The Dangers of Pursuing Red

Chapter 3 - Deals with the Devil (Part 3 of 3)

Copyright © 2012 Dominic Eagle

All rights reserved

CHAPTER 3 - DEALS WITH THE DEVIL (Part 3 of 3)

                A wide assortment of bright and wonderful commodities littered the over-crowded corridor, leading into the ‘retro’ nightclub that one of Laura’s friends had recommended to her. Cocktails, lethally illegal vodka shots, strange radio sets and non-sterilised needles lay before us on a plastic table. It was all distasteful, yet undeniably it represented everything that had become the docile existence of overloaded student life, because what really lay before our generation after British education? A dying economy? Rapidly fading job vacancies? All we could do was forget, pretend we understood what we meant when we said society was compressing us into conformity, and avoid becoming reproachful - in turn being criticised by our parents for our ‘ungrateful’ nature towards such a ‘prosperous’ life.

I was painfully aware that the end of year exams awaited each of us in less than two months time, but I could afford to relax, because, unlike the others, I’d been studying.

“We have to get sky high tonight fellas!” Melissa squealed excitably.

“Not me. Drugs cloud my thoughts.” Laura spoke defiantly, vaguely echoing what I’d said about drugs before Chris’ party. I would have agreed with her then, less than a month ago, but not anymore. I realised Laura had evoked a sense of care into my life in those past two weeks, even if she herself had hardly been in it. But I quickly remembered rule number one of not caring, to remedy this: ‘don’t think - act’.

“Yeah, I’m in,” I nodded, along with John and Chris, but minus Rachael, who’d already vanished somewhere.

Laura shot a ferocious look in my direction, twisting her head towards Adam to make sure he shared in her consistent disapproval of every action I would ever perform. He agreed, but he looked rather pale. Perhaps he was realising for the first time that relationships could very quickly escalate into a trapped, endless cycle of control.

“Come on Adam, let’s go and have a nice time without these guys and without illegal substances!” Laura barked in a flustered manner, dragging Adam through to the main nightclub by his arm.

“Anyway... Let’s get fucked!” Somebody crudely declared. However, this was another hazy night, and I can’t quite remember who said it.

Pulsing lights flicked on and off blindingly, and all that was distinguishable in the foggy haze of that cramped nightclub were the beautifully glowing faces surrounding me - dazed and high as a kite, but stunningly oblivious.

A few girls advanced on me throughout the night and were knocked down, quite literally, by Melissa.

“Just let those bitches try and steal my man,” She snarled.

I remember smiling broadly and tenderly placing my lips on her cheek, but even then I was curious as to whether I was actually in love with her. I was worried that she was in love with me, but then again, I’d always been worried about that, so I merely convinced myself that nothing had changed.

“Hey James, jus’ talked to a guy o’er there… Said he got a place we can do a gig some time! An’ he got other offers too, ‘cause he ‘eard us a few months back at a pub,” John’s broken sentences, in a drunken and completely delirious voice, floated towards me in the dark.

I suppose that leads to another fact of my former life. I was in a band called The Flight, as the lead vocalist, and John was our guitarist. The rest of the band weren’t in our immediate circle of friends; rather, they were only classmates. We’d been waiting for our big break for quite some time now, so I hoped this was finally our shot.