Bad Boy Attraction

Chapter 3

“Where have you been?” asks me Logan once I join them back at the pool table.

“To get a drink,” I reply, still holding my glass.

I see him have a glance at my glass before frowning, making me remember that the barman traded my sweet cocktail for a plain and boring water glass. But I can’t stop a small smile displaying on my lips, knowing that my stranger, or Jordan now, asked him to do it for my sake. To hide my smile, I take a sip of water, cursing again Jordan for his kind gesture, which I will be thankful for tomorrow. But no tonight, tonight I want to have fun.

I startle when I realize someone is on my right, which I haven’t realize. Not a bad idea to hold on my liquor actually. Chloe yawns, clearly tired of her night.

“Who wants to go to Cherry’s tonight?” Logan asks.

“Cherry’s?” I wonder out loud, not knowing this place yet.

“The local dancing club, but I don’t know, I don’t like the people who go there,” replies Chloe, tiredly.

“I’m up,” I answer anyway, not tired yet and wanting to enjoy my first night out. Plus, I might know more people that way, making more friends here.

“That’s my girl!” replies Logan a bit too enthusiastic. “Chloe?”

“Nah, I need to sleep.”

“I’ll bring you home,” replies Stan, putting an arm around Chloe, making her smile at him.

We start to see people living the bar, the sign that it will close soon. I haven’t realized but the music lowered as well.

“But guys, we are celebrating!” pleads Logan.

“You go, I’ll celebrate tomorrow,” answer lazily Chloe, taking her bag to leave.

“Okay, so it will be just us?” Logan asks the rest of his friends, including me. I nod while they answer positively as well.

We wish Chloe and Stan and a couple of other friends a safe trip back home and the rest of their friends insist on them sending a message when they arrive home.

Chloe gives me a hug, leaving me with her friends.

“Let’s go?” asks Logan, already on his way. Our little group of five follows him.

“You’ll see, Cherry’s is the bomb,” tells me Sarah, one of their friends I met at the pool table.

“Seems fun,” I reply.

She starts to tell me about the town, while we walk to the dance club. She seems really wasted and can’t walk straight. I need to help her while she screams and laughs for nothing. I suddenly don’t feel at ease anymore, and regret for not leaving with Chloe when I had the chance. I thought I could make friends, but everyone is too drunk to even have a conversation.

“Let’s go this way,” says one of the guys. He points to a dark street. I am not usually scared being alone in the dark, but something about this seems fishy. It looks literally like it’s from an horror story, a dark long alley, very narrow and only one street lamp to light the alley. And to add another hint for not taking it, the only street lamp flashes, making it even darker at some time.

“You’re crazy,” replies Sarah, for which I am grateful. “You know how this neighbourhood is dangerous.”

“But it is so much shorter going this way,” groans the first guy.

“I agree with Sarah, let’s stay on the main road,” I try, following Sarah’s lead.

“You’re scared?” says the guy, with a grin, making fun of me.

I stare at him, but don’t walk anymore, to prove that no, I’m not scared.

“Don’t be scared, the future chef of the police is here,” replies Logan, with arrogance.

The guys laugh, while starting to walk in the shortcuts. I sigh and roll my eyes but follow them. Logan laughs about the fact that he is much more dangerous and scarier than any muggers who would try to rob us. His friends laugh with him and of him. Sarah joins them and I feel very excluded, a bit behind them, not at ease at all. The effect of the alcohol had started to wear off, and I curse myself for following them. I feel a chill down my spine and put my arms around me. The alley leads us to another street, with as much light as the one we just took. I look around me and I know for sure I have never been there. The building looks so old and abandoned, that I wouldn’t be surprise they actually were abandoned. I follow them around a corner to another much narrow alley. There is no light at all on this one, and we only see thanks to the almost full moon, and flash of one of the guy’s phones.

They make so much noise, chatting and laughing, that it echoes in the silence. I see on the corner of my vision a shadow moving. I turn, surprised by this unexpected movement, behind me. I try to focus but don’t see anything. I blame it on my tiredness and, I must admit that I am terrified to be here. They are too busy having fun, and I quicken my pace to be with them.

I hear a sound behind us but don’t see anything. I turn back to tell Logan, but I don’t have time to tell them anything, that I see a silhouette getting out of the shadow in front of us, in only a few meters. It takes a couple of second for me to register that someone is standing in front of us.

“Guys?” I ask so low it only comes out as a mutter.

I see them slow down, not because of my poor warning but because they must have finally seen the stranger in front of us. The chatter and laughs die in the silence of the alley.

I hear a sound behind us, the same one a heard a little earlier. I only realize that the sound belongs to a boot on the floor when I see someone standing behind us. Closer than the guy in front.

I quickly look in front of us again when I hear again steps, the stranger walking closer to us. Something tells me that he is menacing, even though I can’t see him at all, only a silhouette of a tall man.

“Logan?” Sarah asks, her voice shaking. I take her hand, to comfort her as much as to comfort myself.

“Don’t worry girls,” Logan says, coming closer to us, while the guy behind us walks closer to us as well.

“Stop!” Logan screams at the stranger. He marks a pause but less than a second later he starts to walk again toward us. “I’m a police officer. You know the charges if you attack a police officer.”

We hear a snicker and both of the guys walks faster to us.

“You’re outnumbered,” continues loudly Logan to be heard by the two guys, putting his fist up.

“You think?” replies one of the stranger, with a strong hint of mockery in his voice.

Another silhouette gets out of the shadow behind us, then a couple more in front of us. One of them hit the bin with a bar, making a loud noise, making me shrink in fear.

The first hit happens so fast. The guy in front of us, closed the last few meters quickly and punched one of our guys. He falls heavily on the floor, holding his cheek in one hand. We freeze in surprise, not knowing what to do.

Logan is the first one to react, and tries to land a hit on our aggressor, but he moves easily. Logan feels heavy in comparison, the booze and the darkness not helping him at all.

“We will report you,” Logan screams again.

Another guy kicks him from behind and he falls on his knees with a muffled sound.

“Don’t worry, we don’t want to harm you,” the first aggressor says with a laugh. “I mean, not too much harm.”

The other guys come out of the darkness, around the guy who talked to us, cornering us.

The guy with the bat hit Chloe’s friend in the knee, making him fall on the floor as well. The aggressor puts the bat on the level of his head, menacingly. “I want everything, phone, wallet, watch.”

The guy on the floor moans, holding his knee, but the aggressor lands a hit on his arm.

I let out a small scream with Sarah, scared for the guy I barely know.

“Wait, wait, wait!” screams the guy on the floor, his hands in the air, visibly terrified. He starts to get his wallet from his back pocket. His hands are shaking while he gives it to the guy with the bat. I see him chuckling, while taking the wallet. He throws it to one of his accomplices on the back with a sneer.

“Quickly,” says the first guy firmly, not letting any room for discussion. The guy on the floor gets his phone out while the others are quickly getting out anything valuable.

I have tears in my eyes, more frightened than I have ever been in my life. I cursed those guys I don’t even know for it, even though I know I’m responsible for following them.

My hand shakes while I reach for my purse.

I don’t have time to open it to get my stuff out, that I feel two arms going around me, and a chest on my back.

“I was hoping to see you soon, but did not expect it so soon, love.”