Stranger with the Stars

The Club

The days leading up to the club event were passing by in a flash. The classes seemed to blur together. My birthday was here, on a Saturday night no less. Archie had gotten some of his theater friends to agree to go. I became familiar with their faces when they pulled up to the house. Their names were Dan, Thaddeus, Belinda, Jessy, and Sunni.  Thaddeus volunteered to be the DD, I promised him I’d cover them the next time we went out. He was grateful for the thank you, as everyone else just assumed that he was going to handle it anyway. 

What Archie didn’t tell me, was that it was basically a singles mixer. On the way to the club, he started to talk about how the club did a huge event once a year to help those who were having trouble in the love department, getting them all together to hopefully attempt to meet someone. Sadly, today was that day for the mixer too. 

We pulled up at sunset. There weren’t too many people showing up quite yet, so it was a fast and easy entry. The room was huge, with both lining the walls. There was a second floor that would be for VIPs or staff. Shortly after finding a booth off to the side, we could see the club start to fill up. All except Archie and I had said we would go dance. The others seemed to be lost in their own gossip. Once and a while they’d point to someone on the floor, then whisper to one another with giggles. 

It was truly a large mix of people. Some had cheap masks that were easily something found at a local dollar store, others had hand painted or hand crafted sculptures to adorn their bodies. I was standing at the bar, attempting to get a round of water for the table when it became increasingly obvious that my height was making me a lot taller than the other females around. I was getting a lot of attention from all sorts of men making their way to the bar.

I felt powerful, confident, and like the sexist tower anyone was going to see that night. I completely looked different than my normal zip up and jean day to day wear. No one was going to know who I was, causing a thrill in my mind. It was a secret left to be with me and those who came with us. I’d be able to let go, without anyone knowing who I was. Tonight, I was the Big Bad Wolf.  

Brining the water back to the table, the lights started turned down. The music was now getting louder, signaling the dancing had started. Neon lights mixed in with the crowd. I started to sway my hips without noticing until Archie piped up.

“Hey girl hey, it’s time to dance, let's go!” He jumped out of the booth dragging me along to the dance floor. The others offered enthusiastic encouragement to us. 

“Hey, Pretty Kitty. I don’t know if I can do this. I haven’t danced in a long time. I’m not very good with big crowds.” I tried to explain to him over the music. Archie had mentioned that real names were a no-no tonight and to refer to each other by nicknames. He was Pretty Kitty, I was Big Bad Wolf. 

“Come on honey, just let go. You’re not sticking to me all night. I got men to appease. You’ve got a calling and it’s screaming to go out there and dive in!” He was being pulled away by another male in a mask. I was on my own. 

I awkwardly shuffled around the outside for a bit until some more familiar music came on. My body started moving on its own. I felt the urge come on.

I let go.

I was fully engulfed in the music. Dancing with anyone who was brave enough to come and be my partner, man or woman. Swinging, swaying, and bumping to the sound of every drum. I wanted to touch someone, and I wanted them to touch me back. To feel the music through our bodies, lost in the moment. People gathered around to get into the same vibe I was. 

I paused once or twice to stop at the bar, being offered shots by the other patrons, hoping to earn my good grace to come home with me. The alcohol was my liquid courage for the evening. I had no fear dancing with the crowd. I wanted to be lost in the music. I made sure to stop when the buzz started, I didn’t want a hangover in the morning. 

I’d get the occasional groping or the trailing of a hand up my leg. It would always be stopped by the shorts underneath, giving the creep a prompt no. I loved the attention. I’d continue to find myself in the middle of the dance floor, people pouring over, constantly bringing me a new dance partner.  That’s when he came up to try his luck. He stood about an inch taller than me. Grinding against my back and thigh, his hands trailing down my body. His breath was heaven on my neck. My back was pressed against his chest. I didn’t know his name to know that I was loving what he was doing to my body and mind.

I didn’t care for the many partners who had  stiff movements, I wanted a thrill. He had a great body, muscular in all the right places. A wolf mask lazily decorated his beautiful golden eyes, hungry with arousal. The mask was similar to my own, with a darker paint scheme. The world disappeared around us. It was just him and I for this dance. I wanted him to come home with me. I couldn’t tell if it was me or the liquor taking control at this point, but I couldn’t hold back. He was leaning in, attempting to land a kiss. I craved it, my body had been on fire since we started dancing.

His eyes were on my lips. We had slowed down to a standstill on the dance floor. My breath hitched in my throat, my hands fell to my sides. His lips brushed against mine. 

Before our lips could connect, he snapped his head off into the direction of the doors. Letting me go, powering his way through the crowd. I was left stunned, my hand reaching out to try and grab on to the now fleeting figure. My heart sank, the thrill died down. I had become more than aware of the sweating crowd around me now, and I wanted out. 

I forced my way through the colliding bodies. The group at the booth seemed to be pretty tired at this point. A few hours had passed since we came in, and it was obvious that it was time to head home.

“Have you guys seen Pretty Kitty?” I asked.

“Yeah, he’s right here.” Sunni pointed to a lump on the booth seating. Archie had fallen asleep next to them. 

“How long?” I cleared my throat. 

“Few minutes maybe, none of us can carry him so you’re gonna have to.” She tried to talk over the music. 

“Okay, we can get him in my arms or on my back then I’ll get him to the car. I’m ready if you guys are.”

A chorus of ‘yeses’ were made around the table. I was able to coax Archie to hold on to my neck, while I scooped him up bridal style. It was clear he had been drinking, the smell emanated off of him. Luckily he still had both shoes and his makeup wasn’t too badly smeared off. He held on to my neck for dear life. He was lucky that he wasn’t very big, otherwise I’d have a harder time lifting him. The group led the way out towards the door. I followed in suit, making sure I didn’t hit Archie's feet on anyone's face. 

The way out was made a bit easier when people saw that we were trying to help get Archie out too. It seemed to be a general understanding by the patrons to let us through. Before we hit the door, I was scanning for that guy. I wanted to know where he went. My body called for us to continue our dance, but he was nowhere to be seen. The disappointment filled my mind. Clouded with the thoughts of not being good enough, I was pulled out. 

“Can we crash with you guys tonight? None of our parents would be too happy with us coming in late. Archie said it was fine, but I wanted to ask again since he’s not… currently available to answer.” Jessy gestured to Archie, who had been gently placed against the passenger door inside the car. 

“Yeah it’s fine. Hope you guys don’t mind the living room. I’ll make something to eat in the morning for everyone. It’s pretty dark down there, don’t worry about being up early unless you have it.” I placed my hand on Jessy’s in response. She granted me a gentle smile before going on about how she felt towards the masks. 

I stared out the window the entire ride home. When everyone got in and settled, I wished them all a good night and that pancakes would be tomorrow's breakfast. I placed Archie into his bed, making sure to get off any makeup I could, and to get him out of the mini skirt. I put him in a pair of basketball shorts and tucked him in. 

I cleaned myself up, hoping into the shower for a quick spray down. I scrubbed off the makeup. The images of the eyes flashing through my mind each time I blinked. I scrubbed harder in hopes to get off the feeling of his hands along my body. If I wasn’t good enough to dance with, then he wasn’t good enough to be remembered. I plopped into bed in a big sleep shirt and undies. Digging myself into the depth of the comforter. 

I fell asleep to the sound of wolves howling in the distance. My mind replaying the night over and over.