OUTSIDE THE CLUB

Jeremy's girlfriend suddenly flinched nervously the moment she figured the actual cause of them getting hostile with each other and felt a bit of an anger rising inside of her after hearing what Jeremy said which she knew deeply that he was lying about having no present connection with the affluent casino boss whom he had told her during their third date, had been so kind enough to give him a promotion as a security personnel and to be amongst those taking care of anyone that was creating a ruckus in the casino where he currently worked though he did not tell her how and what they actually did to any stubborn customer that proved too headstrong or too skilled in gambling away their money. Even two nights before today when she had drunkenly gratified him with her tantalizing smooth skin and had satiated his desire to get into her bare flesh inside the bedroom of his home, he had actually told her the truth of his relationship with the casino owner who had deemed it fit to re-employ him in payment for his debts he owed him since he somehow found him out in the city six years after he had deceitful run off with to New Orleans where he had squandered the cash and gotten himself involved in some illicit nefarious business before returning back to keep a low profile from the law authorities. Much of his deceitful action and crafty theft of the casino's cash six years back, he did not mention to her privately in his bedroom after getting his way with her, and had only told her a few lies about what truly happened except for the actual reason why he had to leave the city at that time even when he knew that his actions was a stark betrayal to a friend who had been eagerly awaiting his arrival at his abode exactly at the time he went to the airport instead of meeting up with Max as he promised to do after cheating his way to win a lot of cash in a gambling casino game of blackjack and it was only after he had made his way out of the city that the owner of the casino somehow found out that he broke the rules to win a large sum of money which he took with him and departed from the city in an aeroplane that the same day he got the ill-gotten cash illegally.

from the casino but she didn't say a word about anything of it nor did she show further signs of Jeremy not being sincere enough with Max who would have given him a severe beating if ever he knew Jeremy's secret though she felt disgusted with him and herself as well, for trusting such a fat liar with the rich worth of her body, twice in his house after the first time she met him at a fancy jewelry store where he had gone on an errand under the instruction of his boss, to procure some jewelries privately meant for someone close to his boss.

Max scoffed and shook his head in deep annoyance before drawing closer much more than earlier despite the fact that the chattering concerning a presumed inevitable fight in the hall occurring between the two contestants, amongst a good number of bystanders began to become rowdy at one side of the hall but barely loud enough to swallow the sound of the music rolling in the background.

"No, Jerry. You're still the same person I knew back then. Even your face still looks thin just the way you were six years back",

"I don't give a damn what you think about me and enough of the insults already, leave us alone and go do your work, darn Varlet boy",

Jeremy replied getting hold of his girlfriend by the hand and turned around to withdraw from the arena when he saw the hard stare of some of the bystanders eagerly expecting a fight to break out between the two fellows, only to be disappointed by Jeremy's reluctance to face his old friend head on.

He was taken aback at that instant with his back facing Max and found his feet stuck to the ground unable to move since he had developed a cold feet the moment his eyes fell on the odd faces watching them the entire time they got attracted by Max sudden outburst but Max wasn't intimidated in anyway by the people watching him for all he wanted at moment was to satiate his anger that had overwhelmed him completely. Seeing no chance of getting out of the midst of the small crowd without being spotted, Jeremy shouted out at them in a temporal fit of rage like a cornered dog trying to find a way to escape.

"What are you all staring at, huh?!",

He barked with his eyes turned red in anger but the bystanders refused to open up a path for him to elude his opponent nor did they move an inch from where they stood peering at him with an even more meaner stare while some were capturing the whole thing in their smartphones which was far closer to his sour visage than the ladies standing behind the phone cameramen.

"Give it up. You can't leave just yet, not when all what you said have been recorded and captured on camera",

Max reminded Jeremy who trembled tremendously the moment he recognized the numerous phones whose nosy owners had used in watching him publicly without his awareness.

"All you have to do is to face me now without any regret. Let's end this my way instead of an apology. A swollen jaw and a bleeding nose will wash out the pain I felt when you left me in the lurch six years ago",

Jeremy listened quietly to Max's suggestions and remain sober for the next two minutes while Max clenched both fists behind his back in preparation to deliver two fatal punches to his opponent whom he had anticipated would heed to his demand as well as turn around to face him once again and he will catch him off guard with a tactical move of hitting Jeremy's face before the fellow could think of defending himself against him.

His anticipation of Jeremy turning around to face him was about to be realized when a sudden outcry from two men pushing their way through the rowdy crowd of spectators took him by surprise and forced him to give up his attempt to satisfy his temper. As for Jeremy, he was startled and aghast to see from afar, two hefty bouncers forcing their way through the bystanders, heading their way in a fit of rage ignoring any vulnerable human obstructing their path.

Unknown to Max and Jeremy including his girlfriend who by now had slipped her way out of their midst and gotten herself lost in the crowd that barely knew what was happening around since they were preoccupied with the music at the dance floor, the voices of the intruders had been calling out to them overshadowed by the music from the onset though they somehow noticed the silent ruckus as Max stood up to face Jeremy after being surreptitiously notified by someone nosy enough to snitch on the two men without them knowing about it at the entrance of the club where they had kept themselves cozy and warm with the help of two huge overcoats that they wore to keep themselves from freezing out in the cold soon after the rain stopped falling outside.

"Hey! Varlet! Stop creating a scene here and show the guests some respect!",

One of the two baldheaded bouncers, yelled out on the top of his voice as he approached the offenders a lot closer for his voice to be heard regardless of the loud music alongside his partner whom trailed behind him in silence without uttering any word till they arrived at the place where the mild disturbances was affecting the guests.

Before the security men got to where Jeremy and Max stood transfixed, unable to make a move, Max had figured that things would go ugly once the chubby fellows reach the arena and had taken the tray conveying champagne drinks from the couch behind him in a sly way of deceiving the men when they arrived leaving Jeremy to stare blankly in a awkward manner at the two plump men before they finally got to where he was.

As a result of their unexpected intrusion, a good number of the dancers began to notice the slight commotion occurring at a the other side of the hall and got attracted to see the culprit who was responsible for the distractions that almost made the Disc jockey player lose his confidence in his work of rendering enthralling musical effects on every corner of the club. Max was silent when they came near him, staring at them with hot bloodshot eyes of two angry black Buffalos for they were black men of American origin with fat chubby cheeks and flappy biceps containing heavy quantities of fats stored under their skin.

"So, who started the fight?",

The taller black fellow amongst the two intruders, questioned with his eyes searching the pale fidgeting wrinkles in Jeremy's face and glared at Max when he received no response from the frightened accomplice but none of them gave a reply to his questions which fueled his temper as a result of their silence.

"Fight? Who told you that, Buck?",

"Don't be smart with me, waiter and spill the truth",

Buck retorted with an even more deeper voice than Max which got Jeremy shaking inside of him but Max wasn't intimated by his utterance.

"Listen to us, kiddos. We ain't here to waste our time. So, start talking or else we gonna kick both of ya outta the club",

The second meaner fellow having a black beard neatly trimmed around his lips below his nostrils by a clipper remarked, gazing at the two culprits with an unfriendly eye far much gruesome than his partner.

Max went mute once again, unable to say a word since he knew the implications of any word he might say from his dry throat. His wet clothes had dried a bit even before the duel was ended halfway but he could still feel the coldness of the evaporated water seeping into skin profoundly much deeper than what he had thought would wear off once he gains some heat by beating up Jeremy into pulp.

The two bouncers were getting impatient with the silence of the two culprits and evermore frustrated with their reluctance to say something in their defense whilst some of the bystanders began to lose profound interest in watching the two fellows stare blankly at the me and not until Jeremy spoke first did they change their minds and joined the spectators once again.

"He's the one that wanted to pick up a fight with me but I refused",

He said vehemently pointing his right index finger as an accusing finger against Max whose silence seems to affirm his claim.

"You sure?",

"You're telling us the truth, huh?",

"Of... Course, he's... the one you want",

Jeremy stuttered trying to get a grip of himself as he struggled to hold onto his accusations and fighting to keep himself from crumbling to the ground.

"You better be telling the truth or else you'll have to go down with him",

"Anyone else know what happened here?",

Buck questioned the watchful crowd but they all refused to involve themselves by saying something they aren't sure of. Getting no response from the crowd, Buck beckoned to his partner to apprehend the suspect who didn't resist arrest from the other plump bouncer and he only had stare hard at Jeremy's triumphant face while being grabbed tightly by the hefty hands of the bouncer, with his arms against his back after having the tray of champagne drinks taken away from him thanks to the help of a young man clad in green T-shirt and blue jeans standing behind him. Max was slowly being pulled away by Buck's partner when he saw the hard faces of everyone peering at him including his opponents arrogant smirk but Jeremy's triumphant soon ended shortly as soon as someone familiar from the crowd interrupted the procession that Buck had joined his partner without holding back in tussling the offender away from the eyes of the few nosy guests watching him.

"Hey guys, I know what transpired here",

The men turned around only to see a pretty lady stepping out of the crowd into the open and the eyesaw of everyone present in the room which left Jeremy completely bereft of words the moment he recognized the lady to actually being his own girlfriend.

"You do?",

"Yep, and he's lying to you. He said something mean to stir the varlet to get up from his seat in anger",

"Pretty girl, you sure of what you telling us right now",

"Absolutely sure. You can ask him if you want to",

The lady replied with her arms akimbo. Buck wanted to ask Jeremy but he changed his mind when he saw Jeremy gaping his mouth in astonishment without having any word to say to defend himself from her outrageous claim.

"Then I'll take your word for it but we'll kick out both of them. Buddy, go get that liar too",

He ordered with his arms grasping Max by his two tiny arms and waited behind for Buddy to return with Jeremy who was already dumbstruck to the highest point enough of him not to tussle with the bouncer as he was being taken along with Max towards the entrance of the club and not until they were hauled out into the dark streets of the dirty alley under the cover of darkness where chilly wind brewing in the cold night welcomed them after the rain had died down did he wake up from his trance which had plagued him when he felt betrayed by his own girlfriend right in front of everyone present in the club which got him bewildered till the cold air that he felt when he was tossed out of the hall alongside Max knocked him out of his trance.