The Thorn in my Side

The Invite

Club Phoenix was the newest hit club near campus. A top social venue and catered to a very exclusive clientele, namely the social elite and was by invitation only. This club was all everyone at school was talking about these days. It was state of the art with LED strobe lights on three dance floors with big speakers installed on each of the four walls to provide that surround sound experience. The ceiling was lined with mirrors from one end to the other and there was a fully stocked bar on each dance floor.

Lexi and I were ecstatic to be checking out this new club tonight. We had gotten an invite from Lexi's friend Shawna when she overheard Lexi and I at lunch one day talking about Club Phoenix. We got to talking and she told us that she was a bartender there. She had been working there for about a month now and was permitted to invite two guests to check out the club anytime she wanted. Now here Lexi and I were waiting in line to get into the club. Lexi and I had gotten ready together at her house. She was in a bright fuchsia colored halter top with a black mini skirt and 4 inch black high heel sandals to give her height an added three inches. She wore some dangling star earrings and had done her makeup with fuchsia-colored lips and cat eyes. She had put her hair into a half ponytail with curls.

I was wearing a teal colored dress that had a corset top with matching teal chandelier earrings and teal and gold colored bangles on my wrists. I had paired my look with four-inch gold high heel sandals with laces that criss-crossed up my calfs until it reached just below my knees. I had gone sparkly and gold with my eyeshadow with cat eyes and light pink colored lipgloss. I completed my look with a loose fishtail braid on the side to give a Greek goddess kind of look. I thought we looked stunning.

I was playing Candy Crush on my phone when I felt Lexi elbow my side a few times.

"What?!" I asked, looking at her.

"Isn't that Jackson?" she asks me excitedly.

My head snaps up and my gaze zones in on Jackson dressed in a black button-up collared shirt with black slacks and men's black dress shoes. His dark brown hair is messy, completing his sinfully sexy look. My mouth waters as I drink him in. He's walking up the sidewalk several feet ahead opposite from where we are and we watch in shock as he greets the bouncer at the door with a handshake like they're good friends. The bouncer moves aside and lets him inside.

"Did you see that? They totally let him inside without any problems and he didn't even have to wait in line!" Lexi comments.

"I did see that. He must have some kind of connection here and that's why they gave him the VIP treatment." I say to her, thinking about what I just saw. I wasn't expecting to see Jackson here. Maybe if I get the chance to talk to him I can discreetly ask him about his connection to Club Phoenix.

Lexi and I finally get inside after 15 minutes of waiting in line. As we walk inside the club I am mesmerized by the multi-colored strobe lights filtering out of the massive disco ball in the middle of the ceiling surrounded by five smaller disco balls. Usher's "Yeah" was pulsing loudly through the room as bodies of dancers moved like a wave on the dance floor. As Lexi and I looked up we could see the enclosed glass balconies and spiral staircases leading up to the top two dance floors of Club Phoenix where more people were grooving to the music. Each floor was like a separate club all on its own with different music blasting out of each one. Lexi and I couldn't wait to explore all three floors.

"What do you want to drink?!" Lexi asks me.

"I'm feeling adventurous! Get me a shot of s*x on the beach!" I tell her. She laughs and makes her way towards the bar at the other end of the room. I survey the dancers and the people around me as I wait for Lexi to return with our drinks. Five minutes later she returns with our drinks. She had ordered herself a tequila sunrise. We find a booth to sit at and enjoy our drinks before getting up and heading to the dance floor. We danced our hearts out for an hour before we decide to go up to the second floor. The second floor is as impressive as the first floor but this floor had appetizers around the room for people to sample different foods from pigs in a blanket, mini spinach quiches, bite size crescent dinner rolls, deviled eggs, and cheese and crackers to calamari. I had a bite of everything! Everything was delicious! Lexi and I agreed that this was the best midnight snack so far! We had fun eating, drinking, laughing, dancing, and just having a good time! I had two more shots and Lexi filled up on her drinks too. We stayed on the second floor for an hour before heading up to the third floor. I can see why this is the third floor. It topped the other two floors. This one had Greek pillars standing tall in each of the four corners of the room and a VIP section that was elevated on a stage with long red silk curtains around the entire stage. Two bouncers stood on each side of the stage blocking the area off. A bartender came and took our drink orders. I had a pina colada while Lexi had another tequila sunrise. We waved hi to Lexi's friend Shawna as she came over to greet us. We thanked her for the invite and went tto the dance floor to party the night away. 2 Chainz and Wiz Khalifa's "We Own It" was blaring through the speakers while we danced. We were dancing and bumping each other's hips when big hands grabbed my hips and I felt a hard warm body tower behind me as he moved his hips with mine like we were doing a sensual dance.His hands gripped my hips possessively as he brought his body impossibly closer to mine. I knew without a doubt who it was. There was only one person who was that possessive and whose cedar scent enveloped me so completely.

"You have no idea the things I want to do to that tight little body of yours." Jackson growls in my ear.

I spin quickly in his arms taking him by surprise and face him. "I'm going to have to take a rain check. I came here tonight with Lexi and we're having a girls night out. No boys allowed so our little session will have to take place next time." I say as I turn to find Lexi next to me only to discover an empty space next to me. I panic as I try to search for her. She was just here a minute ago. Damn Jackson for distracting me!

"Relax babe. Kaito's keeping Lexi company. They seem to be having a good time." he says as he inclines his head towards the wall to our right. I peer that way and can make out Lexi talking animatedly and dancing with a tall, Asian man. His handsome features come into view and I can make out high cheekbones, an angular jaw, short French cropped black hair and a lean, muscular torso. He's wearing a black muscle shirt that showcases his muscular arms paired with black skinny jeans with a wallet chain hanging on one side of his pants. His body is leaned in towards Lexi and she's grinding her body on him while they're dancing. It looks very intimate for someone she just met but I do have to admit that she does look genuinely happy and excited with Kaito.

"Who is Kaito and did you tell him to seduce Lexi?!" I ask Jackson directly.

"Kaito Shiro is a close friend. His parents are from Japan but he was born and raised here in the US. He just came back from studying abroad in London. He wanted to check out the hot new nightclub so I brought him here with me. I didn't expect to see you here or that Lexi would capture his attention so much." Jackson explains.

"What are you doing here? This is an invite only club." I ask Jackson.

"I'm here by invite same as you." he says.

"By who? Lexi and I were lucky her friend, Shawna is a bartender here and was able to get us in." I say.

"My buddy, Dex Lane, is the owner of Club Phoenix." Jackson says like that's common knowledge.

"Wait, you know Dex Lane?!" I ask him curiously because of course Jackson King is good friends with the owner of the hottest nightclub in town!

"Do you want an introduction, Chickadee?" he asks.

Chickadee. I hadn't heard that name from his lips in years.

BROOKLYN AGE 14:

It was summer break and my family had decided to go camping for the weekend. We had gotten to the Eastern Cascades in Washington State to set up our tents when Jackson and his family pulled up their car next to ours. I hadn't been expecting to see Jackson this weekend. I was actually hoping to have a Jackson free weekend. His parents greeted mine excitedly. Our parents went camping together sometimes in the past but this time we hadn't planned a joint trip, although I guess this was now one.

"Fancy meeting you here." Jackson says as he saunters up next to me.

"What are you doing here Jackson?" I ask him angrily. "I thought I heard you say you were going on some lavish trip to New Zealand."

"Well, my plans changed. I decided that camping here would be fun and now I get to spend all of that time hanging out with you!" he says excitedly.

"Yippee, I'm jumping for joy! Can you see how excited I am for you to be here?" I say sarcastically.

"Oh, you'll be jumping for joy by the time we reach the end of this trip." he promises.

Curious, I look at him intently to try and figure him out.

"Don't look at me like that. You won't get anything out of me. You will have to wait and see." he says.

Brushing those thoughts aside we finish setting up our tents and our camping area before deciding to go on a hike around the area. The area is a beautiful forest covered with mountains, rhodendrons, shrubs, and dense trees everywhere. I take in my breathtaking surroundings and breathe in the smell of nature.

Halfway through the 3 mile hike in the forest I stop to take a picture of a scenic view of the mountains. Not five minutes later I turn toward Jackson and say, "Let's keep going." to find him not there. Where did he go? I turn around in a panic and try to see if I can spot him nearby but it's just trees and forest everywhere. I run forward until I reach an open area and still don't see him.

"Jackson! Jackson!" I call out. "This isn't funny! Come out!" I yell to the forest. All I hear is the quiet forest and no Jackson. I try to relax myself and figure out where he might be and in what direction I should go to look for him. I pull out my cell and decide to call him to see if I can get an answer. His phone rings for a few times and goes directly to voicemail so I know his phone is on but not why he isn't picking up.

"Jackson Trent King, if you don't show yourself right now I will call your parents out here to look for you!" I yell into the big forest. I wait a few minutes and when I still get nothing I don't know what to do. Deciding I didn't want to alarm his parents or my parents just yet because Jackson had insisted we go hiking alone without our parents, I call his cell again. It rings a few times and goes to voicemail just like the first time. Feeling vulnerable and scared being in the forest by myself I dial his number a third time when I swear I can hear the faint sound of his phone's ringtone coming from somewhere distant but close enough to me. I head in that direction and after walking for about 5 minutes I see Jackson's phone laying on the forest ground next to a tree like it dropped out of his pocket somehow. Fearing something might have happened to him I decide to turn back the way I came and call for help when I hear water flowing nearby. I love waterfalls so I head that way but also because there is a feeling in me telling me to go towards it. Two minutes later I see a giant waterfall and hear the call of a wild bird on top of a tree on a low hanging branch. I walk

closer to the branch and find a wounded mountain chickadee calling for help. I can see one of its wings is injured and it's bleeding. I use a bird call to hopefully help calm it down and let it know that I'm there to help and slowly approach the bird. Once I reach the chickadee I inspect its injured wing closely and pull out gauze wrap from my backpack to wrap around the wing delicately and hopefully stop the bleeding. I then decide its probably wise to call a forest ranger to let them know about the bird. They appreciate the call and I wait the fifteen minutes for them to arrive and take the bird back to their center so that they can properly treat its injury. While I am waiting for them Jackson miraculously appears beside me. I yell in shock and punch him.

"What the hell Jackson?! Why did you do that?! I thought something bad had happened to you! You disappeared without a trace and left me out here all alone!" I continue as tears fall down my cheeks.

He quickly holds me in a fierce hug and rubs my back to try and calm me.

"Shhh...it's okay. You're okay, Chickadee! I'm right here. You survived. You didn't give up." he says.

"Yeah, no thanks to you, asshole!" I reply. "Chickadee?!"

"The name suits you Brooklyn. You're like a chickadee, resilient, strong, friendly. You're small but you pack a big punch." he says rubbing his sore arm.

PRESENT DAY:

I watch Jackson's eyes, full of tenderness after calling me Chickadee.

"You remember." I say to him.

"How can I not? That was a memorable day for me. The day I gave you your name." he says.

"So how bout it? Do you want to meet the big man himself?" Jackson asks again.

"Sure, why not?" I say.

"Then please follow me." he says excitedly leading me behind him like a gentleman, for the moment.

We reach the curtained VIP area and one of the bouncers gives a nod to Jackson as he pulls the curtain back revealing a dark but elegant area filled with plush red lounge couches lining the wall opposite four big circular lounge couches. One currently occupied by Dex Lane who is relaxed on it sipping his glass of champagne. We walk towards him and my heart is beating fast in my chest. I try to wrap my head around the fact that I'm about to meet someone who is the equivalent of a celebrity around here.

Jackson walks ahead. "Dex, there's someone I want you to meet." Jackson says. Jackson motions me over as a pair of deep blue eyes focus on me. I quickly make it the rest of the way over to them.

"And who is this beautiful creature?" he asks as his gaze sweeps up and down my body in a slow and appreciative perusal.

Jackson's jaw tics in anger as he moves closer to Dex. "Brother or not, I will hurt you if you continue to look at her like that! She's off-limits to you!" he growls.

"Really?!" Dex asks curiously. "And what is she to you? I've never seen you get so riled up brother." he says.

"She's MINE!" Jackson grits out.

"Uh, excuse me. I'm standing right here and I'm not his. We're just old friends. Jackson here just feels possessive of me like I'm an object which I am not." I explain.

I stick my hand out for him to shake it in greeting. "Hi, my name is Brooklyn. I am a huge fan of your club! I love how the place looks and sounds. I didn't know you and Jackson knew each other." I say.

"Oh...he didn't tell you how we know each other?" Dex asks excitedly.

"No, I didn't tell her about you!" Jackson shouts.

"I'm intrigued now. Do tell!" I say to Dex while Jackson shoots daggers my way.

I look away from Jackson and focus on Dex. "Well, Jackson here is dating my sister, Scarlet. Isn't that right, brother?" Dex says looking to Jackson.

"Wait...what?!" I say in shock. "Dex is Scarlet's brother?!" Scarlet and I were best friends growing up and I knew she had a sibling but I had never met him and she didn't talk about him much. Who knew he would be one of Jackson's closest friends?

"You're shocked. It's expected. Scarlet and I can't stand each other plus we're only step siblings. Step mommy dearest married my dad way back in the day." Dex explains to me. "Neither one of us agreed with it but we didn't have a say being kids and all."

"Well, as interesting as this story is Brooklyn and I are going to go. See you soon brother." Jackson says as he fist bumps Dex Lane.

"It was nice to meet you Dex." I say. Jackson and I head back out to the dance floor.

"Let's get you home Chickadee." Jackson says as he leads me towards the staircase.

"Wait...what about Lexi?!" I ask him.

"They're waiting for us out front." Jackson explains.

"They?" I ask.

"Kaito is waiting with Lexi." Jackson says smirking at me as we exit Club Phoenix.

"My name is Kaito Shiro. It is nice to formally meet you Brooklyn." Kaito says as he lifts my hand and give me a quick kiss on it. My heart nearly swoons at the gesture. Jackson growls from behind me.

"Stop growling like an animal Jackson. Kaito is being a gentleman." I say to Jackson.

"Chill bro, I know she's yours. I wouldn't even try to take her from you. I was being polite." Kaito says. "Besides, I got my own girl right here." he continues as he puts his arm around Lexi's shoulders and gives her a side hug.

I notice Lexi blush. I pull her back and let the boys get in the car first. "Hey girl what's going on with you and Kaito?" I ask expectantly.

"What? Oh that. Nothing's going on there. We're just getting to know each other at the moment." she says.

"Uh huh. I know what I saw. Don't try to deny it. You like him a lot Lexi and he likes you a lot too. It was like watching sparks explode." I say to her.

Lexi blushes even more and grows quiet.

"Lexi, love are you getting into the car?" Kaito says from his open window in the passenger seat.

"Uh...I'll be right there." she says while giving me a shocked look. I give her the same look in return. Jackson chuckles from the driver's seat. I stare at him in the rearview mirror as Lexi and I both slide into the backseat of Jackson's black Escalade.