Special Track

As night fell, a long line had already formed outside a nightclub near Vanderbilt University. The bouncers expertly picked out men and women with especially striking looks and style. It was standard practice at any popular club. Strictly screening customers made the place seem more exclusive, creating a positive feedback loop. At this nightclub, the reason that had all started was a little electronic music track making the rounds online...

"Should we go in now? If we wait much longer, will there be any room?" Abigail asked anxiously from inside the car.

"As long as we show up, there'll be room whenever we want." Beside her, Taylor looked up and touched up her makeup and lipstick in the mirror on the sun visor.

"So you're going to get in on looks?" Abigail asked.

Taylor shook her head, then placed a hand on her waist with a smug little smile and swayed twice in her seat. "No. I'm getting in on my figure."

After one last check of their outfits, they got out of the car together. Taylor and Abigail were wearing long, one-piece evening gowns. Even high schoolers needed at least one formal outfit for important occasions such as prom.

Taylor wore a plain white spaghetti-strap gown, while Abigail had on a dark green strapless one. Neither dress had a particularly high slit; both only came up to the knee, and both were sleeveless.

Linking arms, they carried handbags with metal chains in their free hands and swayed toward the sidewalk. Abigail still wasn't used to such high heels and had to lean on Taylor for support.

The two carefully dressed girls hadn't even reached the entrance before they drew sidelong glances from a group of men waiting in line. Wearing sunglasses, Taylor held her head high and looked straight ahead, like a model striding down a runway.

Beautiful women were always the club's ultimate VIPs. One side of the entrance guarded by the bouncers was reserved for gorgeous girls.

"Welcome." The tall bouncer took one glance at Abigail and immediately stepped aside to let her in.

When it was Taylor's turn, however, the bouncer pointed to the end of the line in the distance.

"It's not safe for a 'blind person' to come here," he teased, making fun of Taylor for wearing sunglasses at night.

Besides that obvious issue, the real reason she couldn't skip the line was her utterly unimpressive, flat figure.

Seeing her friend fail to get in on her looks, Abigail couldn't help covering her mouth as she laughed.

Taylor was a little annoyed. "You'll regret saying that," she muttered, rummaging through her handbag and taking out her ID.

The bouncer took it, then watched as Taylor lowered her sunglasses to reveal her eyes. He quickly stepped aside, respectfully making way for the "big star."

"Don't tell anyone. I'm here with a friend tonight." Taylor put her sunglasses back on and followed the snickering Abigail down the stairs.

"Is it really okay to come without telling him?" Abigail remembered their "mission" for the night.

"You'd be making a mistake if you told him. This is a nightclub. Who knows if he's involved with any of those gold diggers?" Taylor reminded her.

There was a bit of a "test" to their nightclub sneak-in tonight. Abigail had mentioned her concerns, and Taylor had immediately come up with this plan.

Abigail nodded, finally making up her mind. She entered the club's main hall with Taylor. A waiter in a suit vest came over to ask if they had reserved a table, and only then did the two realize how busy the club was. With no other choice, they took seats at the bar.

"Two Bellinis. One straight, no ice, and the other on the rocks. And two olives," Taylor ordered.

"Prosecco—a white wine—mixed with peach purée and a little flavored liqueur. I hope the drinks here are authentic," Taylor explained to Abigail, then took a sip.

After tasting it, Taylor immediately pushed the drink aside and ordered a glass of ice water instead.

Abigail glanced toward the DJ booth. It wasn't even nine yet, and there was no one in front of it.

"Are you two waiting for someone? Why not come over to my table? I've got a few empty seats." Before long, a man came up beside Taylor and tried to strike up a conversation. He had black curly hair, a floral shirt with the top two buttons undone, and a gold chain around his neck.

"Thanks for the invitation." Taylor grinned, making as if to get up.

The man brightened and started to lead the way, but then he saw Taylor start groping around with both hands. "Where's my cane? Abigail!"

The man turned pale and left after a few seconds, making up some excuse.

Just then, the two DJs, Joel and Ryan, appeared in front of the dance floor. Though they hadn't started their "performance" yet, the crowd still erupted in cheers.

"RAY! RAY! RAY!" The audience chanted Ryan's stage name in unison.

In just half a month, Ryan had become a sensation among Vanderbilt University students.

At the bar, Taylor and Abigail couldn't help exchanging a glance.

"Looks like country music really doesn't suit him," Taylor said, somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected Ryan to win over a crowd in just a few days.

"He's found his own path!" Abigail was mostly just happy for him.

More and more people crowded into the dance floor. Joel led the first part of the performance, playing the same medley of classic club tracks as before. During this section, Ryan raised his hands and clapped along with the beat, swaying his body slightly. Though Ryan had convinced himself to lose himself in the music, his stiff movements still looked a little comical.

After about forty minutes of warm-up, Joel picked up the microphone.

"What's up! Are you ready to party tonight?"

"If you're with your best friends, make some noiseeeeeeee!"

"This next drop is gonna blow your mind, are you ready?"

"Let's take it up a notch!"

Then it was Ryan's turn. The familiar beat of Tremor kicked in, and green laser lights flashed without pause. Two blonde dancers in lingerie and seven-inch heels sauntered up to the DJ booth from either side. With Ryan's help, they climbed onto the booth and began dancing to the beat. It was go-go dancing, the kind of provocative performance done at clubs, nightclubs, and strip clubs.

Abigail couldn't help furrowing her brow. The show was a bit too much for a high school student, especially when the dancers were only inches away from Ryan. Some of their moves nearly put them right in his face.

Taylor, on the other hand, was focused on Ryan and the electronic music track called Tremor. She was surprised by how quickly he was improving, and... she could tell he was just as bad at moving his body as she was.

The climactic beat of Tremor and the dancers' performance drove the atmosphere to a fever pitch. After about fifteen minutes, the go-go dancers left, and Ryan unexpectedly picked up the microphone.

"Everyone, I've prepared a special remix for tonight. You've never heard it before! It's called Dog Day Afternoon..."

"Pfft!" Taylor spat out a mouthful of ice water, then began coughing violently.

Abigail hurriedly handed her a tissue.

"This water's way too cold," Taylor said, hastily changing the subject. She was breathing hard, so angry she wanted to grab a bottle and smash it over Ryan's head.

Only, that wouldn't be easy to pull off here.

Ryan had remixed the track, changing the three-beat rhythm to four. With the faster tempo, remixing, and all sorts of sound effects, it was impossible to tell whose voice it was.

Taylor breathed a sigh of relief, but the song's vulgar lyrics still made her cheeks burn.

"Where did Ryan find this song? Whoever wrote those lyrics is such a bitch," Abigail said, growing more and more annoyed as she cursed.

Taylor just gave an awkward grin, not daring to respond.

The next set returned to the first phase, led by Joel. That was how the club's performances went tonight, cycling back and forth.

Abigail and Taylor kept an eye on Ryan. They noticed that he was fairly "well-behaved": he didn't flirt with either of the two go-go dancers, and he kept his distance even when female customers tried to chat him up.

"I knew he wasn't that kind of person." Abigail finally relaxed.

"Should we go talk to him?" Abigail suggested.

Taylor also wanted to confront Ryan, so they picked up their bags and headed toward the booth where he was resting. On the way, they passed a table, and the man who had tried to chat up Taylor earlier happened to be sitting behind it.

When he saw the tall girl in sunglasses deftly dodge a waiter carrying a tray, he realized he'd been fooled.

Being fooled wasn't a big deal, but being fooled in front of his friends was a different matter. The man's pride was wounded, and with the alcohol getting to him, he put down his glass and stood up, heading toward Taylor and Abigail...