AN: To say again, this is a *trigger* fic. Drugged rape happens everyday, and it is not a subject to be taken lightly or used as a flippant literary theme. I want to address the issue in this fic, using relatable characters that people ( I assume) are fond of. PLEASE be mindful and aware of your surroundings when you are out partying or clubbing. -AR
Jade hopped off the bus with her group of classmates, looking apprehensively about. They'd taken the shuttle from campus into downtown to walk the streets, and hit a few clubs. Growing up in a more rural part of the country, she was still a bit dazzled every time she made a trip into busy downtown Houston. Keeping close to the group, the majority being natives of Houston, they made their way downtown. After a few hours of window shopping, the sun finally dipped past the horizon and clubs began to open. They picked a club that the group had frequented many times before, and flashed their ID's. Jade fumbled a bit with her bag as she showed her ID as well, before walking through the doors into the noisy room. She looked up as soon as she put away her card and glanced about, stilling in the doorway for a moment as she got her bearings of the place.
Dave stirred his drink. He'd been a regular at this club for who knows how long, living just around the corner and up a few floors with his Bro; so naturally this was like an in-house bar. His Bro had brought him here well before the drinking age to put his attendance in perspective. On nights off, his Bro lounged here, but seeing as he worked most of the week and traveled, Dave had the two-room apartment to himself for most of the time. This had been a regular pattern since he'd hit high school. Now in college, he was able to commute effectively from his home to school, so he felt no need to move out and spend the extra cash living in the dorms. Not that he'd want to be in the dorms with the rest of the freshmeat anyways. He was sociable, but he had his living standards. Plus, he doubted his sword collection would be permitted across the threshold of the building. As he took a shot, he saw more people enter the club, college kids like himself, and regulars to the club. One from their party seemed to linger behind a bit, standing in the entryway as she looked about the place, brushing a strand of dark hair over her shoulder. A newbie, he guessed from her apprehensive glance. She had a cute face, not pasted with makeup like the usual clubbers were masked with. Her outfit reflected her "non-clubbing" vibe as well, though did not scream sheltered and celibate. She looked a little naïve as well, probably a rural or suburb girl, transferred to a big city for school. He gulped down the rest of his drink and slid it to the bartender, who now was more like and uncle to him, before sauntering off towards the dance floor.
Slowly, she made her way through the crowded room, following one of her classmates to the bar. She ordered a mango margarita and sat with her, drinking and taking in the clubbing scene. After a couple of sips, the two went out on the floor and danced a bit. Jade had fun for the most part, she always like getting a bit rambunctious, but kept bumping into people. After getting jostled about a bit too many times, she retired to the bar again. She didn't really talk to anyone beside her classmates, who periodically came up to check on her and encourage her to come back and dance, as well as get a few more drinks. After a few more attempts at dancing for duration of a few songs, she decided she was done. It was getting more and more claustrophobic as people drank more and more, and crowded onto the floor.
Dancing wasn't his best skill, but he didn't suck at it. Living up to his name he could stride, more or less. He thought dancing was similar to fighting (in a way.)Two parties, each making moves against each other while at the same time becoming a single unit. He translated it in his own way. Dave ran into a lot of his "family friends", aka frequenters to the club. He chatted here and there, got hit on, drank a few shots… it was the usual Friday night for him. The only thing that wasn't in his norm was the occasional glance to identify the whereabouts certain raven-haired newbie whom he couldn't shake from his head.
It was encroaching upon 1 in the morning, almost the height of the evening when Jade started to feel a bit tired. She hadn't drunk too much, just about a glass and a half of her margarita flavor of the night. She swirled her second drink around with the small stirring stick, watching the colours meld together when one of her classmates tapped her shoulder. She turned her attention towards him, removing a hand from the glass. He told her they would leave in an hour or so, as many of the students were still partying hard. She sighed, and told him she'd be here. He nodded and returned to the dance floor. Jade turned back to her glass and took another drink of it. She swirled it again and took another sip, enjoying the sweet taste of mango. She watched her peers and the other people dance, listening to the songs that played. After about a half hour, the DJ seemed to have upped the playlist to the height of the night set. She winced as she felt a bout of a headache set in.
"Ugh, great."
She muttered, her tongue felt thick and clumsy, and her speech sounded slow. Her brow furrowed and she shook her head. Rather than clear her head, this brought on more dizziness. She hadn't drunk that much, so why was she feeling this crappy? The room spun and she swooned from her stool. Someone caught her before she could drop to the floor. The smell of heavy cologne filled her nostrils before she blacked out into a hazed state.