Serenity watched the interaction between Downey and their boss, and when he returned to the stage, she went over to talk to him, intercepting him halfway so that they wouldn't have to shout over the music. "I saw Johnny talking to you," she said. "You didn't get fired, did you?"
"No," Downey replied. "I didn't get fired." He sighed. "I may as well have, though. What a bummer…"
"What the hell happened?" Serenity asked.
"It's nothing," Downy replied. "Johnny told me to give Crystal this business card and ask her to call the number on it."
Serenity snatched the card from Downey and read Erick Bush's name out loud. How did he find Crystal? - she wondered. And why did he ask Downey to give this card to her? Has he recognized us? Serenity waved Crystal over and explained everything to her. And when Crystal saw how anxious Downey was, she said, "Don't worry. I'll make the call. It's not a big deal. But you have to promise me that from now on, no matter who asks about me, you have to say that you don't know me. Okay?"
Downey nodded gratefully. He pretended to zip up his lips and said, "Set your mind at ease. I'm tight-lipped."
Serenity: "Now that that's settled, let's cut the cake."
After finishing cutting and eating the cake, the party continued, with everyone dancing, singing, and getting their drink on - but Crystal couldn't stop thinking about the phone call. She tried to put it out of her mind, but it was no good, so she eventually borrowed Serenity's phone, found a quiet place, and dialed the number she'd been given.
The phone rang several times, and just as she was about to hang up, Eric answered the phone and said, "Hello?"
"Hey, bugger." Crystal laughed and said, "It's me, Crystal, returning your call." Then she belched into the receiver and hung up.
Eric stared at the screen in shocked silence. He couldn't believe that Crystal had dared to be so rude to him. He stared at the number on his screen for a moment, and then he added it to his Contact List, writing "My Woman" in place of Crystal's actual name.
After hanging up the phone, Crystal blocked Eric's number and returned to the party. She wanted to return the cell phone to Serenity, but she couldn't find her. When she had last seen Serenity, she'd been pretty drunk. Apparently, she'd been playing a drinking game and had been on a losing streak. Crystal asked one of the other players if they knew where Serenity was, and she said that she had gone to the washroom.
Crystal figured that she would look for her friend there, but Serenity was nowhere to be found, and she began to panic. After a moment's hesitation, she decided to check the men's washroom. As drunk as Serenity is - she reasoned - it would be easy to mistake a men's restroom for a woman's.
When Crystal walked in, she was confronted with a man holding his manhood, peeing. She hurriedly covered her eyes with hands and shouted..
"Can I help you?" Eric asked.
Crystal: "Keep peeing. I'm just looking for someone."
Eric scowled and said, "I can't pee with you standing there!" And when Crystal didn't leave, he tucked his manhood back into his pants and zipped up his fly. After that, he took a step forward and tried to grab her wrist. Crystal dodged it, though, and he only managed to catch her sleeve. "What the fuck?" he shouted.
"I was peeing so happily when you barged in. Now you have to make it up to me...sexually!"
"Bugger off!" Crystal shouted. She pulled her sleeve away and said, "I am looking for someone. It's not my fault that you didn't finish taking your piss. Even if it was, that doesn't mean I have to have sex with you. Besides, don't you know that it's dangerous to stop mid-stream?!?!?"
As Crystal spoke, she began to search the washroom, calling out Serenity's name. She had just gone into the third and last cubicle when she sensed someone behind her. She turned around quickly and was once again confronted by Eric. She turned her back on him and said, "Be a good boy and go finish taking your piss. And be careful. You don't want to end up impotent.
Eric roared at her condescending impertinence, and this time, when he tried to grab Crystal's wrist, there was nowhere for her to go. Considering how dirty the washroom was, Eric was surprised by how aroused he was, but Crystal's soft and smooth arms.
Furthermore, he thought that his interrupted urination was causing him to hallucinate. She is like chili - he thought, and he giggled like a schoolboy.
Maybe I want a little chili for a change - Eric told himself - after tasting the little chili, I will definitely throw her away. Like garbage. But maybe someday I will think of her and reward her with another unforgettable night. Suddenly, his "little chili" bit his arm, and he shrieked like a little girl.
Eric lifted his arm to look at the place where Crystal had bitten him, and she shoved him backward. He fell on his ass, grunting as he hit the floor, and Crystal stepped over him and hurried towards the door. Just as she reached it, though, Eric said, "I know where your friend is." And her hand froze.
Crystal stopped and turned around. She gazed directly into Eric's wild and cunning eyes. "Where is she?"
Eric: "In my room. It's right next to yours."
"Yeah, right," Crystal scoffed. "You wish. She would rather be probed by aliens than by you."
After saying that, Crystal left the washroom and returned to the party, hoping that Serenity had returned by now. As she passed through the club, though, she was overcome by a sense of impending doom. What if Eric had abducted her? - she worried. Although Serenity practiced taekwondo, she was too drunk to defend herself. Thus, perhaps she was in Eric's room after all....
Crystal groaned when she realized what she had to do. Instead of returning to her party, she walked past it. She stopped at Eric's room, put her hand against the door, and as she pushed it open, the lights flickered and went out. Almost immediately, the men inside began to shout, "Take it off! Take it off! Take it off!"
Suddenly, someone grabbed Crystal and pulled her inside. Someone else slammed the door shut behind her. She could see nothing and had no idea what was happening. "Help!" she cried, and almost immediately, the lights came back on.
Crystal looked around the room, at the half-naked women and at the horny perverts who paid them to be this way. They were all looking at her. "Who is this woman?" one of the men asked, "Why is she still dressed?"
Eric was sitting between two women. He gazed at Crystal with burning eyes. This was the first time he'd seen her clearly since the department store incident. Her simple ponytail, white T-shirt, black tight denim skirt, and white shoes made her look fresh and pure.
Closer to the edge of the couch, Crystal saw Serenity. "Serenity!" she exclaimed. Her friend had drunk so much, though, that she didn't even hear her. Crystal shouted her name again, and this time she managed to lift her eyelids, but that was all the response she got.