Wild Bastard by Ella Savitskaya (best feel good books txt) 📖

Anton and Dima stay close to us, and Vikky immediately joins the crowd once we're in the middle of the music and partying.

The beats seep through my eardrums, the people sway, moving to the rhythm of the pulsating notes.

"Let's go get a drink!"

 Vikky yells in my ear, shouting over the music. The guys order tequila and, after licking a pinch of salt from the back of my hand, I take the first shot in my mouth.

Alcohol warms from the inside out, flowing into my stomach and quickly absorb into my system. After another round of drinks, we turn around and stare into the center of the room.

The crowd is dark. I can see that the club isn't the kind of place I'm used to. We used to go only to cheap discos, where there were no guards at all. It's different here. Even the youth is different. Golden.

At the thought of the golden guys, the image of Matthew bursts into my memory, uncovering an inner aching ulcer that I'd been trying hard to heal by ignoring since the day before. For some reason I wonder what he might be doing right now, but then I get angry with myself and shake my head, pushing the uninvited thoughts away. I'm not at all interested in what the bastard might be doing. Even if he's fucking another girl right now, I don't care.

I turn around and order another shot of tequila.

"Hey, are you going to drink without me?"

Vi makes a sign to the bartender to pour two, and after we drink, she grabs my hand and drags me to the middle of the hall.

I don't feel like dancing today, but I'm doing it anyway.  I need to block my thoughts, because the more I drink, the more I think about things I don't need to think about. Or rather who.

"Vi, hi!"

Two girls run into our dancing duo. They jump on my friend with an embraces. Judging by the clothes, the girls are not from the "urban slums.

Vi responds with the same squeal and smacks each one on the cheek.

"Hi, girls. Long time, no see."

"A couple of months" The blonde laughs "Man, it's so good to see you. Come on, let's go talk. We're a group. We got a table in the VIP booth"

"Let's go" Vi nods without hesitation and then thrusts her hand into my palm, "I'm with friends."

"Grab your friends and let's go. There's plenty of room for everyone"

After a few seconds and about ten steps up the stairs, we find ourselves on a wide balcony with black leather couches around black tables.

The music is much quieter here, so the girls no longer have to shout to hear each other.

"We haven't heard from you since you left uni" The brunette flips her hair back in a regal gesture, leading us behind her to one of the tables. "How are you anyway?"

"Oh, I'm great!" I would have believed her claims myself. The tone is so sincere. It is hard to imagine a girl like Vi sharing an apartment with two guys, and moonlighting by selling herself. "I guess I didn't need the hell out of that education. I... "

I can't hear my friend any more. Neither I don't hear the music, nor the laughter of, as I correctly guessed, her former classmates.

The deafening pounding of my heart beats in my ears, stirring the blood as we stop at one of the tables and find ourselves in front of a small group of people. Right a meter away from me, sprawled out on the couch, sits Matthew. With his head back on the couch, he puts a cigarette to his lips and takes a deep drag. A chill sent shivers down my spine, coursing through my skin in an avalanche.

"Is it okay that we brought our friends?" I hear the voice of one of the barbies through absorbent cotton.

I dig my fingernails into my palms and fight the urge to do the same to his face, but in the last twenty-four hours I'd managed to remind myself that it's pathetic to show weakness.

So I just swallow nervously as Matthew's head turns lazily in our direction. His completely disinterested gaze falls first on Vikky, then moves to me. And then freezes.