I leaned back in my chair, completely enjoying the slight buzz that I had gained throughout the night from the alcohol. I'm lucky. My tolerance level for alcohol is fairly high, something which I rarely take advantage of. Chriss and Tyla were wrapped around each other a couple chairs over, kissing deeply. Carmin was staring into space, a cigarette in one slender hand, the other tapping the tabletop. She hadn't had anything to drink aside from coffee and water, and I remembered Neil saying that he was going to drive Kira and her home. I wondered why she wasn't taking advantige of this fact. I looked for Kira, and found her over by the bar with Gabriel and Vira. Vira was very consciously flirting with Gabriel, and very subconsciously flirting with Kira. Gabriel took her hand and pulled her out onto the dancefloor, and Kira, pouting due to her sudden lack of companions, started making her way back to our table, eyes sparkling and body swaying as she walked.

"Hey kids!" she sang, collapsing into the chair across from me. Neil had disappeared somewhere, and Chriss and Tyla wouldn't have noticed if a bomb had gone off two feet away from them. Carmin spared her friend a glance, and returned to contemplating the ceiling. "Having fun?" I asked her, feeling very intimidated.

"Hell yes!" she grinned. "Except for the part where Veronica totally ditched me for Carmin's boy toy." Without showing any emotion or taking her eyes away from the ceiling, the third girl neatly landed a peanut in the middle of Kira's forehead.

"What about you?" Kira asked me, seemingly unfazed by the peanut.

"Uh huh," I nodded.

"Hey, where'd Neil go?"

I shrugged. "No idea. Why would I know, anyway?"

Kira blinked. "Well, I just thought, considering you're all, um, never mind. Screw it. I need another drink." And with that, she was up and weaving her way through the dancers to return to the bar.

Vira and Gabriel were dancing near me. I watched them, surprised to see that the usually vibrant girl was completely submissive, and the seemingly shy and cute Gabriel was taking full control. The song was something I'd never heard before. Not that good, really. Guitar and drums and a singer that I couldn't find truly all that good. I tried to make out the lyrics over the too loud guitar.

"Be my angel
Be my angel
Do you wanna die?
I promise you I will treat you well
My sweet angel
So help me, Jesus"

I cringed, and looked away. Tried not to think about the music or Vira or Gabriel or where the hell was Neil, anyway?! I pushed myself unsteadily up out of my chair, and clutched the back of it to stop the world from spinning. Carefully, I made my way around the edge of the dancefloor, trying to stay out of the way of the couples that were moving to the music. A guy bumped into me, and I glanced up to apologize. He was a good six inches taller than me, with closely cropped thick black hair and multiple piercings. "Hey, wanna dance?" he smiled revealing bright white teeth. Like a shark. I shook my head, tried to back away but he grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer. I struggled, but he was a lot stronger than me.

"Just a dance," he whispered in my ear, hot breath making my skin prickle.

"I really have to go," I pled, trying to get loose again. He laughed and very pointedly stroked my hip. One of his hands came up to caress the side of my face, and I struggled even harder.

"You know what they say," he said very low. "It always hurts less if you don't struggle." I wanted to scream. Wanted to get the hell out of there and run until I couldn't run anymore. The crush of bodies pressing in against me, forcing me closer to my unwanted partner was making me sick, panicky.

Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed my shoulders, and pulled me back and out of the guy's grip as someone else grabbed him from behind. I was gasping, trying not to freak out and scream. My rescuers pulled me out of the mass of people, and out into the cool night air.

"Ana, are you ok?" I looked up into Neil's concerned dark eyes.

"Uh…yeah. I think so. He just gave me a bit of a scare, is all. I've never…I mean, I…" I trailed off, not quite sure what I was trying to say.

"It's ok," he said reassuringly, resting a hand on my shoulder.

"Fucking creep," Kira muttered darkly, all excited flirtatious glittery overwhelming energy replaced with an angry, hard glare and stance.

I looked at them both. "Could you possibly not tell anyone about this?" I asked softly.

Kira looked ready to protest, but Neil cut her off. "If that's what you want, of course."

I felt suddenly very stupid and childish for freaking out so badly. "God, I'm an idiot. He was just dancing."

Neil shook his head quickly. "You're not an idiot."

"And he didn't just want to dance," Carmin added, stepping out from the shadows. I jumped.

"I didn't see you there!"

She shrugged, looking troubled. "I'm heading out," she told Kira and Neil. "I'll see you guys whenever."

Neil moved beside her, obviously concerned. "I'll drive you," he offered.

"I can walk," she muttered.

"Like hell you can, it's too far this late," Kira objected.

"God!" Carmin snapped. "You people are so God damned controlling!" I didn't want to get involved in this. Quietly, trying not to be noticed, I backed away, wondering where I could go aside from the club. I wasn't quite sure if I could go back in there, now. Kira noticed, and moved to stand by me.

"Look, I don't give a damn. Whatever. I'm gonna take Ana back in and make sure that idiot doesn't try anything else on her. You two…deal with whatever." Before I could protest, she dragged me back in. Neil didn't even spare me a glance, and I felt a wave of jealousy come over me. Surely I was more interesting than that other girl! She wasn't even all that nice! She had barely said ten words all night, and was dressed in a high collored shirt and jeans. She had the same gothy look about her with the overdone makeup and leather jacket as Vira had, but none of the other's enthusiasm. And she had shown no interest at all in Neil throughout the entire ordeal. I'd seen her bored attempts to flirt with Gabriel, and an even more bored attempt with a waitress, but that was about it.

"What's up with them?" I asked Kira, jerking my head back at the door.

Kira shrugged. "They're not together, if that's what you mean. He kind of rescued her when she came here from Ontario. He got sent by his parents from China to get an education here, and she was running away from her family. She was about sixteen, he was barely eighteen. They kinda clung on to each other as a sort of sibling support."

"Wow," I muttered. "You're all so…interesting! I feel so plane and boring next to you!"

She laughed and gave me a smile that was quite obviously forced. Gabriel and Vira popped up at that second, and she pushed me towards them and started looking around for someone. Obviously not finding them, she turned back to us.

"You look pale," Gabriel commented, back to being shy and quiet.

I shrugged. "It's nothing. You guys having fun?"

"Yeah!" Vira grinned, running her fingers through Gabriel's hair.

"I think I'm gonna head out soon," Kira commented.

Vira's entire demeanor changed immediately. "Aren't you having fun?"

It made me crack up the way she didn't even seem to know she was doing it. Whatever Vira might say, I could tell that Tyla was right, she did have a rather large crush on Kira. Gabriel had apparently noticed, too, because he put a hand on her shoulder, pulling her closer to him in a manner approaching, but not quite achieving posesssiveness.

Suddenly there was a commotion on the small stage near the end of the room. We all made our way over to see what was going on, and to my surprise, I saw Chriss at the microphone. The music went a little quieter, and Chriss cleared his throat.

"What the hell is he doing?" Vira wondered, completely ignoring both objects of her affections.

Chriss spoke clearly into the mic. "Excuse me! I need to say something." Everyone quieted down, and attention slowly turned to the stage. When everyone was paying attention, Chriss continued. "Tonight, I have a very serious question to ask a very special someone…" XXX

Note: Song is Possum Kingdom by The Toadies.
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