"Eleanor, I need you to stay away from me." He says as he holds tight onto my hand. I look up at him in confusion and hurt. No hint of anger is in his eyes.
"What, why?" I ask, voice breaking.
"I just need you to trust me okay? I don't want you to g...
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The bass vibrates through my body with every step I take. Strobe lights and projections of the film Casablanca compete for my attention, while the techno music has simply becomes background stilimaution. Laminated on the wall above the DJs head is a sign that read Sinema. Looking around at the group of underaged patrons being served drinks by equally underaged bartenders and shot girls, I can see that at least the sin part checks out just fine. I gingerly sip the coke in my hand, eyes searching the the smoke filled crowd for Ethan and Danny.
"Do you want to dance?" I hear the girl beside me yell into my ear. I turn to look at her, taking in the tight blood-red velvet dress hugging her curves, the long dark curls that falls down her back and the deep, scarlet lipstick she has on. I instantly feel grateful that Danny convinced me to wear my backless, midnight black jumpsuit. He even suggested a red lip, just a few shades lighter than the girl in front of me. She looks a few years older than me with a confident smile that is enviable. I let that confidence fill me up.
"I'd love to," I respond, leaving my coke at the bar.
She grabs onto my hand, pulling me deeper through the mass of bodies in the middle of the club. I scan over the crowd, still looking for a familiar face, but I see none.
Maybe they went off somewhere to be alone? I think.
But soon I stop thinking about them all together as the red-dressed girl stops us right below a spotlight. She pulls me close and we begin to move with the rhythm. As we dance I try to block out all of the unwanted thoughts in my and just focus on the feel of her gripping my exposed lower back. I let myself forget about my mom, the fight with my dad and Isaac. Just as I feel like I might be able to lose myself in this moment, strong hands grip my shoulder and pull me away.
Shocked, I turn to see Ethan looking down at me with a worried expression. He leans his mouth close to my ear and yells, "It's Danny. He's sick. We need to go."
I mouth a hasty apology to the girl, who gives me one last dazzling smile and waves her fingers at me. Soon the whole affair is out of my mind though, as Ethan rushes me out the door of the club. I find Danny leaning against the wall of the club with a horde of security guards around him. One of them turns as we approach, giving us a swift shake of his head.
"I don't think this has anything to do with the alcohol," he says gesturing towards a wheezing Danny, "He's been saying his chest hurts, and I think he is having a lot of trouble breathing. It only got worse when you went in to grab your friend. If I were you, I would take him to the ER."
"Eleanor?" Ethan asks, but I am already clutching my keys.
"I'll pull the car around, just get him up," I say, thankful that I hadn't had a sip of alcohol this evening.
By the time I put the car up to the club's entrance Danny looks like he can hardly breath. Each breath he takes produces a wheezing sound, and he is clutching his chest. Filled with adrenaline I race out of the car to help Ethan put him in the back seat. Before hopping back into the car I hear the security guard yell, "Just don't tell anyone where you were tonight, got it?"
