I met Izzy outside the front door of The Spark, the dance club that was the current hottest spot in town. It was located a bit out of the way, about twenty minutes east of town, but it was worth the drive. You could count on the music to be the latest and hottest dance mixes, and the crowd was always ready for some fun. 

I’d dressed carefully for the evening, in short, black leather shorts, which left several inches of bare thigh between the bottom of the shorts that appeared to be painted on and the tops of my new boots, and I’d paired them with a leather halter top the color of fresh blood. Normally, I couldn’t have gotten away with a halter top, I’m just too top-heavy go without wearing a bra and even a halter bra’s straps always manage show. I find it tacky and I refuse to go out in public wearing my underwear on display. But I’d recently found that with leather tops, the leather’s stiff enough it contains, and shapes, my bust quite effectively. 

Izzy was dressed in pastels of silk and lace, a cute little pale pink summer dress with spaghetti straps and lots of ruffles and flounces. If it weren’t for the low cut of her neckline and the short length of her skirt, the dress could have been made for a little girl. I couldn’t have worn it, but she had that petite body that not only pulled it off, but made it look good. Standing together, we looked like contestants in a naughty and nice outfit contest.

We paid the cover charge and stopped at the bar to get a couple drinks on our way to the dance floor. I asked for a fruity blended drink. It was something that didn’t have a high alcohol content but it would give be something cool to drink for a little while. We’d be finding a table soon so we could sit for a bit and scope out who all had shown up before we moved out onto the dance floor. I wanted to get a feel for the attitude of the place before I involved myself.. 

It was about nine thirty when they cranked up the music to get everyone dancing. Don’t get me wrong, it was already loud, just not nightclub loud. When they turned it up, I began to feel as though I had been jammed inside one of the speakers. I could feel the music vibrate through me, and at times I felt deafened by the beat of the drums, but I was determined to ignore it and enjoy the night with Izzy. The music hadn’t been turned loud for more than a song or two when I finished my drink. I set the empty glass on the table for the waitress to pick up on her next round and I moved out onto the dance floor. 

The floor was already crowded, most people were dancing without partners or just as often in pairs or groups of friends. There were only a few couples, at least so far, but it was still early. As I danced my way toward the middle of the dance floor, I watched the people around me while I moved to the beat of the music, which made me feel like my entire body was moving on its own. The odor of alcohol was strong, as was the scent of sweaty bodies as they moved in the tight space, and the aromas of the colognes and perfumes the people surrounding me were wearing was even stronger I blocked it out and focused on the music and moving my body to the rhythm. 

I was almost completely absorbed in the song and my dancing when it started. 

Geez, I can’t stand him, I can’t wait till I can escape this night from hell and go home! It sounded as if someone had whispered it into my ear. I turned, looking to see if someone had snuck up behind me and whispered in my ear, and that’s when I realized it couldn’t be someone speaking to me. It had been whispered, not yelled, and there was no way a whisper would be heard in here, not with the music this loud. Even speaking normally was impossible to hear in here. It had to have been inside my head, but that wasn’t possible. 

I’d almost decided I must have imagined it when another voice echoed through my head. 

I’m going to find the hottest guy here and take him home, I’ll make that sorry ass pay for sleeping with that skanky whore! I knew this couldn’t be something as easy to explain as my hearing improving. It was almost as though I was hearing people’s thoughts, but I wondered how that could be possible. Unable to come to a definitive conclusion that made sense to me, I did my best to ignore the phenomenon and went on with my dancing.

A few minutes later, I jumped several inches when Izzy came up behind me and tapped my shoulder to get my attention. I turned and smiled at her, realizing she was just letting me know she was joining me on the floor and she started dancing to the blasting music beside me. We danced together for a few songs and then we sat down at another empty table to catch our breath for a few minutes. We caught the attention of a passing waitress and ordered ourselves new drinks. We shouted back and forth for a few minutes but soon gave up and made only occasional comments to each other about the people around us and how some of them were dressed or acting. 

I left the money for my drink and tip with Izzy and made a quick trip to the ladies’ room. While I was washing my hands and checking my make up in the mirror, it happened again. I heard a quiet voice in my head just as I had several times today. 

What on earth is he thinking? I can’t believe he just said that to me! I was no longer surprised by the occasional bits that ran through my head, and I didn’t even bother to look around me. Besides, it could have been any one of several women checking their reflections in the bathroom mirrors, I didn’t want to try figuring it out. I quickly dried my hands and went back out to join Izzy. 

When I made it back to our table, I found that our drinks had arrived. I picked mine up off the table and took a sip as I sat beside her. 

“Did I miss anything good?” I shouted to her as I leaned back in the padded bench seat and rested the hand holding my glass on my thigh. 

“Nah, nothing worth mentioning.” Her eyes were still on the crowd in front of us. Half the reason we go out was the fun of people watching. It gave us something to talk about for weeks, with what some people would do while drinking and dancing. As I watched the crowd become more flamboyant as they became more intoxicated, I noticed I wasn’t feeling any of the usual effects from the alcohol. Generally by now, I would be at least a little fuzzy, not drunk, but not sober either. I wasn’t feeling any of it. It was as if I were drinking water. 

It took me a little bit longer than Izzy to finish this round, and she motioned to me that she was going to head out onto the dance floor when she set her empty drink down. I nodded my understanding as she moved into the crowd of bodies in the middle of the room. The crowd was much larger now than it had been when we arrived and the group on the dance floor was now about half couples and half singles or groups of dancers.

I finished my second drink and set my glass down on the table, moving to join Izzy on the dance floor. I was walking out onto the dance floor when one of the women already on the floor bumped into me, as she hit me I heard another voice in my head.

Shake it, Baby! Maybe I can talk this hottie into going home with me tonight! I didn’t know if it was the woman who bumped into me and I didn’t care anymore, between the voices in my head and the music beating through my body, I didn’t know how much longer I could take it. 

I danced a few more songs with Izzy and motioned her to a somewhat quiet section of the bar. 

“Iz, I just can’t take anymore. I’m sorry to do this to you, but I’ve got a massive headache and the music’s only making it worse. I’ve got to get out of here.”

“Do you want to go somewhere else?” 

“No. You stay, enjoy yourself. Tell me what I miss. I just want to get home and go to bed. Hopefully, this will fade before morning.”

“I’m sorry you’re not feeling good, but I understand. Go, get some rest. Call me when you can and we’ll get together.”

“I’ll call soon, I promise.” I gave her a hug.

I wound my way out of the club and out to the parking lot to find my car. I always park directly under a light so it’s harder for someone to sneak up on me, but tonight I found as I walked out into the dark night I could see almost as clearly as if it were daylight. I sat behind the wheel for a moment, dropping my head backward until it hit the headrest as I reveled in the near silence. I could still hear the music from the club, but it was faint and muffled instead of beating its way through my body.

I realized later that it was a good thing my headlights were automatic, because I might have forgotten to turn them on for the drive home, the night just didn’t seem as dark as it normally did. 

Back at my apartment, I took an over-the-counter pain killer, showered again because I couldn’t stand the feeling of my makeup and hair products on me while I slept, and crawled into bed to try to relax enough to get the pounding headache to go away.