A little bit of effort can make the most radical of changes. It was evident in her reflection – lips painted a dark crimson (her favourite shade), her usual long hair curled and pushed to one side to reveal the pale skin of her neck and a classic black mini dress; the type that accentuates a girl’s curves – that complete transformations were possible in a little less than an hour. Not to say she wasn’t attractive generally, it was just that there was always an additional sense of confidence after getting ready for a night out that created an aura of allure.
Often or not though, she’d lose that allure by the end of the night to a drunken haze; the suaveness and sophistication swapped with alcohol induced giddiness or extreme aggravation. Lucia was known for her eccentrics – jumping on top of the bar to attempt to crowd surf or communicating very physically her hatred for something or someone – particularly in the club she currently resided in. The owner, an old associate, could handle her well when wasted and never failed to take care of her (even if, perhaps she was the one in the wrong).
He wasn’t in tonight though, one of the bartenders told her – Lucia wasn’t completely sure why but convinced herself that it wouldn’t matter much anyway, she’d take care of herself. After a couple of drinks though (some shots, a few grasshoppers and some others she can’t quite recall), her initial reservations dissolved and found herself on the dance floor, lost in the beat of a generic club tune.
And it was fine, at first. Lightheaded with exhilaration, she ‘danced’ with whoever she could; body pressed flush and lips brushing against unfamiliar faces. It was all fun and games, in the heat of the club. Until a pair of arms wrapped around her waist, whispering filth into hear ear that, even in this state of mind, she didn’t appreciate. Lucia was far from innocent, but she had her standards – it was a rule of hers never to pick someone up from a bar or club, because even though not everyone there was terrible it was always the scum that tried to get in her pants – and this brute was defiantly not up to standards.
She struggled to squirm away, his grip tightening as she began to thrash around in the sea of people bumping and grinding. Curses slipped from her red lips as she jerked her elbow backwards with enough force to slacken the hold. She didn’t escape though, that would be far too convenient for the likes of Lucia. Instead she spun around and blindly threw her best attempt of a punch – landing square on the jaw. He staggered backwards, most probably from the shock rather than the pain, as she spat in his direction. “Fuck you.” It still wasn’t enough, not for her, so she brought her knee up with as much force as possible to his groin area – and god, if that wasn’t gratifying she doesn’t know what is.
Now it was time to escape. The expression of fury evident on the thug’s face sent her speeding (as fast as one could speed in killer high heels) through the doors and into the cold night. She hardly had any time to process the sheer frostiness in her bid to escape; looking behind her Lucia was met with the sight of the male quickly catching up to her. She probably should’ve paid attention to where she was going to because moments after looking back she found herself falling backwards after the impact of walking into something. Or rather, someone. “Jesus fucking Christ, watch it!” She screeched, scrambling off the cold ground rapidly. There was no time to even glimpse at his (she assumed it was a he) face, or to even demand for an apology.
The sound of heavy panting loomed over her and she knew it was all over. He was going to get her. All because some jackass couldn’t watch where he was going.