People Got A Lotta Nerve

BOOOOM

EXPLOSIONS!

FIRE!

....pirates?!

"What the hell is this?" I wiped my eyes, trying to mash all the sleep out of them. We had been driving for hours, days, weeks it felt. In reality, the clock showed just 5 hours had passed, but still, that had to be out of California.

"Welcome to your 20th Birthday, Roommate!" Emma squealed, clapping her hands together and unbuckling both her and I's seatbelts.

"...You brought me to a pirate ship...?" I questioned, looking up at the exploding pirate ship in front of us. Random people dressed up like Captain Jack Sparrow ran along the deck of the ship, some of them falling into the water as they dramatically grasped their chests and moaned like they had been shot.

"No! Welcome to Vegas!"

"....Vegas? Oh! Its Treasure Island! The hotel with the fake pirate ship!"

Emma giggled, and nodded her head. All of a sudden, the sparkle in her deep blue eyes twinkled extra bright, and she instantly dove for her purse. After a few minutes of shuffling, she revealed her prize.

"Tickets....what for?" I picked one out of her hands, trying to figure out what they were good for.

"You'll see, baby Chrissy!" Emma plucked the ticket right out of my hand, and grabbed my wrist, squeezing it softly. "Today, I am going to rid you of all of your social issues!"

I groaned, and disconnected my wrist from her hands. I slumped back into the seat of her car, and rolled my eyes. "Don't tell me you are going to leave me here and make me hitchhike my way home."

"Well, it would get you talking to people, wouldn't it?" Emma smiled. "Come on, lets go!"

---

"What is this place?" I questioned, peering curiously at the long line of random people, some of them cheering obnoxiously, some of them complaining louder than the cheering people. Emma's nose was pressed deep into a the two tickets I had seen earlier, her eyes reading from left to right over and over, until she reached the bottom.

"This...is The Audigier." She said proudly, the lights reflecting in her eyes as she pulled her face out of the pair of tickets and stared at the glimmering, shining lights.

"...A long line of losers?" I rolled my eyes. "They named a long line of annoying people an 'audigier'?"

Emma looked at me, and laughed. Her high pitched laugh I'm sure could be heard all the way down the hall.

"No, silly. Only the annoying people stand in line." She smiled, and grabbed my wrist, pulling me to the front of the line. "We get to cut."

All of a sudden, two girls cut in front of us as we were approaching the front of the line. One of them, a blonde, with the fakest boobs I have ever seen in my entire life, was clad in some neon pink mini-dress like thing, her orange legs clearly screaming for lotion. A tanning bed tragedy, I am sure. Her friend, the brunette, was actually wearing a matching mini dress, hers in a neon green. Her hair was teased, hair sprayed, and piled on top of her head, her hair extension tracks showing just under her ears. The bouncer gave them a look up and down, as they grabbed each other's waists, and the blonde kissed the brunette on the cheek. My stomach just about lost all its contents at that point.

"...Emma, I am not kissing you just to get into this hellhole."

Emma laughed, and pulled me forward, as the bouncer let the two neon whores in. He looked at Emma, giving her some disgusting, lustful smile. However, the smile quickly disappeared when his eyes fell on me.

"I am going to need to see some kind of ID." He said, his eyes glued back onto Emma's..assets.

"We are here for a birthday party. We should be on VIP." Emma smiled, brushing her fingertips gently against the bouncer's forearm.

"A birthday party?" I questioned, realizing exactly why I was here. "Emma, this is ridiculous. I want to go home. This place sucks. I could be doing so many other things right now. Did you know that tonight is the season premiere of America's Next Top Model?!"

Emma giggled, before her elbow dug painfully into my side; a sign for me to shut up. I obeyed, giving the bouncer a weak smile as he checked my ID and checked my name on some list on a clipboard in bright, obnoxious red pen.

"Have a nice night, ladies." The bouncer smiled at Emma, pulling back the red velvet rope that separated us from the main entrance. Emma smiled at him, and with her grip still tight against my wrist, she dragged me in, even though inside my head, I was screaming, wanting to retreat back into the car and away from all of this...debauchery.

As we walked in, I noticed everything was bright, and obnoxious, and loud. Loud house music played from an elevated DJ booth, and I instantly noticed the neon whores, each of them attached to a different guy like their bodies had somehow melted together to form one trashy super-being. The decor was kind of like a mix of hill-billy inspired southern rock meets Miami nightclub, the neon lights flashing randomly on murals of skulls and jack daniels labels.

Luckily, Emma still had a firm grip on my wrist, as she led me up some stairs and finally, into another velvet roped off section. This had to be VIP. I couldn't believe what I was staring at- above a row of VIP booths, sat one huge, massive, ridiculously humongous fish tank, full of pink jellyfish. They were beautiful, majestically dancing through the water, bumping into each other and tangling each other up in their long skinny tails.

"...beautiful..." I managed to slip a word out under my breath, but I'm sure no one heard me over the bumping club music. Emma especially didn't hear me, as I felt her hand release my wrist, her body heading in the direction of the bar.

"Y'know, they're called 'moon jellies', from the Mandalay 'cross the strip 'here."

Could it possibly be him?!

Good Christian was going nuts, and to be honest, I was too! Of course, I had to try and play it cool, fixing the expression on my face from 'surprised excitement' to 'coy amusement'...or something like that. Once I was sure I didn't look like a complete idiot, I turned around.

"Oliver?" I smiled, his eyes fixed on mine as soon as I turned. Even with the loud, distracting atmosphere of this club, I still managed to keep my focus on his face, his perfectly shaped lips twisted into a small smile, his eyes sparkling in the neon lights, his hand outstretched to me, holding a tall, skinny glass.

"'Have this, its a mojito." He smiled as I took the drink. I held it up to the light, the ice stacked on top of each other until they reached the very top. The liquid too sloshed around the top of the glass, slightly wetting my fingers as I held it up to the light.

"What are the leaves in it for?" I questioned, the small green leaves pinned between the ice cubes.

"'Its mint, love. Gives it the flavor. Mint 'nd vodka. Lime too, and possibly citrus. You'll like it, it's good I swear." He laughed, watching me study it in the light. "I'd have one if it wasn't such a girly drink."

I smiled, finally putting it to my lips. "Thanks," I kept my eyes on him as I took a small sip. "You're right, it is good." I took a real sip this time, tilting my head back slightly and opening my throat, letting the alcohol flow down into my stomach. "You some kind of bartender, too? Your list of accomplishments grows bigger by the day."

He took a sip of his drink, jack daniels and coke from what I could see, no ice. He liked to keep it simple. "I jus'know my alcohol, love."

I smiled, turning to my side to watch the jellyfish some more. "They really are beautiful."

"I've seen prettier things.." He trailed off, swishing his drink around his glass. "May not be jellies, but back home, when the green hills just roll on nd on, the trees grow taller and taller, makes a man miss his home..."

"Sheffield, right?"

He nodded, finishing off his jack daniels. "Happy birthday, by '=the way, love. 20, yeah?"

"Yeah...20. I guess I am kind of excited. Is all of this for me?" I looked around the VIP section. There were so many people I didn't know. I saw Emma, and of course Jamie. It was just like that day at the show, me on the sidelines, watching her hang on to every word he said, his hands moving animatedly as he told her yet another story. This time of course, I wasn't hiding from tripper boy, I was talking to him...and remaining calm!

Oliver laughed, his side pressing into mine, if just for a second. "Nah, sorry love, but this s'also for my band. Promotional."

"Emma said it was for a birthday..."

"Well, who says I cant throw a party for my new friend?" He smiled, taking my empty glass from my hand. "'Want another, love?"

"Yeah, I'd like that." I smiled and nodded. I could tell tonight would be night I wouldn't ever forget...that is, unless I drank too much. Please God, please don't let me get drunk and make a fool out of myself. Please, please please!