Bet Me (Finding My Way) (8 page)

“Wait you mean that was just ...” Matt asks.

“Yeap that was my step dad” I finish for him.

“Which means you’re …” Tucker says staring at Phin. Then I remember our argument before I left was over him.

“This is Phin, my
brother
from another daddy” I emphasize the word brother and he visibly cringes shooting me an apologetic look.

“Come on, we better get back out there,” I say to Matt and Tucker as I start making my way to the door “Il send in a drink for you Phin, stay put. No trying to escape. Don’t make me chase you around please.” I call over my shoulder.

Lucy and Sophie watch us as we return to the bar and they also do a double take when they notice Tucker with us. Honestly how did no one see him go in when he needs to go behind the bar to get there?

“Umm, everything okay?” Sophie asks having seen Matt bring in Phin.

“Weirdest night ever” I shake my head at them and climb onto the bar, noticing me the DJ shuts the music off and everyone turns to me.

“Hey guys, having a good night?” I call out to everyone and listen to their cheers and shouts “Because you are all so amazing at putting up with me we will be staying open an extra two hours tonight” I announce making them go wild. “I have to pop out for half hour in a minute but when I get back I will give you all a round on the house, just because I’m that nice” I announce and get another cheer. I turn to see Lucy and Sophie deep in discussion below me. “While I’m out Lucy will be in charge so be nice to her guys, get up here and say hello Luce” I gesture for her to join and she does eagerly sharing a smile with Sophie and grabs a mic.

“Hey guys” she waves to them all. “Since I’m in charge, I say Brooke does one of her weekly bar dances before she goes, what do you think?” she asks but her eyes are focused on someone in the crowd and I follow her gaze to the man with the lip ring.

“Oh no, not tonight” I say in the mic playing it off but I’m actually serious.

“What’s the matter? Haven’t got the energy?” she asks smiling at me knowingly. I look beyond her and glare at Matt for having a big mouth and stomp over to Lucy.

“That’s not the reason” I protest.

“Then what other reason is there?” she asks smiling sweetly.

I lower my mic and lean into her ear “I have no underwear on, if I bend over or lower by self, like I normally do spreading my knee’s I’m going to be showing a lot of people something I don’t want them to see” I remind her making her bend over laughing, laughing so hard she has tears running down her face. Of course I blush.

“Come on Brooke, don’t be a spoil sport” Andrew calls from behind me teasingly. I shake my head at him adamantly while Lucy tries to control her laughing.

“I’m sorry Brooke, but you do put yourself in these situations” she points out still laughing.

I just huff and fold my arms across my stomach.

“Why won’t she do it?” Sophie asks Lucy curiously. Lucy bends down and explains to her only loud enough for her to hear. I watch as Sophie’s eyes widen she snorts and slaps her hand to her mouth trying to hold in her laugh. She then explains to Matt who grins at me and shakes his head.

“While you lot discuss that, and take a great deal of time taking advantage of all the jokes you can make about this. Which you will no doubt will. I really do have to go and when I come back, I’ll do the bar dance” Once I have finished my announcement I jump down from the bar and head home.

I go in the back entrance to the
club and store my clothes in the staff toilets. I check my outfit over in the mirror and smile at my dress, it has a turtle neck (to cover the mark Tucker left) it has no sleeves so the top is styled like a man’s tank top, but skin tight and flows down into a skater style skirt. It is white with dramatic black flowers strategically placed in various places. I have black ankle boots on with a six inch heel and my hair is in two ponytails just below my ears. On my head rests a black cowboy hat. When I enter the bar no one notices me, my group of friends are all facing away from the bar, waiting for me to return that way so I climb on the bar and press my finger to my lips to the people who have noticed me for them to remain silent and I grab a mic and gesture for the DJ. Since the first night I did the bar dance ‘bad girlfriend’ has become my theme song for this so as the first few beats come through I lift my mic up and scream “oooowww” into it and then start dancing. I watch as my friends all turn at one and stare up at me. I throw them a wink and they all stare at me dumbfounded.

I play it up and wink at a few of the men watching me and blow a kiss to the man with the lip ring.  I dance down to the end of the bar where the gang are all watching me and dip myself low so I’m eye level with them all and put my hat on Sophie’s head before bring myself back up slowly and laugh down at Derek and Cam as they try to close their mouth but fail when they keep dropping back open. Shaking my head I do a last twirl as the song comes to an end. I’m greeted with claps, shouts of ‘encore’ and cheers.

“Was it worth the wait?” I ask the crowd laughing “Free round time!” I announce before get back down off the bar with Lucy’s help.

“Men are so easy to entertain” I sigh amazed as I watch the crowd move in closer to the bar.

“Helps when you put on a show like that” Jamie notes.

“I’m just messing about” I shrug used to the reaction of men by now.

“Which is one of the reasons I love you” Sophie grins putting the hat back on my head.

“Won’t be long” I call over my shoulder and head out to check on Phin. He’s sleeping on the chair in the office. I walk closer to him as quietly as I can trying not to disturb him and inspect him with my eyes. He seems to have no other marks on him apart from the one above his eye. I shake my head and leave the office not letting myself think too much about it.

“Nice dress” Lip ring man smiles at me over the shoulder of the girl I’m serving.

“Thanks” I smile back and hand him a bottle of the beer he had earlier.

“You do that often?” he says gesturing the bar.

“I have to do it twice a week for a month,” I wince “Lost a bet” I screech the last part and jump back glaring at Lucy who just pinched my backside as she walked past. She just winks at me.

“What else have you got to do as a result of lost bets then?” lip ring man asks curiously.

“Oh, the stories I could tell you” Andrew says to him clapping him on the shoulder.

I roll my eyes at him. “Please don’t listen to anything this man tells you”

“I’m the best one to talk to, I’m the one that places the bets with her” he smirks at me “You should have been here the other night, not only did she have to do the bar dance but she also had to work the whole night wearing just a b…”He starts but I cut him off.

“That’s enough story time for one night I think” glaring at him I search for a friendly face, I catch Sophie’s eye and plead for her to come over silently.

“Could I have your phone a second please?” Lip ring man asks me.

I glance at him and pass him my phone. A few seconds later he returns it to me and walks away. I follow him with my eyes as he leaves the bar. A second later my phone beeps.

Unknown: I’m Jason by the way; my number is attached to this message.  Coffee, tomorrow?

“What was that about?” Andrew asks still looking at the door “I didn’t scare him away did I?”

Sophie grabs the phone out of my hand and reads the text. “No you definitely did not scare him away” she laughs and hands my phone back.

“What’s going on?” Lucy asks joining us.

“Lip ring guy just asked me out” I say still staring at the door but now I’m frowning. He just walked out, didn’t say a word to me before he left. Not even a smile. “Not much of a talker”.

“I don’t think talking is what he has in mind for you Brooke” Matt supplies.

“Why? I have barely spoken to the man, he knows nothing about me, and I could be a complete psycho for all he knows”

They all stare at me. “What?”

“Oh god, you’re serious?” Derek asks looking at everyone for confirmation.

“When a man meets a woman like you, the risk of you being a psycho is well worth it. Trust me” Cam fills in.

“You’re all crazy” I protest.

My phone rings so I answer it turning my back on them.

“Hello?” I ask as Lucy and Sophie make kissing noises behind me.

“Have you calmed down yet?” Will asks

“What would you say if I said no?” I ask and they girls start making ‘Oooh’ sounds into my other ear.

“I would say you’re lying because it sounds like you’re having a good time” he replies good naturedly.

“Are you coming back?”

“Not tonight, I didn’t think you would want to see me”

“You’d be right” I admit “I’m sure I’ll have some questions for you. Don’t know when I’ll be ready to see you again though”

“I would be surprised if you didn’t”

“Guess I’ll see you then” I hang up and shush the girls.

“Was that lover boy?” Andrew teases.

“Can you not call him that? I’m not going to have sex with him”

“Why the hell not” Lucy asks completely offended.

“How long have you known me?” I ask her seriously.

“About eighteen months” she answers.

“Then you shouldn’t even have to ask why not” I state simply.

“What’s happening with Phin?” Sophie asks changing the subject.

“He’s sleeping in the office at the moment but his parents are coming to get him” I refuse to claim any relation to them.

“They are coming here?” she asks surprised.

“Do they know where you live?” Matt asks

“Nope”

“Will they follow you home tonight?” He asks concern covering his face.

I shrug “I’m not going back to the house tonight; you’ll have the place to yourselves”

“Where are you staying?” Sophie asks shocked that I would sleep anywhere but my own house.

“Don’t worry about me I’ll be safe and happy” I nod at the door when Sam and Julie walk in “I won’t be long with this lot, make sure no one comes in the office OKAY”

“Brooke, you’re not going in there alone” Sophie insists.

“I’ll be fine I promise” I swear. They spot me and head towards the bar, I lift up the hatch for them and lead them to the office.

“Funny how you haven’t changed a bit over the years” Sam says sweeping his eyes over me.

“Funny how you can’t keep an eye on your children and they skip towns without you knowing” I counter 

“You have an answer for everything now?”

“I just don’t bother to answer the inane questions”

“Still a whore I see” he says taking in my outfit again slowly this time. I shrug my shoulders at him and turn to my mother.

“I can’t even say your father would be ashamed of you, you’re just like him” she sneers.

“So I heard, is it true?”

“Is what true?”

“That he was leaving you, us”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about” she says avoiding my eyes.

“You knew and you never thought to tell me?” I ask incredulous.

“What difference would it have made?” she counters.

“A hell of a lot”

“He was leaving to go live with his whore, I’m not surprised you live here, it’s where her and her bastard son lives after all”

“So you did know” I say slowly.

“Of course I knew” she spits

“Would have been nice to know I have a half brother” I struggle not to show any emotion, but it’s getting unbearable.

“It was your fault he left anyway. He didn’t want you. He wanted a boy not a whore like you. He didn’t love you, he didn’t even
like
you”

“Is that what you tell yourself really? Don’t you think I noticed how Phin was born six months after my dad died?”

“That was different”

“Different how?” I shout “You were both as bad as each other! You were both having an affair; you both had another child on the way by someone else! It’s no wonder he had an affair though, you are malicious, bland, self-centered, repulsive and agonizing to be around”

“Don’t speak to your mother like that” Sam threatens taking a step towards me.

“Or what? You’ll hit me?” I taunt “Go for it, take your best shot because you’ll only get one” I warn.

“I should have killed you when I had the chance”

“Yeah, maybe you should have, but you didn’t so get over it” I snap at him losing my patience.

“I was put through hell because of you two, but don’t think for one second that I’ll let you do that to him” I shout pointing at Phin “Because that boy turned up here wanting to live with me. He doesn’t want to be with you anymore. Your own child can’t even stand to be with you” I turn to my mom.

“And as for you, you better have another one because so far two out of two hate you, maybe third time’s the charm. Will you stick with Sam or find someone else to knock you up. Maybe that’s why I am like I am … Mother like daughter and all that”

My head snaps back with the slap but I don’t move I stay where I am.

“Then again don’t have another one. You being alive is bad enough without you spreading yourself around anymore”

This time she punches me, but I still don’t move unable to stop my verbal assault on this woman who has caused me pain for half my life.

“You think that hitting me will change anything? Do you think that you can get rid of your pain by inflicting some on me? Is it working? Or it is making you even angrier?” My questions are met with silence. “That’s what I thought. Well either that, or you are just  not intelligent enough to verbalise your feeings.” I sigh and shake my head at her “It must be hard not having anything to say but having all these feeling boiling up inside you, it’s bad for you, you know, one day you are just going to explode and probably end up killing someone or yourself. Is it just me that sets it off or do other people do it too?” I take my time looking at her from head to toe “No, I don’t think it’s just me, I think it’s anytime you see happiness, I just remind you of something you failed at. That’s what this is all about. The hate isn’t for me, it’s for yourself, you failed at your marriage, you couldn’t even get your husband to love you. Your first child can’t stand you. I know your parents can’t stand you either” her eyes flash at the mention of her parents. I smile as I hit the nerve.

“Yeah, I might not have been very old but I remember clearly. The phone calls you used to make to them and they would have you in tears within five minutes. You didn’t even say anything to them just used to sit there and listen to how you were worthless and a disgrace to them. Tut tut getting pregnant so young, before you even finished school. You would cry for hours and tell my dad everything they said to you, every name they called you. Do you blame me?” I ask smiling.

“Of course I do, I gave birth to a whore!” she screams at me.

“No, you gave birth to an innocent baby girl. Whatever you think I am is what I’ve learnt from you, you must be one hell of a teacher because I really did learn from the best. In fact just a few hours ago I had sex up against that wall right behind you” I look down at my watch and suck air in through my teeth. “If you like I can go get some men in here for you so you can have a go? Not sure how many you’ll be able to go through before we close but knowing you, you’ll surprise me and spread your legs quickly enough”

She pulls her arm back to hit me again but I’m quicker than her and grab it pulling her forward with it. “I think it’s time you left now. The first two I gave you, but touch me again and I will break every single one of your fingers” she looks behind me to Sam “You can set your bulldog on me if you want, but I’m not scared of him. Worst he can do is kill me and if it means that I no longer have to spend time on the same earth with the same air you are breathing then that suits me fine” I let her go and she stumbles back. I walk over to the desk and shake Phin awake, after assuring him he can call me if he ever needs anything I open the office door widely for them all. “Now get the hell out of here and I don’t want to see you ever again” I follow them out as far as the bar and watch them until they have left the building.

I’m immediately surrounded by Sophie, Matt, Tucker, Lucy and Andrew. Sophie, Matt and Tucker are looking at every inch of my body, checking for marks. I watch as Tucker and Matt clench their jaws when they notice my red cheek and the little cut on my lip.