Hi, Im Jade, you must be Shane. Its nice to finally meet you, she said, holding out her hand to a dumbfounded Shane.

She wearily shook her hand as the light bulb went off in her head, Oh rightyoure part of Tabs band. Youre thebassist, right?

Jade smiled at the attention, Yes, thats me.

Oh hey, I see her. Shes over at the bar Tab said, not noticing the two converse until she turned around. Oh *****, sorry, I forgot to introduce you to Jade

Its fine, Tab, I introduced myself, she said, shoving her hands into her pockets and softly sighing.

Well then, lovely, Tab nodded. And uh, Shane, I think I see your girl over at the barshes not alone though.

Shane raised her eyebrow and left without a word, pushing her way to the bar which was not a far distance from where she was, but the active bodies made it such an obstacle. She looked left to right, she gulped, but the lump in her throat did not pass. Shes not alone The words rang in her mind, and the visions of her all over someone irked her. It made her want to rip the skin off her body. The act of putting pain upon yourself on your own will is a temporary way to get your mind off of *****”despite the fact that doing so will embark a suicidal reputation.

The strobe light kicks on, flash by flash, Shane moved through people, keeping her eye on the bar, Sorry. Sorry. *****. Excuse me. Sorry. The words ran on a repetitive cycle. Any way she turned, a person would block the way. The continuous blinking made it difficult for Shane to keep a straight path, let alone keep a clear head. Just a few more feet and she would be out of the perspiring neurotic mass of dancing. She reached freedom, and heeled over, closing her eyes for a few moments to let the dizziness from constant flashing to pass. Her chest heaves for air and she stands straight. Her fingers raked through her hair, and her tongue licked her dry lips. Her eyes ran across the bar at her fixed position”taking the opportunity to let her fatigue body rest.

The flashing still made it a little hard for Shane. Many girls looked like Carmen, and it couldve been the actual one, but it was hard to tell. She narrowed her eyes, straining hard to not make a mistake. Her heart nearly jumped when she finally found her target. Then she noticed that the”in Shanes words”unpredictable ***** standing next to her. Comforting her. The sight made Shane want to beat her down, but she remembered shed try to say hello instead of an insult first. She cleared her throat and placed one foot in front of the other until she was on the other side of Carmen. She placed her hands on the counter, and patted it a few times, HeyI was looking for you. You disappeared for a moment. Kind of worried the ***** out of me. She gulped as she looked at Diane, who still had her hand on Carmens back. But it looks like you have company Hello Diane, she nodded and forced a smile.

Carmen turned around, Shanethere you are.

Here I am, she mimicked Carmens tone of voice, almost sarcastically. She laughed uncomfortably, and looked down, noticing that Diane still had her hand planted on Carmens back. Well I said hello, can I ***** her up now? she thought to herself, and then shooed the consideration away.

Hello Shane, Diane said sternly, the evil tone of her voice was obvious. It bugged Shane how Carmen couldnt see that.

***

Back in the dancing scene, Jade had her arms around Tabs neck as they literally sucked each others faces off. In the back of Jades mind, she could sense that Tab was worried about Shane. In the back of Tab mind, she was worrying about Shane. The only thing left was for one to end the kiss, and acknowledge it. Jade couldnt help it and she shifted her arms and placed her hands on Tabs shoulders, Stop.

Wha”stop? Why? Whats wrong Tab gasped for air, her lips numb, and searched her mates eyes for an answer.

Youre not here with me, Tab. Your mind is hung up on Shanedont give me that bullshit Im thirsty, was the only words she had the courage for, and she covered her thoughts with a grin. She figured it was excessively early for her to get on Tabs case. She grabbed Tabs hand and led her towards the bar.