A Night Out

The hard-hitting muffle of drums, a reverbed out wavy guitar; cloudy and dream-like, the warped vocals began. Rain pittering off of trashcans, drips collecting in rushing gutters and pulsing puddles.

A cloud of hazy smoke seeps out, disappearing into the wind.

“I don’t really know if I was up for this,” a voice sighed out, the noise cutting softly above the ambient drone of live music muffled by the pre-war bricks.

“I get that; we can chill out here, I don’t mind.”

Annaliese slowly reached her palm up to her friend. Looking down from the opposing wall to Annaliese, Hierotia handed her the vape.

Inhaling, the minty sweet vapor lingering in her mouth, her throat, she exhaled slowly, a mist flow from around her mouth and nostrils.

“I think Freddy is really happy you could come out tonight. He may not show it, but he actually likes when you’re around.” Annaliese offered tentatively, head held level, eyes watching the steady turbulent trickle of brackish water stream down from the rusted fire escape clinging to the building.

‘oh?’ Hierotia bunted.

‘Yeah.’

The two stood against the cold wall, separated physically by only a couple inches. Hierotia looked down at her boot. The previously shiny toe was dull and scarred--she knew she was the only one to know or care but still--It’s in my honey; It’s in my milk. A small puddle by her foot caught her gaze, circular harmonics rippled over the surface in time to the persistent thumping of drums inside.

Annaliese shuffled a bit, regretting wearing heals, and turned her face to Hierotia. Passing a weak smile, she noticed her friend continued to stare down at the ground.

“Hey. Want to talk about it?” She queried, catching a glimpse of Hierotia’s attention

“Not really.”

The ambient rain and muffled commotion of the crowd eagerly mingling between sets.

A static orange/yellow glow hung in the alleyway from the many street lamps casting long shadows along the bumpy surface of the bricks and cracked concrete ground littered with discarded trash and dirt. Catching the light and refracting it in a hazy ambivalence, the rain drops created a dreamy atmosphere.

“It’s hard to explain.” Hierotia began, “Like I can feel how I feel but everything is happening at such a deep level inside my head,” she knocked against her skull with her knuckles, jostling her bangs “that the part of my brain (or me?) that can verbalize just can’t access it. I don’t know.”

A deep thumping pulsed through the walls, the melodious chords and lyrics attenuated into a blurry sonic scape that vibrated deeply.

“I’m sorry,” she continued, “I just have a lot going on and I thought being with friends would be fun, and you invited me which was sweet. A lot just is going on in my life--I’m not sure I can handle it.”

Annaliese nodded carefully, a sympathetic smile on her concerned face.

“I don’t know. I probably just need a couple more minutes.” Hierotia sighed out desperately.

Pressing the vape back into Hierotia’s cold hand, Annaliese dropped her arm, the new bracelet clinging desperately to her wrist, glinting brilliantly in the scant rays of amber light.

Hierotia inhaled, holding the mist in her mouth as she breathed in and out through her nose, opening her mouth, she let out a dense cloud of vapor lingering in front of her face. She breathed in regularly to catch some back into her lungs, the caustic mist stung against the top of her nose and the back of her throat. She coughed twice.

Placing the small device into the breast pocket of her shirt covered with tiny watermelons, she dropped both arms, letting them dangle, feeling the cold wet air with her fingers.

She looked up at the thick cover of slate grey clouds blocking the stars.

“I wonder what the boys think is keeping us in the bathroom so long.” Annaliese chuckled attempting to make a joke or anything really.

‘yeah.’ Responded Hierotia

Reaching out her hand, Hierotia found Annaliese’s and held it. She closed her eyes and sighed.

“I think I’m ready to be social again.” Hieroria exclaimed as she opened her eyes, a deliberate switch flipped in her tone and demeanor.

Dark and loud, the bar was in full swing. A loud clatter hung over the atmosphere, disjoint conversations all blasted on full volume echoed off of dark stained wood beam; the clatter of scraping chairs; the pulsing heavy thump of the indie band playing a cover of a song no one’s heard of.

Following the serpentine path of Annaliese’s lithe movement through the oozing crowd, literally dragged along by her hand, Hierotia was brought back to the writhing section of the dance floor they had left fifteen minutes ago.

Standing an easy four inches above the rest of the people, Freddy made eye contact, raising his brows in recognition.

I wonder if my eye liner is runny--it would fit my aesthetic anyway Hietoria taught with a shrug.

“Hey!” Freddy exclaimed, tipping his beer to them.

“Hey! Did you see the line for the bathroom? My god!” Annaliese shouted up at him.

The sounds bore down on her, forcing her mind to cycle as it tried to control her body.

“Hey I need a drink!” Hierotia exclaimed, “Acton, wanna come to the bar?”

Nodding in response, Acton smiled, indicating his empty glass. The pair slipped off into the seething mass, leaving Annaliese and Fredrick to talk about sports or something.

Staring up at the bar tender moving quickly from tap to liquor to glass to shaker to lime to white claw to

Hierotia’s brain stopped as she attempted to dredge a drink’s name to her mind. Not vodka was all she could remember. Every time she was at the bar, she swore she was going to actually google some drink, figure out what might be nice, and actually have something planned, but alas here she was.

“Can I get a rum and coke?” Acton shouted at the bar tender

“Two of those!” Hierotia chimed in holding up peace sign