Chapter 13: Special Track
[Chapter 13: Special Track]
As night fell, a long line formed outside a nightclub near Vanderbilt University. The bouncer expertly selected the most stylishly dressed men and women. It was a rule every popular nightclub had -- strict customer filtering gave the place a higher "social status," creating a positive feedback loop. The reason this nightclub had spiked interest was due to an electronic track that had gone viral online.
"Why don't we head in now? If we wait too long, there might not be any space left," Abigail said, her impatience evident from the back seat.
"As long as we go over there, there will always be space," Taylor replied, looking in the makeup mirror attached to the sun visor to touch up her lipstick.
"So you're checking your looks?" Abigail asked.
Taylor shook her head and struck a pose, putting her hand on her hip and giving her body a little turn. "No, I'm just checking my figure."
After a final check of their outfits, the two stepped out of the car, wearing matching one piece evening gowns. Even high school students must at least have a formal dress to attend important occasions such as graduation, and prom.
Taylor sported a pure white strapless gown, while Abigail wore a deep green strapless dress. Their skirts had slits that barely grazed their knees, both designs being sleeveless.
Linking arms, they walked toward the sidewalk with the other hand holding metallic chain handbags, lightly swaying. Abigail was still getting used to the height of her heels and needed Taylor's support.
Before they even reached the door, a group of men waiting in line turned to admire the well-dressed young women. Taylor strode confidently, her head held high, looking like a model strutting on a runway.
Beautiful women were always considered the club's VIPs, and the bouncer opened a section of the door just for the charming duo.
"Welcome," the tall bouncer said, quickly letting Abigail in once he noticed her.
But when it was Taylor's turn, he pointed toward the end of the line. "Not everyone can just stroll in here, especially not with those shades," he joked, poking fun at Taylor for wearing sunglasses at night.
Aside from her obvious choice of accessories, it was Taylor's flat figure that made it hard for her to cut in line.
Abigail stifled a laugh, watching her friend's failed attempt with the bouncer.
Taylor pouted a little. "You'll regret saying that," she muttered, pulling out her ID from her purse.
The bouncer glanced at it and then at Taylor, who pushed her shades down to reveal her eyes, and he quickly stepped aside to let the "star" through.
"Don't tell anyone; I'm just here with a friend tonight," Taylor said, readjusting her sunglasses as she and a giggling Abigail descended the staircase.
...
"Is it really okay to just sneak in like this?" Abigail recalled their "mission" for the night.
"Trust me, telling him would be a terrible decision. We're in a nightclub. Who knows what kind of girls he's hanging around with?" Taylor reminded her.
Their infiltration of the nightclub felt somewhat like a test. Abigail had expressed similar anxieties, and Taylor had instantly come up with this plan.
Abigail nodded, made up her mind, and they entered the nightclub. A waiter in a suit approached them, asking if they had a reservation. It was then that they realized how popular this club was, so they decided to head to the bar instead.
"Two Bellinis, one neat with no ice, the other with ice, and throw in two olives," Taylor ordered two cocktails.
"Prosecco mixed with peach puree and a hint of flavored liqueur; let's hope this place serves the real deal," Taylor explained to Abigail as she talked about the cocktail ingredients.
However, after taking a sip, Taylor quickly pushed her drink aside and requested a glass of ice water instead.
Abigail glanced over at the DJ booth; it wasn't even 9 PM yet, and it was still empty.
"Ladies, who are you waiting for? You could join me at my table; I have some space available," a man approached Taylor, dark curls framing his face, wearing a floral shirt with the top two buttons undone, revealing a gold chain.
"Thanks for the offer," Taylor smiled, pretending to stand up.
Excited, the man was about to lead the way but stopped in confusion as Taylor began digging around for something. "Where's my cane, Abigail?"
The man's expression fell as he quickly made an excuse to leave.
Just then, Joel and Ryan, the DJs, appeared in front of the dance floor. Even though the show hadn't started yet, crowds chanted their names.
"RAY! RAY! RAY!" the audience shouted in unison for Ryan.
In just half a month, Ryan had made quite a splash among Vanderbilt students.
Taylor and Abigail exchanged glances at the bar. "Country music really doesn't seem to suit him," Taylor remarked, surprised by how quickly Ryan seemed to be winning people over.
"He has found his path!" Abigail said, feeling happy for Ryan's success.
...
More and more people packed the dance floor, and Joel took the lead in the first part of the performance, mixing in classic club songs. Ryan clapped along, moving his body to the rhythm, although he still looked a bit stiff, despite his efforts to let loose.
After about 40 minutes of warming up, Joel took the microphone.
"What's up! Are you ready to party tonight?"
"If you're with your best friends, make some noise!"
"This next drop is gonna blow your mind -- are you ready?"
"Let's take it up a notch!"
Then it was Ryan's turn to shine. The signature beat of Tremor kicked in, and green laser lights flashed continuously. Two blonde dancers in 7-inch heels and lingerie strutted onto the DJ booth, thanks to Ryan's assistance, and began to perform the go-go dance -- an enticing performance straight out of a nightclub.
...
Abigail frowned; such a performance felt a bit extreme for a high schooler, especially since the dancers were so close to Ryan they practically hovered over him.
Taylor, however, was focused on Ryan and the track named Tremor. Impressed, she noted his rapid improvement while also realizing that, like her, he wasn't great at body movement.
...
The intense rhythm of Tremor combined with the dancers' performance lifted the atmosphere to a peak, and about 15 minutes later, the go-go dancers stepped down. To everyone's surprise, Ryan grabbed the microphone in an unusual move.
"Everyone, I'm presenting a special remix tonight. It's a track called Hot Day Afternoon..."
...
"Pff!!!" Taylor spat her ice water, coughing violently after.
Abigail hurriedly handed her a tissue.
"That water was way too cold," Taylor fumbled, trying to shift focus, her heart racing, wishing she could throw a bottle at Ryan's head.
But doing that in this venue wasn't an option.
Ryan had remixed the song, changing the time signature and speeding it up with all sorts of effects that made it unrecognizable.
Taylor breathed a sigh of relief; however, the lyrics were still cringeworthy, making her cheeks flush.
"Where did Ryan find this song? Whoever wrote those lyrics was a complete jerk," Abigail blurted out, sounding increasingly annoyed.
Taylor merely chuckled, unsure if she should join in on the criticism.
...
The next performance circled back to Joel leading the earlier phase of the night--this cycle continued throughout the evening.
Abigail and Taylor kept a watchful eye on Ryan, noticing that he seemed quite poised, refraining from flirting with the go-go dancers and maintaining distance from the women attempting to approach him.
"I knew he was better than that," Abigail finally relaxed.
"Should we go find him?" she suggested.
Taylor was also considering confronting Ryan, so the two grabbed their bags and made their way toward the VIP area where Ryan was taking a break. As they walked, they passed a table where the man who had attempted to flirt with Taylor earlier was sitting.
Realizing he had been played after watching her nimbly avoid a waiter carrying a tray, the man knew he had been made a fool of.
Being played was one thing, but being embarrassed in front of his friends was another. Fueled by cocktails, he stood up and headed toward Taylor and Abigail...
*****
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