It's hot and stuffy. The lights in here are too bright. The dance floor is crowded and claustrophobic, but I don't care. I'm sweating booze and tripping over myself, but I don't give a damn. I'm here in this hot club with my friends on a Friday night. I don't have a care in the world. 

Everyone on the floor is in constant motion. Dancing to a song half of us don't even know, but we still dance and sing along the best we can because the alcohol says we should. I look around at all my friends. Rachel Beckett. Tall and slender with short hair dyed midnight purple, gorgeous brown eyes, and an addiction to trouble. Maya Anderson, a short, dark skinned party girl who is always down for a good time. Aiden Sanders, a homosexual fire cracker who will cut you if you even think about stepping up to him or his friends. And lastly, Gigi Campbell. Long dark hair, tan skin, and thirstier than a tuna fish in the Sahara. 

We're all dancing and screaming and spilling our drinks. Having the time of our teenage lives when Aiden points across the club and says,

"Ooooohhhh, Ria. Isn't that that senior hottie you can't seem to keep your eyes off of?"

All five of us turn our heads to see who Aiden is referring to. My face grows even hotter than it already was when I see who he's pointing at. Daniel Reed. 6 feet of sexy with hazel brown eyes and sandy coloured hair. It was true that I could never keep my eyes off of him in class.......

"Oh my God, he's here!", I exclaim.

"Oh my God, go talk to him!", Maya says, matching my volume and drunken enthusiasm.

"Go see if he wants to like, get busy.", Gigi says.

"Gigi! Ria is not a ho, like you!", Aiden shouts above the music, "But seriously, Ria, if you're not gonna tap that, I will." .

Rachel had grown noticeably quiet and uncomfortable.

"What's up with you, Rach?", Maya asks.

"I-I just don't think it's a good idea for Ria to go over there, that's all.", Rachel replied so quietly that we almost couldn't hear her.

"Why not?", I ask.

"I can't explain it, I just don't think you should."

"OH MY GOD, RACH, DO YOU LIKE DANIEL?!", Gigi practically screams.

Rachel's face flushes red.

"No, no, that's not it. I just don't think that's such a good idea cause-"

I can't hear the rest of what Rachel is saying because Aiden is already pushing me towards Daniel.

"What do I say?", I ask Aiden, suddenly panicking.

"Just go with your gut!", he advises. Aiden gives me one final shove and I stumble over to Daniel who is talking to a group of other seniors.

"Hey, Daniel!", I shout so that he can hear me. He and his friends turn around to see who had called him. 

"Hey........", Daniel replied, obliviously grasping at his memory for my name.

"Ria.", I fill in for him.

"Oh, yeah, hey, Ria. What's up?", he asks, raising his eyebrow.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go dance. With me."

His friends all suddenly looked constipated. Were they trying not to laugh? At me?

"Uh...", Daniel said chuckling nervously, "I think I'll have to pass, squirt. Aren't you a little young to be here anyway?".

That sure did it.

"Too young?", I start to shout, " Too young?! I will have you know, mister, that I am 17 years old and I am not a squirt! You're the squirt! And you're really hot and your eyebrows look kinda like squirrels, but you're just a jerk!". I am screaming now and tears are streaming down my face.

"Calm down, you're causing a scene...", Daniel responded looking around embarrassedly. 

"Causing a scene?! Causing a-", I don't finish because at that exact moment, vomit starts spewing out of mouth. Daniel recoils quickly, but not in enough time to save his expensive looking shoes. He looks at me with horror his eyes. I look at him with horror in mine. Then, being the mature woman I am, I throw the rest of my drink at him and run out of the club sobbing loudly. 

I run until I realize that it is the middle of December in New York and I had forgotten my coat and heels back at the club. I drop to the ground and scoot up against the wall of Tony's Bagel Shop. I sit there and cry miserable y. I'm freezing, I just got rejected by a hot guy, and my throat is still burning from the stomach acid. I cry and cry and cry until I feel a coat drape over me. I look up and see Rachel standing over me. I blink at her.

"You okay?", she asks me with concern in her eyes.

"No."

"Well, get up, you'll be more okay if you're not outside in the cold.", she says extending a hand to help me up. I take it gratefully and we start walking back toward my apartment building. Rachel wraps her coat even further around my shivering body and puts her arm around me.

"By the way, Ria," Rachel says, "I told you so."

"Shut up.", I reply smiling.

"Am I not the one who told you it wasn't a good idea to go over there?", Rachel teases. We both laugh. We finish the walk to my building without another sound. When we reach the fire escape ladder, I hug Rachel and say goodbye. I start to climb the ladder and she starts to walk away. I stop climbing and twist around so that I can see Rachel on the street below.

"Hey, Rachel?", I call. She stops walking and turns around.

"Yeah?", she answers.

"Um....can you- can you stay?", I ask hopefully. I have no idea why I'm asking. I just felt the need to. She smiles.

"Of course."

We climb the ladder into the bathroom and head to my room. She and I shed our party dresses and change into sweatpants and some tank tops. A few minutes later we're finally laying down, the lights are out, and I am on the brink of slumber. But first,

"Rachel?"

"What?"

"Thanks.....for tonight."

"No problem. Anytime."