What to wear? It was a pressing question on my mind.  I knew Cherry was going to look gorgeous, there was absolutely no doubt about that.  Of course, I didn't need to compare myself to her either, however, I just anticipated for her to look pretty so I didn't want to look like I wasn't at least trying my best.  I had two options.  Black leather skirt, or navy blue plaid. 

Deciding that I could pair the leather skirt with a dark-grey band tee, I pulled that on.  It was followed by a pair of Doc Martins, and I found myself rushing to the bathroom to make sure I looked okay.  Thankfully, the outfit came out as I had anticipated it, and while I knew my skirt was a little shorter than I would have preferred, it worked nonetheless.  By the time it was nine, there was a knock on the door.  It was funny we had agreed on the time, especially since the whole Winter Haven Police department had tried to encourage people not to go out at this time of night.  Though, I was soon glancing out the peephole, pulling my front door open when I noticed Harry standing on the other side.

"Good evening, I have to piss."

"You don't wanna hold it?" I asked.

"No.  Let me pee."

"Already so lovely," I giggled, stepping aside to let him inside.  "You know where it is."

He practically jogged to the bathroom.  Cherry was sitting in the front seat of the car, waving at me.  I sent a wave back, grabbing my bag, and making sure that I had my keys.  Once I was certain I did, I watched as Harry slowly approached, his eyes glancing over me twice as usual.  It was always unnerving, but I tried to brush it off.

"You're certain that's what you want to wear?" he asked me.

"Oh, I'm sorry," I bit back.  "Where was it that I asked for your opinion?"

He grunted.  "Attitude, doll.  Watch it."

"Mm, I'll think about it.  Come on, don't want to keep your girlfriend waiting."

He looked irritated, though I knew that since his girlfriend was present, he couldn't do anything.  It wasn't long until I was pulling my front door shut, locking it behind me.  Soon enough, Harry was opening the passenger door, Cherry grinning at me as I slid in beside her.  Harry shut the door, a small smile on my face as his girlfriend started complimenting me.

"The skirt, the shirt, the shoes," Cherry was saying.  "Girl, you are pulling tonight."

"Yeah, pulling a guy to get my tab," I laughed.

Cherry giggled.  The ride to the bar wasn't all that long, however, I was glad that Cherry and I could get along so well.  If anything, I was almost certain that it pissed Harry off to see us laughing beside him.  His hands were gripping the steering wheel hard, eyes focused on the road and nothing else.  He was thinking hard about something, but I definitely was not going to be the one that asked what his issue was.  Soon enough, we were pulling up to a bar, Harry getting out of the car quickly.  It was only moments before he was pulling the door open, leaving me to step out followed by Cherry.  She looked cute in her jeans and a band tee, there being a V cut in the neck that looked like she had done it.

"Did you make your T-shirt?" I asked.

"Yeah!" she nodded.  "Harry thought I bought it like this.  I just stole one of his shirts and cut it up."

"Yeah, thank God you cut up a Lynyrd Skynyrd shirt," he told her as he shut the car door.  "If you had touched any of the Zeppelin ones, it would have been your hands getting cut up."

She laughed, wrapping one of her arms around his waist.  He rested his arm over her shoulders, the three of us heading inside.  I could very quickly tell that there were a lot of younger people here.  I had expected it to be a mix, but most of the people looked to be between the ages of twenty and thirty.  Of course, there were a few that were older, but the average age in the room was probably about twenty-five. 

"What are we drinking, ladies?" Harry asked.

"I'll have a vodka-cranberry," I stated.

"Oooh, I want the same," Cherry agreed.

Harry nodded, letting go of his girlfriend so he could head up to the bar and order.  I found myself chatting with her about what she did for a living and how she worked as a bartender some evenings.  It made sense, especially since she was so pretty.  I was certain she probably made an insane amount of money.  Though, before we could chat much more, Harry came to us with our drinks.  We thanked him, the curly-haired man sipping his beer.

"Babes, I actually am going to run to the bathroom, can you hold this?" Cherry asked.

"Of course," Harry agreed.

"Do you want me to go with you?" I asked.

"No, dear, I'll be fine.  Keep a watch on him for me."

I laughed, but assured her I would keep my eyes on Harry for her.  He took his girlfriend's drink after she had taken a couple of sips, and it wasn't long until she disappeared into the crowd toward the bathroom.  I found myself sipping my drink as well, thankful that whoever had made the drink was an incredible mixer.  After all, these normally tasted like straight alcohol, and this one was not like that in the slightest.

"So, what do you think?" Harry asked suddenly.

"Think of what?" I questioned.

"Cherry."

I stood there for a moment, not glancing at him right away.  There was a part of me that was insanely confused right now.  I mean, why was he asking me what I thought about his girlfriend? It wasn't like my opinion mattered here, so what was his goal? His endgame? Why was he always asking me such weird questions? Then again, I wondered if it had to deal with his odd interest in me.

"I think your girlfriend is cute and sweet," I told him honestly.  "She really is so nice."

He shook his head.  "She's dumb and pretty.  Like Daisy said in The Great Gatsby, the best thing a girl can be is a beautiful little fool.  That's what Cherry is."

He normally didn't speak about women in such a sexist manner, and yet here he was, talking about his girlfriend like that.  It was shocking, to say the least.  I had absolutely no idea why he would even say that about such a kind and beautiful woman.  It was rude, in my opinion. 

"That's rude."

"And you're hot," he told me.

My eyes widened.  "Now that's disrespectful."

"Disrespectful or correct?" he tried.  "If we're talking about my girlfriend, she can be pretty spacey.  She isn't articulate in the way that you are.  I find myself wondering how I'm interested at times."

Again, his words were shocking.  They were not anything that I had expected, and I found myself downing my drink.  I wanted another already, knowing that he was confiding in me about something that was not my business.  His reasons as to why he was in his relationship were none of my business the same way that the reasons he didn't want to be in one were.  I didn't know what possessed him to tell me these things, but I found myself hoping that he would get the point when I started making noises with my straw, indicating that there was nothing left in my drink.

"Damn, quit it," he muttered, managing to take the empty glass out of my hands with the other two already in his grasp.  "I'll get you another one."

Thanking him, he rolled his eyes, walking up to the bar.  I watched as he ordered, nearly jumping when I felt hands on mine.  Though, it didn't take long to realize it was just Cherry, a smile on her face.  I still couldn't believe that Harry had called her a beautiful little fool, even if he was quoting one of the best books of all time.

"You'll dance with me, won't you?" she asked.

"Let me get another drink in me and I'll be all yours," I assured.

She cheered, taking her glass from Harry.  It wasn't long until the curly-haired personality was walking back over, handing me another glass.  I thanked him, watching as he sipped on his beer before I sipped my drink.  Cherry was talking about a couple different people in the building, pointing out a few that she found amusing.  Though, by the time she was on about her fifth person, I had finished my drink.  Cherry cheered, her bright eyes meeting mine before she grabbed one of my hands with her free one.

"We're going to dance!" she told Harry.

"I'm going to sit at the bar," Harry told her.  "You behave, babes."

She nodded, pressing a kiss to his lips before she started pulling me toward the dance floor.  We were toward the back of the dance floor still, the two of us staying in the sight of Harry.  There were a lot more people than I had realized, and I was starting to wonder if two drinks were nearly enough.  I mean, I enjoyed dancing when I had enough alcohol running through my system, but I felt like there were so many people now that I did not have nearly enough to feel comfortable.

"Are you nervous?" she laughed.  "You have nothing to be nervous about.  Come on!"

She was dancing, shifting her hips to the music the way that anyone should have been able to do so.  I was, of course, nervous, but I found myself dancing with her as best as I could.  I knew I felt awkward only because she was still a stranger to me for the most part, but it soon became fun to dance with Cherry.  She really was just an energetic girl who was excited to do almost anything. 

Though, as we danced, I couldn't help but occasionally glance toward the bar—toward Harry.  He was sitting there, legs apart, elbows tucked back on the bar.  It was obvious he was watching us, and I watched as he even sipped his beer, continuing to glance at us over the rim of his glass.  If I thought he had been intimidating before, this was new.  This was different.  This was unlike any of the other times in the past.  He truly was one of the most intimidating men I think I had ever met in my life.  So much so that I felt like I needed a break from dancing.

"I'm going to run to the bathroom," I told Cherry.

"Of course, dear!" she grinned.  "I'm coming to look for you if you're not back in ten."

"Perfect," I agreed.

Making my way through the crowd, I found myself pushing my way across the dance floor.  There were, again, a whole lot of people.  I was still so shocked that this many were willing to go to a bar, but again, it was a Saturday evening, and there wasn't much else to do in Winter Haven.  I made it to the area with the bathrooms, thankful that there wasn't a line.  Knocking on the door to the women's, I realized quickly that it was a push door, seeing that there were several stalls to choose from.  Gravitating toward one in the middle, I quickly used the bathroom, hoping that it was a one and done and that I hadn't just started a never ending cycle.

As I went to wash my hands, though, I noticed a guy walking in.  It caught me off guard. He looked a little drunk, or, more than a little.  It was crazy to think that he was already plastered, especially since it had to only be about ten-thirty or eleven now.  Though, I watched as he approached me, leaning on the counter before he started to talk to me.

"You don't happen to have a lighter, do ya?" he asked.

"Oh, uh, I don't think so," I told him.  "I don't smoke."

"N'worries," he stated.

I smiled at him, drying my hands off with a few paper towels.  Though, I nearly yelled when I felt a hand grasp one of mine.  Glancing over my shoulder, the guy smiled at me, and I figured that he probably was just a little turned around.  So, I found myself pulling him along with me, about to leave the bathroom when he very quickly pushed me up against the wall.

"Oh," I awkwardly laughed.  "I think you've got the wrong idea."

Any other time, I probably would have been into something like this.  A bathroom hookup was not something I usually turned down, but when the guy was wasted out of his mind, probably had no idea what he was doing, and looked like he could throw up at any moment, I really wasn't interested.  Though, he was much stronger than I was, even wasted.

"I think I've the right one," he nodded.

"No, I'm good," I told him, turning my face so that his slobbery mouth met my cheek.  "Ew!"

The guy pressed me against the wall more, his hips right against mine.  I was utterly disgusted at this point, but it was very obvious he was enjoying this.  My mind was going a million miles an hour as of right now.  I mean, not only did I not want to be in this position, but it was insane to think that he was trying to do this much when he was absolutely wasted.  Pushing at his chest, he grabbed both of my hands in one of his, pinning them above my head.

"I told you I'm good," I grunted, trying to shift.  "I don't want to be here."

"Don' be like that, hon," he mumbled.

My breathing was labored now.  I, again, was normally all for hooking up, but this was the last thing I wanted.  I did not want his gross mouth all over mine.  I wanted his body to not be against mine.  I wanted him to stop holding my hands above my head.  It was all bad.  Not one bit of this was I enjoying, and just as I was about to start trying to kick at his ankles, the door was pushed open quickly, my eyes wide when I noticed a familiar face on the other side.  Almost immediately he was grabbing the guy, pulling him off and tossing him onto the ground.

"Man, she wants me," the guy on the floor stated.

"Yeah, totally," Harry scoffed.  "Fuck off, mate, you're like a one and she's a ten.  Good luck thinking you could get her."

"A ten?" the guy laughed, sitting up.  "I don't think that.  I just wanted to get with her.  See if she was a good fuck."

Almost immediately, Harry kicked the guy in the gut.  I gasped, covering my mouth.  It was followed by him straddling the guy, my eyes wide when he punched the guy in the face not once, not twice, but three times.  I had never witnessed anyone fighting before, but it wasn't something I enjoyed.  Cherry came rushing in, her eyes wide when she saw what was going on.

"Harry! Babes, you're gonna start—"

He was gagging all of a sudden, and I knew it had to be because of the blood.  His hand was covered in the dark red liquid, and the guy was bleeding from his mouth now.  Harry looked ill, and I watched as Cherry pulled him up, telling him to shut his eyes.  She was quick to start washing his hand in the sink, and I was stuck up against the wall, staring at the guy on the ground while Cherry and Harry were standing in front of the sink.  Though, soon enough, his hand was clean, Cherry drying his hand off as he continued to dry heave.

"Dear, hey," she was saying to him.  "Relax."

"I do this every—" he gagged "—every fucking time."

"Alright, let's go.  Maggie, are you okay?" Cherry asked.

"Mhm."

"You sure?" she questioned.

"Mhm."

Cherry nodded, grabbing my hand before pulling both Harry and I out of the bathroom.  We left the other guy just lying on the tile floor, and while I wanted to feel guilty, I knew that he had done it to himself.  He had put his hands on me when I didn't want that.  It was unwarranted, gross, and unlike anything I had ever had to deal with.  Though, once we had made it outside, Harry started to calm down, my eyes focused on the ground.

"I'm going to go get the tab, you take some time to breathe, Harry," Cherry stated.

I continued to stand very still, Harry grunting softly every now and again.  It was obvious he was probably trying to suppress the gagging, and while I had known he always gagged at the sight of blood, I didn't realize it was this bad.  Which, in any case, I didn't understand why he would go out of his way to fight.  It was like he was asking to see blood, but wasn't ready for the repercussions of it all.  Though, my thoughts were pulled away when Cherry came back out of the bar, the girl quickly speaking.

"You good to drive, babes?" she asked Harry.

"Fine, yeah," he agreed.  "I'm good now."

"I'll just walk," I stated quietly.

"Absolutely not," Cherry started.  "No.  Not with a murderer on the loose and certainly not after what just happened."

"She's right," Harry agreed.  "I'm driving you home, doll."

Cherry said that they were making sure I got home safely whether I wanted them to or not.  It wasn't long until the three of us were heading to Harry's car, though, since Cherry had to be dropped off first, they told me to sit in the middle.  I wasn't sure how I felt about sitting beside Harry, but it didn't seem that weird once we began driving.  I still was just trying to deal and comprehend how the night had started off perfectly fine and ended on a very weird note.