"Some black girls are raised to feel like their only choice in life is dating a black guy, but in reality a lot of guys want a black girl, but they're too scared to be judged by society..."

 

   “After careful consideration, I have decided to straighten my hair.” Mercedes and Tamera fell silent. “For tonight’s clubbing of course, I’m not getting a perm, so you can breathe now.”

     “Whew!” Tamera brought a hand up to her chest. “You scared me, for a moment. I know that I can’t tell you what to do with your hair, but just know that I’m in love with those curls, I thought you were serious for a moment.”

     “No, no, I’d never do that! I just need to find a way to straighten it.”

     “What do you mean, 'find a way'?” Mercedes glanced over at the other. “Run a flat iron through it, and you’ll be fine. It’ll be nice to see you without your hair flying all over the place for once, in fact-”

     A plastic comb just barely missed Mercedes' face.

     “If you want to keep the ability to use your mouth, I strongly suggest that you not finish that sentence.”

     “I’ll help you!” Bianca could always count on Tamera to help her press her hair, the girl had volunteered to do it for years, now and the seldom times that Tamera had done it, the woman would do a remarkable job. “So when do you want it done?”

     “It’ll probably be best if we start now. I don’t want to slow people down, later on.”

     Tamera shrugged before standing to her feet and leaving the room to go hunt down and plug up her flat iron.

     “You do have some sort of a heat protectant, right?” Bianca nodded. “I’ll be ready for you in five minutes.”

     “Ok.”

     Mercedes left for the bathroom to freshen up and to get ready for their night on the town.

     To say that she was excited was an understatement. It’s been a while since the three of them had a night off all at the same time and it was even scarcer that they would be indulging in the night life of Seoul.

     Mercedes couldn’t wait to get to Club Ellui and show off how hot she looked. Out of the three, Mercedes was the party girl and just because she moved to another country didn’t mean that she would change that.

     Adjusting the water to the right temperature, the woman started her long process for getting ready.

     In the other bathroom, Bianca had pulled up a seat to the counter where Tamera started straightening her curls.

     “I really love your hair,” Tamera said as she separated a clump of brown hair from the masses. “It’s so pretty; don’t let anyone else tell you differently.”

     “Thanks, but why don’t you try going natural?”

     Tamera stifled a laugh.

     “Natural? Me? No way! My hair’s not like yours.”

     Bianca glanced at the other in the mirror.

     “What do you mean?”

     She heard the other sigh.

     “I don’t have that good hair like you have. My hair’s the type that needs a perm.”

     “Says who? I certainly see nothing wrong with your hair!”

     Tamera snorted.

     “It’s too nappy to do anything with it.”

     “There’s nothing wrong with your hair. I’ve seen girls with the same skin color if not darker go natural and it doesn’t look bad on them! Remember Dallas? She’s darker than you and she’s natural and beautiful.”

     “But it won’t look good on me.”

     Bianca shrugged.

     “How can you say that when you haven’t tried it?”

     “I don’t know…maybe someday I will.”

     “Well, I think you should. I know for a fact that it will look as good on you, as it does on me.”

     “You really think so?”

     Bianca smiled confidently.

     “Yes!”

     Tamera didn’t notice that by the time the conversation was over, she had successfully straightened half of Bianca’s mane.

     “Are you ready for tonight?” Bianca said, to distract herself from the smoke and hissing of the flat iron. “I’ll be honest. I’m a bit nervous to go to a club since I haven’t been to one in a while.”

     “There’s no need to be nervous, Bianca. We’ll stick together and go through the crowd as we normally do. I really want to have fun tonight!”

     Bianca rolled her eyes.

     “As long as it isn’t too much fun. No matter where we are; New York, Paris, Seoul , all men are the same at clubs. They’re all looking for easy prey and they love targeting foreigners, so watch yourself.”

     Tamera nodded.

     “But I’m not that kind of girl.”

     “That’s not what most of them think. I’m concerned about you because of that dress that you’ll be wearing tonight. You don’t have a stick figure, so don’t let anyone take advantage of you.”

     “Eomeoni…”

     “I’m not your mother.” Bianca clarified. “I’m a concerned friend.”

     “You don’t need to worry about me. I’ll be fine, I promise!”

     “Alright. I guess you’re not the one that I should be concerned about. It’s that other one. I’m not leaving her side.”

     Tamera raised her eyebrow.

     “Mercedes can handle herself.”

     “That’s precisely what I’m afraid of. You know she doesn’t get along with Asians well. Especially, the girls.”

     “Ooohhh.” Tamera understood exactly what Bianca was talking about. She couldn’t count how many times Mercedes almost got into a fight with another girl while they were enjoying the night out. “Okay, I see what you mean. Oh wow, this time went a lot faster than last time.”

     When Bianca looked up at the mirror, she was surprised to see straight shiny chestnut brown locks that fell well past her shoulders.

     “Wow that looks great! Thank you, Tamera!”

     “You’re welcome! Now, I've gotta go get ready.”

     She unplugged her flat iron and ran out of the bathroom to gather her things while Bianca closed the door and pulled off her robe before slipping on her white dress and diamond studded shoes by the door.

     “Are you done in there, Bianca? Mercedes is hogging the downstairs bathroom…”

     Bianca shook her head at Mercedes’ inconsiderate behavior.

     “Come on in. I can put on my makeup later. Just let me know when you’re done.”

     “Alright, I won’t be long.” Bianca opened the door and Tamera squealed loudly. “You’re an angel!”

     Bianca giggled.

     “I doubt that, but thank you.”

     Without wasting another second, Tamera scooted past her and closed the bathroom before throwing off her clothes and stepping into the y black dress that she had bought earlier.

     She could see why Bianca was concerned about her. Tonight she was bound to get some attention for the opposite and maybe some from the females, too.

     “I’m done changing, Bianca!”

     There was a thud before the door opened to a struggling Bianca wrestling to get a giant bag through the door.

     “Feel free to borrow whatever you want. I have enough makeup to change the world!”

     Tamera couldn’t help but to agree.

     For tonight, she decided to go for a neutral smoky eye and black eyeliner with mascara. Her lip was painted a dark red for a more dramatic and y look.

     “Are you meeting someone at the club?” Bianca asked as she glanced over at Tamera. “Are you trying to piss off Mercedes? Because you’re definitely on her level tonight.”

     “We’re all on her level tonight, but no. If I piss her off it’s completely unintentional and no, I’m going y, free, and single and ready too, Bingo.”

     “Was that a Super Junior reference?”

     “Oh my God, you caught it?”

     “It was kind of hard to miss.”

     Bianca opted for a sweeter look. She used a shimmery white for her eyelids and gray eyeliner with dark mascara that gave her a gentle and whimsical look and added some shimmery pink lip gloss as a finishing touch.

     Once they were done putting on their jewelry, the duo headed down the stairs to find Mercedes already waiting for them.

     Her makeup was and both Tamera and Bianca would be lying if they said that they weren’t expecting it to be. Her eyes were dark with a pretty burgundy that faded to black at the ends and her eyes were rimmed with black eyeliner and mascara. The look was very similar to Tamera’s and it had the same hypnotic effect of drawing people in along with that powerful crimson colored lip.

     “Are we finally leaving or what?” She asked before standing to her feet. “I’ve been waiting for what feels like hours now.”

     “Well, maybe if you shared the bathroom with Tamera when she needed it, we would’ve been faster.” Bianca snapped. “Oh, and I’ll be driving tonight.”

     “I call shotgun!”

     Mercedes called as she headed for the door.

     Tamera couldn’t have cared less. She was just glad that they would get there safely since Bianca was behind the wheel, tonight.

     As soon as everyone was secured in the Buick, Bianca backed the car up and drove out of the parking lot.

     The three of them flew past the buildings and drove deeper into the night for the good time that they were all looking forward to.

 

 

~*~

 

     Sehun yawned as yet another girl quickly looked away from him when he looked up from his table.

     Why he agreed to come to Club Ellui with Yixing, Kai, Minseok, and Suho, was a mystery to him.

     Despite the loud beats of dubstep music that seemed to course through his entire being, he couldn’t have been more bored. Everyone was far too busy keeping an eye on Suho’s drinking to actually have a good time and it was really bothering him because they came here to party, not babysit a grown man and his drinking habits.

     This was certainly not a way to spend a Friday night in Sehun’s opinion.

     ‘The others seem pretty content, though.’

     He noted as he watched the others simply talk amongst themselves and glance to the dance floor from time to time. Now that he thought about it, they weren’t actually partiers, to be honest.

     Kai was the naïve boy with the looks of a stud, but his personality didn’t match that persona in the slightest. Yixing was the quiet handsome guy that most girls should watch out for as was Minseok, but the latter was picky when it came to the opposite rather than settling for just anybody. Suho was the good looking showoff that had the bank account to prove it and Sehun saw himself as the youngest lady killer among the five of them.

     Of course, with a handful of single handsome men, the women were bound to take notice.

     “Um excuse me,” A young woman with long brown hair and blue eye contacts interrupted Sehun’s thoughts, automatically shrinking under the five men’s gazes. “Would you like to dance with me?”

     Sehun blinked once, and then twice before nonchalantly grabbing the girl’s wrist and smirking at the girl before pulling her back into the crowd of wild young people on the floor.

     Lay chuckled as he watched the youngest impress those who were around him with his dance moves.

     “I’m willing to bet that somehow, Sehun will still be single by the end of the night. Any takers?”

     “I agree.”

     Minseok said, pulling out a twenty.

     “I disagree.” Kai also laid a twenty down. “The girl looks gullible, so he may get lucky tonight.”

     “As long as he doesn’t talk.” Lay glanced back at the other who was still on the dance floor. “He has a quiet charm that he tends to ruin when he opens his mouth. He’s too blunt for his own good.”

     Kai shrugged.

     “Anything’s possible.”

 

~*~

 

     The trio felt the beat before they were actually inside of the trendy club.

     The majority of the club was dark except for the spotlights that wandered over the people below and the stage lights that flashed throughout the building, providing just a glimpse of the chaos that was unfolding on the dance floor.

     “So what are we doing? Dancing? Drinking? What?”

     Mercedes inquired as she let her eyes roam the building.

     “Let’s just find a table for now.” Bianca replied as she surveyed the overly crowded dance floor. “That dance floor is a hazard, right now.”

     “Are you really expecting it to clear up?”

     “I’m expecting a bit more space than that. Come on, Mercedes.”

     The three girls took an empty table under a much more suitable light that only seemed to hover over the tables.

     A waiter that was near them took their drink orders and came back quickly with a pretty pink alcoholic drink called Fusion and anju.

     “I will say this again, no one is to get drunk. Know your limits and abide by them.”

     “Are you done? You’re nagging's about to ruin the party mood that I’m in, right now.”

     “Mercedes if you end up drunk, then my nagging will be ten times worse. I will personally wake up early tomorrow, just to give you hell.”

     “Well, aren’t you a Saint?” The other muttered as she poured herself a tall champagne glass of the pink drink and drank it whole without a problem. “But I’m going to do what I want, tonight. Here Tamera, get in on the action.”

     “I don’t know-”

     “What are you, scared? It’s not a lot and we’re here with you, so don’t worry.” Mercedes placed the shot in the other woman’s hand. “Drink up, now.”

     Tamera looked at the coral colored liquid that seemed to almost glow under the light of the table.

     “But isn’t this…vodka?”

     Mercedes dismissed the question with a wave of her hand.

     “It doesn’t matter. Just try it.”

     Tamera raised the glass to her lips before taking a sip and lowering it with a look of surprise.

     It didn’t taste nearly as bad as she thought it would!

     The exotic flavor of blood orange, mango, and passion fruit exploded in , but the taste of alcohol was still evident. She could tolerate it though, and soon she found herself finishing the whole glass like Mercedes did, not too long ago.

     “See? That wasn’t so bad now, was it?”

     Tamera shook her head as a funny, but comfortable feeling settled in her body.

     Bianca however, wasn’t the least bit happy with what just happened.

     Tamera never tried vodka before, so Mercedes stupidly encouraging her to drink it without any food was a foolish mistake.

     As Tamera tried to stand up Bianca pulled her back down.

     “You’re not going anywhere, until you eat something first.” Bianca shoved a small plate of Pa jun and Soondae her way. “I’m serious, Tamera. Eat something. Now.”

     Tamera didn’t complain and started consuming the food until Bianca was satisfied with the amount.

     “Alright, can I go now?”

     Bianca looked over at her friend.

     Sure, she was concerned about her, but she couldn’t protect her from everything.

     “Go ahead, but stay out of trouble!”

     “Why do you care so much? Let the girl have a good time!”

     Bianca glared at Mercedes.

     “It’s possible to have a good time without getting drunk!”

     “But no one’s drunk!” She pointed out. “I’m fine and Tamera’s fine, too.”

     It was a true statement, but Bianca had a feeling that this wouldn’t be true when it’s time to leave the club. Maybe she really was a mother…

“Whatever. Do what you want. I don’t care anymore.” Bianca said in anger. “I’m certainly not your mother.”

 

~*~

 

     “Well, well. Look who’s here tonight.” Lay called out and pointed to a table not far from theirs. Aren’t those the girls from the cafe earlier?”

     Kai nodded when he spotted Mercedes in her red dress.

     “Yeah,” He let his eyes wander over her figure from head to toe. “It is.”

     “Careful Kai. I know she’s y, but sitting here gawking at her won’t change anything, for anybody.”

     “What?”

     The dark haired man queried as Yixing took pity on him and patted his back.

     “Aww, my little Jongie’s growing up!”

     “Ugh, stop it. I’ve been in college for a while now, I’ve been a grown up!”

     He said while pulling away from his manager.

     “But of course,” Yixing continued while snatching the server back to him. “A man acts on his feelings.”

     “What?”

     “If you want her, go get her.”

     “No!” Kai yelled and shook his head wildly. “This girl isn’t like the others, hyung. If I do that, she’ll rip my heart out.”

     “I don’t think she’ll do that…”

     “I’m not taking any chances.”

     Minseok had his attention elsewhere, mainly on the cute girl in black that had left for the dance floor a little while prior to Yixing spotting the table.

     “Got any ideas on what you’re going to say to her?”

     Junmyeon questioned while looking on the dance floor at the woman in black.

     “Nope. Not at all.”

     “So, you’re just going to wing it?” Minseok nodded. “Good luck. I hope she likes you.”

     “Thanks.”

     Minseok headed to the dance floor and Junmyeon turned his attention back to a lecturing Yixing and a mortified Jongin.

     “Leave the kid alone, Yixing. Let him deal with these problems the way that he sees fit.”

     “But he’s just running away from the problem!” Lay shouted. “She’s going to walk away without him approaching her even once!”

     “Maybe there’s a reason for it.”

     Lay raised an eyebrow.

     “And what would that be?”

     Junmyeon sighed.

     “How many Black girls do you know that will go for guys like us?”

     “Plenty,” Yixing stated confidently. “I’m enough for any woman, no matter what the race.”

     “A good answer,” Junmyeon noted. “But I can guarantee you that it isn’t the same when it comes to race. Some will and others won’t and unfortunately, you can’t tell who’s open-minded and who prefers their own.”

     “That’s why you take a chance.” Lay countered. “Are you saying that he shouldn’t test the waters?”

     “No, I’m saying that it is better to be cautious and guard your heart, rather than having it destroyed by wearing it on your sleeve. So, I don’t blame him for being nervous.”

     The elder said as he finished off a bottle of Soju.

 

~*~

 

     The beats of the music drew Tamera to the middle of the dance floor in a way that she had never experienced before. The stage lights flashed rapidly and she felt as if the air around her buzzing with energy like never before, urging her to blend into the chaotic crowd and simply dance.

     Her body moved on its own accord and she smiled as everything blurred out until it was just her and the pounding music. People would occasionally brush against her, but she didn’t mind because it didn’t register to her dulled senses at the moment and she just let her body move to the music.

     And suddenly, she felt a tug on her right arm before her body lurched to the left. The person had gripped her wrist tightly and was pulling her through the crowd of partying teenagers.

     “H-hey! Let me go!”

     Tamera tried pulling her hand back from the stranger, but to no avail. Panic began to seep in once she realized that she was no longer on the dance floor, but the mysterious guy was dragging her over to another table on the opposite side of the building.

     As much as she tried to fight back, it didn’t slow her captor down, one bit.

     But someone else did.

     Another man wasted no time punching Tamera’s captor in the face hard enough to make the man’s grip on her wrist relax.

     “I believe she said to ‘let go’.”

     Realizing that he did not have enough strength to handle this guy on his own, Tamera’s captor stumbled away into the darkness of the club.

     He then faced the startled woman before him and smirked.

     Tamera was shocked.

     She didn’t think that she’d be running into the Café Barista, here.

     “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

     “I can’t understand you.” She blurted out, without thinking. “I’m sorry.”

     Minseok asked the question again at a slower pace and Tamera nodded.

     “I-I’m fine. Thank you for helping me.”

     “No problem.” The man answered and held out his hand to her. “If you don’t mind, will you dance with me?”

     Tamera nodded slowly and took his hand before following him back to the dance floor.

 

~*~

 

     Sehun plopped back in his seat as he inwardly groaned at the annoying thing that was the girl on his arm.

     She was pretty to him at first, but Sehun soon realized that the girl was talkative and that she flirted with everyone who walked by.

     “Are even you listening to me?”

     Yixing, who sat across from him was waiting for this moment so he could win the bet. He smiled slyly when Sehun shot her an aggravated glance.

     “No. I was really trying to ignore you, but your Banshee voice makes it hard to block you out.”

     “Banshee?” The girl jerked back from him. “I don’t sound like a Banshee!”

     “Obviously, you don’t listen to yourself either, do you? Get lost, . I’m done with you.”

     “Mwo?!”

     “Leave!”

     Sehun raised his voice and the girl was gone, a moment later.

     “I win!” Yixing cheered and Kai begrudgingly handed him the money. “Thanks for losing!”

     Junmyeon laughed as he glanced over at the table of girls from earlier. At that moment, his gaze connected with the girl with the long hair and the white dress.

     Without looking away, he bowed his head to her subtly.

     She slowly bowed back to him.

     Then he suddenly got an idea that would certainly make the night more interesting.

     “Who’s in the mood for crashing a table?”

 

~*~

 

     Bianca squinted as she saw four figures moving towards their table in the darkness.

     “Mercedes, can you see who those people are?”

     “Probably just some drunk teenagers.” The other said. “I can’t see them…”

     Mercedes’ eyes widened when she noticed Kai in the dim light.

     ‘Seriously? How can this be possible?’

     “Hey, isn’t that Kai?”

    "Yeah." Mercedes looked away. “It is.”

 

~*~

 

     Tamera found out rather quickly that Minseok was a good dancer.

     He was smooth and he danced with both confidence and experience that had Tamera deeply impressed.

     Amongst the crowd of rapidly moving adolescents, they were moving to a much more enjoyable pace that only they knew. It was another world and Tamera honestly preferred to stay there with him.

     Although she still couldn’t look him in the eye, she was really enjoying how close they were to each other at the moment.

     Minseok placed a hand on her waist and brought her closer, forcing her to actually look up at him for the first time since they got on the dance floor.

     “You’re blushing.”

     “Huh?” Tamera blinked in a clueless way before she turned her gaze elsewhere. “I don’t blush…”

     Tamera could hear the other chuckle lowly he gently tilted her head upwards.

     “It’s not a bad thing. You’re really pretty when you’re flustered.”

     Without warning, Tamera felt his lips press against her forehead and then she felt a kiss on her cheek before she backed away from the other, frantically. Her heart was about to burst and she was sure that it wasn’t because of the vodka that she had drank earlier.

 

~*~

 

     It was awkward at the table where both women glanced at each other and then the men that sat across from them.

     Sehun sighed noisily.

     He was already annoyed from that girl from earlier, so this tense atmosphere was doing anything for his bad attitude. So, he decided to use his bluntness to help Kai out.

     He cleared his throat, getting the women’s attention.

     “So are you interested in Asian guys?”

     He asked them and Kai could’ve died right then and there.

     “No.” Mercedes said rudely. “Is that all you wanted to know?”

     Sehun shrugged carelessly.

     “Why?”

     “Asian men are weak.” The woman spoke boldly, not caring about the offensive looks that she got. “I only date real men.”

     The atmosphere went from tense to deadly in less than a minute.

     “A real man?” Sehun snorted. “And what’s your definition of a real man?”

     “Not an Asian, that’s for sure.”

     Sehun had to bite his tongue for a moment to rephrase what was on his mind.

     “Look, you’re barely even datable by Korean standards. You should be lucky if an Asian guy shows interest in you. It’s not like you’re in a position to be picky.”

     “Well, neither are you!” Mercedes spat venomously. “So don’t get all high and mighty and act as if receiving love from your kind is a blessing!”

     “My kind? Excuse me?”

     “Do I really need to repeat myself?”

     “No. No you don’t.” Bianca interrupted the argument and grabbed Mercedes, pulling her away from an angry Sehun. “Nice talking to you all, but we need to go find our friend…”

     The two women left the table.

     “Well, that certainly went well.” Kai muttered sarcastically. “Were you trying to pick a fight with her?”

     “I was trying to help you!”

     “Yeah? You were more help when you were on the dance floor.”

     Sehun shook his head at the other.

     “Now you know what kind of girl she is. Even if you do like her, she needs to learn respect before anything happens between the two of you.”

     Kai knew Sehun was right. But what he did certainly wasn’t the right way to go about it either.

     “She needs time.” Yixing finally spoke up. “Something tells me that she’s damaged inside.”

 

Author's Note: Hi guys and Happy Valentine's Day! This is my gift to you. I'll have my Valentine's chap up soon and please don't kill me for Mercedes. I know she was cruel, but it won't stay like this, I swear! Kai will have to suffer for a little more! And for those of you who are wondering what anju is, it's basically food that comes with drinks at a Korean club. I personally thank EYK's Simon and Martina for the info!