The night was progressing smoothly, and Seth was beginning to relax. His new buds, with the exception of Chris and the inclusion of the girl he'd charmed, were enjoying drinks and camaraderie. Her name was Faith, and to the delight of the gang she turned out to be wonderfully quirky. Evan had also been successful enough to complement the group with additional ladies as well. Here, in their niche, the boys had no need to worry about status- only serendipity. With music pulsing, lights dancing and friends laughing, there were few better places Seth could think of to be.
He looked over at Faith, who was laughing with the group as Evan retold his timeless tale of how he discovered the curtained house up their street was being used for prostitution. She caught his eyes and smiled back happily at him. Guilt slid down his throat and boiled in his chest. Seth knew he was leading her on, and silently cursed himself for it.
From across the table, Andy eyed Seth curiously. His years of experience with courtship had given him an insight into the process and how it normally operated. Something was wrong- Seth had called Faith to attention and then... nothing. There was no verbal or physical follow-up at all. Andy was very puzzled to discover that Seth had absolutely no attraction to Faith whatsoever. Worse yet, Faith's glances seemed to be making him uncomfortable. How odd.
"How's the twilight zone Andy?" Nick asked, drawing him back.
"Too weird" Andy replied. "Brian!"
"Yeah man?"
"Go over and see if you can't invite Sam Adams and a couple of his buds to join us for drinks"
"You got it!" Eager to please, the man with a mission set off for the bar.
"Somebody sure looks up to you" Nick commented. Andy nodded, not sure anymore if it was a positive thing for him. Worry crossed over Nick's face.
"Are you ok? I'm a little worried about you" Nick asked. Andy looked around the room opposite his direction. He was good at avoiding people when he willed it, but Nick didn't understand why he was pulling it on him. Andy's eyes came to rest once more on Seth. Nick realized with surprise who the trigger was to Andy's recent attitudes.
"Talk to me man"
Andy consented after a break of silence.
"Nick, what do you think of Seth?"
Nick thought for a moment. "Well, he seems like a pretty cool guy"
"Is there anything unusual you notice about him?" Andy prodded.
Nick considered it. "Not really- he's unique if that's what you mean, but he's certainly not the amazing Andy Radke".
Andy smiled at him. Funny- All this time he was convinced he had to fight his battles alone. He had been so busy keeping up his divine image he'd forgotten about what being social was all about. Nick had always been so loyal to him, even to the point of stupidity. Why hadn't he seen it before?
"Nick?"
"Yeah bro?"
"What do you think being popular is about?"
Nick let his eyes wander to the ceiling as he thought about it. "Hmmm, unusual question. Popularity... I think it means different things to everybody, you know? For me, popularity is about being comfy and cozy wherever you can. A good reputation lets you go into situations with a few extra points, but that's all that really matters for me. I want to be popular for being a good guy; someone who makes everyone around them feel relaxed and relieved. I like to provide people with opportunity and means for them to shine. Like right here," he motioned at Evan and his lady friends giggling. "I like to just sit back and enjoy people enjoying themselves. Heck, I could probably own a club like this when I'm older." Nick looked down for a moment. "I don't know... does that sound cheesy?"
"Not at all" Andy replied. Nick's words made him feel a sense of regret. His friend- his truest friend, worried about saying the "right things". What a tyrant he had become.
"Do you ever get tired of people?" he asked with a hint of fear.
"No. I get tired of some of the things they do, but not them."
Andy's regret stifled his voice. "I've been an asshole"
"Aw Andy, it's not that bad..."
"I don't know how you put up with me."
Nick looked straight at him and spoke truth. "I'd still be your friend even if you grew horns and a tail."
Andy was bowled over. He didn't know what to say. All he could do was reach his arm over Nick's shoulder and pull him in for a friendly squeeze.
"Isn't that sweet?" Faith remarked to Seth, watching the two. "I wish more guys would be open with their emotions."
"You're not the only one" Seth answered.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the club master hypnotist Tom Bricker!" called an announcer. Andy and Nick turned from their conversation to notice the dance floor had cleared and a single man in casual dress now tested a microphone.
"Alright... this oughta be fun" Nick smiled.
"If he's any good" Andy added.
After initial applause and introduction, Tom stepped forward and began to explain the process in brief.
"Sorry to burst the Hollywood bubble everyone, but it isn't possible to be hypnotized against your will. You gotta want it and be totally relaxed about it. It's easy to be hypnotized- in fact you go into trance every day. When you're watching a great movie, driving a long road, listening to that damn teacher that won't shutup about the importance of Industrial British Literature. Most importantly, you're there as you go into sleep and come out of it. All it takes is confidence and relaxation. Who's up for being hypnotized tonight?" he invited.
Andy liked the man's style and was eager to try it out. He raised his hand.
"Hey Tall One- you're our first contestant" Tom replied, motioning him to come sit in a chair on the dance floor. Andy obliged, his table of friends cheering him on.
Tom went across the room and called forth additional volunteers of all backgrounds and ages. They sat down in the chairs provided and a calm music came on to the speakers.
Seth watched with interest as the artist carefully led his subjects into trance. He was intricate and careful, programming them not to be disturbed by any sound or light, comforting and reassuring them consistently to go deeper with all they sensed and trust and obey his commands. The audience watched with wonder and amusement as slowly the subjects closed their eyes, bowed their heads and finally fell into a supportive lean against each other. Seth was impressed.
"Hey Faith, this guy has pretty good technique huh?" There was no response. "Faith?" Seth said again, and looked over to find Faith snoozing on the table. He covered his mouth to keep from laughing and awakening her and waved at Tom to point her out.
"Oh goody- we got a somnambulist tonight! Hey little lady, care to join us up here?" he invited. Faith murmured consent and walked half-asleep to a chair in the front. Once she was seated Tom needed only to utter the word "sleep" and a funny noise for her to fall completely unconscious and for her friends to whoop with laughter.
Tom added the final touches to his mental music and allowed the audience to applaud. He began to utilize the trance, and the rest was unforgettable.
First, the subjects were contestants in a pet show with very unusual pets and very unusual tricks. The audience howled with laughter as they watched an old lady beckon an invisible hamster to dance the macarena with her and a man invite his snake to do crochet and knit. Next, the subjects were on a trip to the moon, and the audience had the treat to view their expressions every step of the journey, in which Tom threw in a few hazards and random sci-fi characters. Then was the gang's favorite part, in which Andy played a major role.
"Andy, I'm going to play some music, and when you hear that music I want you to dance appropriately. This is not an ordinary dance. Because you're at a concert, with lights and thousands of screaming fans. And you're up on stage performing for them. Because you're not Andy right now- you're Michael Jackson". Suddenly Michael Jackson's music came on to the speakers. Andy jumped up and began flailing, spinning, moonwalking, lip-synching and a hundred other idiosynchrocies of the pop star that caused the audience, especially his friends, to bust a gut laughing. Suddenly the music went off and Tom interrupted.
"Andy! Andy! What the heck are you doing?"
Andy looked around dazed and confused. "Um, I was. uh"
The music quickly resumed and Andy was screaming "ow" once more. Nick was laughing so hard it hurt- he was gonna harass Andy about this one for years to come.
Tom led the subjects through a couple more scenarios and arrived at his final one. He led the group through a nudist colony, alternating the tenants between male and female. The reactions were hilarious once again, but this time Seth paid much closer attention to Andy's reactions. When the subjects saw ladies, Andy was flamboyant. When it turned to men, the other male subjects were loudly grossed out, but Andy had a look of confusion and even fear on his face. Seth figured no one would really notice paying attention to the funnier subjects, but it stuck out to him.
"You've all done so well everyone. I'm going to give you a little intuition before you come up and return to full consciousness. In front of you is a sandy hill, and when I say so you will climb over it. When you do, what you see will be dependant on where you are in life. You will see a boat, and the distance of that boat to the shore says how far off you are from meeting the love of your life. If that boat is at the shore, then you've met that special person. Now, climb over the hill." The subjects obeyed within their world.
Tom went up to the old woman. "Do you see that boat moored?"
"Oh yes" she replied confidently. "It's been there awhile"
"Who's on that boat Elaine?"
"It's my dear husband". An "awwww" went across the audience.
Tom went down the line and came at last to Andy, who had a look of shock on his face.
"Is that boat on the shore Andy?"
He nodded slowly.
"Who's on that boat?"
Andy was silent, his face contorting and swaying from side to side.
"No. I can't tell anyone."
"Aw come on, tell us who's on the boat Andy" Tom pressed.
Andy repeated the phrase again and again.
"I can't tell anyone. can't tell anyone. can't tell anyone"
Tom looked down at Andy with concern. "Andy?"
"I CAN'T TELL ANYONE!" he yelled, now in tears and grasping his head, trying to force it all away. Nick stood up, beginning to become very worried. Tom knew he had to stop it- he'd brushed up against something dangerous and he didn't want to hurt him.
"Sleep!" he commanded, and Andy slowly faded down into silence, as if one crying to slumber.
"You will forget everything you experienced in this trance Andy. You will awake refreshed, feeling great, and will enjoy the rest of the night with your friends. When I get to 10 awake. 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10."
Andy woke up slowly and rubbed his head as if it ached.
"Give Andy a hand everyone" Tom asked, relieved. The audience clapped for him as he made his way back to the table.
"Well Chris, looks like you were right" he said as he sat back down with the group. "5 minutes of mumbo-jumbo and I didn't even go under."
"You were up there for a good half an hour at least!" Chris chuckled.
"Yeah, whatever. You ok Nick? I guess you really had your hopes up for this thing."
"It's alright Andy. Let's go home."
"You sure? They don't close for another hour"
"I'm sure"
The gang traded phone numbers with their respective ladies and made ready to depart. From the door, Nick watched Seth comply with a goodnight kiss to Faith as they parted. Nick looked into Seth's eyes as he exited and saw a rare pain.
Nick gulped down the last of a beer. He was worried, confused and totally uncertain of what to do. All he knew for sure was that Andy had gazed upon someone on that boat, and that that someone he had seen was Seth.