Stung by the Wasp

Buying and Selling

Jennie stared blankly at the cracked reflection in front of her. Her eyeshadow had migrated onto her cheeks, and her nose was rubbed red raw. The bass emanating from the speakers outside the door thrummed through the walls, rattling the mirrors hanging precariously from the walls. She shivered. Her heart was racing and upon closer inspection, her pupils had dilated massively. Reaching into the small pouch clasped in her hands, she dipped a fingertip into the white, rubbing it over her gums in quick succession. She sniffed. A thin trickle of blood dripped onto her lip, and she wiped at it out of frustration. With a bang the door to the ladies toilets swung open and in its wake were a gaggle of drunk girls all talking at once. Jennie winced as the sound of laughter pierced her skull. Locks sliding in the jambs and the sound of toilets flushing added to the cacophony. Jennie left the toilets, irritation pooling in the base of her stomach. She was swallowed by the crowd, the deep bass pulsing  steadily in her veins. Partygoers jumped around her, jostling her left and right. She shoved them back, sliding out of the throng to reach the bar, her lips dry. Out of nowhere a hand shot out and reefed her into a quiet corner. Jennie stumbled, her vision blurring as she tried to focus on her surroundings. Glancing up at her accoster she frowned.
"Get off me, asshole"
Kai shook her firmly before easing off on his grip.
"Where the fuck have you been?" he hissed.
"Out selling drugs, where else?" Jennie shot back, pushing him away from her. Kai held fast, backing her into a wall,  fist full of her hair. Jennie bit back a cry of pain.
"Well our biggest buyer just left the club" he spat. "And why? Because you were in the jacks wiping your arse"
Jennie glared at him. "And you couldn't have given him the supply, no?"
Kai tugged on her hair, her neck twinging at the awkward angle. Jennie cried out in indignation.
"I knew we couldn't trust a woman to do a mans job. You've just lost us a hugely important client"
"I know that" Jennie replied. "You don't have to keep reminding me"
Kai scoffed. "You blew the operation. Our boss will hear about this"
"You need me to sell the drugs, dickhead. Men love a woman dressed in tight clothing - I doubt they'd want to bang your sorry dimpled ass" she countered, ducking out from Kai's hold, smoothing her hair down as she did so. Kai eyed her, the coloured lights casting eerie shadows across his visage.
"Watch yourself" he warned, voice low and unfriendly. "You know what happens to whores who don't behave"
Jennie stalked past him. "Go fuck yourself"

The bar was crowded, a forest of hands reaching through the air to snatch pints and pitchers out of the idling hands of the staff. A headache formed behind Jennie's eyes as she elbowed people out of the way. The bar was sticky beneath her navy blazer. Tha song changed to one she knew.
"What can I get you?"
"Whiskey. Leave the coke"
Jennie shivered as an unfamiliar presence settled behind her, and thinking it was Kai, she turned round, ready to give him a piece of her mind. Instead she was met with a broad chest clad in a black jumper and matching leather overcoat. The smell of cologne assaulted her nostrils. The stranger braced an arm on the bar, and Jennie eyed the Rolex adorning his wrist. She sniffed.
She paid for the whiskey, taking hold of the cold glass in her clammy hands. Her stomach retched the second the taste of alcohol hit her tongue. She could feel it interact with the cocaine in her system, smiling widely when the high took hold. The club vanished into her peripheral. She could hear voices. Someone was talking to her. She looked up and saw the stranger from before looking pointedly back at her. Then she saw the colours and a giggle escaped her lips. The stranger cracked a smile back. He was handsome. Gorgeous even. Sharp jawline and the deepest eyes. His hair was held back with a patterned headband. She shook her head, feeling her brain spin inside her skull. She turned away from the bar, clutching at her chest, the sudden urge to rip her heart out becoming too hard to resist. She clawed at her collarbones, the paranoia gripping her sanity in an iron vice. She opened her mouth to scream. Her boots were wet. Her eyes flicked from one end of the club to the other. She was aware of two strong hands, steering her out of danger, away from the bar and over to a seating area. Something cold, ice, numbed her mouth as she gulped it down, feeling the chill settle her shattered nerves. Her vision cleared. Sitting next to her with a pint of water in his hand was the stranger from the bar. Jennie blinked, fighting back the nausea that threatened to spill over if she took another breath.
"Who...?" Her voice didn't sound like hers.
"You're gonna be okay" came the muffled response. The music blared, drowning out any chance of conversation.
"That's not what I asked" Jennie mumbled.
She'd been high before, but not like this. Fear replaced the drugs, and she sat up, uneasy.
"I'm Taehyung"
Jennie shook her head, as if to shake the cocaine out of her brain. She needed another hit.
The leather of the couch clung to her exposed thighs. Taehyung pressed the cold pint of water against her chapped lips, urging her to drink. Jennie moaned, pushing it away. She stood up. Taehyung stood up too.
"I need to .. go.." she slurred, marching off onto the dancefloor in search of a final buyer. The pouch seemed to burn a hole in her pocket. She didn't want it. She stalled in the middle of the space, letting the crowd consume her once again. She knew she was dancing but she had lost all feeling in her legs and arms. The song changed once again. A vibration against her thigh made her reach into her boot to retrieve her phone. The screen swam in front of her. Her head throbbed, and with an unsteady hand she clasped her temple, in an attempt to ease the discomfort. The strobe lights turned into distorted faces in her peripheral and the panic spiked up through her spine in response. She thumbed her screen desperately before her heart gave out and she collapsed.