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club alive.
    “Now who’s the fucking drama queen?” Warren asked, mumbling under his breath.

    The line to get into the club was nonexistent, so I expected it to be dead inside, too. I was wrong. The place was packed to the brim—people off to the side, others crowding the dance floor. Behind the bars, you could see the hustle of activity with bartenders rushing around each other to get from one order to the next.
    “What’s going on tonight?”
    “Uh, it’s Friday,” Warren yelled. “That’s what’s going on!”
    We pushed through the writhing bodies and made it to the second-floor balcony. Behind the DJ booth stood a bear of a man.
    “That’s Corey,” Warren said, which explained why the DJ grinned in our direction. Corey waved us over then gave us a quick handshake before inviting us to sit off to the side near the booth.
    When the waitress came by, I ordered more to drink and ignored the concern on Warren’s face. He didn’t need to worry; I wouldn’t be running in the street half-cocked and tipsy tonight.
    “Thanks.” I winked when she returned. Her giggle and smile made me puff my chest a little bit. She must have liked what she saw. However, that was the extent of our interaction. The extent of my interaction with anyone, really.
    The vibe was different than the other time we went out. It was livelier while at the same time the crowd managed to seem more laid back. Still, it took an hour before I wasn’t feeling it anymore. No matter how much time passed in between my outings, this club shit was something I could only take in small doses.
    “You’ve gotta be fucking shitting me!” Warren approached me with a sour expression, as if he could smell that I wasn’t having a good time. “You plan on sitting in one spot all night?”
    “No.” I rose, frowning. “I think I’m going to head out, though.”
    Whatever he saw in my expression stopped him from talking shit, although I could tell he wanted to both argue and keep me from leaving. “Fine. Here.” He handed me his keys. “You’re good to drive, right? I can probably get a ride with Corey.”
    I put my hands up. It was bad enough I was leaving, shitting on him and his plans to cheer up my moping ass. I wasn’t about to take his ride, too. Plus, I wasn’t sure I was that sobered up yet. “I’ll take a cab. Don’t worry ’bout it.”
    “You sure?”
    “Yeah, yeah.” I waved a hand. “Later.”
    Before I got to the stairs, a group of five girls dancing in the crowd caught my attention. Squinting, I focused, not on the group as a whole, but on the girl in the middle. On the way she moved. On the euphoric smile on her face. Most of the chicks in the club were fly—thick with pretty faces and plump asses—but none of that held my attention the way this girl’s smile did. Envious, I wondered what she was thinking about. W as it the simple act of dancing that made her so happy? Was it some one , not just some thing ? Have I ever looked that happy? A sudden urge came over me. I wanted to approach her and ask what was on her mind. First, I needed to gather my thoughts and compose myself.
    “What happened?” Warren sounded from over my shoulder.
    I wasn’t shocked he was following me. Grabbing his arm, I pulled him to the railing and pointed to the crowd. “Who’s that?”
    “How the fuck would I know?” he asked, his voice tight and clipped as she stepped out of my grip. “That fucking hurt, by the way.”
    Fucking crybaby . “You’ll be all right.”
    Just then, Corey came over to us.
    "You know who that is?" Warren asked him, pointing down to the crowd.
    “In the middle.” I made sure to specify since Warren could have been pointing to anyone. “The one with the really short, black hair.”
    It took Corey a minute to figure out who I was talking about in the sea of people. When he did, he perked up. “Oh, that’s Elle. Cool chick.”
    “Yeah? How do you know her?”
    “You see that one?” He pointed again. “The