from the plastic card to my face and then toward the entrance.
My whole clubbing knowledge was composed of scenes from movies and TV shows that Monica and I used to watch together, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. Toward the end of last year, Monica had started sneaking along to clubs too, but by then it was past the point where we’d confide in each other.
Maddy’s eyes flickered in the strobe lights around us, and the music thudded so loudly that to speak she had to scream into my ear. “Let’s get some drinks!”
She led me toward where most of the crowd seemed clustered, and as we got closer I saw the huge crystal bar stretching out across one side of the room, people in black creating bright colored drinks in tall glasses as if it were an art. It didn’t take long for Maddy to be served. She mouthed something to the male bartender, who nodded.
He had just retreated and returned with two of the elaborate-looking cocktails when Maddy leaned further to whisper something directly into his ear. I watched the exchange carefully, but as far as I could tell it was just some flirty remark.
The bartender disappeared again with both cups. Maddy turned to me, grabbing both of my hands and swaying them to the beat of the music. “I’m so excited to dance with you!”
There was no way my voice could carry over the speakers, so I just nodded enthusiastically as Maddy twirled beneath my fingers.
As the song ended and another one began, our drinks were placed on the edge of the counter, and Maddy slapped some cash back in return. She handed one to me before taking her own.
My attention had been distracted by a tall lady walking between us, her hair teased so large that it added an extra foot to her height. She yelled an “excuse me” before gently pushing through, and by the time she was out of my view again Maddy’s expression had changed.
“Wait, I want to try that one,” she said quickly, grabbing the drink from my hand and taking a dramatic sip through the straw. “Oh, yeah, he made yours way stronger, want to swap?”
I frowned, but took her drink in return, sipping it awkwardly. To me, hers tasted pretty strong itself, but I didn’t exactly have the experience to judge.
Maddy linked her pinkie with mine and led us through the dancers and toward velvet-covered stairs, which were cordoned off by a scarlet rope. She disregarded this, unlinking it and gesturing me through.
Climbing the stairs was difficult with the tall drink in my hands, and some spilled over the lip of the cup and onto my fingers, the sweet and sticky liquid making my grip unsteady. Maddy had already drunk a third of hers, so she didn’t have the same problem as she powered ahead of me.
The top of the staircase revealed another elaborate room, this one a little less busy and slightly more illuminated. It was clear that this area was more exclusive, an almost equal mix of girls and guys in pretty cocktail dresses and suits.
Maddy led me to a leather couch in the corner of the room where she dramatically threw her arm out for me to sit down and join her. I pulled my phone from my purse and checked it. No messages. I took another sip from my drink.
“And here,” she continued, “is the prime position to check out guys. Well, not for you of course, but for me.”
“I thought this was a girls’ night,” I mused playfully.
Maddy laughed. “Exactly. Which is why we have to find some entertainment.”
I watched as her eyes scanned the crowd, dashing from face to face and up torsos and around shoulders, seemingly unsatisfied with her options. Her eyelids were cloaked in a smoky glitter, her lips a deep red as they curved upward in thought.
And then she downed the rest of her drink and straightened, her face scrunching as if she was nauseated by the taste. “I need some water. Want some?”
Since when was Maddy the type to request water? “Sure.”
I sat still as she dived out of view. I fidgeted awkwardly in my seat as people moved around me, sipping my drink every so often, enough to give me something to do. I was still worried about William.
Two songs later, Maddy returned. I was grateful, having grown nervous that one of the many elite partygoers would approach me. She only had one glass of water in her