Interlude: In Which Lucia Makes a Huge Mistake
Lucia was wandering a club in Daytona Beach. Vivi always had at least three fake IDs, and she could get them made for other students—for a price. No one questioned the process—they just paid her and let her work her magic. But she’d gotten Lucia a free one for this trip. As tall as she was, the bouncer had only taken a quick glance at the ID before deciding that she was, in fact, of age.
As promised, she’d texted her mother every time she and Vivi changed locations.
And it was true. They had grabbed dinner someplace. She just conveniently left out the fact that that place happened to be a dark, loud, crowded club, after the resident adult had left their hotel room and gone back to her place for the night. It was Mom’s fault if she didn’t ask, she told herself.
She’d gotten separated from Vivi. More specifically, the two had gotten into an argument in the bathroom, and Vivi had stormed off, leaving her alone. Although she’d been annoyed when she’d been promised to stay at her friend’s side the entire trip, now that she’d left, she felt a bit more aware of all the staring, leering eyes and strange men surrounding her.
Vivi never stays mad for long. We’ll touch base and talk this out back at the hotel.
Lucia hadn’t seen her in about an hour and a half but had been trying to distract herself by doing what she’d come out here to do—dance and have fun. She’d been on the dance floor, song after song, in the middle of a pack of guys who said they were from the University of Georgia. One in particular, who seemed to be their leader, had taken a real liking to her. Now, exhausted, she stood at the edge of the dance floor trying to catch her breath, and found the guy had followed her.
“You want to get out of here?” he asked, leaning in to whisper in her ear.
Lucia froze. The guy seemed nice enough, but something in her was warning her to stay away. So she said, “Uh—I don’t think so. Not tonight.”
“Come oooon, I’ve got a great hotel room with room service.”
“That sounds nice and all, but I’ve got to catch up with my friend. I had a great time dancing with you, though. Have a good night.”
She patted his chest awkwardly before starting to make her way to the exit. Or at least trying to. She was stopped when the guy grabbed her wrist.
“What’s the rush?” he asked. “Since when are you so shy?”
“I’m… I’m just…” She was trying to think of what she’d been taught to say in this situation, but all her words seemed to have vanished when she needed them. Her eyes began to fill with tears. “I… Let go of me.”
The guy began to pull her closer, instead. Lucia tried to reach into her purse, fumbling around for her pepper spray, which she’d never actually had to use before. But then, a miracle occurred.
A second guy, tall and formidable, appeared beside her.
“Hey, buddy, she said no,” he said. “I work as a bouncer back home. I hit harder when I’m drunk, and I’ve had three shots of tequila, so I suggest you back the hell up.”
The guy she had been dancing with hesitated, considering his options, then dropped her wrist, muttering a four-letter word she had never been called in her life as he walked away.
Lucia let out a shaking breath, turning toward her rescuer. “Thank you,” she said.
“Hey, no problem,” he said, gray eyes glinting as he smiled. “I can’t stand guys like that.”
“Do you really work as a bouncer?”
He laughed. “Yep. I get paid to stand there, read a list, and look intimidating. Nice work if you can get it.”
“You ever had to beat anybody up?”
“It comes with the job.”
She chuckled, wiping her eyes.
“Hey, hey, don’t cry,” he said. “Can’t stand to see a pretty girl crying. Want to sit down?”
She nodded. “Yes, please. A-and thank you, again.”
They found a couch in a relatively quiet corner of the club and settled on it. Lucia looked her rescuer over. He was good-looking, athletically built. He also seemed oddly familiar, but Lucia couldn’t place where she’d seen him before.
“Where are you from?” Lucia asked.
“Steventon, Ohio. Kind of a boring city about two hours from—”
“From Columbus,” she finished. “I know. I, um, I live there, too. I’m down here for spring break.”
“No way. What are the odds?” he asked, smiling. “Do you sneak into bars underage there, too?”
Lucia flushed. “Um…”
He laughed. “I work at clubs, remember? You learn to pick out teenagers with fake IDs pretty quick.” He nudged her gently. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell. How old are you, really?”
She glanced around to make sure no one was listening. “Fourteen,” she said.
“Really? I thought you were sixteen, at least.”
“It’s the height,” she shrugged. “I’m taller than my oldest sister, and she’s in her twenties. How old are you?”
“Twenty-two. I’ve been standing guard at nightclubs for longer than I’ve actually been allowed to go into them.”
“Do you like it?”
“It pays the bills. Hey, you mentioned to that other guy that you were looking for your friend. Want me to go get her?”
She shook her head, not wanting him to leave. “No, no. I mean, I am here with a friend, but, um… I’m kinda mad at her right now. I’d rather hang out with you.”
He grinned. “You flirting with me?” he asked playfully.
Lucia rolled her eyes to cover up the fact that she was blushing. “Shut up.”
“You know, if you don’t want to hang around here, I was thinking of going for a walk down the beach. Want to come with?”
She paused. “Okay,” she said.
Just as they got to their feet, her phone went off, with a new text message from her mother.
Lucia hesitated, before texting back.
“Who was that?” the guy asked as she put her phone back into her purse.
“Uh…nothing important. I’m Lucia Benitez, by the way,” she said, extending her hand for a shake. “What’s your name?”
He took her hand, shaking it.
“George Sedgwick. Call me Wick.”