III

P-A-R-T-WHY?

“KITSIE! KITSIE! KITSIE!” A crowd had formed around Kitsie and cheered her on as she downed three shots of tequila.

“WOO! I’m fucked up!” she yelled as she slammed an empty shot glass on the table. She grabbed the guy next to her by the collar of his shirt. She pulled him in for a kiss and slid her tongue into his mouth.

“YEAH!” screamed the crowd. Kitsie pushed the guy away to down another shot. The guy fell into a table, and it broke under his weight. He didn’t seem to care.

Daniel quietly watched her from the bar. He had taken them to a popular nightclub known for its dark, industrial decor and upscale ambience. He felt uncomfortable. Nightclubs weren’t the kind of places he considered to be “fun”. The Misfits, however, thought differently. Daniel looked around the club and saw Scotty passed out in a booth with his mouth hanging open. Several empty glasses covered the table in front of him. Since Scotty was a teenager, the group had to sneak him in through the back of the club. Daniel bought all their drinks since he was the only one with ID…and boy could they drink. He’d already spent more on alcohol than he did on their clothes, and they’d only been there for an hour. Daniel flipped his credit card in his hands and sighed. His credit score was bound to take a dive after this.

Soon, Deandre came up beside him, giggling to himself. He grabbed a pen on the bar, ran over to Scotty, and proceeded to draw pictures of male genitalia on his face. The rest of the group were on the dance floor. Rico danced with a heavy bosomed blonde woman while Jett, Ava, and Lauren danced amongst themselves. Daniel focused in on Lauren and took a moment to study her outfit. He couldn’t help noticing her choice in shoes—a pair of black high heeled boots. They weren’t necessarily his taste, though he never really was one for fashion. Regardless, it didn’t matter. On her they looked perfect. She removed a camo jacket, revealing a white tank top underneath, and wrapped it around her waist. Daniel’s lonely stance had caught her attention. She smiled and motioned for him to join them. He shook his head in declination. Lauren rolled her eyes and danced toward him.

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“C’mon,” she said, hitting him playfully on the shoulder. “Come join us.”

“I’m fine, you go have fun,” said Daniel.

Lauren crossed her arms and pushed her hip to one side. “Do you not know how to dance?” she asked.

“I know how to dance,” he replied somewhat defensive. “I just don’t dance.”

“Then, it’s about time you start,” said Lauren. She pulled him onto the dance floor by the sleeve of his shirt. She moved her hips to the beat of an up-tempo song and grabbed his hands in an effort to get him to join her. He just bobbed his head and shifted his eyes from side to side seemingly searching for a way to escape.

“I feel uncomfortable doing this!” he yelled over the music.

“Loosen up!” said Lauren. “You’re wound too tight!”

“It’s hard to loosen up when people crawl through your TV and uproot the quiet day you had planned!” Daniel leaned closer to Lauren’s ear. “How are you not freaked out over this?”

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Lauren shrugged. “This isn’t the weirdest thing that’s ever happened to us.”

Daniel paused for a moment. “I guess that’s true.”

Lauren danced closer to him. She turned around and moved her hips, unknowingly grazing her ass against his crotch. He took a quick step back and placed his hands up in protest. “This isn’t really my thing! I’m more of a watch from afar kind of guy!”

“Where’s the fun in that?!” asked Lauren. She pulled him closer to her and shimmied her shoulders. A strap from her tank top fell to the side exposing part of her bra. Daniel reached to cover her back up. She stopped dancing when his soft hand grazed her skin as he moved the strap back.

“I need to go to the men’s room,” said Daniel. “I’ll be right back.”

She watched him leave then placed a hand on her shoulder. His touch still lingered. It fluttered through her whole body and found rest deep inside her chest. Small bumps flooded her skin. The small hairs on her arms stood up, craving more of the exhilaration his touch seemed to ignite. She stared in the direction he left until Ava danced up to her side.

“Are you okay?” asked Ava, her voice muffled by the music.

Startled by the sudden appearance of her friend, Lauren jumped and took a quick breath inward. “Yeah, I’m good,” she said, getting her bearings.

“Alright.” Ava wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. “Dancing takes a lot out of you, doesn’t it? You wanna stop and get a drink? I think Daniel started something called a ‘tab’ for us.”

“Sounds good to me.”

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Daniel quickly made his way to the bathroom and locked himself in a stall. He sat down on the toilet seat, put his head in his hands, and took a deep breath to slow his racing heartbeat.

“What the fuck is going on?” he asked himself. “I’m hanging out with video game characters.”

“Shut the fuck up man!” said a voice in the stall next to him. “I’m trying to get head here!”

Daniel looked down to see two masculine feet and two feminine knees under the stall wall. His eyes grew wide. He brought his hands up to grip his hair and let out a breath. A buzzing noise escaped his pocket, alerting him to an incoming phone call. He pulled out his cell and answered it without looking at the caller ID.

“Hello?” he asked quietly.

“Danny!” said a voice on the other side. “It’s Andrew, where the hell are you man?”

“I’m in a bathroom having a mental breakdown. Why?”

“I’ve been trying to reach you for hours! You’ll never guess where I am!”

“Where?”

“Vegas baby! Trish and I got married!”

“Trish? Didn’t you two just meet last week?”

“I know man, love’s crazy! Now what’s going on? Where are you?”

Daniel was quiet for a moment. “Andrew, if you were with a group of people with the potential to cause mass mayhem and were forced to go to a party with them, what would you do?”

“Are there chicks in that group?”

“3.”

“Are they hot?”

“Very.”

“Then who gives a shit? Have fun and hope for a foursome.” Voices were heard on the other end of the phone. “I gotta go man. Bye!”

Daniel hung up and clenched his cell phone in his fist.

“Yo, Dan!” yelled Rico swinging the bathroom door open. “You in here?!”

“Jesus Christ! Can’t a man get a blowjob in peace?!” yelled the guy in the stall next to Daniel.

Daniel sighed and put the phone back in his pocket. “I’ll be out in a minute,” he said reluctantly.

“Hurry up! We just ordered a round of shots!” said Rico.

Daniel heard the door close and stood up. “Here goes nothing.”

He walked out of the bathroom and saw the Misfits crowded around a table. Scotty was still passed out with several drawings of genitals on his face. Daniel walked up and stood in between Jett and Deandre. He glanced at Lauren across the table and gave her an awkward smile.

“Alright, I know this world will take some getting used to, but we’re making the best of it!” said Rico. He raised his glass in the air and the rest followed suit. “Here’s to us making a name for ourselves in this new world.”

Rico threw his glass back and the rest of the group did the same. Daniel looked down at the table and stared at his drink.

“Go on man!” Deandre nudged his shoulder. “Drink!”

Daniel picked up his glass and looked around the table at each of The Misfits. He looked back at his drink. He brought it to his mouth, tossed it back, and slammed the glass on the table.