“See anybody you like,” Elias leans over to ask me.

“I kind of like her over there,” I point to the pale but copper woman wearing sneakers in the club.

“Of course, she’s pale and has sneakers. You’re basically looking at yourself. Go talk to her,” Elias suggests.

“What do I say?”

“Compliment her shoes. You’ve got cool shoes; she’s got cool shoes. Guys who wear cool shoes marry women who wear cool shoes and have kids who wear cool shoes,” it almost sounds like good advice, I’m high for sure, or drunk, or both.

“But what do I say after that?”

“Tell her your name, then ask for her name. Ask her about her favorite shoes. You tell her yours, but let her speak more. Then give her your phone number. If she likes you, she’ll call you later, or text you while we’re still her. Simple,” Elias makes it sound so easy.

“But what if she doesn’t want to talk to me? Then what?”

“That’s just life. Can’t make people love you.”

“Don’t chase pussy, make pussy chase you,” Doug hops into the conversation.

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” I rebuke him.

“How would you know? You’ve never even had pussy. Have you ever seen one?”

“I know enough to know when you’re saying something stupid,” I really hate Doug.

“Chill out Doug, he’s just trying to get his cherry popped, but he’s got a better chance with the bar tender if you ask me,” Grant jumps in.

“You guys should chill out. Sure, he is a virgin but that’s nothing to be ashamed of. Just hasn’t happened for him yet. And being gay isn’t really something to be ashamed about either so I’m not sure why you two keep making the gay jokes.” Elias tries to bring reason into. He’s really good when it comes to stuff like this.

“You can’t protect your big little brother forever,” Grant responds immediately.

“Hey bro, did I ever tell you the story about how Grant and Doug paid a prostitute. After they were finished the three fell asleep in bed. She left in the middle of the night with their wallets. They didn’t realize she was gone and spent all night naked and cuddling. Repressed sexuality or something like that, might be the reason they go so hard with the gay jokes, and focus so much on sex.” Elias tells the story with a straight face and suddenly Doug and Grant are silent for the first time tonight.

“That’s, well that’s a story I’ll never forget,” and one I didn’t need to hear.

“Go talk to your sneaker woman,” Elias gently nudges me off the couch.

“You’re an asshole just like your brother,” I hear Doug say to Elias as I walk away.

She’s even more gorgeous up close than she was from across the room. But she doesn’t seem to notice me, or anyone really. Her eyes seem to glow slightly and dart around the room quickly as if she’s looking for something. Her hands look soft, but they’re balled into fist. Maybe she’s looking for someone. This might be a bad time to talk to her.

“What do you want,” A woman’s voice with some kind of accent asks. It sounds like New Orleans but not completely.

Oh shit, she’s talking to me. Was I staring? I didn’t realize I had gotten this close to her. What if she’s mad? What if she’s here looking for her cheating boyfriend and that’s why she’s mad and wearing sneakers. She’s getting ready for a fight. What have I gotten myself into? I take too long to get my words out and she’s already walking away before I can say anything.

“Please wait,” I start to follow her.

She picks up speed, but I don’t lose track of her. She isn’t running from me, it’s almost as if she’s running towards something else. Still, I feel like a total creep right now. I’m chasing this woman through the club and nobody know why. I follow her through a back door into a strange area I didn’t know existed, almost like a dungeon. Black stones, and dirt floors, the opposite of the rest of the club. Just a corridor, she doesn’t even realize I’m following her but I catch a glimpse of whatever or whoever she’s following as we round the corner into a bigger set of rooms. It smells like coins for some reason, almost like the place is used as a piggy bank. I glance into each of the rooms and can only assume this is some kind of sex dungeon.

A thick red liquid seems to stain all of the floors and walls. Some of it is dried in bits and pieces while other spots are still wet and shiny. I do my best to dodge the wet ones, not really sure if I can clean off whatever this stuff is. I’m really putting my favorite pair of shoes on the line for this woman. A woman, I probably should not be following through strange places. We don’t stay long before we’re heading through another corridor and up some stairs. She’s focused and not even acknowledging my calls.