1 Chapter 01
The loud music and screaming voices, combined with the stench of cheap alcohol and heated energy, create an unbearable atmosphere in the bar. However, no one seems to mind as they're all dancing wildly to the intense music.
The exaggerated, obscene, and slow-moving bodies rubbing against each other are unbearable for sensitive souls. Some are half-naked and some are almost naked, causing sweat to drip down everywhere like an overflowing stream.
A person with a confused identity sits at the back of the room, watching the show with a slight palpable disgust, but trying hard to hide it.
Some friends brought them to a bar that welcomes both gay and straight people. The crowd is comfortable with their sexuality and unafraid of public displays of affection.
She was convinced to come here under the pretext of figuring out her own sexual desires since she had never been interested in anyone before.
They have agreed, as good friends, to show her around the most popular nightclubs they know but this presents a misguided notion of diversity and fails to acknowledge what it truly means to embrace one's sexuality. Not to mention, it disregards the unpleasant sight that was before her, which made her feel sick.
The club is far from what she envisioned as a hotspot, as advertised. She had anticipated something elegant, timeless, and polished... something more sanitary and hygienic.
Instead, they brought her to a packed nightclub where people were waiting to hook up like animals in heat all night long before going home as if nothing had happened.
Everything here is in atrocious taste and incredibly rude to her sensibilities. The music selection is filled with nothing but vulgar and offensive lyrics, the lighting is almost nonexistent, and the cheap alcohol is ridiculously overpriced.
This entire place exudes a feeling of hopelessness and is the antithesis of "being yourself".
The time is really serious and all she witnesses are people recklessly unloading their bags without any thought of potential consequences.
The business people don't help those lost soul to find themselves. Instead, they exploit their pain to run a business. They don't care about the unhygienic couches and stools that may cause harm.
These unethical business people take advantage of young and destitute adults to make easy money.
The person at the back of the room struggles to touch a stool that she stumbled upon in a far corner. It's as if someone had hidden it to keep others from taking it before they came back.
She regrets it for them because she refuses to sit on those worn-out couches, which seem to judge her from afar while others shamelessly engage in sexual acts or behave like animals in heat touching and fingering under those short skirts, which barely conceal anything.
Sitting calmly at the back of the room, surrounded by strange sights, smells, and textures, she feels lucky to be one of the beloved ones back home.
Her parents and siblings are always there for her, helping her find the words to express her feelings.
She pulls out her phone and sends a few messages. One of the dancers in the group swayed on the makeshift dance floor not so far from her quickly checked her phone when it vibrated in her pocket.
The dancer looked at the sender and gave a nod of understanding before her getting up and leaving.
As she stepped outside, the refreshing night breeze greeted her and cleared her lungs of the unpleasant odor from the crowded room. She took a deep breath and rubbed her palms.
She retrieved a small tube from her cargo pants pocket and squeezed half of the contents onto her hands, rubbing them vigorously as if removing a layer of skin.
After feeling refreshed, she let out a sad sigh and went to the parking lot where she left her car a few minutes ago.
