Chapter 1: Chapter 1
The music was a physical thing, a throb in the teeth, a pulse in the cheap industrial flooring. Caleb let the bass line rattle his sternum as he scanned the crowd. Faces blurred into a mosaic of hunger and distraction, every smile a little too sharp, every laugh cutting through the smoke-tinged air. He knew this script. He’d written half of it.
“You’re like a shark that’s decided to become a vegetarian,” Cameron shouted, leaning in so his words weren’t swallowed by the drop. “It’s sad to watch. And confusing.”
“I’m just bored,” Caleb yelled back, the admission lost in the synth wash. He wasn’t sure that was it. It felt more like a low-grade disgust, and it was aimed squarely at his own reflection in the mirror behind the bar.
Justin materialized beside them, his eyes already locked on a target. “Eleven o’clock. Red dress.