This Is Where I Want To Be

13. Stupid Drunk Girls

Juliet

Friday came. It wasn’t a surprise halfway through the evening when Jerry pitched in the club. He stumbled about the place, messing his drink on people. His glossy eyes and slurring made me want to punch him. It would have been better if he was a mean drunk or flirty. I could’ve hated him more, but he was neither. Jerry turned completely stupid when he was wasted, and I don’t know why, but it made me more patient with him. And for the sake of peace, his behavior worked in our favor.

Lincoln and Charlene were dancing next to me and kept a close eye on us. Jerry was trying everything he could to get me to kiss him, take him back. I was getting irritated, and Carl had left me for only a second. Lincoln saw my distress. He and his friends took Jerry out of the club and drove him home. Mandy had enough of Jerry. She felt he always wanted to steal any time she had with her boyfriend, and a fight ensued between the two. Jerry was causing more problems than what was good for him. If he carried on like that, he would be pushed out everywhere.

Our ride was Mandy’s boyfriend, and when he ditched his girlfriend for his best friend… It left us stranded in the middle of the dance floor with no way back to our neighborhood. The four of us looked at each other and laughed. We bought more drinks and enjoyed ourselves, hoping Lincoln would return for Charlene.

Twelve o’clock came around, and the dancefloor was getting so crowded with drunk old guys that I couldn’t handle it anymore. Some mean and some touchy. It made my skin boil. Rather than attacking someone, I left the club to go stand outside.

My possie soon followed to discuss how we would get home. I had Louis in the back of my mind… because who else? But that meant I would have to humble myself. It would raise so many questions with my friends. I could hear Carl complain, “Another teacher… Seriously, Juliet.” And that one was ready to jump me. I chuckled. It would be a disaster.

Mandy had phoned Owen a few times, but it went straight to voicemail, “I swear… I’m dumping this guy tomorrow!”

“It’s about time! He’s the worst. How could he leave you here?” Charlene complained.

Mandy was livid and couldn’t think straight. We couldn’t drive yet. You only got your license when you were eighteen, so none of us had cars or any means of transport. Maybe one of the reasons we surrounded ourselves with older guys. Charlene took her phone out to call Lincoln, “Hi, Lincoln,” she said, slurring her words, “Can you come to pick us up at the club?” She had him on speaker; there was talking, yelling, and loud music on the other side.

“They went to another party?” I asked, dumbfounded.

“Sorry, I can’t drive. Too drunk,” Lincoln eventually answered. They weren’t coming back for us. Charlene hung up the phone, “Douche… There goes that relationship. They probably took Jerry back to wherever he was before the club.”

I hugged her from behind, “He’s not that handsome anyway.”

Charlene snorted, “Why is that all you care about?”

“It’s not,” I giggled behind a hand.

She hit me on my shoulder, “Come on, Juliet! Who can you call?”

I pouted and shook my head, “I don’t have anyone,” I sulked.

“Your parents are cool… Won’t they come to get us?” Mandy asked.

I opened my eyes big and shook my head, “No! After the accident… I can barely go outside. They would ground me for life. They would find out I’ve been lying to them.”

Carl was next, “Don’t look at me. My dad would beat the living crap out of me. I want to avoid walking around with lashes on my ass.”

We all pouted for his sake—his story was the most pitiful. Drunk as Charlene and I were, we hugged him, stumbling, trying to rub his butt. He didn’t like it, and we ended up chasing him around. Mandy shook her head at us. She and Carl were reasonably sober, “We can always ask someone in the club who seems respectable. Maybe there will be a good Samaritan.”

We stopped chasing Carl and agreed. Going back to the club was a mistake because everyone was drunker than before, “Is this what our future holds in a few years. Thirty-year-old husbands that flirt with high schoolers,” Mandy asked.

“Gross,” Carl said.

I laughed at the absurdity of the statement. Did my friends forget… I was in love with my teacher? I was really drunk. Carl tapped our shoulders and grouped us up, pointing at the bar, “Isn’t that the new French teacher?” My head snapped around, suddenly wide awake. I saw Louis sitting at the bar, talking to a woman behind the counter. She was the total opposite of me and flirting shamelessly. Much older. Strawberry blond hair. Straightened and every strand in place. A flashy, low-cut top, revealing heavy cleavage that I would never have. What was he doing there? I could feel my insides boiling. Jealousy that I didn’t know I had made my venom overflow. I had to turn quickly and push past my friends, running before I manifested. When it happened with Chris… It was because I was overwhelmed with the situation. I tried to get myself under control. Carl by my side, “Are you okay? Do you need to go to the bathroom?”

I shook my head, “No, I’m fine. I didn’t want him to see us… A teacher… We would be in so much trouble Monday.”

“Yeah! You’re right,” Mandy said, “But what other option do we have?”

“Look! Following the highway back, we can walk… It won’t be that bad. Maybe a few hours or even less if we can get a proper lift?” Carl said.

“That’s dangerous,” Mandy retorted.

“Not more than asking one of the drunk guys in the club,” Carl bit back.

Charlene and I were sitting on the curb, busy taking off our very high heels. Barefoot was better than tripping and falling the whole way home. There were no buses and no other way, so we reluctantly took to the road, “I’m regretting my short skirt and this crop top.”

Charlene was peering down at her very short blue sequence dress. It was a one-shoulder, and her hair was hanging loose for a change, “Maybe we should start wearing jeans….” We both burst out laughing. There was no way we would ever go clubbing in pants.

Like any high school student, the road back soon became fun. We shared stories and laughed. Stressing every time Carl put his hand out, hitch-hiking for a ride. In the beginning, no one stopped. The three girls teased him endlessly about how he wasn’t sexy enough. Still, about twenty minutes in, our feet ached, we were sobering up and complaining about ever considering walking. It was pitch black next to the road. No street lights, only the moon when there were no trees, and the cars would shed some as they passed. Heels in hand, I knew I would have to try my luck. With my short skirt, someone was bound to feel sorry for us. I walked over to the road when I heard the next car approaching—thumb in the air. Sure enough, the vehicle slowed down. The headlights blinded us for a moment. We couldn’t see anything until it pulled up beside us. It was a small old yellow pickup with a white cab on. The driver wound down the window, and Carl went over to speak to the man.

Just before the car stopped, we cautioned Carl heavily to let it pass if it wasn’t deemed kosher. There wasn’t enough space for all of us in the front of the single cab. We would’ve had to sit in the back, which was full of stuff, junk, and pipes sticking out of windows. The exhaust was smoking. We shook our heads when he peeked back at us. As kindly as possible, Carl declined the man’s offer. He was ticked off, “You guys blew a really good chance. We won’t get another like that this time of night. What was wrong with that ride?”

The girls pouted. We had made ourselves scared with horror stories; hitchhiking and killers seemed to go together. I didn’t want to put my thumb out again, too conscious of my short skirt and the psychos in the world. I didn’t know if I could handle another drama.

A few minutes later, another car got our attention. Carl walked to the edge of the road and put out his thumb. It actually stopped. The passenger window wound down. Carl did the inspection again before we would go anywhere near the car. He leaned down and put his arm on the windowsill. His head dipped, and he wasn’t happy. Carl also didn’t look back at us and opened the door and got in anyway.

“Guess he’s not asking again. Hope it’s not his dad,” Charlene whispered.

We did a group glance. Mandy shrugged and got in the back seat, scooting over to the other side. I got in after her, sitting in the middle, and then Charlene beside me. She closed the door, and the driver put his blinker on and got into the first lane to pick up speed.

I put my arm through Charlene’s and hugged her shoulder. We were both glad that we were safe. We took out our phones to talk to each other in a group we created. Carl wasn’t coming online.

Me { It must be someone he knows. Charlene, you can see from where you sit. Who is it }

She peeked, having a direct view from the side. I didn’t want to, knowing that the rearview mirror would probably be directed at my seat. Charlene pumped my side with her elbow. I glanced up to see why she was going on like that. It was Chris. Of course, it was Chris. Of all the possibilities, from Louis to Jerry and some psycho… It had to be Chris. I was so relieved to get into a car safe. Seeing him so suddenly put me on edge. I was humiliating myself again. All he would think about was a teenage girl with a crush on her teacher. A stupid young schoolgirl drinking and making irresponsible decisions. I stared at the mirror, giving me a clear view of his expressions and that full head of hair. He was focused on the road. My thoughts were all over the place, from raking my fingers through his hair to jumping out of the car.

***

Chris

I was driving back late at night after doing Sita’s grandfather a favor. The last thing I was expecting was to see some teenagers hitchhiking. Being a teacher and having been that young once—I decided to stop trying to be the cool teacher. The chances of them being from a neighboring school were also good. Maybe I didn’t even know them.

I was furious when Carl put his head down next to the window. I made him get into the car. It didn’t dawn on me that one of the girls was probably Juliet. We hadn’t seen each other since the principal’s office, and I was trying not to think about her.

Putting the car in drive and getting into the lane, I took a minute to compose myself. Upset with Carl for bringing out girls and then not having a way to get back home. The last thing I wanted to do was be that teacher. I heard a voice that thanked me for picking them up. It sounded like Charlene, but to make sure, I looked back over my shoulder, and sure enough, it was her. Carl was in the car. Charlene was in the car. That meant Juliet was in the back seat of the car—probably next to Charlene. I turned my head a little more to see. Juliet wasn’t an arm’s length away from me. Startled, I yanked on the steering wheel when I turned back in my seat, making the car swerve. It was jerky. The motion made Juliet grip the seat in front of her, touching my shoulder.

Carl made a short snorting sound, making me cringe, and Juliet pulled her arm away. I frowned at Carl and flinched at him. He covered his mouth with his hand and stared out the window, still laughing. When I quickly glanced in the rearview mirror, Juliet avoided my eye. I sighed, wanting to shake her. We rarely saw each other at all. Then, in two weeks, we were thrown together at every turn. Was fate playing a very cruel game on us?

“Sorry! There was something in the road,” I lied. That made the girls giggle, except for Juliet, whose cheeks were crimson. I was inwardly relieved, though… I wasn’t the only one feeling stupid.

“Thanks for the lift,” Mandy said. “You saved our lives, Mr. Rheed.”

“Sure… What are you guys doing out so late? Out here, in the middle of nowhere.”

“That would be my fault. My stupid boyfriend ditched me for his friend and left us stranded.”

“It wasn’t. It’s my fault. If it wasn’t for Jerry….” Juliet spoke in a somewhat slurred manner. Regarding her in the mirror, I wanted to see if she was drunk. It sounded like she was. My interest was also piqued by this Jerry. I knew a kid in the school called Jerry, but he was bad news. It wouldn't sit right with me if Juliet had anything to do with him.

Carl spoke up for everyone, “It’s no one’s fault. Our school is full of really scummy guys.” All the girls agreed and said that Carl was the only decent one.

“I’m glad we waited… the previous car that wanted to pick us up was a dodgy-looking old guy, in a clapped-out yellow pickup,” Mandy kept rambling. “At first, we wanted to ask someone in the club, but everyone there was really drunk.” Her last sentence made me frown, knowing Juliet was in an actual club. I wanted to see her facial expressions. She was still avoiding me, and all I could do was sigh. “We decided to start walking as the only other option was the new French teacher. Mr. Du Pont, but for some or other reason, Juliet didn’t want to ask him for help.”

Wasn’t he a family friend? Did she not trust the guy? Why didn’t she ask him for help? Juliet was still staring out the window. Her neck would be sore tomorrow if she avoided me for the next half hour. Mandy’s ramblings didn’t help my temper. I only got madder with every scenario she put out there. What if something had happened to Juliet? What if she and the French guy did spend more time together. She went on, telling me of all the drunk guys in the club groping at them, and that led to them talking about men grabbing a woman’s ass and why that was their default behavior? I was fuming when I burst out, “I don’t know what came over you lot? How could you be so irresponsible? Don’t you know how dangerous it is out there!?” I was ranting, “Couldn’t you call somebody… Your parents! Rather get into trouble than putting yourselves in danger.” I gripped the steering wheel, not wanting to lose it completely, “You should have known better, Carl, than putting the girls through that.” I glared at him for a moment. He hardened his features, and his jaw flexed, challenging me to do better.

I wasn’t even a part of their lives. How could I give any kind of opinion? Realizing that I must have sounded like a belligerent fool of a teacher scolding his class. I glanced up again, and Juliet was now staring at me wide-eyed. She had never looked at me like that. I noticed everyone was staring at me. I felt fifty instead of thirty. Just because I was unhappily married and never did anything on a Friday night, like something others would consider stupid, didn’t mean that the club wasn’t full of thirty-year-old men still enjoying life. At least we were back on the right track. For the first time in weeks, we were making eye contact. It at least meant something. My emotions kept changing about her. She made me crazy.

The last thing I wanted was for her to have the wrong idea of me. They had it all wrong. It was my feelings for her that made me act so stupid. I didn’t want to sound like their parents, but who was I kidding? I had no idea what she must be thinking? She seemed more surprised than mad. I wished I could talk to her alone… somewhere on a remote island where it was only the two of us. I tried to remind myself that I wouldn’t cross the line. Nothing could happen between us, and I could never be with her. Everyone was quiet the rest of the way until we took the off-ramp to our neighborhood, “Where can I drop you guys?”

To my surprise, that question took all the attention away from me, and they immediately talked about what would happen. I had a hard time keeping track.

***

Charlene

It was the perfect opportunity to throw Juliet and Chris together. I quickly texted Carl and Mandy to make it happen, saying that he must go drop off Juliet at home. They all gave a thumbs-up emoji, and I set things in motion.

“Look. I’m going home. After tonight, I just want to go to sleep,” I got the ball rolling.

“I’ll sleep at your house, Charlene, if that’s okay,” Carl said.

“And me, I can’t go home now. I was supposed to sleep at one of your houses tonight. Although all of us were supposed to sleep at my stupid boyfriend’s house,” Was Mandy’s reply.

“Juliet, you can’t come to my house. Your parents must probably still be there.” Stunned, she stared at me. She didn’t know what to say, quickly figuring out what we were doing, seeing the smiles and giggles between us. She stabbed me in the ribs, “Didn’t you say your parents would ground you if you did something stupid tonight? If you go home now, you can make up some story, and we can say we got bored and caught a lift home… My parents are way more relaxed than yours.” Juliet bit her lip out of frustration and glared at me. I could have sworn there was a threat in there somewhere. She sat back, frowning or fuming, “Mr. Rheed, you can take a left when we get off here and then left again at the traffic light. The first street right goes over the mountain towards the school. My house is on the uphill on the left.”

“Okay, I know where that is.”

“Mr. Rheed, you can drop all of us at Charlene’s house. You’ve done us such a big favor anyway that we don’t want to cause you more trouble,” Juliet said, trying to save her own skin.

It must have been fate because we took the right turn up the hill, and two cop cars were standing on the lawn in front of my house, together with an ambulance with people drumming all about it. “Juliet. Your parents’ car is still here.”

“Yes, I can see that,” she glared at me—again, “Mr. Rheed, could you please drive past and not stop in front of the house.”

I felt sorry for her. That must have cost her asking him for help. She wasn’t going to talk to us for days. Carl got out of the car and opened the door for me. Mandy opened hers, and we left quickly so that only the two of them were left in the car. We laughed so hard and ran down the hill. Almost everyone knew that Juliet had a crush on Mr. Rheed. It wasn’t like we were revealing a secret. Mandy just thought that we were trolling her. Carl and I didn’t say anything else for the rest of the night. Mandy had a big mouth. She needed not to suspect anything more than a crush from Juliet’s side.