Xav

The blaring music pounds through my head and chest as I try to gage the room. The flashing neon lights keep me from processing anything with any sort of consistency or clarity. I hate clubs. They don't make sense to me. The atmosphere of these places seem to lift people's spirits and provide them a platform to let loose, but that's never been my experience. The tumultuous, chaotic elements of a nightclub feel like a distraction to me. I don't see the appeal of being bumped around in a cramped space and having to yell in someone's ear just to communicate with them. The alcohol helps, sure, but it also presents a whole new set of worries to ruminate over.

A hand tugs on the sleeve of my shirt. I turn my head to see my friend Naomi's wide eyes and creased forehead as she glares at me. She doesn't say anything, but I've gotten pretty good at reading her expression at this point. ​C'mon dude, you need to do something besides stand there and nurse the same drink you've been holding for the last 15 minutes.​ Naomi was pretty. Way too pretty to be anything more than my friend, and I think we both knew that by now. "Xav..." She said as I downed the last of what was in my cup. Xav is short for Xavier, and most people end up calling me by the former after long enough. "...look at all the people here having fun. Why are you just standing here?" Her voice sounds harsh, but that's probably only because she has to yell.

"All those people are in groups...what do you want me to do? Just go over and interrupt their conversation?" I shout back defensively. Naomi sighs visibly then presses her lips together, and I can tell she's starting to get annoyed with me. She insisted on dragging me along with her to the club, and even though it's apparent there isn't any potential between the two of us, I still jump at the opportunity to spend time with her. I'm not naive to the fact that she could be doing something much more enjoyable with her Friday night, so I decide to sack up and show some sort of incentive. For her sake. I tap Naomi on the shoulder and point at a girl walking to the bar by herself. Naomi's face lights up. "Go buy her a drink!" She bellows, nudging me forward.

I take a deep breath once I'm about 5 feet from the girl, and try not to think about the fact that I have no idea what I'm going to say. "Hey!" I say, pulling up next to her just before she gets to the bar. Once I'm up close, I realize she's not exactly my type. Don't get me wrong, she's very pretty, just in a ditzy valley-girl sort of way that's never really stood out to me. "Hey." She responds blankly. "Can I buy you something?" I ask, and her expression becomes somewhat interested. "Bicardi Limonade?" she asks in a high pitched voice, smiling hopefully and almost performing a curtsy with her legs. The expression makes her look cuter than she is, and I think she knows that. I've always loved the combination of blonde hair and brown eyes, so she gets automatic brownie points for that.

I order two Bicardi Limonades and hand over a $10 bill. "What's your name?" I ask as the bartender turns to make our drinks. "Brielle!" She shouts. There's an irresolute excitement in her voice, and I'm not sure if it's flirtatious or if that's just how she talks. She doesn't ask me for my name, so I oblige. "I'm Xavier!" I say. She smiles and nods, then turns to the bar as the bartender hands us our drinks. "I've never tried this before." I say, trying to build some sort of conversational momentum. "You'll love it!" She insists, taking a small sip of her own. I shrug and hold the drink up to my lips, letting the bitter liquid flow past the ice cubes and into my mouth.

The sourness of it catches me off guard, making my lower eyelids wrinkle and crease at the sensation. Brielle giggles, and I feel an unexpected spark of hope that this girl might actually be interested in me. I just wish she would ask me something about myself so I didn't have to keep the conversation alive on my own. "So do you go to school around here?" I ask, carefully taking another sip of my drink.