Chapter 102 | Night | Something To Someone

                                    

                                          
Timeline - Night
Hassel's karaoke club was a hub of loud and frenzied activity. The lighting was muted, the walls black, and the furnishings a deep, blood-red hue. Booths flanked two sides of the walls, and a large U-shaped section was situated to the far left of the club. The karaoke floor was open to anyone game enough to take the stage.
The club was bustling with cadets and soldiers alike, all eager to party and sing their hearts out. It was a much-needed break from their usual world. The dress code was relaxed, and Mya bounced back and forth between ordering another round of drinks and returning to the table where Jesse, Toni, Sawyer, Richie, and Jasmine were gathered.
The focus of the club was on Eko as she energetically danced on the floor, microphone in hand, while Luke and his friends cheered her on from a nearby booth. Nights like these were rare, a chance for them to let loose and forget the expectations placed upon them. It was one of the few times when their social lives could either advance or regress.
Mya, in her short dress that barely covered her thighs, was teetering on the edge of her seat next to Jasmine, oblivious to the world spinning around her and the intent gaze of someone sitting across from her.
Richie wouldn't ever admit it, not now they were finally building a friendship after all these years, but he would continue to watch out for her wellbeing. He doesn't think he would ever not, how could he not watch out for the mother of his child?
Amidst the pulsing music emanating from the dance floor and karaoke section, the waitress materialized, her presence announced by the vibrating atmosphere. The lights flickered and spun in various colors, and the group observed as the lively, pixie-haired waitress deposited jugs of sangria and bottles of beer onto their table.
As the music from the dance floor and karaoke section continued to pulse, a second waitress arrived, adding to the lively atmosphere with her tray of shot glasses, ordered by Mya.
"How much did you order?" Jasmine laughed, eyeing the array of shots as both she and Mya eagerly grabbed a glass.
"Enough to last us the next hour!" Mya responded with a grin, just as Eko returned to the table for another drink. It was hard to keep track of how many she'd had; this could be her sixth, seventh, or even tenth glass if you counted from dinner. But at this point, who was really counting? In the grand scheme of things, it hardly seemed to matter.
Right now, as Eko scolded the group, she demanded not to feel anything. Yet, her friends, however, were aware that by morning, this resolve would likely result in a hangover and a bad temper—an unfavorable combination when something so crucial weighed heavily on her soul.
Despite this, she was too engulfed in her own emotions to consider the potential consequences of her actions. In her tiny silver sequin dress, she raised the shot glass to her lips, downed it, and slammed it back onto the table, prompting Mya to burst into giggles.
Without rhyme or reason, Eko seized Mya's hand and whisked her onto the dance floor, where a few soldiers and civilians of Isadora were singing into the microphone.
"I swear she's going to break glass with her voice!" Jesse laughed, downing a shot of tequila before grabbing a beer.
"Speaking of which, where the hell is Matthew? He should be here to watch his girlfriend," Richie shouted over the music, scanning the group, who either shook their heads or shrugged.
"I messaged him and got no response," Toni answered noisily when the group looked to him for answers about Matthew's whereabouts. But his attention was on Jesse, who took another swig from a wine glass filled to the brim with sangria.