Archangel Goes Clubbing

Distraction Lounge, situated off the streets of Ocean Boulevard and Granada Avenue, looked every bit the upscale dance club. The building, shaped like a very thick, fat “L,” had three stories with tinted black windows that passersby couldn't see through, and flat roof surrounded by a guard rail that kept the people partying up top from falling to the ground below. Considering most of the people who came to this place did so to get drunk, the precaution became a necessity rather than a commodity.

Just two miles away from where she lived, it was the perfect place for Alice to work. She could walk there within twenty minutes―a far more economical solution than taking a bus. Cheaper, too. And they offered her decent pay plus tips, which allowed her to earn just enough to live.

She went in through the back door, which was open and led into the locker room, where all the women who worked there changed into their uniforms. Not a single soul could be found inside at the moment, minus one. The doors didn't even open until 2:00pm, and it had just hit noon naught fifteen minutes ago.

As Alice walked further into the room. Her feet tapped against the tile. Most of the lockers had locks on them, their metallic surfaces aged and no longer gleaming.

Alice set her bag down on a small desk with a laptop. She was about to sit down, but footsteps approached from the hallway across the room before she could so much as pull the chair back.

“Who is―oh, Alice. What are you doing? Your shift doesn't start for another four hours.”

Maria Stolkholme, Alice's boss and the owner of Distraction, stood in the hallway entrance. Alice almost smiled. People who didn't know her automatically assumed Maria to be one of those ditzy bimbo types. She had long blond hair, the light tan of a typical California girl who spent a good deal of time sunbathing, and a figure that made most women rage with envy. She definitely looked like an air-head.

Only those who worked with her and knew her on a more personal level knew the truth. Inside those curly locks of bleached blond hair and beneath that happy facade lay a keen intellect and business acumen. Only her kindness and generosity could match her ability to budget money and generate income. One wouldn’t find a more capable, or more pleasant person to work with.

Alice didn't know if she could call Maria a friend. She worked for the woman. But if she were to give anyone such a title, it would go to her.

Maria had discovered her during one of Alice's rough periods. She'd been caught sneaking into the club two years ago, a poorly made attempt to find out what her mom found so appealing about getting wasted and shacking up with men. The barhop had been about to throw her out. It had been Maria who saved her. The woman had nabbed her before she could be thrown out the door and, after hearing about her life and her plight, had agreed to let her work there on a part-time basis, to help pay for her food, clothes, and save up for college. Alice would never forget this woman's kindness, nor how much help she'd been.

“I know, sorry, but there are some problems going on at home right now, and I couldn't focus on my work there,” Alice said by way of excuse. “Do you mind if I stay here for now?”

“I don't mind, but I am curious to know why you don't want to be at your house,” Maria said, frowning, her concerned appearance only enhanced by her expressively beautiful face. “Your mom hasn't shown up out of the blue again, has she?”

“If only that were the case,” Alice groaned. Just thinking about her current problem made her angry. “Please, could we not talk about my domestic issues right now? I really, really don't want to think about it.”

Maria looked like she might try to press her for information anyway, but she decided not to in the end. She nodded once. “Well, okay. If you're that adamant, I won’t press the issue. But you know that you can always come to me if you're having problems, alright?”

Alice smiled, one of the few genuine smiles she'd ever given. It was small, and most would probably shudder at the sight of it, but it was still a smile. To this day, Maria remained the only person who'd ever seen it.

“I know. Thank you.”

Maria smiled and left to finish preparing the club. Alice envied the happy woman’s strength. Maria had been divorced four times, lost custody of two children, and yet she still found within her the strength to run this club. Few people were as strong-willed as her. Alice wished she could be that strong. Maybe then, all of her problems wouldn't be so hard to overcome.

Sitting down on the chair next to the desk with a heavy sigh, Alice took out her homework―more math―and got to work.

Time passed by slowly as Alice ran the gauntlet of math problems. Her current assignment dealt with functions and graphs. She should have done it yesterday, but the whole “groping pervert who thinks he's an archangel” thing had sort of put a damper on her ability to work properly. Damn that man. Now she was stuck playing catch up!

Maria checked in on her a few times, to see how Alice was doing. She also offered to help, but Alice refused. She knew Maria was smarter than people gave her credit for, and likely had a talent for math, since she did all of her taxes and dealt with her own finances, but Alice had never been the type to ask for help unless needed, especially when the problem was her school work and not something life threatening or overly serious.

It soon neared 2:00pm, and with it, several of the girls who also worked there came in through the back room. Murphy and Catherine were the ones who worked the opening shift due to how shy they were. They greeted Alice upon noticing her presence, but didn't say much else. Those two were perpetually shy and generally didn't talk unless spoken to.

A few of the other girls also came in, those who weren't part of what Alice had taken to calling “The Group,” which consisted of those girls who, like her, were down on their luck and needed a hand. Murphy and Catherine were a part of “The Group,” and so was one other girl aside from Alice herself. They were the ones who Maria took the time to truly help. Most of these other women were just people who dropped out of school because they didn't want to study, or because they were too dumb to make it, but it had been there choice to leave their schooling behind. They were given no sympathy for their own actions.

These women all ignored Alice. They only tolerated her because Maria refused to fire her.

She ignored them in turn. What did she care about these people? There were more important things on the line! Like her future, for one.

Unlike most of these women, who would probably work at clubs like this for the rest of their lives, Alice aspired to make something of herself. She didn't want to be stuck being hit on by horny men who were so drunk most of their inhibitions were gone for the rest of her life. Some women might want that kind of life for themselves, but Alice didn't. She wanted to rise above her lot in life, if only so she wouldn't have to worry about whether or not she had enough money to last her into next week.

While many of the girls she worked with just ignored her as they entered, one decided not to.

“Alice, dear, how are you doing?”

If Maria was the epitome of compassion and intellence, then Jannice Malence was the embodiment of stupidity and maliciousness. She liked to act kind and caring, and any man would probably be fooled by the act, especially when she looked at them with those alluring green eyes and full, pouty lips, but most guys also thought with something other than their head. Any female who met her would be able to spot Jannice's ugly side from miles away.

It probably helped that she didn't even try to hide that side when there were only members of the same sex with her.

“How's your mother? Oh, sorry.” Jannice's look of faux surprise didn't fool Alice at all. “You probably haven't seen her around for awhile, have you? But don't worry. I think I saw her sucking some guy off over at Q's,” she added.

“Jannice.” Alice returned the smile Jannice gave her with one of her own. “Still trying to lay―sorry, I mean, play the field? You'll never find an rich man to marry that way. You know, if you don't hurry up and make yourself a little more presentable, you'll never get married. And considering your age, if you don’t find someone soon, you’ll be too old for any guy to want you.”

A vein twitched on Jannice's forehead. “Still as rude as ever I see.”

“And you're still the same cunt I remember when I was little.”

Jannice actually used to be a friend of Alice's mom before they had a falling out. She would always see them together, and sometimes, Jannice would spend the night at the apartment. That was five years ago. Alice didn't know what happened, and to be honest, she didn't really care. She and Jannice had never gotten along before, and they probably never would.

“Hmph!” Jannice huffed, crossing her arms under her chest, which lifted up her large and obviously fake breasts. “I still don't understand why Maria let someone like you work here. You don't attract any customers, you're not that pretty, and you have no sex appeal. Really, you're just a waste of time and money.”

“At least I didn't have to pay for my looks and sex appeal,” Alice said, glaring at the two ginormous blobs hanging from Jannice's chest.

“How dare you!” Jannice glared. “I'll have you know that these are all natural.”

As the woman began shamelessly groping herself, Alice rolled her eyes. “Right, because you've always had those. You do know that I still remember when you used to come over to my apartment several years back. Those things weren't even half as big as they are now.”

“I've grown.”

What an obvious lie, Alice thought in disgust. Jannice had been a grown woman when she and Alice met for the first time. She'd done all her growing long before they even met. It simply wasn't possible for her to “grow” like that after she'd already gone through puberty.

Besides that, Alice could actually see the implants moving when Jannice groped them like that.

“There you are, Jannice.” Before another argument could break out, one which might end up with something important smashed and broken, Maria came into the room. “Hurry up and get dressed. We've already got some customers for you.”

“Of course.” Jannice smiled a patently fake smile. “I'll be right out.” She tossed one last glare at Alice, then hurried over to the lockers.

Maria gave Alice an apologetic smile, and then left to attend the bar.

Alice just sighed and returned to her homework. Jannice's presence pissed her off, but at least the bitch served to fuel her desire to become something more than just a girl with no future.

She didn't want to end up like that run-down old hag.

~The Archangel Michael~

Michael wondered if anyone else had ever been in his position. Probably not. He would have heard about it if God stripped any other angel of their powers and banished them to earth. It would have been the talk of Heaven!

Were they talking about him up there in Heaven? Probably. Gabriel wouldn't miss this opportunity to gloat about how she'd gotten him kicked out. He and her had never really gotten along for some reason, though he couldn't understand why.

Walking down one of the many streets, buildings of all shapes, sizes, and colors on either side, Michael thought about his current situation.

Alice had kicked him out of the house, claiming that she didn't want him inside when she wasn't there to watch him. He didn't understand why, but then, he also didn't understand many of the things that Alice did.

Everyone he passed gave him a wide birth and odd stares. He couldn't help but find himself curious. People had stared at him in the grocery store, too, but he'd just thought they were looking at him and Alice, maybe wondering what they were doing. Now it seemed the stares had nothing to do with Alice, but with him, and he could feel his curiosity growing.

Did he have something on his face? Was his toga dirty? Well, obviously his toga was a little dirty. He hadn't had a chance to wash it yet, and he couldn't find any streams or rivers to wash it in. He would have used the large body of water to his right, but from the smell of salt on the wind, he could tell that was a bad idea.

Ah, well. Best not think about it. He should just ignore them, pretend these people and their queer looks didn't exist.

That was a lot harder than he thought it'd be, but he managed by focusing on other things.
Such as his punishment.

Michael still had no idea how to repent for peeping on Gabriel and the other female angels. Although, he guessed that sniffing Alice's panties probably hadn't been a good idea. That act likely set him back on his road to redemption. But what else had he been supposed to do? They had been right there!

He sighed, guessing that whatever lesson God wanted to teach him hadn't been learned yet.

And just what did God want to teach him anyway? That peeping was wrong? That didn't seem like the kind of lesson he could learn while living on earth as a human. Then again, God often worked in mysterious ways.

There was a reason Michael never tried to question God's decisions. Doing so would likely lead to insanity.

As he continued walking, the sounds of water washing against the shore became overpowered by the sounds of... music? Well, he thought it was music, at least. It had a beat and a rhythm, though it sounded nothing like the music he'd listened to up in Heaven. This music was loud and rambunctious and energetic, with strange beats and even stranger tones, none of which sounded like they came from any instrument he'd ever heard. It was nothing at all like Sandalphon's melodious songs.

Ah. Sandalphon. Now there was an angel who could play the harp like nobody's business.

Turning his head, he searched out the source of the music. It wasn't very hard. He soon found the place, a three-story building made from a combination of brick and wood, with tinted windows, and a large sign sitting over the door that read “Distractions.” His desire to know more about this unusual place with the odd music getting the better of him, Michael found himself walking inside.

Low, warm lightning made it difficult to see around the place’s interior, at least until his eyes began to adjust. Standing in the doorway, blinking several times, he eventually managed to see what this place was all about.

Booths lined much of the wall. Red cushioned benches surrounding rectangular tables with rounded edges. Each one had a lamp hanging down the center of the table, providing patrons with their own, individual light. Over in the back stood some kind of long table with several stools, and behind that, Michael could make out a number of bottles with strange names like Jack Daniel's and Crown Royal and Desorono. To his immediate left sat a stage of some kind, one that had really funky looking contraptions he'd never seen on it. The center of the room remained empty, just a large space of polished black tiles.

He walked further into the room, still looking around. One of several women there paused upon seeing him. She looked him up and down, as though judging his appearance, and then walked over.

“Can I help you, sir?”

Sir? Confused, Michael studied the woman before him. Short brown hair, dark brown eyes. Her skin, several shades darker than Alice's, looked healthy and complimented her outfit. And what an outfit it was. He'd never seen clothing that showed so much skin. Even Alice's hip-hugging shorts and belly showing halter tops looked more modest than what this female wore. Were those things even clothing? They looked more like underwear.

The woman before him had on what could only be described as frilly pink panties and a bra. Oh sure, the panties came with a skirt, but it didn't really seem to do anything. Weren't skirts supposed to at least cover a woman's privates?

And just why was he complaining?

He took another long look at her, starting from her feet, clad in only a pair of pink heels, and then traveling to stare shamelessly at her legs. Her hips held a womanly curve to them, he noted, and she had a tight butt. It reminded him of some of the female angels under his command. This woman obviously spent a lot of time doing squats.

Michael looked further up to see the expanse of her flat, taut belly. She definitely worked out. You don't get a stomach like hers without putting in some training. She didn't have the whole six-pack that some of the woman and most of the men under his command had, but he could see the outline of her muscles, just barely visible underneath the layer of skin.

Her boobs were also nice. They were of a decent size, enough to fit in his hand and still have plenty more to grab. They were also round and sat proudly on her chest. He could see a good deal of them. That bra thingy of hers barely covered them, just a pair of triangles that hid her nipples and nothing else.

Gabriel would have been appalled by this woman's clothing, or lack thereof.
“Sir?”

“I'm sorry.” Michael shook his head. He then looked at her face, which appeared almost disinterested. Huh. Most women would have been angry at him for staring. “I got distracted, Ms...” he saw her nametag. “Rachel. My apologies.”

Rachel raised an eyebrow. “It's fine. So, would you like to take a seat at the bar or at a booth?”

Michael didn't know what a bar or a booth was, but decided to simply take the first option. “The bar, please.”

“Right this way.”

The woman named Rachel led Michael to the back of the room, over to a large counter with stools. She bade him to sit down. She then left after telling him to wait there and that someone would come by to take his order. Michael didn't have anything better to do, so he decided to just sit there as he'd been told.

Placing his forearms on the counter, he leaned forward, allowing himself to relax. The past day or so had been hectic, what with the getting his powers stripped, falling to earth, meeting Alice, and getting hit by said girl. He could use a break.

“What's with the strange getup?”

Michael looked up to see an older woman gazing at him from behind the table. She sort of reminded him of Gabriel, with her blond hair, blue eyes, and large chest. Most of the similarities ended there, however, as this woman had tanner skin than Gabriel, and her eyes held a kindness that his second in command's lacked.

He then frowned as his mind caught up to her words. “What's wrong with my outfit?”

He knew that Toga's were a little outdated. Rafael had often told him that he should go for the more modern look, but they suited him just fine. Toga's were easy to put on, didn't require much effort to maintain, and the fabric was durable enough to withstand the rigors of combat. What more could he need in clothing?

“Nothing, if you're from ancient Greece.” The woman chuckled. Michael felt like pouting. “So what can I get you?”

“Get me?” Michael felt stumped. She wanted to get him something?

A small drop of sweat trickled down the side of the woman's face. Why was she staring at him like that? And why did he feel like he'd just said something stupid?

“You know, like something to drink? We've got water, soda, wine, beer, though if you want any of the good stuff, you'll be better off waiting till happy hour.”

Soda? Beer? Happy hour? What in the name of the Almighty Creator was this woman talking about?

“Um, water is fine, I guess.”

He didn't know people could drink water. Well, he'd drunk water before, but that had been because Gabriel had shoved his head under the water at the hot springs, and he'd been forced to inhale some. Not a pleasant experience.

“Alright.” The woman, still looking at him as though he were an oddity, pulled a glass from somewhere, set it down, and then pulled out some weird device from which water poured into the glass. “Here you go. Whenever you're ready to take your order, just let me know.”

“Okay, um, Maria. Thank you.”

The woman gave him one last strange look before turning away.

Michael frowned as he stared at the glass of clear liquid. Were people really supposed to drink this? Well, he supposed they could. Water didn't hurt or anything, unless it was scalding hot, but this didn't have any steam rising from the surface, so it should be safe.

He lifted the glass to his mouth and took a sip. Frowning, he swished it around a bit before swallowing. It tasted... bland? No. That wasn't the right word. It did have a slightly metallic taste, but it was nothing to write to Heaven about.

Taking another sip of water, because he already had the cup and it would be a waste not to drink it, Michael looked around the room again. There were only a few people that he could see, most of them were those girls dressed in underwear, but there were at least a handful of guys sitting at a booth. A little ways away, Michael could also see someone walking down a set of stairs.

He wondered what Alice was doing. She had been in a rather big hurry to leave. And she had been in an even bigger hurry to make him leave. Did that mean she had somewhere important to go? Maybe she had some kind of meeting that she needed to attend?

“Hello there, handsome,” a voice spoke in his hear. “Can I get you something? Perhaps an appetizer?”

He looked over his shoulder to find another woman standing beside him. This one was also pretty, though she looked a bit older than the others. He really had no talent at judging age, but he could tell from the small lines around her eyes and mouth, which she had tried to cover up with what appeared to be powder, that her body was a good bit older than the other two women he'd met. Or maybe she just aged less gracefully.

Michael supposed that was the good thing about being an angel. You don't age one bit. Even Michael, after serving God for thousands of years, looked no different now than he did when he'd been first created.

“Appetizers?” Michael didn't want to ask because he was sure she would think he was some kind of idiot, but he did anyways. “What are appetizers?”

Fortunately for him, the woman seemed to misconstrue his words, because rather than tell him what an appetizer was, she told him what appetizers they had. “We've got lots of stuff. French fries, onion rings, buffalo wings, cocktail meatballs, jalapeno poppers, and fried mozzarella cheese sticks.”

Michael didn't know what any of those things she listed off were, but he had to admit they all sounded good. So, now the question became which of those appetizers should he have?

“Um, I guess I'll have the, uh...” Oh, boy. What a hard choice? Maybe he should ask her for a picture of each item and determine which among them looked the best? No, that would take too long. He should just choose something at random. “Onion rings.”

“Alright.” The woman wrote his order down on a sheet of paper, smiled at him, and slid the paper between her breasts. “I'll have your order right up,” she said, tossing him a quick wink before flouncing away.

Michael watched the woman for a moment, but when he noticed that her backside didn't look half as nice as her front, he quickly turned back to his drink, shuddering. He wondered how it was possible for a woman with such a nice looking chest to have flabby, saggy cheeks like that. They weren't the least bit firm.

That woman must be older than he thought.

“Michael? What the hell are you doing here?”

A familiar voice sounded out in surprise. Michael lifted his head to look at the person calling him, a smile already on his face. That same smile soon dropped, along with his jaw, when he saw what she was wearing.

Alice, much like the other girls, had taken to wearing something that he didn't think she'd ever be caught dead in. It wasn't what he had taken to thinking of as the “bra and panties combo,” but it could most definitely be considered risque.

She wore a strange one-piece suit. It was black, and it covered her entire torso and her crotch, but nothing else. Two shoulder straps held it to her body, and the entire article wrapped around her body like a second layer of skin. He could see cutouts on the left and right sides of her torso, exposing her pale flesh and making him think some of her back was exposed. The outfit ended by going down into a V at her hips and covering her lower body like, well, like panties.

She also had a small mini-skirt covering some of her, but considering how short it was, she might as well not wear it.

Looking down, Michael saw that she had a pair of black heels on. He'd seen some female angels wearing those on occasion. He wondered why would wear something like that. They looked uncomfortable. Although, he did have to admit they made her feet look cute.

His gaze traveled past her feet and up her bare leg. He really did have to admire this girl’s legs. They were a little thin, but they were still nice. Her calves had a wonderful shape to them, elegantly curved and very delicate in appearance. She had supple muscles in her thighs that he could see flexing as she moved. They weren't big and muscly like some of the angels he knew. Even Gabriel had some powerful looking thighs. No, while these had tone and definition, they were also dainty and exquisite, which suited her milky complexion perfectly.

Her hips were next. Michael had once remembered hearing about how large hips were perfect for bearing children. Alice's hips were small, much like the rest of her. Yet they seemed to match her figure. Her hips held a delicate curve and tapered off into a narrow waist, flat and taut and smooth. He didn't think she exercised, because he couldn't see any muscles, but her stomach still lacked any substantial fat or flab that he'd seen on some girls.

And then he found her chest. They were small, just like he expected them to be. Michael knew from experience that her boobs were small enough that he could cup them in his hands and still have plenty of room left over. Yet even though they were tiny, especially compared to some of the other women around him, he found himself admiring them all the same.

Michael was an equal opportunist. He believed in giving all boobs equal opportunity.

He was also drooling.

Which would probably explain why he didn't notice the danger until it was too late.

“Stop staring at my chest!”

“Orphamiel!!”

It would also explain why, less than a second later, he found his face planting itself into the counter hard enough to crack it.

“Ouch...”

Michael grabbed the back of his head and pulled his face off the counter. There was a loud peeling sound, sort of like when someone peeled duct tape off a hard surface. When his face no longer found itself planted into hard wood, he sent Alice a small frown.

“What was that for?” he asked.

“As if you didn't know,” Alice said, her voice snapping at him. “You were staring at me.” Michael would have liked to deny that, but he couldn’t lie. “And just what are you doing here anyway? Did you follow me?”

“Follow you? I didn't even know where you had gone off to.”

Alice crossed her arms under her chest. “For some reason, I don't believe you.”

“But I'm telling the truth!”

“Yeah, right. And I'm Satan in disguise.”

“You are?” Michael looked at her more closely. “No way. You can't possibly be Satan. I doubt he'd disguise himself as a girl for one thing, and you're way too nice to be him. Besides, if Satan were to dress up like a girl, I'm pretty sure he would have made his boobs bigger, you know, for added sex appeal.”

Alice twitched. “Are you calling me flat?!”

“Hamon!”

Michael found his face getting smashed into the counter for the second in two minutes.

Just as Michael pulled his face out of the ever growing dent, the blond woman with the big breasts and saggy butt walked over to them with a plate in her hand. He didn't know what it had on it, but it sure smelled good.

“Why are you disturbing my customer, Alice?” asked the woman, her eyes narrowed.

“You're customer?” Alice twitched. “You mean to tell me that you're actually serving this perverted idiot?”

“Of course I am.” The woman looked affronted, as if the very thought that she wouldn't serve him were some kind of sin.

Alice just rubbed her forehead and sighed. “Jannice, you're an idiot.”

“What was that?!”

“You heard me!”

Michael watched, intrigued as Alice butted heads with this woman called Jannice. The young woman kind enough to give him a place to live was literally shoving her forehead against the other woman's, who pushed back with equal fervor. Her teeth were grit, lips peeled back into a snarl. And was it just him, or were there actual bolts of lightning passing between the two?

“What are you two doing?”

Alice and Jannice froze when the sound of Maria's voice reached their ears. They both turned their heads, the motion almost mechanical in nature, to the woman standing behind the bar, hands on her hips and a frown on her face.

“Well?”

“Uh, we were just, erm, uh...” Alice didn't seem to know what to say. Her eyes were wide and her mouth appeared incapable of forming coherent sentences. At least she did better than Jannice, who merely stood there, her face ghostly pale.

“They were fighting,” Michael supplied helpfully.

“I see.”

“You're not helping here, Michael!”

Hearing Alice call Michael by his name brought Maria up short and caused Jannice to snap out of her stupor.

“Alice,” Maria said slowly, “do you know this man?”

Alice froze. Michael, seeing as the girl didn't appear capable of speaking anymore, decided to help the girl out once again by providing Maria with the information she wanted.

Wasn't he nice?

“Of course she does. I live with her, after all.”

“You two are living together?!”

“Alice, why are you living with this man?”

The words came from two different voices. The first belonged to Jannice, who looked angry, shocked, and oddly enough, resigned. The second, belonging to Maria, just sounded shocked.

“Urk!” That was Alice. “W-well,” the girl stuttered. Her eyes flickered about, as if seeking aid from an unknown source. Upon finding no aid to speak of, she glared at Michael before her shoulders slumped. “It's not a permanent arrangement,” she muttered dejectedly. “I'm just helping him out.”

Michael nodded and smiled. “She's been a really big help to me. I don't know what I'd do if she hadn't let me stay at her place.” He might have even died, which actually begged a question. Could he die? His power was stripped from him, and he was technically human now. Did that mean he might actually be able to die? Now there was a scary thought.

“I-I see,” Maria said, sighing. “So, you're just helping him out.” She recovered from whatever shock she must have been feeling. Michael could only tell that something was bothering her by her posture. The woman looked at Alice, frowning just a bit. “You're more or less an adult, and more than capable of making your own decisions, so I won't say anything about your living arrangements. However,” she added, her frown looking more stern by the second, “I will tell you both to be careful, and if you two plan on getting up to anything, please use protection.”

Michael, as usual, didn't have a single clue as to what she was talking about. Getting up to anything? Protection? What did they need protection from? And what could they get up to together?

He could actually think of a few things for that last one, but seeing how relationships between angels and humans were forbidden, he didn't think that would be a good idea.

He also didn't want to get hit in the head again. Her fists really hurt.

“It isn't like that!” Alice exploded. Michael turned his attention to the youngest woman there. Alice's face had gone red, her cheeks, her nose, her forehead, even her chin had turned a vibrant and lovely shade of pure crimson. She looked almost luminescent.

Naturally, Maria didn't listen to her. “Since you're a friend of Alice's, you can stay here until she gets off, if you want,” she said to Michael.

“Thank you.”

“Why aren't any of you listening to me?!”

“Tch! I can't believe such a gorgeous hunk of a man has been taken by you of all people.”

“Shut up, Jannice!”

As the two women began fighting again, Michael could only smile. “They're such good friends aren't they?”

Maira looked at him like he was crazy. “You and I have a very different definition of friends.”