The club was shitty, the music was shitty and the people were shitty. So it wasn't a surprise that Derek was in a shitty mood, too.

He didn't even know why he had agreed to come in the first place. Yes, it was Scott's stag party, but that was really the only reason. No one was able to resist his big brown puppy eyes, and as much as Derek wanted to pretend that it had no power over him he had to declare his defeat this time.

Bored Derek nipped at the beer in his hand, avoiding as much eye contact with anyone in the overfilled club as possible. Several men and women already tried to hit on him, so he had put on his most broody expression to keep them at a distance.

But it seemed that not everyone had the advantage of a murderous glance. A man was chatting to a woman a few seats down the bar. She tried to tell him off over and over again, but the guy just didn't get the hint

She looked timid and inconspicuous compared to all the other women ins skimpy dresses and skirts. She didn't do anything special with her hair, nor did she wear copious amounts of make up, just a hint to accentuate her features. Her dark blue summer dress would have been a good match for a tea party on the porch, but not for a night at a club.

She looked incredibly uncomfortable while the guy chewing her ear off invaded her personal space more and more, and eventually Derek took pity on her.
Slipping around the few people in his path he quickly made his way towards the woman, his beer still in hand, and squeezed into the space between the poor woman and the person not pestering her.

"Hey! I didn't know you were here, too!" he happily exclaimed towards miss goody-goody, his brightest smile plastered on his face. She whipped her head around towards him, and he could see the silent misery in her eyes. She surely thought that he wanted to hit on her, too.

"How long has it been since we last met? A month? Wasn't it on Joe's birthday? Sorry I was so busy lately. Who's your new friend?" Derek talked on, trying get her to play along.

Goody-goody didn't need long to realize he wanted to help her and quickly slipped into her role. "Has it already been that long? We should so something together again. Oh! This is... I'm sorry, what was your name again?" She said, turning towards the annoying guy on her other side confused.

"Uh... Adam," he said, a little taken aback from the turn of events.

"Ah, yes! Adam! He was giving me a little company up until now," goody-goody continued, turning back to Derek and giving all her attention. "How's Sue?"

"Don't know. We broke up. She left me for the girl behind the pharmacy counter. Wouldn't have worked between us anyway" Derek chatted along, babbling out what got into his mind to keep the fake-conversation flowing so the annoying guy didn't get suspicious and noticed that they actually didn't know each other.

"I'm sorry for you. And even more for not telling you that I always knew she was your masculinity doesn't need to suffer from it."

Derek nearly spitted his beer over the bar. He raised his eyebrows at the woman beside him. She had a smug and amused smile on her face. He snorted and shook his head. "Please don't tell me you had something with her, too."

"And if I did?" goody-goody said, a mysterious glint in her eyes. She cast a glance to her left, and Derek followed her eyes. The annoying guy has scrammed away as soon as their conversation has turned towards lesbians.

Goody-goody let a relieved sigh before he shoulders began to relax on her stool. "Thank you. I though I wouldn't get rid of him all evening," she said towards him, a grateful smile on her lips.

"You're welcome," Derek said, taking another sip of his beer, leaning his elbows on the bar counter. Now that he didn't have to act anymore he let his brooding expression crawl back onto his face.

An awkward silence settled between them, only filled by the terrible music blaring though the club, before Derek cleared his throat. "Um, excuse me if I ask, but what are you doing here? You don't really look like you enjoy your stay."

"It's my friends birthday and she wanted to celebrate it here, but you're right, I'm not the partying type. I'm came along just because of her," goody-goody answered, a little exasperated. "And you? You don't look as if you're enjoying yourself, either?"

"My friend is getting married tomorrow, and he's celebrating his stag party," Derek explained before he held his hand out towards her. "I'm Derek by the way."

"Jennifer," goody-goody said, taking his offered hand and shaking it, smiling.

Maybe the evening took a turn for the better, Derek thought when he returned Jennifer's smile.