We were both underage by a few months but Daniela got us fake IDs. “And here I thought you were reluctant about going. You look ready to break some hearts!”
I smoothed out the front of my blue dress, adjusting the fabric at my hips to ensure the bottom wasn’t riding high in a way that could be misinterpreted by my date. “Hey, if I’m going to go on a date, I’m going to do it right. Otherwise there’d be no point, right?”
“I like that attitude! We’re gonna have so much fun tonight!”
I still wasn’t sure about doing this whole date thing. I wasn’t really looking for any kind of romantic relationship at the moment given the craziness going on in my life but it was a step toward normal. Regular people dated. They went out to parties, laughed, got drunk, and took embarrassing pictures that they would post on Facebook the next day. They didn’t sit in their rooms on Friday nights sketching and moping.
Daniela hadn’t even given me many details about Justin, my date. She’d gone on about how mouth-wateringly scrumptious Cody was and how she would stare at his crotch all lecture long. “If he’s half as well-developed down there as the muscles in his arms, he’d be one serious catch,” she had said.
“So this Justin guy—” I said, making last-minute adjustments to my hair in the full-length mirror we had in the suite. “What’s he like?”
“Oh! He’s also a catch. Frankly, I would’ve been fine going out with either of them. I’ve heard other girls say that he has celebrity looks. Like a musician, you know?”
“What kind of musician? Like a rockstar?”
She tilted her head toward the ceiling and put her finger on her chin. “Don’t think so. Maybe more alternative? Not sure.”
Hmm . . . someone artsy. If he was down-to-earth and not an egotistical rockstar type, maybe we could hit it off. Who knows? I decided to be optimistic about Justin.
“Well as long as he doesn’t have high expectations, I could see us getting along. I’m not exactly the perky, blonde sorority-type, if that’s what he’s looking for. You did tell him a bit about me right?”
“Oh yeah. Of course. I said Lorrie Burnham is my best friend. She’s wonderful, has a wicked sense of humor, and is overall a great girl.”
I frowned. “So basically you told him as much about me as you’ve told me about him.”
The edges of her lips curved into a smile. “Sure, whatever. It’s more fun if it’s a surprise anyway right?”
“I guess.”
I knew where she was coming from. Daniela had good intentions. Except in my experience, surprises could be a bad thing. A very bad thing.
The plan was to meet Cody and Justin at the bar so we called for a cab to pick us up outside our dorm. The driver was a young guy with brown hair and lovely green eyes who turned out to be not much older than us. He explained that he was a senior English major and took a part-time job driving cabs on weekends to help pay for his tuition. He was friendly and I found myself thinking that if my date turned out to be half as pleasant as him, I would consider the night well-spent.
The cab slowed to a stop outside the front entrance to the bar. There was a large pink neon sign out front of a bearded cartoon squirrel that had a beer mug in hand. Toward the side was the parking lot which was mostly full with cars and trucks. A few vehicles even spilled out onto the open grass area nearby. This place was apparently very popular. I hadn’t been to many bars but from what I could tell by the number of people flooding inside and the cars parked all around, this one was unusually large. From the outside, the wooden square building didn’t seem that big, so it either extended further back than I could see from the front or it would be ridiculously packed when we got inside.
“Ladies, here you are,” the driver said. “I hope you have a wonderful night. Name’s Ryan by the way. Here’s my card. Call me if you need a ride back to campus.” He winked one green eye. “My shift goes until five AM.”
“Thank you so much!” Daniela said, handing him a twenty and taking his card. “We’ll definitely give you a call when we’re ready to head back.”
I offered my thanks and gave him a tip. After giving us a salute, he drove off.
Daniela turned to me. “Night’s off to a great start already huh? Aren’t you glad you came out?”
I had to admit it felt good to be out instead of being cooped up in my room like I usually was. “Ryan was actually kind of cute,” I found myself saying to her.
“If you thought he was cute, you’re gonna love Justin!”
I smiled. We followed a gaggle of girls up the wooden steps to the entrance to the bar. A big burly guy with a black skullcap and a scruffy beard with braids in it stood by the door with his arms crossed across his barrel chest. Uh oh. Security.
“Ladies, welcome.” His voice was low and gruff.
Daniela reached into her purse for her wallet and flashed her fake ID. Her hand was still and she beamed a confident smile, having practiced the routine more than a few times. I was about to do the same when the guy waved his hand dismissively. “No worries, you’re good. Just don’t get too rowdy or I’ll have to kick your asses out. Got it?”
We both gulped and nodded.
He smiled, uncrossed his arms, and gestured inside. “Enjoy your night.” He flashed us a pearly white grin that seemed too kind for someone that looked like he manhandled “rowdy” college kids on a nightly basis.
Once we got inside, I turned to Daniela. “Did that just happen? They don’t even check IDs here? Won’t they get shut down?”
Daniela shrugged. “Who cares, right? That’s not our problem. As long as we’re in, we’re good to go.”
We scanned the bar, craning our necks over the crowd of people to try to spot our dates. I didn’t know who I was looking for, but that didn’t stop me from looking. The bar was brimming with people but not wall-to-wall crowded as I imagined it would be. I didn’t recognize the loud rock music playing probably because I was more a Taylor Swift fan than a Nine Inch Nails one. It was probably a fifty-fifty mix between college students and recent grads but there was definitely nobody older than forty.
Daniela’s cell phone chimed and she checked the new text message she received. “They got a table near the back. It’s supposed to be next to a giant moose head mounted on the wall.”
We maneuvered our way through the crowd toward the back and spotted the moose head. It looked like an ordinary mounted moose head except it had black X’s over its eyes and it had a long tongue sticking out. The decoration fit the over-the-top grizzled animal theme they had going on.
“Cody!” Daniela shouted over the noise.
Two guys seated across from one another turned to us, smiled, and waved. The one named Cody had brown eyes with flecks of amber in his irises and donned a white baseball cap turned backward. He wore a pink polo with the collar popped and sleeves that showcased his muscular arms. There was only one label flashing to my mind: frat guy.
“Daniela!” Cody shouted. “You guys made it! Come sit with us.” He patted the seat beside him.
Daniela sat next to Cody and I took my seat next to Justin.
“Cody, Justin,” Daniela said gesturing to each person in turn, “this is my suitemate and best friend Lorrie. Lorrie, this is Cody and Justin.”
“It’s great to finally meet you,” Cody said, smiling.
“We’ve heard such good things about you from Daniela. You’re much hotter than I expected,” Justin said, as he put his arm around my shoulder and rubbed gently.
“Thanks . . .” I said, unsure how to react to his sudden contact. I’d barely gotten to know him and he was already acting like we were dating. It made me uncomfortable. “You look good yourself.”
Justin had mid-length, brown hair in a layered purposely messy look that was popular with teenagers these days. He had a boyish grin and large dark brown eyes that matched the polo he was wearing. The collar was also popped but his arms were scrawny unlike Cody’s. Daniela had said that he looked like a musician. Now I knew
what she had meant. Looking at Justin made one word come to mind: Bieber.
“Yeah, I remember seeing you on TV during that whole trial thing going on. Man, that’s crazy. I can’t imagine having my mom being killed by my stepdad. That must really suck.”
I looked at Daniela and she looked back at me with wide, concerned eyes. I coughed. “Um . . . yeah. It does suck,” I said, suddenly making a one-eighty on my decision that I was glad to come out on this double-date. I took his hand off my shoulder and set it in his lap.
“What’s the matter?” Justin asked.
“It’s a bit warm in here. Your hand is making my shoulder sweat,” I said sarcastically.
Justin grinned. He apparently didn’t take the cue. “There’s a lot of heat between us I know. But it’s only going to get hotter, I assure you.”
“Well.” Daniela clapped her hands together. “Let’s order some drinks shall we?
I was considering calling Ryan and having him take me back to the dorms, but I didn’t want to leave after just arriving. I hoped to god that Justin only made bad first impressions and that the rest of the night would be better.
We ordered drinks. Daniela got a margarita, Cody got a mug of Miller Lite, Justin got a Coors Light, and I had a mojito.
“This is a cool place,” Cody said taking a sip of amber liquid from his mug. “I’ve been here once before but it was never this packed. I think they opened like a year or so ago.”
“Yeah,” Daniela said. “I heard this place is pretty hype. A lot more exciting than the bars around campus.”
“No doubt. This place is ill,” said Justin. “Check out this moose head.” He pointed to the large pink tongue hanging out. “Doesn’t he look like he’s thirsty?” Justin poured a little bit of his beer on the tongue and it sat there while he and Cody laughed. Daniela and I laughed as well but we weren’t laughing with them. We were laughing at them.
“So are you guys seniors?” I asked, hoping to divert their attention so that they wouldn’t get our asses kicked out of the bar for messing up the decor. I’m all for having fun, but Cody and Justin were just being dumb.
“I’m a senior econ major,” Cody said. “Justin’s a junior. Anthropology major.” He snickered at Justin.
Justin snickered back and brushed his bangs away from his eyes before turning toward me. “I study people. That makes me specially attuned to people’s needs and desires. You might say I’m a sensitive guy.” He grinned mischievously. “You want to hear my insights on you?”
I really didn’t want to hear anything more from Justin’s mouth after what he’d already said about me but decided against being rude. It would make things more awkward than they already were and it would ruin Daniela’s date with Cody as well. Considering Daniela invited me out, it would be a pretty bitchy move for me to do that to her. “Uh . . . okay,” I said then took a big gulp of my drink to prepare myself for his response.
“You’re a smart girl, but lack direction in life.” He took my hand in his. “You’re kind of down a lot, especially after what you’ve been through. You need a strong man to care for you, to take care of you.” He wiggled his brows then pointed his thumb to his chest.
Wow, just when I thought he couldn’t get any worse. This guy was a real catch all right . . . a real catch right out of Lake Peepee. I wasn’t sure if that was the most insulted I ever felt in my life, but it was definitely up there. I clutched my drink in my hand and lifted it off the table. A vision of throwing the contents into Justin’s grinning face flashed through my mind. Just as I was about to make that vision a reality, someone nearby slapped a nearby lounge seat in exclamation.
I turned to see a group of guys and girls standing near us talking excitedly.
“No way. It’s starting? Now?” one guy said.
“Yeah, let’s go. I don’t want to miss it. I don’t want to miss seeing him,” a girl replied.
They filed out the back door. Soon, another group hurried after them, followed by another group. People were streaming out the back door like squirrels rushing after a pile of acorns. Some stayed, but nearly half the bar cleared out.
“What do you think they’re all excited about?” Cody asked.
Sensing this was the perfect getaway excuse, I said, “I’m going to go check it out. I’ll join back up with you guys in a bit.”
I glanced at Daniela and she flashed me an apologetic expression for Justin’s behavior. “Okay, I’ll keep these guys entertained while we finish our drinks,” Daniela said. “Let us know what you see.”
I snatched up my jacket then grabbed my clutch that had been strategically placed between Justin and me to act as a barrier. I stood and hurried out the back door, eager to escape from my “date”.
I didn’t know what I expected to see, but this certainly wasn’t it. There was a large tent set up outside that looked like it came straight from a carnival. People were huddled around an elevated octagon stage surrounded by metal fencing. The whole area was lit by bright spotlights. What was all of this?
Attracted by curiosity as well as the energy of the crowd, I found myself wiggling through a sea of bodies to get a closer look at the stage. Inside the octagon was a mat that had a large logo of a squirrel wearing fighter gloves that said “The Bearded Brawl”. After noticing faint blood stains on the mat, it became clear to me that this was some kind of fighting arena.
A suave man in a white suit entered the cage with a microphone. “Ladies and gentleman,” he announced with dramatic flare. “We just had an exciting opening match but we’ve got something even more exciting in store for you. The match you’ve all been waiting for. Our main event.”
The crowd cheered and whistled. Some rattled their beer mugs against the fence.
Two men stepped up onto the stage and entered the cage. One was wearing a red hoodie with matching trunks and the other was wearing a dark blue version of the same outfit. They both had their hoods over their heads so I couldn’t see their faces, but their sweaters were partially open and I could snag a peek at their torsos. And what a peek it was. From the teasingly little I could see, it was clear each had ripped abs and sculpted pecs like they were carved by a sculptor. The one in blue particularly caught my attention. He was bouncing on his toes and shaking his arms to stay loose and to keep himself warmed up for the fight. Each bounce sent ripples through his hard muscles, which in turn made my own heart bounce. A surge of desire through my body made me realize how affected I was just by the sight of him. I was unwittingly reminded of Tattoos and Muscles, except I couldn’t tell if this guy had any tattoos underneath his hoodie. Tim had a gorgeous bod but I don’t think he could compete with blue trunks.
“On my left, standing at six feet, two inches and weighing in at two hundred pounds of pure, raw muscle. Don’t let his friendly face fool you, he’ll squeeze the life out of you if he gets you in his hold. We’ve got Abram ‘Mr. Hyde’ Wallace!”
The crowd cheered for the man in red trunks. Abram hopped around, shadow-boxing the air, displaying his quick fists and dexterous footwork. I squinted, trying to get a view of his face but I couldn’t see much beneath the hood. I could see his smile though; it was wide and showcased neat rows of white teeth, which made it seem like he was just happy to be here.
“And on my right, standing also at a height of six feet, two inches and weighing two hundred and five pounds with fists of steel, it’s your defending champion, Hunter ‘The Hammer’ Jensen!”
The crowd erupted once again but louder than they did for Abram. I heard a girl cry out, “I love you Hunter!”
Hunter didn’t make as much of a show as Abram. He simply continued shaking out his limbs and bouncing on his toes. Although his head was down seemingly in deep focus, he seemed to be soaking in the cheers, absorbing the crowd’s energy to channel later in the fight.
“It’s exciting isn’t it?” a male voice said next to me.
I turned to see a tall guy around my age with a smooth head standing beside me. He had hard, chisel
ed features that complemented the defined muscles stretching against his t-shirt and jeans. I wasn’t really a fan of bald guys, but this dude was quite attractive. A quick scan of his build and I wondered why he wasn’t in the cage himself. He had a smile on his face that looked friendly.
“Yeah, I’ve never seen this before,” I responded. “What kind of fighting is this?”
He chuckled. “So you’re not a devoted fan of Hunter, apparently. It’s mixed martial arts. Punching, kicking, wrestling—pretty much anything goes except for biting, crotch shots, and eye gouging.”
I narrowed my eyes. “That sounds brutal.”
“It’s exciting to watch for sure. And it’s not too bad for the fighters when it comes to safety. Probably no more dangerous than playing professional football or doing boxing. I’d even say it’s safer than boxing.”
Curious, I asked, “How can it be safer when you can do much more than punching?”
He shrugged. “Some fighters win through holds and submissions. Usually the guy in the submission just taps out before he gets really hurt.” He pointed to red trunks. “Abram’s strength is in his submissions; he has a wrestling background. As for striking—” He pointed to blue trunks. “Hunter’s strength is his stand-up game. He throws a mean punch, which is why he earned the name ‘The Hammer’. But the refs tend to stop matches before fighters get seriously hurt. There’s no ten count that allows a fighter to get back up and continue fighting again after a mild concussion. Once someone goes down after a good punch, the ref pretty much always ends the fight.”
“Wow, you know a lot about this.”
He grinned. “Name’s Gary.” He extended his large hand.
I took it and he shook firmly. “Lorrie.”
His grin widened. “Well Lorrie, all I got to say is you’re in for a treat if this is your first time watching this.”
“Is this like a sanctioned event or something? Why are they having a mixed martial arts fight at this bar?”