Friends with Benefits: Party Pals Pt. 1

It was not too long after a huge snowstorm had hit the city. In addition to the bitter cold, practically the whole city was snowed inside their homes. After nearly a week, the roads finally became clear enough to use again, and Kyle and Lucy had almost gone mad from boredom. The two of them had played every video game they owned to death, and as usual, there was nothing good available to watch on any tv channel or streaming service.

"Why are we even paying for this?" Kyle lamented as he flipped through channels, desperately looking for something to alleviate their state of disinterest. Lucy sat beside him, equally as bored. At this point, she was considering sticking a fork in one of the electrical outlets, just to feel something again. Then, she suddenly got an idea.

"Hey, I know! How about we go to that new club tonight?"

"You mean The Howling Hollow? I don't know...I'm not exactly a crazy party kind of guy." Kyle said, looking at his friend with an expression of doubt. "Well, it's not too late to start! We're both still young, and we've been stuck indoors all week! One night out partying won't kill us!" Kyle was still hesitant. "I really can't handle alcohol. Remember my twenty-first birthday?"

"So you got plastered. You're not the first, and you won't be the last.That happens to just about everybody when they turn twenty-one."

"Even the part with the unicycle and waking up in my underwear and clown makeup?

"Okay, so maybe not that. But still, if you're really so scared, just don't drink while we're there. Problem solved!"

Kyle eventually relented, reluctantly agreeing to go to the club that night. A few hours later, the pair of them were standing in line to enter The Howling Hollow. When they reached the front, the bouncer looked them over. Lucy had worn tight black pants and a violet jacket, while Kyle was dressed in black jeans and his winter coat. Needless to say, together they looked kind of odd.

The bouncer, a burly male werewolf with dark sunglasses, shrugged to himself as if to say "Meh, what the hell? I've let stranger people than them in." Before stepping aside and letting them pass. Inside the club, loud music was booming from speakers in every corner, while most of the guests were on the dance floor. It was then that Kyle noticed most of the other guests were werewolves too.

Then again, with a name like the Howling Hollow, what did I expect?, he thought to himself as he and Lucy took a seat at the bar. "What'll it be?" the bartender, a young woman with paper white skin and long black hair asked. "Nothing for me." Kyle said "I'm driving." Lucy, on the other hand, was ready to go all out tonight. "I'll have a bottle of Bentley's Best, and keep them coming!" As the bartender went to retrieve her order, Kyle looked at his friend in bewilderment. "Are you crazy?! Do you know how much alcohol is in just one bottle of that stuff? How much do you even plan on drinking tonight?"

"Relax, Kyle. I can handle booze a lot better than you, especially in my werewolf form." With that, she began to shift into said form. Kyle couldn't help but notice that her clothes, while stretching to fit her now larger body, seemed to grow tighter against her as well. "Doesn't it bother you when you transform and your clothes are basically suffocating you?" He asked.

Lucy chuckled as the bartender returned with her drink, taking a swig before replying "Why? Are you hoping that they'll rip and you'll see me naked?" At this, Kyle immediately became flustered and couldn't hide him blushing at the thought. "What!? No! Why would you..!" Lucy burst out laughing. "Relax, buddy! I'm only teasing ya!" The bartender even laughed at the situation. "I take it your boyfriend is kind of the shy type?"

"Oh, he's not my boyfriend. We're just good friends and roommates."

"I see. So, is this your fist time here?"

The two of them nodded. The bartender smiled, showing her sharp, pointed teeth. "Well then, would you be interested in a little wager?" At this, Lucy's curiosity was piqued. "What kind of wager?" The bartender called across the bar to a patron in a corner booth. "Hey, Liam! Can you come here for a second?" A short man in a green suit approached the bar.

"Liam here is a leprechaun, and the best drinker this club has ever seen. He's looking for a worthy challenge, and is betting a whole pot of gold to anyone who can beat him in a drinking contest. But I should warn you, I've seen him drink centaurs under the table!"

Lucy looked at Liam, sizing him up. She knew leprechauns had a reputation for holding their liquor, but the little man was less than three feet tall! Surely, he couldn't drink that much. Plus, with a pot full of gold, She and Kyle could probably pay their rent for a whole year or more! "Alright, you're on!"

Hearing this, several club patrons stood around the table to watch. Seeing Lucy and Liam leering at each other, Kyle could hear the old theme from “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” playing in his mind.

It looked like tonight was going to be interesting.


To be continued...