Illicit (phan)

1 - Present

I stepped out of my cheap car and into the crisp night air. It smelt like a mix of piss, cigarettes and vomit, but I'd been expecting that. I smoothed my shirt, a white short sleeve that Calvin had said disguised my scrawniness, before straightening up and walked towards the entrance of the bar.

In the short walk towards the entrance, I received many looks from several people, confirming what I already knew: I didn't belong here.

I was almost at the door when I heard my name. I stopped in my tracks.

"Hey, Dan," called a high-pitched voice that was all too familiar and not in a good way. "It's been a while."

"Kelly," I greeted, trying to hide the hate that was swelling up inside me.

"Didn't think I'd see you here," she said, stepping closer to me, allowing me to get a whiff of the alcohol she'd clearly had too much of.

"Just dropping by to see someone."

"Do you think they could wait?" she asked with wide eyes, as her fingers trailed down her neck to rest between her breasts. They were popping out of a lacy black bra underneath her open sheer white button-up. Her outfit didn't leave much to the imagination, if my imagination were to head that way, which it did not.

"Definitely not," I answered, stepping past her and towards the bouncer. Kelly didn't seem too hurt by the rejection, drunkenly swaying towards a group of smokers who whistled as she approached them.

I finally made it to the bouncer, flashing my ID, before stepping into the club. Inside the music was deafeningly loud, and the stench of alcohol even stronger. Every beat of the song made the ground vibrate, making me feel slightly nauseous. They could play good songs at least, instead of this ugly screaming metal shit. This was apparently an unpopular opinion, as most people were enthusiastically moving along to the beat.

I sighed and began pushing through the sweaty bodies, finally making it to the bar. Calvin greeted me with a smile. Calvin was my older brother. People said we looked identical. I didn't see it. Sure we had the same brown hair and brown eyes, but Calvin was much better looking. You could see it in the muscles poking through his shirt, the sharp angles of his jawline and cheekbones, the quiff he styled his hair in and his fashion sense.

"Hey, Dan. I didn't think you'd make it. Mum said you wouldn't have time," he said eagerly as I took a seat in one of the bar stools.

"Of course I'd make time for you," I reassured. Especially since I didn't know when I'd see him again.

"I still can't believe you're going," he said, looking down at the bar glumly. His expression made the slightest bit of guilt well up inside me. "At least you'll be near. I'll come see you soon, alright?"

I nodded, letting him indulge in his hopes for the future, that I knew would never happen. This was probably the last time I'd see him for at least a few years.

"What did mum and dad say about it?"

I sighed, looking around the bar, making sure no one could hear him. Not that it mattered anyway. Everyone in town knew that Harvey, who basically ran the town, had kicked me out. It had been the talk of the town since the day it happened. What no one knew, though, was that I couldn't be happier.

"Not much, just how unfair it was. They wanted to come with, but I know they'd be better off here."

"They're just worried about you. What if it's not as nice as he says?" Calvin was talking about Springfield, the closest town, about a five-hour drive away. Based on the generic sappy town name and how highly Harvey spoke of the place, I was fairly certain that it wouldn't be a nice place in the slightest. Nonetheless, it was where everyone thought I'd be living soon.