MakaIt was hot in the club and the music was blaring uncomfortably loud. Liz clutched my arm with a grip that could rival Death itself.
"Come on Maka, you can't back out now!" She yelled over the booming bass as I did my best to tug out of her vice grip.
"You promised, and besides what's the worst that could happen?" Patty skipped in front of her sister, cutting through the crowd of bodies effortlessly. It probably was for the famous Thompson sisters.
"I could get alcohol poisoning, or some creep could molest me on the dancefloor!" I tried yelling over the music but my voice was drowned out by a sudden cheer as a DJ walked onto the stage, his mop of white hair standing out in the overall dim lighting. Because even though there were bright twinkly lights set up everywhere you looked in 'Chupa Cabra' it was still too dim, making my eyes hurt trying to focus on the moving bodies packing the club.
Liz kept pulling me onwards as Tsubaki trailed behind, just in case I managed to escape.
"Well you lost the bet so now you have to meet at least one guy," Patty danced around her sister and I in a lopsided circle.
"I did not lose!"
"So did," Liz sang back at me. I frowned at the back of her blonde head as we finally made it to the bar. The music stopped momentarily as the DJ began setting up his equipment, fiddling with the nobs and various other technological stuff that tended to make my head hurt. Wires were connected, giving a static feedback in the speakers spaced around the club.
"He's one of my favorites," Tsubaki pointed to the white haired man hidden behind his mountain of tech, all plugged into a slim laptop through a tangle of wires and crisscrossed cords.
"I thought that was the blue haired one," Liz said over her shoulder as the people around us began shuffling around.
"No, no, the blue one doesn't really play." Patty shook her head as I rested mine against the bar. As my so called friends began discussing DJ's and their 'roadies' (can guys that play remixes off laptops really have roadies?) or whether or not one could even be a DJ if all he did was press the button that made fart noises or screams over existing songs, the bartender stopped in front of us, her faux gold eyes shinning as she took us in. It took a moment for me to recognize her under her purple wig, but the second I did my dread doubled.
"Oh you guys got my Maka to finally leave her room! And on such a wonderful night. Eater and Black*Star are the best DJs we've managed to book," Blaire purred behind the counter as I tried to melt into the scratched, sticky wood of the bar top.
"I forgot you worked here," I groaned into the grain as music finally began filling the air. At least it was better than hearing whatever my ex-step mother had to say. Though 'work here' is a bit of an understatement as Blaire owns this place, though to be fair she's not usually behind the counter but up in the go-go cages purring and dancing around like a prisoner. As long as she's happy and doesn't try to stuff me into one of them again, I try not to judge.
"Now, now," her voice easily carried over the pounding bass as a remix of the last song flared up, causing more cheers from the dancefloor behind us. "What will my favorite little trouble makers be having tonight."
"Sex on the beach!" Patty yelled and I balked, looking at the short blonde next to me.
"Isn't it illegal to have intercourse in a public area like that?"
"It's an alcoholic beverage Maka, lighten up," Liz looked pointedly at me before ordering her own drink and one for me. I demanded a water to go with it, which caused Blaire to frown, but she complied anyway.
"So, which of these delish little morsels are you gunning for Maka?" Liz leaned against the counters with her elbows propping her up as she watched the men lining the walls and filling the dancefloor.
"Don't talk about people like they're food," I frowned at her before Blaire returned with a bright blue drink and a small (tiny really) glass of water. Before I could complain she was off to help some idiot with three white stripes running horizontal in his pitch black hair. "You know, I never agreed to this."
"Oh you agreed to it and the second you lost to Ox on your psych paper you were doomed to a night of fun and loose morals."
"We both got a hundred!" I ground my teeth at her. Doomed was right though. Elizabeth and Patricia Thompson did nothing half-planned. By the end of the night I would probably be forced to have awkward conversations with guys drooling over what little clothing I had on thanks to my friends.
"Yes but he got two plus marks on his, while you only got one," Tsubaki pointed out oh-so-kindly, her voice soft and melodic, even with the music raging around us.
"I guarantee he drew that second one himself!" I growled as I took a gulp of the cup in my hand. The searing alcohol caught me off guard as I was sure the water was closer to me. When I set the glass down I noticed the water no where to be seen and began searching frantically for my salvation as Liz held it in my face.
"You want water, you have to ask someone to dance."
"No way. I'd rather die from dehydration." I crossed my arms over my chest, glaring at my former best friend.
"Suit yourself, but it's not my fault if you grow old alone without ever having-"
"Liz, it's not polite to tease people." Tsubaki frowned at our friend, causing the girl to sigh.
"Yes mom," Liz sighed before her eyes began scanning the crowd, catching on the guy with the weird white stripes. "Now watch the master at work." Liz smiled as she began stalking towards her latest victim. I sighed, watching the way she moved so easily through the crowd. Maybe Liz was right and I should let loose. Did I really wanna die alone?
I scoffed as I began sipping on my drink, doing my best to ignore the burn in my throat and the fuzzy feeling slowly growing in my head.
Soul
"DUDE THERE ARE So many hotties here tonight!" Blake yelled in my ear through the Bluetooth device hidden beneath my hair before I could reset the volume.
"Shut up dude, you're not helping. Now just tell me which mix to play next, you know crowds better than I do." I ground my teeth together as I looked through the track list on my laptop. I'd spent weeks putting this together only to have 'the great and powerful god of everything' declared that it was trash. Mostly because it was techno-pop that the self proclaimed god couldn't stand (he's more of a heavy metal kind of dude anyway) and partially because they were all contemporary songs I ripped off a list on the 'what's what of music' webpage since most of what I listen to is jazz and way too smooth for a crowd that likes loud noises and fast tempos. Sure the remixes and smooth transition from one song to another are totally mine, but everything else is popular and over used on the radio. But that's what gets us paid.
Blake, or Black*Star as he decided his stage name should be, was an asshole, but he was good at picking music for crowds, even if he personally hated the genre, not so good at actually mixing the music himself. And he was my oldest and closest friend, although I wouldn't be caught dead admitting it out loud.
"Maybe you should play a slow song," Kidd interrupted, his voice almost two low to pick up on the earpiece as a girlish voice began picking up on his receiver. It was hard to make out, but she was definitely trying to dance with him.
"Hah, and help you out more? I don't think so." I grunted, trying to decide between a techno remix of 'hotline bling' that my brother absolutely adores and some Halsey remake I had a kind of close friend sing for me so I could play with the vocals a bit. I had poured so much time into both of them, and yet they still weren't good enough. At least, not by my standards. I sighed before closing my eyes and clicking on the shuffle button. Without taking too much time to read the mostly numeric title I pressed the 'play next button' and waited.
I was trying to make it big in the music industry, without my parent's name to back me. But it was hard to get your name out there without connections. I guess I was still riding on someone's name, but at least it wasn't my parents. I shot Kidd a glance, trying to remember why he puts up with us since we're mediocre at best.
"When will it be my turn to jam? Blake groaned as the next song came on and the crowd continued to dance in a writhing mass of bodies.
"Intermission is in like an hour, can't you wait till then?" I sighed as I stood up, scrolling through the list of music again even though I wasn't even slightly sure what I should play next.
"I'm gonna get sloppy then, laters." A click told me Blake had turned off his earpiece, probably tossing it out of his ear as he was known for dong. If these gigs didn't pay so well we wouldn't be able to afford to replace all the tech he destroys just by standing near it.
I groaned thinking about him being drunk near my laptop, but I took a deep breath and instead decided to scan the crowd. Sure enough Kid was dancing with a pretty attractive chick in a very short dress. I gave him a thumbs up as he glanced my way, looking for any form of conformation that I was seeing it too. Being the tech nerd he is, it's hard to get him out of the house to actually meet girls, even at the age of 25. And It's really hard to keep him away from the tangle of wires once shows are set up.
We really just don't have time for his neurotic perfectionism.
As my eyes continued to sweep the crowd behind my super cool colored glass lenses they fell on Blake dancing on top of the bar next to a group of girls that were mostly giggling. Well two of them were. One just looked uncomfortable in her skin as she watched the display.
The taller of the three, with long black hair and breasts almost directly under her chin reached into her purse and pulled out a bill. I could hear Blake's hoots and hollers as he took the bill and tore his shirt off in a primal display of 'I'm a man.'
The ash blond in the group shuddered as she nursed her drink, turning around to ignore my doofus friend. I wanted to apologize immediately, mostly because I know how hard it is to deal with Blake, and partly because he spilled some of his drink on her dark haired friend, though the party girl in her didn't seem to mind. Her eyes locked with mine for just a brief moment, so bright and green I had to pull my glasses down the bridge of my nose to judge if I was seeing correctly, before she continued a sweep across the crowd.
A strange feeling bubbled up in my throat, almost as if it was high school all over again and being near a girl was still nerve wracking.
XxX
A/N
So this was suppose to be a one shot, but it got out of hand. i have a few chapters already mapped out, but i'm not sure how long this is gonna end up being. It's a thing I guess. So just let me know what you think or something.