Keeping Secrets

The Club

PEYTON

Exiting a limo outside an exclusive club wasn't something I'd ever thought I'd do. Showing our VIP badges and having the security guard lift the red rope and let us in before the rest of the crowd waiting in line was another surreal thing.

"Wow," Amanda whispered under her breath as we stepped into the club. "This is so cool."

It really was. Strobe lights cut through the darkened space, shifting colors with the beat of the music, highlighting the people on the dance floor. It was like the club had its own pulse. I could feel it vibrating through my body body the further into the center of the club we went. The bass thumped beneath our feet, and the air was a mix of scents—cologne, perfume, smoke, and beer.

The music was so loud that we had to lean close to hear each other.

"These babies should give us free drinks," Amanda said grinning as she wiggled the VIP passes in front of me.

"Yeah? You don't think they'll card?" I asked, glancing around at the bartenders.

She shook her head with a confident grin. "I doubt it. I don't think there are many people in here who have these." She gave her VIP pass another wiggle.

Oh wow. That was extra cool.

"Let's get a drink at the bar," she suggested.

"Sure," I responded, "if you think it'll be okay." I'd hate to get thrown out when we were so close to seeing the guys.

We walked by the darkened stage. Trudge Lite wasn't playing for another hour, so we had time. I assumed they were in the building somewhere and that thought excited me.

I glanced over at the half-moon bar. Four bartenders worked behind it, two men and two women, all dressed in dark, figure-flattering, festive outfits. One of the women had strands of glitter woven into her hair which sparkled under the strobe lights. The bartenders laughed and twirled bottles between them, looking like they were having just as much fun as the guests.

"It'll be fine." Amanda nudged my arm with hers. "I'll throw Justin's name around if I need to, okay?"

"Okay," I agreed, and felt a little better about it. I doubted any of the employees would do anything to upset the famous band playing there. And Justin would be upset if they threw us out. Well, at least if they threw Amanda out.

So I followed her over towards the bar. She somehow managed to find a small space between a group of preppy looking guys and a couple in their mid-twenties, and squeezed in. I remained behind her, a bit more reluctant.

But Amanda was right—there was no need to worry. All she had to do was flash our VIP passes, just like Justin had told her, and we were immediately served. The cute bartender even went out of his way to make sure we were comfortable, finding us a pair of seats on the other side of the bar, closer to the stage.

"Damn," I sighed, glancing at Amanda as the bartender slid our drinks across the polished counter. "I could get used to this."

"Uh-huh, me too," she agreed, nodding as she raised her glass with a satisfied grin.

"Let me know what else you need," the bartender said with a smile, before he walked off toward some guests on the other side.

Amanda and I looked at each other and giggled. This was over the top from anything we'd done so far, including the night we went out with Trudge Lite after they played at my college.

"We need to take a selfie," I said and took out my phone. "I need to send this to..." I was going to say Max, but since I didn't want to talk about him, I changed my mind and went with "Becca and Lin."