I’m sorry for the radio silence; between starting grad school and working, I haven’t had a ton of time/energy for much else, so I’ve unfortunately been neglecting my writing. I’m really hoping to get adjusted and find a balance soon, but my posting schedule may be a little irregular for the next week or two. That said, here’s a quick song-inspired story. Thanks for sticking around!

Song: “What Do You Want From Me Tonight?” by Sidney Gish

A red solo cup was shoved into Charlotte’s hand, and a wave of people bowled her onto the dance floor—otherwise known as the dirt floor of some stranger’s basement. Maybe his name was Zeke, but she couldn’t be sure.  She took a swig of whatever was in her cup—flat root beer and hand sanitizer, by the taste of it—and craned her head to look for her sister.

“You’ve gotta get back out there,” Erin had insisted, chucking one of her shortest dresses at Charlotte from across their shared bedroom. “You’re young, and now you’re free. Time to have some fun!”

Now, Erin gave Charlotte a thumbs up over the sea of sweaty heads, and Charlotte nodded at her.

Technically, Charlotte could make her way over to Erin, and maybe she’d have a grand time like Erin had promised. Maybe she’d meet a tall, dark, and handsome who would show her that she’d been a fool to make fun of Dirty Dancing. More realistically, though, a Chad in a snapback and pastel shorts would grab her ass and someone would spill their orange soda and vodka all over her. Erin’s dress would get ruined, and Charlotte would never hear the end of it.

No, Charlotte chose to pass on all that, and rather than tread water, she paddled to the shallow end as quickly as the gyrating strangers would allow.

“What brings you here?”

“Checking for plumbing leaks.”

“Where are you from?”

“The basement down the street.”

“How’s it going?”

“Terrible, thanks.”

Charlotte finally made it to the edge of the crowd and tucked herself behind the water heater, where she’d remain until Erin finally tuckered herself out.

Watching the increasingly drunk teenagers try to wring some sort of meaning out of the night, Charlotte gulped down the rest of her drink and slid down the wall.

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Click here to learn more about song-inspired stories.