The air here is loud and clammy. There’s music pounding into my ears and all I smell is alcohol, alcohol, alcohol.  I shift uncomfortably in my seat as my eyes dart back and forth across the room, though I’m not searching for anything in particular.  The compressing atmosphere of heated bodies and flashing lights is the complete opposite from the solitude of my dim apartment.  It’s intimidating.

                The orientation concluded at one o’clock today.  A quick tour of the school and its massive campus barely gave me a glimpse of life at the academy.  And now, the entire party of students gathers at a booming club.  Insisted that I come along, despite the glaring looks they gave me when I introduced myself with my Chinese name.  I don’t know any of these people, and I couldn’t if I tried.  They know I’m not like them.

                There are two girls sitting on my right, and their squealing voices ring in my ears.  My eyes glance at them shortly, to see them fawning over the body of a tall, blond man. I don’t understand why they have such close interactions, between a man and a woman that have only known each other for a few hours.  I don’t understand why they immediately would find a stranger attractive.  I don’t understand how they connect so easily. 

                To distract my despondent thoughts, I pick up the menu propped at the center of the table.  The front of it is awkwardly colored with shades of blue and green, with the words Welcome to The Lucky! confidently written in bold.  Its contents are nothing but various brews and beverages.  I find the names of the drinks nothing but perplexing. 

                Unexpectedly, I feel the flush of a few intense gazes.  I look up to find the girl beside me, offering me a glass of a light colored drink with a compelling smile.  I find it difficult to refuse with the pressure of so many eyes on me, but I know that I can’t drink.  I push her hand away awkwardly. 

                After another few hours, the group finally shuffles out from the club and into the chilly night, arm in arm as they laugh and chatter, the scent of liquor lingering on their words.  I trail behind, thankful for the open aura.  The sky is dark and starless as I tread to the edge of the sidewalk.

My head still swirls with the blinking lights and the buzzing voices.

                Tomorrow is my first day at the academy, and it’s all I can think about.  I have a feeling the stares I received today are not the last of them.

With an anxious mind, I ignore the pedestrian signal, depending on my senses to judge the movements of the by-passing vehicles.  One car, then two cars buzz by me.  I count the seconds before stepping down onto the crosswalk.  I ramble from one side of the road to the other, lost in thought.  When a car abruptly screeches to a stop, a mere two feet away from me, the driver asserts me with his horn, but I’m agonizingly oblivious until I reach the bus stop.