The D.J.’s remix of I’m So Fancy has the whole club losing its mind. A lot of women are topless, as usual. So are the men, including our crew, but Rue and Jenna’s mini-dresses preclude them from joining in.

It’s just as well.

I don’t want to see my sister’s boobs.

I don’t want to see women’s breasts at all.

They’re fine; they just do nothing for me.

The thought slips out of my mind as quickly as it came in so I can dance with the others, letting the energy of the place take me away.

Space Ibiza has been heralded as the top club in the world. We’ve come here at least a hundred times. Great lightshow. Lots of gyrating bodies. Sweat dripping. Booze pouring. Pills popped. Cocaine being snorted right out in the open.

But we gave that up years ago after one of our friends overdosed and died at one of our house parties, so when it comes Rue’s way just before midnight, and Jack encourages her to take it, I knock it out of the guy’s hand, powder flying, and take a punch to the jaw for my trouble.

Two hundred dollar bills wagged in his face later to pay for the lost dust, and we’re thick as thieves. But still I have to turn down another offer for a line. “No man. I’m good. Thanks.”

“Suit yourself,” he mutters, eyeing me suspiciously as he leaves us, moving through the crowd to offer his gift to any takers.

Jack exits with a gleam in his eye, and I watch him until I can’t see him anymore, wondering if he’s going to give it a rest and have some fun.

I’m getting really sick of this thing he and Rue have going on. I know it’s not her fault who she is, where she came from, and what she’s been given, but if she would just stop rising to his bait, maybe he’d stop throwing it at her.

Ah, forget it, I tell myself, dancing and laughing with the others. I wish as I’ve wished so many times in my life that I could do what the people around me are doing. There’s a guy to my right I have to avoid looking at. He’s been doing everything in his power to get my attention for a couple hours now. I don’t want our crew to catch me looking longer than I should. And not as long as I want to. Everyone around us who isn’t dancing, is making out.

Guys on girls. Guys on guys. Girls on Girls.

Switching partners with the switching songs as the D.J. spins whatever makes the room shake the most.

It’s torture.

It’s always torture for me here. That’s why I didn’t want to come. I want to join the free. I want to go to that guy and grab him by the back of his head and plant a kiss on him in front of the whole room.

It fucking kills me.

But there is no privacy in my world. I can’t trust people to keep quiet were I ever to take the chance to satiate my needs in private. Celibacy is the worst way to live. It’s unnatural. We’re not meant to never touch another body, never get close to someone–so close that for at least a little while, you become one. I’ve never been in love. And I’m still a virgin.

A fact Jack and Alec must never know.

The music fades in the middle of a beat, and the room reacts with annoyed confusion until we hear Jack yell loudly across the room, “WHO WANTS A DRINK?” Alec, Rue, Jenna and I, all look behind us to see Jack on the bar – in jeans, no shoes, no shirt – cupping his hands around his grin as he yells, “DRINKS ARE ON ME!!”

A thousand people go ballistic. I laugh hard, from deep in my belly, throwing my head back. I yell over the music as the volume rises again, “Looks like you finally had a good impact on him!”

She shakes her head, saying with feeling, “No, he just didn’t want to be one-upped. Has he ever bought a room drinks before?”

I shake my head and yell, “No! Never! We heard about what you did after we arrived in New York, and I have to admit, I was a little jealous I wasn’t there to see it! Or that I never thought of doing it myself!”

She laughs, happy for the praise. “Sean?”

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry for my tantrum. I was being a jerk. I want you to know, I’m having a great time. Thank you.”

I grab her and give her a hug. She squeezes me tightly and kisses my shoulder. Jenna and Alec are pleased and as we continue dancing in our little circle of four, Rue’s energy lightens enormously. Pure joy emanates from her as she dances, her body moving like it’s made of water. You have to watch them, her and her friend. The songs shift and without even looking at each other, they shift with them, always in sync as though they choreographed it.

After awhile, Jack rejoins us, eyeing them. “Hey,” he says to me. “Did you see that?”

“You have fun?”

“It was pretty cool, yeah. This is Sophia.” He’s towing a topless, blonde Australian girl who’s got a beautiful body. I glance down to admire her long skirt just as she smiles at Jenna.

Jenna’s eyebrows rise as Sophia saunters over and touches her hair, sliding a lock behind Jenna’s ear, standing really close to her. We’re all watching, and Jenna cuts her eyes to Rue who shrugs that she doesn’t know what’s going on. The Aussie smiles and leans in with her tongue sticking out a little. Jenna stares at it a second, then takes it between her teeth, and they kiss. Jack chuckles at Rue’s face, watching her act like it’s not a big deal even though it’s clearly shocking the hell out of her.

“What’s the matter, Rue? Afraid of a little girl on girl?” Jack calls over. Her eyes flash, and she laces her fingers into the blonde’s hair. Sophia releases Jenna and looks at Rue with a sexy smile. Rue cuts her eyes to Jack and kisses the girl full on, nice and slow and long. Alec gets a fierce look in his eyes like he might yank them apart. He meets my look of warning and turns to walk away.

Sophia responds eagerly to Rue’s kiss, slipping her hands around my sister’s back. Jenna turns her back on them, dancing normally like nothing is happening out of the ordinary. This interests me. I’m wondering if she’s hiding what I’m hiding. Acting like she doesn’t care. From Rue’s nervous reaction to the Aussie’s fumbling with her zipper, trying to pull her dress down and make her topless, too, I know Rue’s never kissed a girl before. Or maybe she’s just nervous because it’s in front of us. But Rue looks to her friend for help, and gets no eye contact. I look over at Jack and realize what’s going on.

“Alright. Alright.” Alec storms in and angrily pulls them apart, the muscles of his arms tightening, sweat glistening on his chest in such a way that it’s hard not to look at.

“Alec, stop it!” Rue says, and jerks her arm out of his grip. He glares at her, spins on his heel and takes off. She stares after him like she’s going to follow him, but stops herself when she sees Jack’s face. She doesn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing she’s upset. Smiling at him like everything is fine, she keeps dancing, saying, “This place is a blast.” Nervous laughter. “But I need another drink.”

Jenna and Sophia kissing again, my suspicions confirmed. I jerk my head toward the bar.

“We need to let it die down after Jack bought the round.” She looks over and realizes what I already know: it’s slammed with no signs of slowing until everyone’s got a fresh glass. Also what I know? That Jack brought that Aussie over here on purpose, and Rue played right into his hand. This round, he won. Hands down.