s face. It only lasted a second, before I turned for her to retie me, but suddenly everything was awkward.

Pop Bar was the coolest bar in town; it even smelt expensive. I
’d been there once before with Poppy. Although when I say with, I mean we walked in together then she disappeared while I huddled in the corner. Beth and Imogen said I wasn’t allowed to huddle any more – bad girls don’t huddle – but huddling is what I do best. It’s listed on my resume, under hobbies.

I wasn
’t sure what this dare was about. Beth and Imogen had still been arguing about it when they’d dropped me off. Beth wanted me to stick around at the singles night until I got a phone number but Imogen and I reminded her that technically I wasn’t single. The only thing we’d agreed on was that I had to stay for a half hour. I had a feeling it was going to be a long half hour at that.

‘
Don’t forget to flirt,’ Beth had said as she dropped me off. ‘We’ll be back at 10.00 to get you. If you don’t come out, we’ll know you got lucky.’

How I
’d laughed when she said that, until I turned around and saw the lights of the bar. Yikes. I gulped down my laughter and pulled my jacket tight around me as Beth’s red Peugeot disappeared around the corner. It took all my strength not to run after it.

The security guy opened the heavy wooden door for me and I stepped into a dark alcove. I could hear the music from inside. Loud music by bands I didn
’t know. A girl sat at desk to the side. She smiled while handing me a sheet of name tags and a big texta.

‘
It helps people to mingle,’ she said with a wink.

I giggled nervously and scribbled my name. I hate name tags. Not only are they embarrassing and daggy, but I have to write incredibly small to fit my name on them and then it isn
’t legible anyway. I gave up and just wrote
Jules
.

Inside, the bar was stuffed with people. Glamorous people, all blonde and tanned and wearing designer clothes. This wasn
’t what I’d expected from a singles night.

Across the room, a girl threw back her head with laughter. The light shining off her perfect teeth blinded me for a minute. The guy beside her looked like one of the Big Brother housemates. Oh my goodness, I think he was. I couldn
’t believe Beth wanted me to flirt with these people. I didn’t even feel capable of breathing the same air.

I squeezed my way to the bar and, as I ordered a drink, I tugged at the hem of my skirt. It seemed to have shrunk since I last wore it. My stockings slipped down, my top rode up and something around the middle of my back made me itch. The tall girl next to me at the bar rolled her eyes at her friend. They both wore low-slung jeans and tight t-shirts. I felt wrong: overdressed, underdressed and just wrong. Last time I
’d worn this outfit, I’d felt sparkly. I guess the magic had worn off.

The barman handed me my champagne and I moved away from the bar wondering what to do next. At least getting a drink had filled in three minutes, only another 27 before I could leave. I found a quiet spot to stand, not in the corner, so technically not huddling. If I didn
’t take my jacket off, I’d be sweating like a pig but I only had on a tiny singlet top underneath. I decided I’d rather be sweaty than half-naked.

Imagine if Beth had gotten her way and I had to try to get a phone number.

I picked at my nails for a moment, and then sipped my drink. What do people do in these situations? I watched the bubbles floating up in my champagne cocktail – one, two, three, oh, too many to count.

Just as I was considering hiding in the toilets, I spotted someone who looked familiar.
Satoshi. He used to go out with one of Poppy’s friends. Phew, someone to say hello to. But, what if I said hello and he didn’t remember me? I’d feel like a complete fool. Perhaps it’d be easier if he didn’t see me standing here on my own. He wouldn’t remember me. He wouldn’t want to talk to me, anyway. He sure was hot. He was even better-looking than I remembered. His hair was a bit longer. I wouldn’t look at him. If I stared at the floor, he wouldn’t see me. I couldn’t even hide in the toilets now because I’d have to pass him and he was walking this way. I picked up my drink. One bubble, two bubbles, three... someone grabbed my arm.

‘
Juliette?’

It was
Satoshi. He did remember me. As he leaned in to kiss my cheek, I bumped my nose into his face.

‘
Sorry,’ we both said together. I am always such a klutz. But he laughed.

He stood back.
‘You look fantastic.’

‘
Thanks,’ I replied. What did I say after that? I tried to think of something. My mind was blank. I couldn’t remember what he did for a living or if he had any interesting hobbies. I couldn’t even remember which one of Poppy’s friends he’d gone out with.

‘
How have you been, anyway? Did you go to Poppy’s wedding? How was it?’

‘
It was… interesting.’

He raised his eyebrow.
‘I bet.’

I wasn
’t sure how he meant that. Maybe I could tell him about the wedding, but which one of Poppy’s friends had he gone out with? I didn’t want to say the wrong thing.

‘
So, are you right for a drink?’ he asked.

I nodded and showed him my full champagne. Never before had a guy offered to buy me drink. Maybe if I was with a group of people and they were shouting a round, but not a guy in a bar buying just for me. And definitely not a hot guy with the best pair of arms I had ever seen. I wished my glass had been empty.

Then there was silence again. I had to think of something to say. Just anything.

‘
What are you up to now, anyway?’

That wasn
’t brilliant. In fact, it was kind of lame. I looked at him. When I talk to guys, it was around about this point that they try to spot someone more interesting to talk to. Their eyes scan the room then they make some excuse and hurry off. But, when I looked at Satoshi, he was smiling right at me, like I was the only one in the whole bar. Bubbles surged up inside me like the bubbles in my champagne.

‘
Oh, work’s going well. Really well. I got a promotion last month. Regional Manager now.’ He ran his hand through his hair. He had nice hands, tanned and strong.

‘
Cool,’ I said and nodded. ‘Regional Manager, huh.’ Regional Manager of what?

Satoshi
smiled again. ‘You really do look great. You’ve done something to your hair, right?’

I nodded. Yeah, my hair and the rest of me.

‘So, what are you doing at a single’s night anyway? Didn’t you have a boyfriend or something?’

‘
Yeah.’ I was going to burn in hell but technically, I didn’t say I didn’t
still
have a boyfriend and I couldn’t really explain about the club and dares and the whole thing. It would have been just too complicated. What harm would it do if he thought I was single anyway?

‘
This place sucks. I dunno what I’m doing here. I guess it’s better than a night in front of the telly but most of these people are so fake.’

He looked at those two girls in the jeans from the bar as he said that. Yeah, they were fake. In the light, even their suntans looked orange.

He leaned in close to me as though he was going to tell me a big secret.

‘
You might think I’m a wimp but I’m really shy at these things. I get so nervous meeting new people. I’m glad there’s someone here I know.’

He ran his hand through his hair and looked at the ground while I nodded my head. Boy, did I know what he meant.

‘I guess you wouldn’t know about that though. You’re so self-assured.’

I almost choked on my champagne. Me. Self-assured. Right. Beth had told me that when you talk to guys, sometimes it
’s better to smile mysteriously than to say too much.

I smiled, mysteriously. Leastways, I hoped it was mysteriously and not just creepy.

Satoshi picked up his beer and gulped down the last drops.

‘
Guess I need another. What are you drinking?’

‘
Oh, I’m right.’

‘
No. Come on. Let me buy you a drink. Champagne? Then I’ll have an excuse to come back and talk to you some more. It’s so nice to chat without Poppy hogging all the attention.’

I watched him walk to the bar. He really did fill out a pair of jeans nicely, although the arms were definitely his best feature. Strong but not too muscly. I really hoped he meant that about coming back to talk more. Having a cute boy buy me a drink would give me something to talk about at the next Bad Girls
’ meeting.

I twirled the champagne glass in my hand as I waited. Maybe this night wasn
’t going to be so horrific, after all. Then someone bumped my arm. I’d known I’d be in the way. One of the reasons I like to huddle is because otherwise I’m always in someone’s way, getting bumped and shoved.

‘
Oops,’ said the gorgeous bumper. He rubbed my arm and looked me up and down. ‘So sorry. Whoa, how could I not notice you? I’m Tom, by the way.’

He pointed to the name tag on his chest as if to prove that he was indeed Tom.

‘Aren’t these things daggy? I hate name tags.’ He pulled his name tag off and threw it on the ground. ‘Don’t look so shocked. What are they going to do? Kick me out for being naughty?’

I laughed.

‘You can laugh. Last time I came to one of these things, they made us do “getting to know you” games. Can you believe it?’

I was still laughing when
Satoshi returned with my drink. Bums. This was going to be trouble. They’d both get shitty and I’d be left alone.

I thought Tom
’d leave when Satoshi got back. He watched Satoshi hand me my drink but kept on talking.

‘
… one of the things we had to do was fill in this sheet, you know the kind of thing. Find someone in the room who’s had their tonsils out, someone who’s run a marathon. At least if they’re going to do that they could make it fun. Find someone who’s on the run from the law or been in a porn movie.’

Satoshi
looked at Tom then back at me.

‘
This is Tom,’ I said. ‘He’s leading the rebellion against name tags and “getting to know you” games.’

‘
Stupid things, aren’t they?’ Satoshi replied.

I sipped on my drink and, for a moment, the three of us stood around in silence. Not at all comfortable. I
’m going to have to ask Beth what to do in those moments. An enigmatic smile can only get you so far.

‘
So, what do you do for a living?’ Tom asked me.

‘
Juliette’s a computer programmer, aren’t you?’ Satoshi replied and moved in closer to me.

Tom looked me up and down.
‘No way. You’re far too hot to be a computer geek.’

What could I say to that? If only it were true. Tom really did have the most intense blue eyes and he kept looking at me, just that little bit too long, in a way that making me all woozy inside. If
Satoshi wasn’t there, I have thought he was trying to chat me up.

‘
Oh, she has brains, not just looks, you know.’ Satoshi put his arm around my shoulder. Boy, did he smell good. All musky and strong. Most guys I know smell of sweaty socks and day-old pizza.

‘
Mmm, smart and funny and hot, you have it all going on don’t you?’ And Tom gave me that look again. Oh my.

‘
Come on,’ I said. “I’m not like that at all.’ They were making me embarrassed talking like that.

Then it happened again. I got knocked. This time hard, in the back. My champagne flew out of my hands and my back pained like a ton of bricks had fallen on it.

I spun around as a guy in a dishevelled suit lurched up. He held a beer that he’d managed not to spill.

‘
Sorry ‘bout that. Missed the step.’

I looked down. There was no step. He leaned even further forward, trapping me between his body and the table, as he hollered in my ear.

‘G’day, honey.’

Not only did he almost burst my eardrum, his breathe stunk of rancid beer. As he reached out to grab me, I tried backing way but there was nowhere to go. I shut my eyes, hoping he
’d disappear.

‘
Leave her alone, mate.’

I opened my eyes. Tom had grabbed him by the shoulder. The drunk tried to swerve but
Satoshi hitched him under the arms before he could move. He shot me a smile then pushed the drunk towards the door. The drunk swung out wildly, screaming curses but he was no match for Satoshi.

Meanwhile, Tom put his arm around me.

‘Are you OK?’ he asked and rubbed my back. ‘Did he hurt you?’

‘
No. I’m fine. Just a little wet,’ I said, holding out my top where the champagne had spilt on me. Then I realised what I’d said. I hoped he didn’t think –

‘
You poor thing. What an arsehole that guy was. Here you go.’