Far From Perfect

Chapter 29

Mia, Gracie and I stand by the curb as we wait for our Uber driver to show up. Originally, Mia was going to be our designated driver, but we changed our plans last minute because we all have different reasons we want to drink tonight. Mia wants to have a good time, while Gracie wants to celebrate finding her wedding dress, and I...I just want to drown my sorrows and forget all about Nate.

I haven't drunk in a long time and I know it's not the smartest idea to get drunk to forget, but tonight I'm planning on letting loose and will need all the liquid courage to do it. Then and only then, will I be able to forget about Nate once and for all. Or so I hope.

"Max is here," Gracie pipes up, looking at her phone.

"Max?" I ask confused.

"Our driver," she clarifies, pointing to her phone screen, and just as she says it, he pulls up right in front of us. He gets out of the car and opens each of our doors. We give him our thanks and get in. Gracie sits up front in the passenger seat with the driver, and Mia and I sit in the back.

Mia prattles off the name of the club we're going to and I zone out as her and Gracie chat animatedly.

I stare at all the streetlights and buildings we pass, and as we drive further and further, I start regretting my choice to come out with Mia and Gracie. I know Mia wants me to get my mind off Nate and have a good time, but it's hard. All I do is think about him even when I don't mean to. Tonight is going to be tough. Gracie still thinks Nate and I are together, so I have to pretend like I'm still the happy doting girlfriend I used to be.

"Are you okay?" Mia asks me discreetly, pulling me out of my reverie as Gracie chats the driver's ear off.

"I'm fine," I lie and I can tell she doesn't believe me, but she doesn't press the issue, and I appreciate it because I don't want Gracie to overhear us.

"Ladies, we're here!" Gracie says excitedly and pays the driver through the Uber app. He thanks us and opens our doors for us just like he did when he picked us up. We give him our thanks and make our way towards the back of the line that is formed outside of the club.

Fifteen minutes pass and we make it to the front of the line where we are under the scrutiny of the bouncer.

"Hello, ladies. May I see your ID's?"

We all quickly pull out our ID and hand them to him. He takes all three and shines his small flashlight on each one and looks very closely at each of us. When he's finally satisfied, he hands them back.

He pulls the door open for us and we are instantly hit by a gust of cold air followed by the blare of electronic music that is blasting through the sound system of the club.

"Welcome to Filthy Glow. I hope you ladies enjoy your night," he tells us with the creepiest grin that makes my skin crawl.

We step inside and the door slams shut behind us making us jump.

"What the hell kind of club is this?" I ask out loud so Mia can hear me over the loud music and she just grins. Someone is obviously amused by my reaction.

I look around and take in my surroundings, figuring I may as well get to know the place since I'm going to be stuck here for the next couple hours and I have to say I'm more confused than surprised.

The ambiance of this place is unlike any club we have ever been to. It makes me feel like I just walked into a rave. I've never even been to a rave, but I've seen pictures and videos and am pretty sure this club is a ravers dream.

There are neon signs everywhere and they have all kinds of random words and phrases like Kandi, Trance, and Plur Bae. What does that even mean? I have no idea but I assume it must have some sort of meaning I know nothing about.