Kennedy and I whoop in excitement — it's a quiet whoop, though, as to not let Erin hear — and even Curtis allows himself to smile. It's genuine, and that relieves me.
*
That night, Bonnie, Kennedy, Curtis and I insist that we're tired and go back to our bedrooms early. Erin doesn't mind spending the night by herself in the living room, talking to her boyfriend on the phone. Bonnie believes her to have fallen asleep in the master by 10:30, and messages the rest of us in our new group chat with the four of us.
Curtis and I, who have been waiting in the attic, go downstairs to meet the girls.
"You two look hot," I whisper when I see Bonnie and Kennedy, both wearing long-sleeved dresses with tights. Curtis and I also changed into somewhat nicer clothes and have done our hair. Curtis, of course, looks as polished as usual.
"Thanks!" Bonnie says as the four of us creak through the front door. "I've already ordered an Uber, so the car should be here soon."
Soon, the car arrives on the road in front of the house, its lights illuminating the dark street. I glance back at the house, but the lights remain turned off.
Everyone piles into the car, and I sit up in the front. It's a short drive until we arrive at a street in the centre of the town, the one street of the town that's awake. There are groups of friends talking on the street, and the windows of bars and clubs glow. I feel the thud of bass under my feet.
Bonnie leads us to a tall building named The Poseidon and we show the bouncer our IDs — embarrassingly, Kennedy, Bonnie and I wave L permits while Curtis shows him his P permit — and then we're inside. The ground floor of The Poseidon is a bar. The floor is dark wood and anchors and ropes decorate the walls. The second floor is the club, and while there are hints of music, it's quiet enough on this floor for the four of us to talk and hear each other.
We order a drink each from the bar then sit down at a booth, before complaining about not being smart enough to buy pre-drinks. Then again, Erin might have caught us. We drink quickly to get tipsy — it works better for Kennedy and Bonnie, but not so much for Curtis and me. We all have another shot for good luck anyway before Bonnie leads us to the second level.
As soon as I move from the stairwell into the room, a shock of noise crashes into my ears. At the front of the room, a DJ plays, and music thuds through the speaker, and if I thought the first floor was busy, it's nothing compared to the sea of bodies here. Bonnie grabs my hands and drags me into the wave of sweaty dancers, Kennedy and Curtis close behind us, and after a song, I don't even notice how loud the music is anymore.
The four of us shout at each other as we dance. Time seems to go by both quickly and slowly. Now and then we go to the bar to get another drink. At one point, Bonnie takes out her phone, angles the screen and tells us to say cheese. Her phone flashes for the first photo and we get several annoyed looks from those around us who we blinded with white light. Afterwards, though, Bonnie turns the flash off and we take several photos, our faces half covered by shadows. I always push into the middle of the photo, and Kennedy calls me an attention whore. I stick my tongue out at her.
Two hours have passed by the time we return to the other room to sit down. It's weird how time distorts within these four walls.
"Another drink!" I announce.
Bonnie whoops in glee and Curtis asks us how many we're going to have.
"Oh, don't be an Erin," Bonnie says, swinging an arm over my neck. Since I'm so much taller, I have to duck down. "We're barely tipsy."
"Come on, Bonnie," I say. "Let's get a cocktail."
We order an expensive cocktail each, and I cover the bill, telling Bonnie it's the least I can do since I'm staying at her family's home. And also for organising the night. In fact, I list several great things about Bonnie. Kennedy gets a gin and tonic and Curtis gets a beer.
"You should get a cocktail next," I tell Curtis when we return to a booth. I sit at the end, with Bonnie beside me, then Kennedy, then Curtis across from me.
"They're delicious, way more delicious than that," I continue, pointing at his amber-coloured drink.
Curtis raises a brow. "Do you even know what this tastes like?"
"I can guess," I say. "Anyway, look — my tongue is turning pink." I stick my tongue out at everyone at the table.
Kennedy laughs and closes my jaw with a hand. "You're funny."
"I'm always funny," I say. I look at Curtis. "Come on, have a taste." I push my cocktail glass across the table. "It's yummy, and no one's going to judge you."
"You don't have to share," Curtis says.
"Drink it!" I demand.
"Maybe he doesn't want to catch your germs," Bonnie laughs, before taking another sip of her drink. She's drinking her milky-pink cocktail through a black straw without her hands.
"He already has my germs," I say with a roll of my eyes. "We've shared drinks before. Come on." I tap the table for emphasis.
Curtis glances at Kennedy before taking a sip from my straw.
"Nice," he says once he's done.
