10:22 PM

Night Club

"Did you get her in your bed last night?" asks Joshua, holding a glass of whiskey near his lips.

The question attracts the eyes of all the boys in the group, infamously called the 'Heartbreakers'. They are charming, born with all the luxuries and pleasures of the world at their feet. They love playing with hearts, and it's their favorite pastime to gather and share stories of their respective conquests in the business of love.

"Bed? You're asking... we went to her home last night," replies Evan, his hand grazing the collarbone of a girl sitting on his lap, scantily clad.

Three boys: Joshua, Evan, and David occupy a lounge in the exotic club, with six escort girls, each of them accompanied by two, almost wrapped around their bodies.

As Joshua savors the tale being narrated by Evan with spicy and thrilling details, David leans towards the table and drinks as if he plans to empty every bottle there; he is on the verge of passing out.

"Did I miss something?" a voice disturbs Evan: it's Rever, the apex predator of their kind. Suddenly, all the girls busy with others look at him and drop their jaws, captivated by his charm.

As he walks through and takes a seat, the escorts slowly scoot towards him and touch him for his attention, though he pays no heed as if they are invisible.

His pale face reflects the bouncing neon lights, shining on his clear skin. He dresses the most casually, at least among the others: a pair of cargo pants and a grey hoodie over a skin-tight white T-shirt, though his casual attire costs more than someone else's entire wardrobe.

"You seem to have been missing a lot these days," speaks Joshua.

"Be clear, Joshua. You know I don't like wordplay."

"Then, I want you to answer my next question: when was the last time you partied with us?"

Rever turns his eyes to Evan, "I guess... it was pretty recent. I'm not sure, though."

"So now, six months is recent. I didn't know that."

He slightly touches his forehead, closing his eyes in disappointment, "I'm just so sorry, guys. You know, after everything that happened... just."

"Nothing happened, dude. Why don't you just dump that out of your head? It's not your fault."

"Okay. Let's get back to it. I am back to being my usual self. From now on, no more grieving, no more drama, just us, alright?"

He lifts his arm in an attempt to wrap it around the escort girls and hesitantly pulls them closer.

"That's our boy!" screams Joshua.

"By the way, what happened to this lad here?" Rever asks, pointing towards David.

David is now completely passed out and rests his head against one of the girls.

"He is a gone case, don't mind him. It's just him coping with the situation."

Evan pours a drink for him and hands it over. "Don't you think you need a little more than just a drink?"

"Elaborate," demands Rever, taking the glass from him.

"Let's keep our eyes on the entrance, I mean," he replies.

A sudden ecstasy strikes Joshua as the words of Evan sink in. He grabs a girl by her waist and plants his fingers into her skin, "How did we forget that?"

The corners of Rever's lips lift into a devilish smirk. "Aren't you guys bored of it?"

"You never let us down, bro. How come you have them all so smoothly? Sometimes I just envy you so much."

It's one of the games these individuals enjoy playing the most. They challenge each other to seduce the first girl who walks through the entrance and get her to their bed. The game, illicit and disgusting as it is, happens to be the one at which Rever excels.

And on this day as well, the boys have their eyes stuck on the entrance, waiting for a prey to come through. A few drinks pass down their throats, but no one comes through, except a couple walking in hand in hand.

"Umm.. she doesn't count, taken," says Rever.

"Since when has that restricted you?" throws Joshua.

A devilish smirk appears on his face.

"Ah! looks like no prey today. The predator will have to leave empty-handed," speaks Evan.

"Yup."

The next moment, a girly figure appears walking in, a familiar one at that too: Mona, who turns out to be their longtime friend.

"There we have it!" screams Joshua.

"Are you serious?" shouts Rever, annoyed. "She isn't even a girl. God knows if he still has a penis in his pants."

"Mona!" calls Evan loudly, getting her attention through the noise of the club.

Mona sees them from across the dance floor and waves back at them, showing a wide grin, making deep creases visible around her upper lip. Mona has the stature of a muscular young man and a complexion of light brown shade, her skin is rough, manly would be the right word.

Her sparkly dress fits her body and fairly enhanced curves. She has a blonde wig on her head and a thick layer of bangs covering her entire forehead.

"Oh my god! Rever is back!" she shouts in her high-pitched voice, vibrating through the club.

Rever develops a confused expression as he sees Mona approaching their lounge, "Just why—why in the world did you call him Evan?"

"It's her, you judgmental bastard."

As soon as Mona steps into the lounge, she throws herself on the couch and wraps her arms around Rever, almost suffocating him with her muscular biceps.

"Mona—darling, would you please stop choking our boy?" pleads Joshua.

"Is it my fault that this boy of yours didn't pick any of my calls and disappeared into nowhere? Did he even have an idea what Mona went through during that time?" she replies.

"I'm sorry! Please just let me go. I won't do this again."

She pulls her hands back and gently touches Rever's thighs.

"What are you guys up to now? Now that the food chain has its apex creature," says Mona, grabbing Rever's cheeks and pulling him closer, placing a kiss under his eyes, "my darling."

Joshua and Evan have a good laugh as they see Rever struggling in the grasp of Mona, asking for help through his pitiful eyes.

"How about we leave you guys to catch up, right, Evan?" proposes Joshua.

"I was just thinking of doing the same."

"Wait, wait, wait." Rever intervenes. "Look, there's a girl walking in."

The knowledge suddenly grabs their attention toward the entry gate, where a petite young woman stands, dressed in a white blouse and a pair of jeans, standing out from the fancy and sparkly clad boys and girls at the club.

She has her long brown hair loosely tied near the shoulder, with a few strands of hair gracefully falling on her face.

"Who is she?" asks Mona.

The girl appears to be feeling out of place. She has a bag hung over her shoulder, and she has a tight grip on its strap as if afraid of losing it.

She looks nervous, glancing around at everyone's faces as if trying to identify one of them.

Rever takes advantage of their diverted eyes and steps out of the lounge, "I'll be back, guys."

He looks at the girl through the crowd dancing around the dance floor and makes his way to her, across the hall. He witnesses a strange aura emitting from the woman as she silently stands in one corner of the club, avoiding eye contact with anyone until she finds the one she is looking for.

"Hey!"

She turns to him, silent, taking a detailed look at his face, "Hello."

"Can I help you in any way?"

"No, I am okay. Thank you for asking," she replies with a vague smile.

Seeing the corners of her lips rise to form an adorable smile, he realizes she is probably the most beautiful girl he has seen all night. He can't help but stare at her pale face, eyes with long black eyelashes; undeniably real, and a small mouth with narrow bow-shaped lips, pigmented like a rose.

"Can I ask you your name?"