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“Do you think that’s where we karaoke?!” Sucking in breath to brace myself, I follow her pointed finger to a stage with smoke machines whirling and The Killers blasting over massive speakers. A lone microphone stands smack in the centre of the raised platform with a single spotlight beaming directly on to it. I look back at Stella, her eyes glowing with excitement, and swallow the bile rising in my throat.
“I certainly hope not. Those smoke machines are definitely a health hazard.” Stella laughs at my comment and pulls me to a nearby table.
Thankfully it’s an empty table; I don’t feel ready to start socializing just yet. Between the costumes, the stage, and the crowds milling around everywhere; saying I feel overwhelmed feels like a gross understatement.
Puffing the permed hair out of my eyes, I stare down at the table and focus on taking deep breaths. Karaoke doesn’t start for another hour, and worse comes to worst, no one is going to recognize me in this getup.
A small hand slides across the table and grasps my fingers. Jumping in surprise, I look up to see Stella smiling reassuringly at me.
“You are doing great, Lou. I am so proud of you.” Continuing to breath past the panic gripping my throat, I give her hand a squeeze.
“What did I do to deserve you?” She grins, nodding playfully towards my outfit.
“You willingly put on a leather pantsuit. I’ve had a wedgie for the last hour, but I think I’ve played it cool.” I burst out laughing.
As far as comfort goes, Stella’s costume choice is severely lacking. Not only is the leather tight, it’s also shockingly hot. And as more students pile into the tight quarters, the temperature insideandoutside my pants continues to increase.
Suddenly, Stella shifts uneasily in her seat, her gravity-defying hair still managing to hit her low back. “I should probably tell you…” Her words get cut off when an Axl Rose impersonator walks on stage. Cheers erupt from the crowd and despite the nerves cursing through my system, I feel a zing of excitement.
“Well, isn’t this a good-looking crowd!” More cheers break out. Unsurprisingly, the rowdiest section appears to be coming from the bar.
“First off, I want to thank all of you for coming to Punk Rockers’ first official club event. We love having you here and we hope you love being here. And what better way to kick off the season than with some friendly competition?” Whoops and shouts scatter across the crowd. I sneak a glance at Stella and see her attention wholly invested on stage. As soon as the word competition was dropped, I should have known we’d be in for the long haul.
Chuckling to himself, the MC shakes his head. “Keep this energy up folks and we are in for a fun night. Alright, first up we got a little punk trivia, top three winners will win prizes, after that we got our costume contest – phew, even from here I can see some fierce contenders.” He pauses, sweeping his eyes purposefully over the crowd. “And as always, we will finish the night with the fan favourite… dance karaoke!” I look at my roommate in horror as the room erupts into applause for the fifth time in the last five minutes.
“Dancekaraoke?” I squeak out the words as Stella vibrates in her seat in anticipation.
“Wegotthis, Lou. Three for three, no problem.” My roommate’s competitive nature has already taken over her mind and left me stranded. Guess it’s time to sink or swim.
“Alright, trivia is first, so we need to find the sheets…” Stella’s sentence trails off, her mouth dropping open. I whirl in my seat, searching for the object that’s left my talkative roommate speechless.
“What? What is it?” Stella finally closes her mouth and gulps visibly.
“Not what, Lou.Who.” My gaze scans the nearby tables, trying to not laugh at the ridiculous amount of eyeliner both men and women are currently rocking.
As a familiar blonde fauxhawk comes into view, I have to bite my lip to keep from smiling. Stella is ogling none other than her sworn nemesis, Mr. Caveman Cody. The lacrosse captain appears to be wearing a biker jacket of some sort, the black leather stretching tight against his broad shoulders and trailing into a pair of worn-out jeans.
He looks like he should be on the cover of a Ducati magazine.
“I think you’ve found your partner in crime.” My reference to her earlier comment has Stella sticking her tongue out at me.
“I didn’t invite Cody for me, silly.” I wrinkle my nose in confusion.
“What are you talking about? I thought you were still giving Caveman the silent treatment.” Stella turns her attention to her nails, purposefully avoiding my gaze.
“Right. Well, that kind of ended a couple days ago when I asked Cody if he could get Wes to come tonight.” I stare at her incredulously.
“And why would you want Wes to come tonight?” The thought that Stella might be into Wes crosses my mind, but I immediately shoot down the idea. After the few weeks I’ve gotten to know my roommate, this has her matchmaker schemes written all over it.
Stella sighs with defeat, “I wanted him to come for you! You’ve been spending so much time together that I thought a night out would be a fun way to… get to know each other a little better. Or, you know, get absolutely wasted and play a game of tongue tag.” My brows knit together as Stella gives me a pleading look.
“Please don’t be mad, Lou. Joking aside, you always seem at ease whenever Wes is around. I just thought you might enjoy tonight more if he was here. That’s it, that’s all.” I continue to eye her suspiciously as Cody approaches our table.
“I grabbed enough trivia forms for everyone. Are you ladies having fun so far?” Cody does a double take of our outfits, eyes fixating on Stella’s leather ensemble. He lets out a low whistle, “If I’d realized how fierce the costume contest was going to be, I would have agreed to twin with Wes.”
Stella scoffs and tosses her mane of hair, “I doubt that would have been enough.” Cody lets out a laugh, his eyes never leaving Stella’s perfectly made-up face. I stand on my tip toes, peering over the mountain of shoulders in front of me.
“Where is the all-star rookie, anyways?” I ignore the knowing look Stella trades with Cody and continue my scan of the bar.
