A Piece of Haven

1 - "Take her."

     "Look, there it is," Cecilia said as she pointed ahead of us.  There, a brick building was lit up with lights and crowded with people waiting to get inside.  At the front stood a neon sign brightly displaying the name of the all-ages club, Surf's Up.  Not the most original name, it being in California and all, but it looked like it didn't deter business.  Packed full on a Friday night and they were still squeezing people in like sardines.

     Cecilia grabbed my left hand, linked arms with her sister Raina on the other side of her then proceeded to head toward the mass of bodies in front of us.  Cecilia knew the owner who invited her to check it out, calling on her roommates to come with.  I was excited at the prospect because it would be my first real outing since I moved to Corvallis, Oregon two weeks prior.

     I smiled at Cecilia's eagerness and plowed through right with her, hoping I'd get the chance to dance once we got inside.  Raina on the other hand looked terrified at the idea, probably already wanting to go back home.  She was a year younger than me and her sister, who had a vice grip on her arm in case she bolted, only just starting her senior year in high school.  I thought it peculiar that she lived with Cecilia and not home with her parents but I never asked, at the time just hoping to get the apartment to call home while at college.

     We made it to the entrance in under a minute, squishing past the throng of people to reach the bouncer in charge of who went in.  Everything about the man screamed authority, from his dark hair pulled away from his face in a low ponytail to the clunky combat boots he stood in.  One stern look from him would leave a person cowering in their skin.  Cecilia however seemed to have no such qualms as she calmly lead us to stand right in front of him.  The man looked her up and down before barking out, "Name."

     "Cecilia Greene and guests."

     After being confirmed from a small booklet the bouncer took from the inside pocket of his jacket, we immediately passed through into a massive dark room filled with writhing bodies and moving lights.  The vibrations from the music seeped into me, beating in tune with my accelerating heartbeat.  A small smile formed on my face.

     I could barely hear Cecilia speaking to me even though her mouth was inches from my ear, "Me and Raina are going to look for Owen."  Owen being the owner.  I nodded my head in response and watched her disappear into the shadows.  After a glance around the room I could see the bar in the far corner and started that direction.  My throat was parched considering I hadn't had anything to drink since we left Oregon.  Five hours ago.

     The bartender was a buff looking guy, maybe in his mid-thirties, with a bald head, goatee, and I'm not kidding- a gold earring pierced through his left ear.  Guy was a modern day pirate.  He saw me waiting at the end of the counter and gave me a smile before waltzing over.

     "You look like a martini girl."

     I instantly liked him.

     An hour later and I was sipping from a glass of ice water, bopping my head along with the music.  I was cut off from the alcohol after the first drink when pirate man realized I was underage after I let it slip I was starting college.  He went as far as to glare at me with accusing eyes as I continued to sip my drink, mumbling under his breath about hot chicks making him lose his job.  Not my fault he didn't ask for i.d.  Drink wasn't that good anyways.

     Cecilia was still MIA but I didn't mind.  I spent most of my time dancing.  Strangers were on all sides of me moving here and there.  Swiveling my hips from side to side, I got ready to do a hip roll just like the one and only Shakira.  Funnily enough, it was just that song that was playing.  The euphoria spread all throughout my body making me smile like a kid in the candy store.