Chapter 2 Two

"Hey babe, let's go to the bar tonight." Clara said when she got to Loretta's desk. Loretta raised her head when she heard her friend's voice. " It's not the weekend." She replied. Clara rolled her eyes," Don't be a sour puss, one can go to the bar any day. It doesn't have on Friday." She replied. Loretta was an old soul in a young body. "You have to go without me. I have a lot to do." she whined. " So, do I, I just need to hit the club tonight. Please go with me." Clara pleaded with a puppy dog face.

When she saw that Loretta wasn't going to budge, she." What case are you even working on?" " I have a..." Loretta trailed off. It was a secret investigation, moreover she wanted to prove that she could do it. " What?" She attempted to peep over the counter. " Nothing." Loretta shut the file on her desk. " Award winner of the year. It won't kill you. Just with me. You don't have to drink, I promise." Clara said with a pout. Loretta groaned," Don't you have other friends?" " No, you are the only one that I have. My friend since forever." Loretta laughed," Is this supposed to convince me? You look ridiculous" She said. Clara gasped, "No way! I know I look good. Have you seen this?" She twirled around, sticking her ass out. " I only see someone who is full of herself." Loretta replied to knock her friend's ego down a notch. She was beautiful by all standards. " I know a hater when I see one." Clara waved her off, "Is that a yes?" " I'll think about it." " Meet me at 'Desires' at 7pm." " I have not agreed to this." Loretta protested. " I love you too, muah." Clara called as she returned to her office. Loretta shook her head, Clara was a handful. There was a lot that they could do, and this wasn't one of them. She returned her focus on the file in front of her. The Murder of Mr. Shawn. She went through the statement, and a name caught her attention. The Desires Bar. It was highlighted. Desires Bar? The same one that Clara told them to go to tonight. She was so down about it. " I'll meet you after work." She texted Clara. Her reply came almost immediately, and she could almost imagine her grinning. Luckily, she didn't ask why she changed her mind... " I am the most persuasive person. It's no wonder how I manage to get information." She replied. Loretta rolled her eyes, if it wasn't for her agenda, she would be in her house sleeping and sipping a drink. That was what she planned to do when she got home. At seven p.m, Loretta arrived at the bar. A bouncer opened the door for her as expected since it was a private bar. She scanned the area. It was not too crowded. Music blared from the speakers. It had a posh feel. People were sipping on their drinks. Clara waved when she noticed her presence. She walked toward her direction. She was in a secluded area with two of her friends. Trust Clara to bring the world out when she is going to have drinks. Didn't she say it was going to be only the both of them? " Hey, girls." Loretta greeted with a cheerful tone when she reached the table. She exchanged a kiss on the cheek with each of the girls. Amy and Ava smiled in return. " Hey, darer. I think you missed me." Clara replied with a slurred tone. Loretta trained her gaze on her, "You are drunk. When did you get here?" She asked as they made space for her to sit on the sofa. Clara shook her head, trying to remember the time she got here. " An hour ago or so. I'm fine, just a little tipsy. I can still walk perfectly in heels." " Right." She replied, and the other two girls laughed. " She dragged our asses out here." " So, what are we celebrating?" Loretta inquired. " Life, love, happiness." Clara replied with a haziness. " Gosh, you are such a mess. You need to go home." Loretta suggested. " No way, I called for the meeting, my only mistake was drinking before you girl an arrived." Clara refused. " Okay, I'll leave you alone." Loretta said and turned to the other girls, they chatted about everything that had been going on. " You abandoned us." Amy said, after the conversation. " Of course not, I would never. I've just been busy with -" " Work, we know. We are the jobless bunch." Ava replied with a teasing smile. " You should know that it's absolutely not what you think. You know that, right?" She asked. " Yeah, we are just kidding. Aren't you going to drink anything?" Ava asked in curiosity. " No, one of us has to be sober to take - her home" She nodded at Clara whose eyes were closing. " True." They chorused. By the time, she turned, Clara had collapsed, and Loretta retreated. ******* " Oh my world! I feel so drained." Clara complained the next morning when Loretta went to see her in her office. " You didn't complain when you were chugging down that bottle of beer last night." " Well, I enjoyed every it of the night, didn't you?" Clara asked. " No, I am well, sane and not having a hangover." Loretta replied as she handed over a sachet of Tylenol to Clara. "You are lucky the boss is not in. What excuse do you have for this tardiness?" She asked. The unopened files showed that she had not done anything. " Stop yelling at me." " Are you kidding me right now? You better pick up before the boss arrives." " Why are you here?" Clara inquired. Loretta rarely left her workstation for another, except it was an official assignment. In fact, she worked immediately she arrived at the office. " I am a good friend, obviously. I came to check up on a friend who refused to know her alcohol limit, and made a fool of herself last night." Loretta laughed. " You don't mean that." " I do, and I would like to say I told you so." She said, smirking evilly. " Rub it in my face, why don't you?" Clara said, bowing her head dejectedly. Loretta smiled," I got it on camera." Clara's head shot up faster than a bolt of lightning. " No, way." She gasped when Loretta showed her the video of herself dancing with a bottle and muttering gibberish."What's wrong?" Clara asked as Loretta walked back into the lounge with an angry expression, Loretta slumped on the sofa and dropped her book and pen on the table.