It's not that Sarah didn't want to end up in a gay bar called Packagé, but she definitely wasn't expecting it. Her brother had promised a quiet night with their normal group of ragtag friends that started well-intentioned but quickly made a left turn. It was her fault, really. When had there ever been a time when something didn't go terribly wrong? Like the Christmas they had all decided to spend together when money was too tight to go home and ended in a screaming match between Spot and Davey about different theologies, Crutchie almost giving himself alcohol poisoning, and Specs losing a shoe. Or when Les came out to visit and Boots nearly got him arrested for stealing ice cream? And that time in the park, with those crazy pigeons… So all in all, Sarah should've seen this coming. This plan, of the ones they had had in the past, was not the most illegal (but still partially, sneaking Romeo into bars was a favorite pastime), so she really didn't mind.
The smell was a different story. Unsurprisingly, Packagé was mostly occupied by men, shoved into a crowded room full of people dancing and sweating. It didn't help that it was New Year's Eve, so there was that lingering scent of "I just barfed up my long island iced tea and we're all dancing in it!" Sarah was trying to keep her calm demeanor, but she just wasn't drunk enough to be having a good time. There was a glass of Riesling sitting idly by as she watched the rest of the crowd lose their mind in that special holiday madness. The wine was fine, but she wished she wasn't such a lightweight so she could drink something fun- like the girl sitting four seats down, twirling a hot pink straw in a slush that practically glowed green. Sarah didn't recognize the drink but she could smell the artificial apple from here, and that told her everything she needed to know. It was probably better than the wine they swore wasn't boxed but had to pour from a spout, under the counter. She was a lot of things, and a smart connoisseur of cheap wines was one of them.
Glaring at the fun swirly straw and cursing her genetics for giving her such terrible Asian flush, Sarah felt someone slap her back. Hard. "JACOBS!" The voice yelled, and she turned to look a very drunk and very excited Romeo in the eyes. The poor baby had only started drinking his sophomore year, so he still got wasted pretty fast. However, he was a fun drinker and usually was the one Sarah trusted the most to dance with her and just have a good time. "Sarah! Sarah, Sarah. They's is playin' my song! Doya hear?" Smiling, she listened intently for his sake to everyone sing along to Mo Bamba for about a minute. Romeo cackled. "I love this song! So good. I got HOEE-"
Sarah clapped a hand around his mouth to save him from disastrous embarrassment and got him to sit on a stool and listen to the rest of the song. He hummed happily as she covered up her laughter with a drink. The girl with the fun drink laughed openly, but not in a mean way. The laughter sounded like bells, chiming and grabbing everyone's attention. Well, everyone who could hear her. Which meant Sarah and Romeo. A very confused and now a little bit angry, drunk Romeo. "Isshe laughin' at me? That goil," He pointed directly at her, "laughin' at me? Why I outta…"
Jumping on him at the last second, Sarah saved the girl from Romeo's tiny wrath. She pulled him into the crowd (the things she'd do to save these boys from public assault records) and yelled, "Can't do that! Let's dance, Romy!" His mood immediately switched back, and Sarah found herself lost in a sea of sweaty bodies and the pulsing beat of Barbie Girl.
&&&
Katherine hadn't meant to laugh at the boy, but the situation was just entirely too ridiculous. She was dragged to a club with a name that would make any respectable human blush by Racetrack Higgins (of all people!) who was meeting his friend that provided certain... resources that they both were taking full advantage of, considering they were both taking bumps off the side of a table. The realization that this wasn't just a normal bar, but a gay one, made Katherine stomp to the bartop and order something called a Sour Apple Smash. When the bartender handed her a glass with a swirly straw, she had to physically hold herself back from groaning aloud. This New Years Eve was shaping up to be a disaster.
A disaster until she noticed the quiet girl sitting a couple seats down staring very obviously at her. She had a glass of wine next to her (They had wine? And Katherine was stuck with a blended glass of sugar?) and was doodling on a napkin in between bouts of ogling Katherine. First, it was a little strange, but then Katherine realized that she wasn't all that bad looking. In fact, her sharp features, angular eyes that caught the glint of the light, lips with a perfect cupid's bow, straight brown hair falling perfectly to one side, made her one of the prettiest girls she had ever seen. Now Katherine was staring, trying desperately to catch her eye.
Begrudgingly, she thanked Race in her head that they were at a gay bar because that gave the assumption that she had even a glimmer of a chance. If anything, she wouldn't get punched for flirting. Thinking of conversation starters, ("Come here often?" "Why do they play this song? No one likes Sheck Wes anyways." "What do I have to do to buy the prettiest girl in the bar a drink?" "So you like red wine, huh?") Katherine lazily twirled her straw and ignored the burning stare she was receiving.
After finally deciding, ("I'll bet you ten bucks that wine is boxed and they just won't admit it.") she took a deep breath and faced the girl, just to get completely cut off. "JACOBS!" A small boy yelled, slapping her on her back. Katherine winced and turned quickly back to her drink, acting as if nothing had happened. Their conversation went on for a bit and the girl got the boy to sit down. As he hummed, Katherine laughed, once, to herself. First, her friend takes her to a bar in the middle of wherever, then she gets a drink that she does not want to finish, and lastly she can't even flirt with the most beautiful woman she's ever seen. Wonderful.
The boy takes this the wrong way, however. She watches, almost in slow motion, as he lunges for her and the girl leaps on top of him. My hero, Katherine thought dreamily, not even hearing the girl scold him while pulling him onto the dance floor. For a second, she's disappointed again that she's been left alone, but then her gaze locked on a phone. Specifically, the girl's phone and Katherine almost laughs in glee. She wanted Katherine to follow her! She wanted to be found later!
As she reaches out to grab the phone, another boy blocks her entirely. This time, she does groan, head in hands, the whole shebang. It's a pair of boys this time, one sitting directly where she sat and the other beside him. Boy number one picks up her glass, wrinkling his nose in distaste. "Wine? Sarah? Are we sure?" Sarah. What a pretty name. "This is totally her phone though, so…" He looked around and Katherine got a better look at his face. His face was similar to hers, sharing the same cheekbones and nose shape. The hair was almost a dead giveaway that they were siblings, however. She almost didn't hear him ask, "Have you seen my sister?"
Blinking in surprise, she just pointed in the direction she had disappeared in. "That way," she squeaked. "with a boy. Short, backward hat?"
Both boys made eye contact and nodded. "Romeo." They said in unison, and the brother got up to get swallowed in the crowd. The other boy was left to make awkward eye contact with Katherine, nodding his head hello. "That's… quite a drink you have there." He said, almost sounding impressed.
She leaned closer to him. "It's gross," under her breath, "I'd honestly rather have the wine." The boy laughed, full and broad with his head tipped all the way back. Katherine stuck her hand out. "I'm Kath."
"Jack," the boy offered his hand. "Do you know Sarah?"
She awkwardly shook her head. "I'd sure like to, though. Do you know her?"
"She's my boyfriend's sister. That was him just now, he likes to keep tabs on everyone when we go out. Davey." Jack explained, voice raising over the loud music. "Are you here with anyone?"
Katherine pointed in the general direction of Race and his 'friend.' "Race? He's over there somewhere with a friend. But he's like a brother to me."
Jack quirked an eyebrow. "So… you don't have a New Years kiss?"
Right as he said that sentence, the countdown from a minute began spreading through the bar. "Expert timing, Jack." Katherine laughed. Jack did a silly bow, his hat almost falling off of his head. When he straightened back up, he looked around one more time.
"Can you promise not to move for the next, thirty seconds?" Jack yelled, the volume getting steadily louder. Katherine nodded, confused but not exactly scared of this boy. He seemed harmless enough, albeit goofy. Jack dashed into the crowd and Katherine was left to her own devices for the third time that night.
&&&
She had lost Romeo within thirty seconds of going on the dance floor, so Sarah decided to head for the bathroom instead. The line wasn't very long, thankfully, so she was in and out just in time for the whole bar to start counting down. 48, 47, 46, pounded in her ears as she tried to squeeze past people to head back to her seat when Jack's arm reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Jack?" She yelled, bewildered. Shouldn't he be with her brother somewhere, getting ready to ring in the new year?
"Follow me!" He yelled, glee evident in his voice. Inwardly, she groaned. That was the voice he used when planning something that didn't often turn out well. Sarah was pulled all the way back to her seat, where the girl with the fun drink was sitting with a small smile on her face. 10, 9, 8, "She's a lesbian!" and with a shout, Jack disappeared into the crowd.
Sarah blushed and held out her hand. "I'm Sarah," she offered.
Katherine took her hand and pulled her in. "Katherine," she murmured, before kissing Sarah as everyone else cheered for the new year.
She tasted like artificial apples and the beginning of something new.