As we walked across the club, I was starting to feel more nervous. Lucas still had his arm around me and was touching my stomach in a way that was mostly inappropriate.

I couldn't understand what was happening here. Why did they think I was Lucas's girlfriend? Did he think we were dating already? He hadn't even asked me, but it seemed like he had just assumed I would say yes.

But then I started to wonder why the others had laughed at the idea of us going to talk in private. Maybe they knew something that I did not? Maybe they knew that Lucas was planning something else?

A panic hit me as I started to imagine what else Lucas would do to me. Did he mean to kill me perhaps? He was a killer after all, so it was possible. Or maybe he wanted sex? That was what they did in places like this. They had the strippers who they would take into the back rooms to have sex with them. Was that his plan, to take me out back and rape me?

I slowed down and tried to pull myself away from Lucas. I didn't feel safe going somewhere private with him. But Lucas responded by griping me tighter and forcing me across the room.

As we got around to the other side of the stage, I saw where Lucas was taking me. On the far wall there was a doorway with velvet curtains on either side. The door opened out to a short hallway, with more doors leading off to the side.

Lucas pulled me over to the first door on the right. There was a number 2 on the door, with a small brass plaque underneath to indicate whether the room was occupied or available. Lucas pushed me through the door, as he slide the brass plate over to show the room was now in use.

"Sit down," said Lucas. "I need to explain."

Inside the room was larger than I had expected. There was a large pole in the centre that reached up to the ceiling. Around the other three walls there was a very plush looking u-shaped sofa. It was covered in red coloured leather, and had a few velvet scatter cushions spread around.

It was much quieter here too. The loud dance music they were playing outside was coming through the walls, but it was dulled to a more reasonable level.

I nervously stepped forward and sat down on the edge of the sofa. It was very soft, and I sank down slightly as I sat back. I took off my backpack and placed it on the floor beside me, then leaned back to get comfortable.

"I'll get you a drink," said Lucas.

He turned and went over to the corner of the room. There was a small mini fridge in the corner of the room that I hadn't noticed when we first came in. Lucas took two glasses out, then knelt down in front of the fridge to get some drinks out.

While his back was turned, I reached down and opened my backpack. With the top open, I slipped my hand inside. Reaching around I felt the cloth bundle I had hidden in there earlier. Carefully, I unwrapped it and my fingers closed around the handle of the knife.

I wasn't sure if I should stab him in the back now, or if I should wait until he did something wrong before stabbing him? Stabbing him now seemed safer, but also it seemed more morally wrong somehow. Whereas, if I waited until he made his move first, maybe I wouldn't be in a position to defend myself? It was too hard, I didn't know what I should do. The anger in me told me to act, but my practical side told me to wait.

Before I could make a decision, Lucas stood up from the fridge. He turned around and I saw he was holding two glasses filled with ice cubes and a clear liquid poured over them.

"A vodka soda," said Lucas. "I hope that's okay?"

I had no idea what that was. I was still in highschool, and so too young to drink legally. Plus I didn't hang around or go to parties with the kind of children who did drink illegally.

"Umm, yeah. Sounds good," I said.

Lucas handed me a glass, then sat down on the sofa next to me. He took a sip of his drink, so I copied him. I took a small sip from the glass. It tasted okay, mostly cold and fizzy, but with a hint of lime.

Lucas took another gulp of his drink, then sighed. "I should probably explain," he said.

"Yeah," I said, apprehensively. I wasn't entirely sure I wanted to know, but I decided to let him speak.

Lucas took another large mouthful of his drink. "I've been telling them about my girlfriend," he said. "And they keep asking to meet her, but I've been making excuses."

"Okay," I said, not sure where this was going.

"I had told them what she looks like. Short, blonde, pretty," he said. "So when I met you, you fit the description so perfectly."

"Okay," I said, still not quite understanding what he was saying.

"I thought if they just met you, they would stop talking about it all the time," said Lucas. "That's why I had to have you."

"Err, okay," I said. I wasn't sure where this conversation was headed, and it was making me nervous. He was starting to sound like some kind of crazy stalker. Saying that me being blonde and short made me seem like his girlfriend just sounded weird.

Lucas went to take another gulp of his drink, when he realised that it was empty. He stood up and walked back over to the fridge.

"Did you want another?" Lucas asked, as he opened the fridge door.

I looked down at my glass. I had only taken a small sip. "No, thanks," I replied.

As Lucas knelt down in front of the fridge again, I leaned down and took hold of my backpack. Then I lifted it up and placed it on the sofa. From there, I slipped my hand in through the top and reached around until my fingers found the handle of the knife again. This time I kept hold of the handle, but didn't take the knife out from my bag. I wanted to be ready for whatever happened.

I watched Lucas carefully as he took the bottle of soda water from the fridge, but he just looked at the bottle for a moment before placing it back in the fridge. Then he took the bottle of vodka out, and poured himself a glass full of vodka over the ice cubes.

Lucas shut the door of the fridge,then came back and sat next to me. He didn't speak at first, he just sat and silently took sips of his drink while gazing off at nothing.

"So why not just introduce your family to your real girlfriend?" I asked.

Lucas sighed. " I don't have a real girlfriend," he said.

He had an odd expression that I couldn't quite read. It was a mixture of sadness and longing that seemed so different from how he was behaving previously.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm telling you this," he said. "I barely know you, and I've drawn you into this difficult situation."

I shrugged. I still wasn't sure where this was headed, but I decided to act supportive and see what happened.

"That's okay," I said. "Sometimes it's easier to talk to people that you don't know. Strangers can be less judgemental I guess."

Lucas quickly swallowed the rest of his drink with a hiss, then took a deep breath. "Can I trust you to keep a secret?" he asked.

The hand in my bag gripped the handle of the knife more tightly. "Yeah, you can trust me," I said.

"I..." Lucas started to say, then burst into tears.

I froze looking at him. My head was thrown. Here was this so called tough guy, and probably murderer, sobbing in front of me. It seemed so wrong, like he was having some kind of breakdown.

As I watched him crying, the fear and anger inside me turned into pity. The tight grip I had on the knife handle relaxed. I slipped my hand out of the top of my bag and reached over to pull Lucas into a hug.

"Hey, is everything okay?" I asked, as I rubbed my hand on his back to comfort him.

After a few minutes, Lucas stopped crying and tried to compose himself again. As he did, I reached into my bag and found a packet of tissues at the bottom. I took one out, being careful not to touch the knife that was hidden in there.

Lucas took the tissue I was offering to him, and used it to wipe the tears from his eyes. "I'm sorry," he said. "You must think I'm so pathetic."

"No, not at all," I said. Well, maybe I did a little. But I wasn't going to tell him that, obviously. This seemed like one of those times it's okay to lie.

"I know we have only just met, but I feel like I could tell you anything," he said. "Do you know what I mean?"

"Yeah, totally. I was thinking the same thing," I said, as I crossed my fingers behind my back.

Lucas suddenly stared at me with a serious expression. "Okay, but what I'm about to tell you has to be kept a secret. I could die if anyone else found out," he said. "But I really need your help."

This was beginning to sound interesting. Maybe it was something I could use to blackmail him? Or if it was something that would get him killed, I could use it to get my revenge on him that way rather than having to kill him myself.

I reached out for Lucas's hand and gave it a squeeze for reassurance. "You can trust me," I said. "I want to help you."