With hesitant steps, Emily followed Mia, who walked with radiating confidence towards the city’s most talked-about nightclub. Flickering neon lights greeted them, while the booming music seemed to penetrate to the marrow of the bones. Mia, who had wrapped herself in a long robe all the way from Emily’s house, suddenly took off her robe, revealing a stunningly revealing dress, glittering like the stars shining in the night sky.
Mia took Emily’s hand, leading her through the wildly dancing crowd to the VIP room hidden in the club’s corner. Emily felt her heart racing, not only because of the music that filled the space and overwhelmed her senses, but also because of the anxiety growing inside her chest, an anxiety that felt like a thousand butterflies flying in an indeterminate direction.
As the door to the VIP room opened, Emily was surprised to see four familiar faces from the past, schoolmates who used to belittle and ostracize her. They treated her as if she were their errand girl, telling her to do this and that in a dismissive tone.
“Have you come, Mia?” asked one of them in a tone that carried a sense of superiority.
“Look who I’m with?” said Mia, but her words were condescending and quite disturbing to Emily, as if Mia enjoyed the power play she had created.
“Uh, the loser,” one of Mia’s friends said with a laugh, her voice echoing with the laughter of the others.
“She’s changed, hasn’t she? She’s so pretty today. Is it appropriate for you to call her a loser?” Mia defended Emily in an ambiguous tone, but her words fell on Emily’s ears not as a defense, but more like a very painful insinuation, a blow wrapped in a compliment.
Mia finally invited Emily to sit on the lounger in the luxurious VIP room. Emily’s glittering dress felt like shackles binding her freedom. The dress, while beautiful, felt too revealing, too daring for someone like her. Even as she sat, her exposed thighs became the center of unwanted attention.
Mia caught Emily’s look of unease and said in a tone that sounded caring yet held a sting, “Why, Emily? Are you uncomfortable in this dress I bought you? I’ve chosen it carefully, and it’s not cheap either.”
Emily looked at Mia, her eyes blazing with the fire of courage. “I never asked you to buy it for me, Mia,” Emily said, her voice low but firm.
From the corner of the room, one of Mia’s gang followers interjected in a scornful tone, “Hey, you little shit! Mia’s been so nice to you. You still dare talk to her like that?”
Mia, with a gentle hand gesture, stopped Emma before her scorn could continue. “Never mind, Emma. Leave her alone,” she said.
“Let’s get started at our reunion,” Mia said with a smile.
Several well-trained waiters began delivering liquor on silver trays to the VIP room. Emily stared at each bottle of liquor with a deepening sense of unease. She wasn’t used to the sharp smell of alcohol filling the air, or to the way the surrounding people were easily downing the drinks, as if they were ordinary water.
“Don’t you want to try one?” asked Mia, raising her eyebrows as she offered a glass filled with a colored liquid that glittered under the fluorescent lights.
Emily shook her head, her lips quivering slightly as she tried to hide her fear. “No, I’m not used to it,” she said.
Mia laughed lightly. “Oh, Emily, when will you learn to enjoy life?”
One of Emily’s friends named Leah, with unstoppable enthusiasm, proposed an idea to liven things up. “How about we play a game?” she asked. “It’s a simple game. The losers have to show their bravery by drinking this liquor.”
Emily swallowed, feeling a heartbeat in her throat. She wasn’t used to this kind of game, and the thought of the strong alcohol made her feel dizzy. The cheering in the room’s crowd approving of the game made Emily feel even more uneasy.
***
On the other side of the city, pulsing with nightlife, Daniel, who had just escaped the shackles of his busy office life, stepped into the car whose door his personal driver had opened. He took a deep breath, trying to let go of the day’s burden. His cell phone vibrated in his hand. The screen lit up with the all-too-familiar name, Mia.
He opened message after unanswered message. However, the last message that burst through the line of ignored words brought him to a stand still.
‘Why aren’t you replying to my messages?’
‘Emily, let’s go to Omega nightclub tonight! I’ll pick you up at home!’
Although Daniel didn’t have good feelings for Mia, Emily’s business wasn’t his business either. He wasn’t someone who liked to meddle in other people’s business.
***
The liquor bottle continued to spin, as if each spin was a second counting down to their fate. The game continued, with a simple yet cruel rule: if the spin of the bottle stopped in front of someone, then they lost and had to drink the liquor waiting in front of them.
This time, fate fell into Mia’s hands. However, with a sly smile etched on her face, Mia said, “What if Emily becomes the dark horse for me?”
Emily was taken aback, her eyes wide with confusion and fear. “What?”
Mia looked at her with a threatening gaze, her voice low yet clear. “You still remember the video in my hand, right? If you want me to keep the secret, then you have to follow whatever I say, right?”
Faced with such an unexpected threat, Emily had no choice. With trembling hands, Emily held the cold, heavy glass of liquor in her hand, as if holding her own destiny.
Everyone stared at her and cheered her on, encouraging her to take the drink.
“Come on, Emily,” one of Mia’s followers poured the liquor into Emily’s glass.
Emily shot a glance at Mia, who gave her a mocking smile. Emily’s other hand was clenched tightly, holding back the anger in her chest. She had no other choice because she didn’t want Fred to be sad to see her completely unhappy teenage years.
“What are you waiting for? Let’s drink it,” Mia said.
With bated breath, Emily took a sip of the drink, each sip a sacrifice of her own freedom. The bottle kept spinning, squeaking on the table.
If the spin hits Mia, then Emily takes her place, as if she were a pawn in this cruel game. And if the spin hit Emily, then she had to drink again, facing a destiny that seemed to have been written by invisible hands.
Emily’s head felt heavy, as if every sip of liquor she drank had become an additional burden she had to carry. With uncertain steps, she asked permission to go to the bathroom.
“Mia, if you’ll excuse me,” Emily said.
“Where are you going? You will not run away, are you?” asked Mia, her grip firmly on Emily’s wrist.
Emily dismissed Mia’s hand with a sharp movement. “I’m not running away,” she replied sarcastically.
Under the gloomy light of the nightclub bathroom, she washed her face, the running water carrying away the lamentations of her unfortunate fate. She stared into the mirror, seeking strength in her wet, pale reflection.
After gathering her courage, Emily intended to return to that room, but halfway through, she accidentally bumped into a man. “Sorry,” she said, her voice barely audible, without turning to the man, intending to continue her walk.
However, the man stood his ground, not giving way. Emily clucked in annoyance, frustration rising in her chest, and finally she turned her head. Their eyes met, and in an instant, Emily realized who was in front of her. Like hell was not so far away from Emily today. After dealing with Mia, she had to go back to dealing with the annoying man before her.
“Apparently the world is so small because we are reunited here,” Sean said, his voice low and calm, as if he was enjoying the irony of the moment.