The group had taken out the big Google bus that night to hit the town. The ride to San Francisco was quiet, and the group was confused when they pulled up at a restaurant.
As they headed inside, Mary Jane was sure it was an Asian style place, but she wasn't sure what kind. Billy spoke to the woman when they walked inside, which confused the others as they listened.
She led them further inside to a table, where Stuart pulled out Mary Jane's chair for her. Yo-Yo saw this, and quickly did the same for Neha. MJ raised a brow in curiosity. Had she missed something there? "Thank you", Mary Jane said, tilting her head back to smile at Stuart.
"No problem", the boy said simply, sitting down next to her. They all ordered, Mary Jane picking the first thing she knew.
There was an uncomfortable air about them as the food was brought out. They, well, everyone aside from Nick and Billy, were all worried about the app challenge. They didn't want to lose again.
Mary Jane poked at her food for s moment when it arrived before finally taking a bite of the orange chicken. Stuart found it odd when she swirled her noodles around to eat with it, but didn't try to stop her. Her eyes lit up as she continued to eat.
"I take it that it's good then?", Stuart chuckled.
Mary Jane nodded. Not wanting to seem gross and talk with her mouth full, she simply said, "Mmhm."
Idle chatter picked up around them as they all ate, seeming to relax a bit. "Where's your phone, Dark and Stormy?", Mary Jane asked, swallowing her last bite.
"I don't need it", Stuart admitted reluctantly. "I'm having fun just talking to people for once", he shrugged.
"Awe, I'm proud of you", Mary Jane grinned, clapping her hands before she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Stuart stiffened a bit but placed one of his hands over hers.
Billy called for the check and was talking loudly. He apparently made a joke, because everyone burst into laughter around them. The team glanced at each other in confusion, but no one really knew what was going on. Billy turned back to the table. "The waiter said there's a new dance club down the street that's supposed to be great, we should go check it out."
"You're shitting me", Nick said, amazed. It was clear that the man was already a bit buzzed.
"I shit you not, nope!", Billy said.
"Well, what are we waiting on? Let's get some party up in this heezy! Team Lyle, let's hit it!", Lyle shouted, slamming one of his hands down on the table. He stood up once he placed some money down. The rest of the group shrugged, following after.
~G O O G L E~
When they stepped inside, it became clear that this was not a dance club. Mary Jane's jaw fell open in shock as she looked around her at the flashing lights, the tall pole, and the barely dressed women. "Are you sure he said 'dance' club?", Nick yelled to Billy, trying to be heard over the loud music.
"Hey, I was rocking mandarin, he was rocking something else, Cantonese or something. Something clearly got crossed up along the way. But hey, I say it's a happy accident, right?"
Mary Jane's eyes were still wide. She looked out of her element here, and it showed.
"Show you to your table?" One of the strippers, who wore no shirt or bra, greeted the group, letting her fingers trail over each of their faces. She stopped at Stuart. "Show you to your table?
"You know, there's a great big world out there my friend, if you just look three inches up, I beg of you", Nick said, tilting the boy's head up.
Stuart reluctantly glanced up, his eyes widening when he took note of the stripper's... assets. The boy's mouth went slack before the stripper stuck his finger in her mouth, apparently sucking it. "Oh, wow, holy shit, that's deep", he stammered, following after as he pulled her along.
Mary Jane's eyes narrowed, her brows furrowed as she stared up at them. She was jealous, she could admit it. Why did the damn stripper get to get his attention? "Oh my God", Neha said, catching Mary Jane's attention. "You're jealous! MJ is jealous of Stuart's stripper!", Neha yelled, causing the other four men to look at them.
"For real?", Lyle gaped.
"No!", Mary Jane shouted, grabbing the other girl's arm. "Neha, please, be quiet", she hissed.
"So I'm right?", Neha asked in excitement.
"No, maybe, I don't know", Mary Jane mumbled, looking down and licking at the ground.
"Oh my God, I am!", Neha cheered, clapping her hands.
"Can we please just... focus on enjoying ourselves?", Mary Jane sighed. She looked up and realized that strippers had taken Lyle and Yo-Yo as well.
"Yup, totally, we can do that", Neha said, awkwardly looking around. "Yeah, this is good. This is fine. This is totally cool."
"Yup, awesome. We can have a great time", Mary Jane nodded.
"You firecrackers okay over here?", Nick asked, wrapping his arms around their shoulders.
"What? Oh, totally! This is my jam! Thisâthis here is my shit!", Neha said, waving her arms around a bit.
"Totally, I love this song!", Mary Jane shouted over the thumping music.
"No, look, I know this is your shit, but, look, if you guys don't wanna be here, I'll go grab those guys by their little boners and we'll go get back on the bus", Billy told them.
"Oh, pft, no. It's fine!", Mary Jane snorted, waving her hands as she tried to act like she was dancing and having fun.
"Oh, no, no, no, no", Neha said quickly, shaking her head. "It's just... I've only read about this stuff, okay? Twilight fanfiction, hentai..."
"What's hentai?", Nick asked in confusion.
"Japanese comic book porn where the women get penetrated by octopus tentacles", Neha explained, joining her hands together.
Mary Jane turned and gave her a disturbed look. So Stuart hadn't been lying when he said that Neha watched that kind of gross stuff. Well, maybe it wasn't so bad, but it most definitely wasn't Mary Jane's thing.
"Ooh, aah", Nick said, as if he were trying to pretend like he already knew that.
"It's just... I've imagined everything, but I've never done anything." Neha said, further explaining her own situation.
"Hey, listen, your secret is safe with us", Billy said reassuringly.
Mary Jane nodded. "Yeah, I'm not one to judge, and it's not so bad, being a virgin you know. If it makes you feel any better, I'm one too", Mary Jane said, trying to be reassuring. If she were being honest, Neha had MJ beat. The redhead hadn't ever even imagined anything. It just hadn't crossed her mind. She didn't dream of it being special like most girls did. It just wasn't important to her. Perhaps it should have been.
"Maybe Stuart will change that", Neha said teasingly. Mary Jane grinned, lightly shoving her. Maybe she was wrong, she and Neha could probably become great friends.
"For what it's worth, Neha, your imagination is so wild that reality should be a breeze, if not a let down", Nick said reassuringly. Neha nodded, letting out a small laugh.
"Show you to your table, cutie?", a stripper asked, taking Neha's hand.
Mary Jane gave her a pleading look, shaking her head. "No, no, no! Neha, please don't leave me here alone!" But the men had already nodded at her to go, so Neha let the stripper lead her away. Mary Jane raised a brow. Sure, Neha talked about hentai, but this raised the question to her of if Neha might like girls â or both. Which there wasn't anything wrong with. Judging by Neha's bright grin, it seemed like a strong possibility, so Mary Jane silently cheered her friend on.
"What about you, red?", Nick asked, nudging the smaller girl.
Mary Jane quickly shook her head. "No, nope, I'm good." She followed the men to the group's table, taking a seat next to Stuart.
"Hey, Annie", the boy greeted. Mary Jane wondered if he was already slightly tipsy.
"It's about time this team had a night!", Billy cheered, lifting up one of the shots from the platter.
Everyone else followed suit. Just as they were about to drink, Yo-Yo chickened out, placing his shot back down. "No, no, I can't. I can't", he said, shaking his head.
"Why? You're twenty-one, right?", Nick asked. All eyes were now on Yo-Yo.
"Yeah, but my mom says alcohol numbs the brain", Yo-Yo mumbled, looking down.
"Look, I'm not saying a shot is the first step to self respect or anything, but, god damn, maybe it's a step in the right direction!", Nick said loudly, trying to be reassuring and encouraging. He pressed the little glass cup towards the boy again. "Your call", the blonde man added.
Yo-Yo looked around at the team, who all wore encouraging faces. "One shot?", he asked, holding up a single pointer finger.
"One shot!", Billy yelled excitedly. Nick handed Yo-Yo the shot. The team cheered as the boy took it. Yo-Yo never let go, so it was nice to see that the boy could do so.
"To a night you'll never remember!", Nick shouted, sort of like a 'toast'. Everyone clinked their glasses together before tossing the shots back. They all then turned to look at Yo-Yo to see how the boy would react. His face screwed up like he had tasted the most sour lemon in the world before he gave out an energized 'whoop', making the rest of the group cheer alongside him. Lyle was speaking in his typical rapper talk while Mary Jane and Neha shared high fives. Yo-Yo reached for another shot almost immediately.
The group went on about dancing, drinking, and just letting go for the night. Over time, Team Lyle had grown close. They all appeared to be becoming really close friends.
Mary Jane pulled Neha towards the dance floor with her where the pair began dancing. Mary Jane was moving very provocatively, which had Neha flushing, because she hadn't ever danced like that. She wasn't sure how.
"Come on, Neha, it isn't that bad", Mary Jane frowned, grabbing the girl's hands and placing them on her hips. "Just feel the beat."
"Right", Neha nodded. "Feeling the beat. I can do that."
The two continued dancing before Neha finally got into the groove of things, swaying her hips while she and Mary Jane twirled around.
Stuart was still with his same stripper, getting a lap dance. The boy's glasses hung halfway off his face. Billy had the boy's phone and had been taking pictures of them all throughout the night. "Exchangeagram moment, bitches!", he yelled, catching Mary Jane's attention. Seeing Stuart withe stripper made her blood boil, her stomach twisting. Why did that bother her so much? Stuart's hands rested on the unnamed girl's hips, and that was enough to send Mary Jane spiraling over the edge. Fine. If Stuart was going to let lose and have fun, then so would she. She went to the bar and grabbed another shot before ordering something else, something fruity.
"I knew it!", Neha cheered. "I knew you liked him!", Neha cheered. "Say it!"
Mary Jane shook her head, letting out an excited whoop. Her full lips pulled back into a grin. "I, Mary Jane Hiegler, have the biggest crush on Stuart Twombly!", she shouted. The girls ordered another round of drinks.
The more drunk she got, the more Mary Jane began to let loose. "MJ's about to get on the pole!", Lyle called drunkenly as he passed through with his stripper friend. She apparently worked at Google as well, but none of the the others were familiar with her.
"What?", Stuart asked, looking over at where he had last scene Mary Jane. Sure enough, the girl was putting on a show, clinging to the pole. "No, no, no, no, no", Stuart stammered as he walked over to her. He put his hands around her middle, tugging her away. "No pole dancing."
"Why?", Mary Jane drunkenly giggled. "It looks like fun!"
"Because I don't want other guys to think about you in a sexual way. That'sâthat's my job", Stuart slurred. It was clear that both of the young adults were drunk and probably wouldn't even remember any of this right away.
Mary Jane didn't even acknowledge the last part of what he said, grabbing his hands. "Dance with me, Stewie!", she cheered, grabbing his arms and pulling him out onto the dance floor. The pair began to dance together, her back to his front. Stuart's larger hands rested on her hoops while one of hers was above her head, resting against his neck.
"Hey, uh, guys, I think we have a little bit of a problem over here! You know, just a tiny one!", Neha yelled. She and Yo-Yo had previously been dancing together, but now they had stopped and were looking over towards where Lyle, Nick, and Billy were arguing with someone.
They all gathered around, standing next to each other, looking fierce. It would have been cool if they weren't all so incredibly drunk.
"Oh, look, it's the united colors of nerd!", the troublemaker called when they all joined the line. "Do all of you guys work together?", he continued, looking between them all. "Let me guess, it's a tech company for ugly people?" He looked a lot like Biff from one of the Back To The Future movies, but Mary Jane had a feeling he was too dumb to get that reference.
"Whoa, whoa, hey, take it easy. What is this, the Jets versus the Sharks?", Nick asked, trying to diffuse the tension. "So, why don't you guys head that way, we'll head this way and we'll never meet again", he continued, trying to get the team to leave the club then.
"Yeah, that's a good idea", the guy nodded. He turned around to leave, but, as the lights started to flash in time with the pulsing music, the man turned back and punched Billy in the face.
"United Nerds, attack!", Mary Jane yelled drunkenly, running and diving onto one of the guys.
Punches began being thrown left and right as Team Lyle and the other guys got into a fist fight. It was hard to see with the lights flashing so rapidly, but the group was holding their own pretty well. The group continued punching and kicking. Stuart took a hit right to the face. He stood, stunned, for a moment. It was almost like the punch had knocked him sober. He continued to stand there for a moment longer before throwing a punch back. After Yo-Yo dove off the counter, he was tackled by some guy. "My mother hits harder than you!", he shouted.
Mary Jane, without thinking, reared her head back and slammed it against a guy's forehead. She stumbled backwards a bit, shaking her head. "Whoa."
Neha went to help Yo-Yo, kicking a guy in the balls and letting out a drunken cheer.
"Oh, shit", Neha hollered when one of the security guards threw her over his shoulder. "I'll kill you! I'm gonna kill you!", she shouted back at the man that she had previously kicked.
"Yeah, that's how you party!", Stuart yelled as he was dragged out. Despite having been punched in the face, the boy was still having fun.
"Oh, are we going for a ride?", Mary Jane asked when one of the guards lifted her up by her armpits. "We're going on a trip in our favorite rocket ship!"
"We're too hard to party, that's why they're kicking us out!", Yo-Yo yelled, not at all making any sense. "They're gonna call the fire department!", he continued while Nick dragged him out.
Well, what a night Team Lyle had had. It was surely one for the books â if they could remember it that is.
February 25, 2019