Fantasia

Chapter 1

"Hurry up! We don't want to be late." Nel squealed as she hopped out of the cab. The chilly Chicago air failed to penetrate her black cotton coat while she waited for her three friends to exit the car. She stared up at the skyscrapers, each building decorated in some way or another. Their glow made the city look alive as it shimmered like stars dancing in the dead of night. Of course, stars did not smell like exhaust and sewers, a smell that wafted around her nostrils.

Lilly, a stout sixteen year old girl with brunette hair and green eyes, linked arms with Nel. Their friend Michelle did the same with Nel's other arm. Only Cameron, the only guy in the group, decided to keep his arms unlinked as he began to walk down the street. The four friends were heading towards Fantasia, a night club designed for those under the age of twenty-one. Before they could enter the world of endless dancing and music that made people deaf, they had to meet up with their two other friends Stephanie and Emma. They were cousins. Emma, the younger of the two, lived in Chicago with her parents and younger brother in an apartment.

Since she had the best knowledge of the city, it was Emma who convinced her friends to go clubbing in Chicago on New Year's Eve. At the subway station nearest the club, Nel spotted the two girls. "Hey!" Nel swooped in and gave the girls a tight hug. "It's been a while. How have you been, Emma?"

Emma hugged back. "I know. I have been all right, you know, the usual. Though, I will be a lot busier if I get a job, something my parents have been nagging me about. Gotta pay for college one way or another." They laughed lightly.

"Steph., Emma, this is Cameron. Cameron, this is Stephanie and Emma." Since she knew the girls better, Nel issued out the introduction.

Cameron strode forward and nodded at the two. "I have heard a lot about you; Nel never shuts up. It's nice to finally meet the source of her amusement."

Like a child, Nel stuck out her tongue. "Be nice," Lilly said as she hugged Stephanie and Emma. Behind her, Michelle stood quietly. She was always quiet and shy around people that she did not know very well. Stephanie she knew, but Emma was still quite new to her since they have only hung out once in the past months ago. They were more of Nel and Lilly's friends than hers.

"Are we ready?" Emma asked, bacomming giddy. The group nodded. "Great." Emma took the lead and as they walked, she could not stop raving about how awesome the club was and how she went there at least once a month. "Chicago had a lot to offer a young person, but nothing compares to Fantasia. The club was rated the safest and the most active night club for those under twenty-one. Trust me, you will love it!"

The line was long—very long. Nel thought that the lunch line back in high school was long, but this line was nearly three times as long and her school was not that small. It was intimidating really. Surprisingly, the line moved at a steady pace, so they managed to get inside within an hour. "Wow!" Nel lost her breath when her eyes landed on the gigantic disco ball that hung over the dance floor.

"Stunning, isn't it? No other club has a disco ball that large. It was donated to the club by a wealthy patron." Emma said as she took off her coat. In the background, Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" blasted from the stereo. "Yes! DJ Valentine is here tonight. We are in for a real treat."

"Who?" Cameron asked. He was the practical one in the group who never got out much. He liked to use logic over anything else, a trait that annoyed Nel at times. He still liked to joke around and have fun, but he still had his over technical moments that made him seem like a party pooper.

"Honestly Cameron, you need to get out more," Lilly giggled.

"DJ Valentine is the best DJ in the Chicago area! Fortune has smiled upon us tonight." Emma fixed her hair and scanned the room.

"Sorry that I was in college studying my ass off." He growled. Nel placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I know. I was in college too and am not really sure who DJ Valentine is either." She knew why Cameron was upset. There was a reason why he spent extra hours studying when he could have been out partying with his newfound college friends. The summer before college, he had broken up with his girlfriend Lexi, a girl that was also an ex-best friend to Nel.

In high school, Lexi, Cameron, and Nel were inseparable. They hung out nearly every day after school and believed that they would always be friends. Life was great, but like all great things, it had to come to an end. Time was not on their side as Lexi began to change. She fought constantly with Cameron for two years when they were dating. Nel soon felt like the third wheel and did her best to help Cameron through the bumpiest ride of his life.

They talked on Facebook or texted each night after Cameron finally ended the relationship a few weeks after graduation. Nel had ended her friendship with Lexi months before Cameron and became his crutch. When they left for college, Cameron tuned out fun and focused on his future to keep his mind off Lexi. He ended up going to Kalamazoo College while Nel stayed local and attended Lake Michigan College. They were only forty minutes apart, the same distance he normally was since they lived in different towns, but she craved to be closer to him. After LMC, she planned to head up to Western Michigan University where she would be literally next door to Cameron and receive great instruction in computer programming, the major she had decided upon.

"All right, that is enough talk. Can we please go dancing?" Lilly practically begged.

The dance floor vibrated as hundreds of youths moved their bodies to the pounding music simultaneously. The group pushed through the crowd to find a big enough gap for them to dance in—well for the girls to dance in. Cameron simply swayed from side to side not matter what song DJ Valentine played. The songs they knew were sung loudly and off key as they danced.

"Tonight we're going hard. Just like the world is ours. We're tearing it apart. You know we're superstars; we are who we are. We're dancing like we're dumb. Our bodies going numb. We'll be forever young. You know we're superstars; we are who we are." Even Cameron sang long to the famous Ke$ha song. He seemed to be enjoying himself despite his lack of movement. Nel laughed at he messed up the lyrics. Her heart beat wildly as she jumped up and down to the upbeat song that was remixed by the DJ. Sweat rolled down her face as the night wore on. She did not care. She was with her friends at a night club in Chicago on New Year's Eve.

She closed her eyes for a moment to reflect back. The year 2011 was eventful indeed, but not in a good way. Her mom lost her job and they struggled to make ends meet and to not be evicted from the trailer they lived in. For as long as she could remember, it had always been just her and her mom. No man had been in her life except for her two boyfriends, Nick and Caleb. Her mother never mentioned her father much; she just said that he was gone. Nel stopped pestering her mother when she learned that the memory of her father greatly pained her mother.

They lived meager lives and always managed to survive. Each year her mother would encourage her by saying that their lives would get better. Sometimes they did have a patch of good luck and they would be happy, but then their luck would end and they ended up worse than where they started. Nel wanted to believe that 2012 would be the best year ever, but she could not. Her mind would not allow her to have a false hope, no matter what her mother said.

Selena, Nel's mother, had told her that 2012 would be different—that she could sense a drastic change coming. Her mother sounded convincing enough, but she pulled a Cameron and used her logic instead. The only thing she wanted in 2012 was Cameron and she had plans to ask him out after midnight.

Yes, Nel had fallen in love with her best friend. She discovered her strong feelings for him around the time he had broken up with Lexi. One day, after she had a dream about marrying Cameron, Nel called Cam and told him how she felt. Instead of shying away, Cameron admitted that he liked her too, but said that he would rather be her best friend than date and risk breaking up. Nel understood his reasons, but his words still pained her. So, she waited. He had been through a lot and he was in no shape to be in another relationship. Besides, they did have college to focus on. He had always given her the vibe that they could still end up together. She found out the truth when her friend Melissa got him to open up. According to Melissa, he has thought about asking her out on several occasions, but chickened out.

Now that it was almost a new year, Nel decided to ask him. Her plan was that he would say yes and they would start 2012 with a kiss. Nel looked at her phone. 11:15. Only forty five minutes to go before it would be the new year.

Only when Nel was parched did she leave the dance floor. The group followed her as she headed towards the refreshment table.

"Thirsty?" Nel nodded. "I will get you a drink."

"Thanks Cam." Nel sat down on a swivel chair and took out her phone again. 11:45.

"What time is it?" Michelle asked. Dancing had made her come out of her shell and speak.

"Fifteen till." Michelle gasped. "I cannot believe it either." She smiled.

"So, are you ready?" Michelle winked. She knew of her plan to ask Cameron out.

"I think so."

"You will be fine. He came tonight knowing that he would be surrounded by five girls and he is getting you a drink. What more proof do you need to show that he likes you?" Emma said.

"I know that he likes me," Nel began. "I just hope he is ready for a relationship. I do not want to move too fast, but I am tired of waiting at the same time."

"Listen to your heart and go with the flow," Lilly said.

"Hippie much?" Stephanie questioned, stifling a laugh.

"Bitch much?" Lilly and Stephanie laughed.

"Well, if he turns you down, you can rest assured that the four of us will kick his ass for you." Emma said.

"Thanks, I think." They stopped talking when Cameron returned with two drinks in his hand.

"Here you go. I got you a Dr. Pepper."

"Thanks." Nel said as she took her drink.

"What about us?" Michelle pouted.

"The refreshments are right there," he pointed, "get a drink yourself."

"Jerk."

"I know." He took a sip. Michelle walked off along with the other girls leaving Cameron and Nel alone. Cameron's eyes sparkled brighter than the disco ball—Nel's heart skipped a beat. Her plan ran through her mind and no matter how hard she tried, she could not help herself.

"Cameron, I know we both had a rough year, and I was wondering, well hoping, that maybe this coming year we could face it together, as a couple. Will you go out with me?" She held her breath and closed her eyes, waiting for his response.

Cameron froze. He cared for Nel more than anything but he still could not date her. "Nel, I can't. I think of you only as a friend—my best friend. I do not want to lose what we have. You are better off pursuing another."

Bitter tears began to roll down Nel's cheeks. She felt woozy and in need of fresh air. Dropping her cup, she ran towards the back door, anxious to get out of the stuffy room. The air chilled her bones, but she did not care. Her body was numb already from rejection. As she slid down the side of the building, she heard the people counting down to the New Year.

"Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year," she whispered to herself. Her sobs drowned out the noise makers and cheering as the cold sting of rejection took its course. Her mother was wrong; 2012 would be no different than any other year—in fact, it was looking to be one of the worst.