“Stop fidgeting. You look gorgeous.” Everly glances over her shoulder at me as the line moves up another step.
The thing is, I believe her. I feel gorgeous, but I still can’t stop pulling on the hem of the very small blue dress. One of at least twenty that my roommates made me try on until they found the perfect one. It was fun. Their closets are much more adventurous than mine. Between school and work, and a long relationship where I didn’t go out very often, my clothes need a serious overhaul for this new phase of my life. Oh, and jeans… yeah, they would not have been fine. I’ve not seen a single scrap of denim.
She and Grace also did my makeup. I have on more eyeliner and mascara than usual and they did some contouring magic that makes me look like I have a more excellent bone structure than I do. I’ve always liked playing around with makeup, but never been that great at it. My mom hardly wore it when I was growing up, and playing tennis, I didn’t worry about it because I’d just sweat it off.
Ev tried to put red lipstick on me, but I talked her down to some gloss. I didn’t want to worry about getting it all over my face. My hair is down and curly like usual. I’ve always loved my hair. Well, okay, not always. There was a short period in middle school where I desperately wanted to have straight hair like all my friends. But I came to terms with it at some point. I can get it straight, but it requires an awful lot of effort, and at the first blip of humidity or sweat, it would have all been for nothing.
That’s too much to worry about. Tonight I want to dance and have fun with my friends.
“I wonder how much longer.” Ev steps out of line to check the front door, where security is letting people in. We’ve been inching forward for the past thirty minutes. Heaters are set up along the sidewalk – a nice touch since none of the women are dressed to be standing outside in late December.
Apparently, there’s a limit to how many people can be inside or something. Which is bullshit because I’ve seen several people walk right up and get in.
She sticks her bottom lip out in a pout as she comes to stand back in front of me. “Maybe we should have just gone to a bar or invited people over to the house.”
“What? No way. We’re getting in,” Grace says. “Come on.”
She grabs both me and Everly and drags us with her to the man dressed in all black blocking the entrance. He’s an intimidating dude. He doesn’t even speak and I want to run back to our spot in line. But not Grace. She gives him her sweetest smile.
“Hi. I’m Grace, this is Everly and Bridget.”
He glances down at his clipboard, which I can now see is a list of names. I try to read them upside down.
“We’re not on your list, but it’s her birthday.” Grace looks back at Everly as the guy takes in the three of us standing with pleading eyes in front of him.
Everly raises a hand and flashes a smile that’s more like a grimace.
“So, if you could—”
He moves out of the way and unclips the black rope to get into the club. “Have fun, ladies.”
The three of us are frozen in place for several seconds where we share a surprised smile, then hustle into the club. Holy shit, that actually worked?
The music is louder with each step. We could hear it outside, but in here I can feel it. Another bouncer checks our IDs before we’re allowed onto the main floor. Everly and Grace get yellow bands since they’re underage.
The club is three floors. The second floor is the one we’re on now. There’s a large bar on the right side and seating on the left. The center of the room is open, creating a circle walkway that looks down to the first floor, where the DJ is set up and people are dancing. The top floor looks like private rooms. It’s too dark to make out details, but it has that sleek and clean look of a new business.
The three of us huddle together.
“You are amazing!” Everly hugs Grace. “Thank you.”
“Very impressive,” I add, basically screaming over the bass thumping.
“I was so scared I thought I was gonna pee.” Grace laughs. “Let’s get a drink and walk around. This place is huge.”
We start for the bar, but a woman cuts us off. She looks to be a little older than us and has on a dress that’s more business than club. She’s still rocking it, but she has an air of authority about her that makes us all pause.
“Are you Everly?” she asks, looking directly at the woman standing between me and Grace.
“Yeah,” Ev answers with more than a little defensiveness in her stance.
“If you’ll follow me.” She smiles so sweetly. The three of us share a confused look, but decide to go after her anyway.
She leads us up a small staircase. The third floor is similar to the second in that it’s open and you can look down on the floors below, but this area is less crowded.
Leather couches and chairs are set up in groups and there are two bars, one on each side. People watch us as we follow her to a section of furniture that’s empty. She motions with one hand. “Rachel is your private bartender for the night. Anything you need, let her know.”
And with that, the woman turns on her heel and leaves us.
Rachel is there in a flash with a bottle of nonalcoholic champagne, a lot like the one Tyler gave Everly earlier, sitting in ice with three flutes. She pours us each a glass, asks us if she can get us anything else from the bar, and then leaves us with the rest of the bottle.
“How?” Grace asks in a hushed voice like she’s afraid someone will overhear and kick us out. It’s quieter up here and easier to talk.
“It had to have been Tyler. I’m going to kill him.” Everly rolls her eyes and pulls out her phone.
While she texts, Grace says, “But you didn’t tell him where you were going.”
She makes a good point. But I guess it’s not that hard to figure out where three girls would go for a birthday out on the town.
“Did you tell Ash?” Ev asks me after she slides her phone back into the small black purse in her lap.
“What? No way. I’ve barely talked to him. I would never do that to you.”
“Okay.” Ev smiles and rests a reassuring hand on my arm. “I believe you. But just so you know, if you had, I wouldn’t be mad. I know how good he is at getting information out of people.”
“He is charming,” Grace says as she brings the champagne to her lips again. “The way he was looking at you tonight. He’d die if he saw you right now.”
“What? No.” I shake my head. “If he was looking at anyone, it was you two. I was in a ratty old sweatshirt and shorts.”
“Eww.” Everly makes a face of disgust. “He’s like my brother.”
“I don’t think he was looking at your clothes,” Grace mumbles and then laughs. Everly joins in.
My cheeks are warm, which I’m absolutely blaming on the two sips of fake booze and all the bodies in this club.
“I promise you, he wasn’t looking at me like that. We’re just…friends.” That feels like the wrong word, but we’re more than acquaintances at this point.
“Uh-huh. Sure.” Grace smiles at me, hiding behind her glass.
“I’m not interested in dating. The run-in with Gabe reminded me exactly why I am on a hiatus from men.”
Everly gives me a sympathetic smile. “Understandable. After my last relationship, I didn’t go out with anyone for like two months. It was very cathartic.” She finishes her drink and then stands and holds out a hand to me. “You aren’t interested in dating hot guys, but tell me, how do you feel about heading downstairs and dancing with some?”
I take one more sip and then place my hand in hers. “I feel great about it.”
We dance for hours, going back to our VIP section occasionally to cool off and get another drink.
Everly somehow manages to sneak several drinks bought for her by a group of guys that overhear it’s her birthday. The security watching for that kind of thing is a little more lax up in VIP, but if she gets us kicked out, it’ll at least be a good story. Grace isn’t drinking at all and I’m sipping on my third vodka and Sprite.
I’m so happy I don’t even need the alcohol to feel tipsy, though it’s certainly helping. Tonight has been so much fun and I feel so lucky that I’ve found these two people after the worst year of my life. If we weren’t dancing and laughing so much, I’d probably do something embarrassing like cry.
We’re taking a breather now, sitting on the comfy leather couches. Grace is texting with Lane, and Ev with her brother.
“Tyler swears it wasn’t him,” she says. “Or I think that’s what this says.”
She hands me the phone and I read through their texts. Her replies are filled with typos and too many exclamation points. But she’s right. “Maybe it was the guy at the door?”
Ev shrugs. “Whoever it was, thank you!” She screams the last two words and we get a few looks from a group of guys nearby.
A new song starts and Grace gasps and looks to Everly, who has the same wide-eyed, excited expression.
“I love this song!” they say in unison.
“We have to dance.”
“You two go ahead,” I tell them. “My feet are killing me.”
“No way!” They each grab one of my hands and pull me up.
I’m dragged behind them to the first floor. Every hour more people have piled into this space. We only make it to the edge of the dance floor before there’s a wall of bodies too thick to move farther.
The two of them sing along with the lyrics, basically shouting them at me until they realize I don’t know them. It’s some catchy pop song. I’ve heard it a dozen times but never really listened to the lyrics. I don’t register them now either. My heart is so happy and I feel so light and free. It’s probably that last drink talking, but I don’t care. Tonight feels like a tiny baby step to getting my life back.
We’re in our own little bubble, dancing with each other and a little drunk, so at the first shout, none of us react. I look up, but I can’t see anything but more happy people dancing around us.
It’s not until someone knocks into the back of Grace and pushes her into me that we realize something isn’t right, and then it’s too late. We’re all pushed again and then there are screams. It’s eerie because we can’t see anything. The path to leave the dance floor is blocked and suddenly everyone is rushing toward us, all trying to leave at the same time.
I grab on to both Everly and Grace and hold tight as we try to keep from being trampled. Staying upright is hard, but I’m so scared if one of us falls we’ll be seriously hurt. We huddle together as close as we can get. None of us speak.
It’s not long before security is everywhere and light floods the building. We’re escorted outside with everyone else. Police cars line the street and the three of us hurry with others until we’re far enough away that it feels safe.
My heart is hammering so hard in my chest. I’m still squeezing Everly and Grace’s hands.
“What the hell happened?” Everly asks, looking back toward the club where people are still pouring out.
“I don’t know.” Grace looks the most spooked and winces as she finally inspects her foot. She’s bleeding from where she got stepped on during the chaos.
“We should get out of here,” Ev says.
We’re all in agreement. The only problem is everyone else has the same idea. Everly’s teeth start chattering as we wait for the Uber.
“Maybe we should call Tyler,” Grace suggests.
I’m relieved not to be the first one to say it.
“No way. He’ll just use it as an excuse to tell me he should have been there with me.”
“I don’t know, Ev. I think he’ll just be glad you’re okay.” I check my phone again to get an update on our estimated wait. “And who knows how long until we can get a ride.”
She sighs and pulls out her phone. “Okay.”
As she brings the device up to her ear, a flashy Mercedes SUV comes speeding down the road, the black paint gleaming against the night and catching my eye seconds before the tires screech and the vehicle stops in front of us. All three of us jump back startled and still on edge from the club.
Jack rolls down the window, a murderous look on his face. I just barely register Tyler in the passenger seat before Jack says, “Get in the car.”
