hapter 11 – Like a stone tumbling down from the mountain top

The Hit club was dressed to kill when Shane entered it, late at night. The first thing she did, after her eyes got used to the stroboscopic lights, was to look around searching for Carmen. And she was nowhere to be seen. Shane had dropped her home after Molly’s phone call – Carmen had said that she was feeling tired and that she needed to rest for a while, before her first Big Night as a Dj. Shane had shrugged and took her hand, guiding her to the jeep, taking her home just like she had asked. 

In all honesty, Shane’s moment was somewhere else entirely, in that very moment. Molly’s call had awakened something inside of her. A regret, maybe, or the sharp, sour feeling that you get every time a challenge is not completely accomplished. After all, Molly Kroll had been her challenge – probably her very first challenge in the last years. Her and her no bullshit attitude had attracted Shane. And even more than that, Shane had felt attracted to Molly’s apparent unavailability. 

Eventually, Molly had given in to Shane. Shane had felt her heart flutter, that evening – that scorching hot evening when every single light in town wasn’t working, that evening when Molly, all of a sudden and unexpectedly, had appeared sassy enough to hook up with her. 

“I’m not sassy, I’m bored. But not bored enough to sleep with you”, Molly Kroll had told Shane just a few days earlier. And the challenge had started, right there, right then. 

Shane smoothed down the black see-through shirt she was wearing and took another look around. In a corner of her mind, a part of her screamed Carmen’s name. The screams turned even louder when Shane’s eyes caught a glimpse of the neon sign.

Dj Sugar, it read. But the booth was deserted. 

The ballroom, on the contrary, was already packed. Shane narrowed her eyes, seeing Alice’s blond hair and walked over to the bar.

“Hey, hey Al”, Shane smirked and leaned forward and spoke right into Alice’s ear. Alice spun on her high heels and smiled, very widely, ruffling Shane’s hair. 

“Hey, look at you!”, her dark brown eyes laughed.