“Where is she? She was right by the stage.” I corner Jaysen. I have an awful feeling. This is not good. I can feel it in my gut.
“I haven’t seen her,” Jaysen says. “There’s somebody here who wants to meet you. A record producer.”
The man is dressed in the latest in hip-hop fashion. He screams money.
“One second,” I say before I’m pulled in from behind. It’s Pops.
“Proud of you, son. You gave it your all. Enjoy this moment,” he says. His friends congratulate me. This feels good, but it’s missing Eury.
“Thanks, Pops. Have you seen Eury?”
The first time he met her, Pops gave her a book of poetry by Neruda. Eury and I would take turns reading the verses aloud to each other. Pops said Eury has a good spirit and that I should do right by her. It wasn’t a warning, just a reminder to keep those you love close.
“No. I thought I saw a glimpse of her offstage,” he says. “Don’t stay here too long. This building contains too much trauma.”
Before I can get Pops to elaborate, another group of girls asks for a picture.
“I’ll let you get on with it.” Although he is smiling, I can tell Pops is feeling the uneasiness I’m feeling. “Be safe. Don’t be stupid.”
He walks back toward the bar. Pops won’t stay long, not when the price of a drink is so steep. He’ll continue to celebrate by the park.
I try my best to give people love, but honestly I just want to bounce. My phone has been turned off so as not to distract me or mess up any sound. I turn it back on. It’s taking too long to start up.
Melaina slinks over to me.
“Have you seen Eury?” I sound like a broken record.
“Who?” she says. “I don’t know her.”
“Stop acting out of pocket.” I look at my phone. It’s still not working. “Did you see her or not?”
Melaina makes with the duck lips. She can’t be this heartless. I ask again. Melaina huffs.
“She said something about someone bothering her. I told her to wait for you on the roof.” Penelope takes a long sip from her drink. “Also, there was this guy outside asking about her. A boy with curls. Competition?”
Ato. My heart sinks.
“Don’t say I never gave you anything,” Melaina says with a laugh.
It’s hard to navigate this crowd. No one wants to leave, and everyone wants a piece of me. Jaysen motions for me to meet the producer.
“I can’t do this right now,” I say. “I’ll be back.” His face is a wall of disappointment.
Eury is up on the roof. I don’t know what’s going on, but she’s by herself. Nothing else matters until I see her. The dumb red color makes it difficult to find the right exit out of this cavernous room.
“How do I get to the roof?” I ask the statuesque server who looks like a robot. There ain’t nothing real about her. Nothing.
“It’s off-limits,” she says with this deadness in her tone like she’s reading from a script. “You are not allowed up there.”
“The fuck I’m not.”
“You heard her.” A bouncer appears out of nowhere.
“Get out of my way.”
He blocks the path to Eury. I don’t know if Ato got to her or not. This bouncer will get out of my way, or I will tear this club down. If I have to take this table and bash it across his chest, I’ll do it. My hands form a fist. This guy is twice my size. I’m still going to plow through him with everything I got. “I’m telling you right now, I’m going up.”
Before I throw the first punch, Melaina shows up.
“A guy just pinched my ass,” she says to the bouncer.
The bouncer doesn’t react, but Melaina does.
“Are you going to just stand there? Do something or I’m going to take this bottle and cut his face.”
Melaina points to a group of sloppy clubgoers. As if living up to the stereotype, one of the guys grabs another girl’s ass. The girl turns and slaps him. He laughs. Within seconds, the bouncer barrels toward him and lifts him by the shoulders. Melaina tilts her head to the steps while the bouncer and the guy scuffle on the floor. I give her a nod and take to the stairs.