Catfish | A. Svechnikov

SEVENTEEN

"Let's go, sis," I said sweeping my arms toward the door. Her eyes crinkled up and she smiled, causing a swell of happiness to wash over me.

Our arms were automatically linked together as we trod out of the room, climbing down the steps at a glacial pace. "Are you sure you want to bring me out? This is my first time doing anything like this before." Autumn inquired in a rather tentative manner.

"Absolutely. Gotta start somewhere, may as well stay safe about it." I smiled, causing Autumn to shake her head at me in utter disappointment. Yet, she couldn't resist the small smile that had managed to creep onto her face.

A cold gust of air began to blow, causing our hair to sway in the harsh wind. The cold air had made me wish I had taken up Jordan's offer of tequila shots. I gathered my hair behind my ears, before directing my footsteps in the direction of Jordan's car and climbing into it.

Jordan offered me a slight smile before rolling down a window while I fiddled with the controls on her radio. Almost at once, Ocean Avenue by Yellowcard resonated around the car and I grinned cranking up the song a few notches higher. Soon enough I found myself singing along, much to everyone's dismay. Jordan cringed as I sang aloud, rolling down another window and allowing a gust of frigid wind to enter the car.

15 minutes afterward, we arrived at our destination and I cranked my neck in order to catch a clear view of the club standing in front of us.

Shaking my head in order to rid myself of my second guesses, I glanced over at a nervous Autumn. "You okay?' I nudged her, enciting a short nod in response. "Do you think you'll be okay driving us home? If not Ke' can do it, we just need to know."

"I'm okay," she breathed out, wiping her palms on her dress.

"Then let's go," I nodded my head to the side and reach out, kicking the door open. I detected a few ginger footsteps from behind me as I led the way toward the entrance of the club, where a bored-looking bouncer stood.

Once we handed him our IDs he motioned for us to enter before putting an X in Sharpie on Autumn's hand, I grinned, looping my arms through Jordan and Autumn's.

I can feel my heart pounding. It's fast and surreal and insanely chaotic, an electrifying impulse frying all of my nerve endings, leaving nothing but myself and the booming bassline. Its frequency thrums past the marrow in my bones and sounds in time with flashing neon lights, flickering and flickering until there's nothing left. They're attached to the walls, violet and white and rose all blending and changing together, and the smell of alcohol lingers in the crevices and clavicle.

"Want to get drinks while we wait for the boys?" Jordan asks. I sensed Autumn was uneasy, her arm hung awkwardly above the elbow of her other.

"Sure," I said, amplifying my voice as much as possible so it would carry over the music. Jordan grinned and led us toward the bar, her hips swaying a little to the beat.

There were already plenty of people around, most hanging in groups and sipping drinks, some taking shots and tapping their glasses together in booths. The place was pretty fancy, the decor taking a trend with crystals. Chandeliers, which looked like they were worth a lot less than they first appeared, dangled on the high ceilings above us, surrounded by colored strobe lights.

The dance floor was large and tiled, holding a few different levels. I could already see a bunch of drunk girls swaying upon a platform that seemed too high to be safe, and I smiled to myself. Even though they were clearly heavily intoxicated, they looked like they were having so much fun.

Just as Jordan ordered us a round of drinks, Ke'Bryan found us, the two already embracing. Autumn and I hovered on the edge a little awkwardly before I heard a familiar voice greeting me. "Hey AJ."