Tricks

Loud music was blaring and colourful lights flickered in the nightclub, scores of people were dancing in a fervour to the beat of the deejay.

Damian was seated on a couch with his clique of delinquents partying, looking distant. One of them noticed his absent-mindedness and poured him a drink.

"What's with the mood, Damian? Come on, loosen up! You're the one who organised this party. It would not be right having the organiser brooding here."

'Tch.' He got irritated again and downed the shot in one gulp.

'He's right, what am I even doing now? I need to clear up my mind from her,' Damian thought.

He slammed the shot glass on the table and shouted, "Free drinks for everyone, on me!" The crowd cheered and Damian joined the raving crowd. He danced with no restraints as if there was no tomorrow. His performance hyped the crowd, even more turning the party into an uncontrollable mess.

A sexy girl wearing a glittering black slip dress came to Damian and danced seductively around him.

"Hey, Damian. I saw you were a little down earlier, glad to see you back to your usual self. How about we have some fun time to cheer you up?" her hands explored his body before slipping under his shirt. "I even have some really good 'snow'," she took out a transparent packet filled with white powder.

Damian's powerful influence and connections to the underground scene allowed him to create a place where the law does not reach. There are no rules except his rules. This is also the reason why he's famous for his wild parties.

"You know I don't need that to show you fun times, right?" he smiled and grabbed her hand under his shirt. He held the girl's delicate face with his other hand closer to his face. He was focused on her red soft lips.

Suddenly, he stopped and pushed the girl away.

"What's the meaning of this?!" the girl demanded, shocked by his actions. She had not been shamed like this by anyone.

"I think I've just changed my mind," he gave a mischievous grin and walked off towards the back of the nightclub.

He exited the club and slammed the heavy metal doors shut with rage. The back alley was quiet, except for the hum of air conditioning compressor units. The air was still damp from the heavy downpour earlier. The puddles of water mixed with piles of garbage left by irresponsible business owners emitted a foul and rancid odour but it did not bother him that much. His mind was too occupied by other thoughts.

'Damn it, Sylvia, give me a break! Get out of my head.'

He kicked a nearby trash dumpster in frustration and it caused a few rats to come running out. He laid against a graffitied brick wall and reached his pocket for a crumpled box of cigarettes. He lit one and took a long huff before letting out a huge puff of smoke.

A door opened a few rows away, illuminating the dark alley with golden light. Peals of laughter and chatter can be heard from inside. A young boy with a bob-cut wearing a dark vest and a white apron came out with a garbage bag.

"Yes, I got it covered, boss!" he shouted back to someone inside before disappearing back into the building after disposing of the bag. The light disappeared as he closed the door and the alley returned to its sombre setting.

'Is that the kid somewhere from school? Don't remember his name…'

Damian gave a sinister leer and threw the cigarette butt away. He found something fun to play with.

--------------------------

"Welcome customer, please wait a moment while we get you seated," Dexter greeted as he heard the entrance bell rang. He turned and looked at the new customer after receiving some orders.

'This is the worst person I could have met here. I hope he does not recognise me. He won't right? I'm just a nobody,' thoughts raced in Dexter's mind.

His face turned pale and he began having cold sweat. His voice broke as he brought Damian to a table at a corner.

"Have a seat, here is the menu. Take your time, I'll be right back." he tried to creep away.

"Where are you going kiddo? Why not start with giving me some recommendations?" Damian was giving an arrogant self-satisfied smile.

'Oh no, he recognises me!'

"Wel… Well, we have cakes and desserts. If you have not eaten, I would recommend today's special minestrone soup or maybe pasta…" Dexter started off stuttering but later on regained his composure, forgetting the school's number one delinquent is right in front of him.

"Alright, alright stop. I'll just get the minestrone soup," Damian could not stand him blabbering there any longer. "Ah, and a glass of water."

He smiled, the game had just started.

It took five minutes for the soup and glass of water to arrive, by that time Damian had already complained twice about slow service.

"Here's your soup, apologies for the delay," Dexter served the order before hurrying off to the next customer. He was perspiring heavily due to a large number of customers and the lack of staff.

Damian plucked a few strands of his crimson hair and discreetly placed them in the soup before creating a fuss.

"What is the meaning of this?! Where's the waiter? I demand a replacement for my meal," he shouted while raising his hand.

Dexter quickly rushed over to the commotion and found out about the hair in the soup. "Apologies, I will get another replacement and report this to the kitchen. I'm really sorry."

When he took the soup away, he noticed the strands of hair were red. He began suspecting something was amiss.

'Nobody working here has red hair, only Damian has…'

He returned with a new bowl of soup a few minutes later, which Damian rejected again for being too salty. The episode repeated a few more times before the manager came over. He could not bear to stay at the sidelines any longer.

"Sir, I must ask you to exit the premises. We do not welcome you any longer," he said coldly.

By now, the table was a mess. Soup was strewn everywhere on the table, even on Dexter's uniform.

"Fine, if I must," he walked away with a wide smile. He did not even try to hide his wrongdoings. "I'm a very generous person. I left a tip even with terrible service. Good night gents."

Dexter saw a single $1 note floating in an upside-down glass of water.

After he left the cafe, he lit another cigarette and gave a huge satisfying puff.

'The game isn't over yet!'