Played like a Guitar

Chapter 3 : The Club Incident

"Ah, music," he said, wiping his eyes. "A magic beyond all we do here!" - J.K. Rowling, from the Harry Potter series.

Chapter painting: "Night Out" by Victor Ostrovsky

***

We were greeted with way too many blinding lights, spinning in all directions, turning off and on repeatedly - the perfect opportunity to find out if I had epilepsy or not, although I didn't really mind having a seizure at that moment. Clubs were never my thing since I hated crowds, sweaty drunk people and my dancing skills were quite questionable. Looking around though, the competition was underwhelming as most people were either completely shitfaced or as high as Snoop Dogg on a Friday night, twisting and turning their bodies in peculiar ways to the beat of the hip-hop tracks. Strippers were pole dancing in the center stage, mesmerizing the audience, some probably married and others suspiciously young-looking in this warehouse with fancy and flashy decorations.

We were shown our high tables near the bartender (to my misfortune), and Elektra ordered a bottle of vodka before we even managed to sit down. Positioned above us were VIP seats with Greek celebrities I was completely clueless about until she mentioned them. Directly on the opposite side of the room sat the Midnight Blues, surrounded by thirsty fans trying to flirt their way inside their luxury box. Jamie on the other hand, looked like a student finishing his math homework in the bathroom five minutes before class, scribbling down the rest of his ideas inside the mysterious notebook before they could escape, but the pencil's tip broke from the intense pressure and speed. Highly vexed, he ravaged through his backpack in search for a replacement but got interrupted by a stranger. I downed my first shot, equally disgusted by the vodka's burning taste in my mouth as I was seeing him laughing with a random chick in a tight dress, twisting her hair and biting her lips. Keep biting them girl, and your lip fillers will pop.

"It's time I introduced myself to the band, you guys." - announced a wasted Elektra with messy makeup on her face but confident enough to stand on her two left feet and push her way to Jessie's booth. I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to slap her face or beg her to teach me all her tricks, secretly envying her boldness and charisma. Judging by his unimpressed expression, he didn't seem interested the slightest so she tried pulling him onto the dance floor in a rather aggressive way. A security guard cut them off before she could drag him out so she returned a nasty gesture with her finger and vanished into the wave of people. Way to make a fool of yourself girl. Also, am I seriously getting jealous over some random dude I talked to for ten minutes? Maybe. But I decided to down another shot hoping it would take my mind off things, the sweet burning taste cleansing my throat and internal organs.

Having zero intentions of approaching them, I stood awkwardly beside the table, tapping my feet and shaking my head to the beat, failing to pretend I was having fun. "Do you really expect him to come all the way here for a chat?" - queried my dearest subconscious. Maybe I did, but it was below my pride to beg for someone's attention. Instead, I just happened to check up on him every five seconds to see if he would notice me. My vivid imagination played me like a fool for the nth time, leading me to believe we would start talking until the music became too loud for a proper conversation, when he would offer for us to leave together and spend the rest of the night strolling around the city. Since neither of us had the intention of approaching the other, it will remain only that: a product of imagination. My expectations were unrealistically high, yet my spirit was somehow dampened and illusions shattered. 

The DJ started playing the legendary club anthem 'Please don't stop the music' and my body soon carried itself in the middle of the dance floor with people's rear ends twerking aggressively against it, trying to ignore the disgrace I had become. I was supposed to look after my friend and here I was living my life in a trans-like state, dancing the night away. I felt relief for a change, observing everyone around me savoring the moment, without a care in the world, as euphoria embellished the atmosphere (among other substances). Perhaps it was a sign from Rihanna herself to let go of the musician and focus on myself. So be it.