Nicole stepped out of the passenger-side door of Emily's car. She fidgeted nervously with her long, loose white tank top and glanced at her friend. Emily, who could read her like a book, smirked knowingly and grabbed Nicole's hand, dragging her towards the door. Nicole was beginning to have second thoughts about coming here. What if she made a fool of herself in front of the guys? It was bound to happen at some point. She was such a klutz.

"ID, please," a voice said in a deep baritone. Nicole was jerked from her thoughts. She looked up to see a huge bouncer at the door who was staring back down at her. It took a moment for her to register what he said, like a lagging computer. Emily elbowed her in the ribs, signaling for her to hurry up.

[i]Oh, right, my ID.[/i] She fumbled with her purse for her driver's license to verify her age. She showed it to the bouncer and he examined it for a second before waving her on. He did the same for Emily. Nicole stepped past the giant bouncer man, then paused at a table that was covered with glow sticks of four different colors.

"Those are for the visitors to wear," Emily piped up, reading her mind again. "I heard about them from Josh. He said green is for singles, red is for people in relationships, and yellow is to say 'it's complicated'. The blue ones..." she paused. "Oh right, he said those are for LGBTs. The reason for the glow sticks is supposedly so guys know who they're allowed to flirt with." She grabbed a green glow stick and put it on.

"I'm going on ahead. You came here to meet new people right? Well I'm gonna do that too. Shoot me a text if you get into trouble. See ya!" Emily winked and trotted inside, perfectly comfortable with entering a new place by herself. Nicole looked back down at the glow sticks. She began to reach for a green one, then hesitated and glanced up to make sure Emily was gone. She didn't want to have to explain her next action to her friend. When she was sure Emily was out of sight, Nicole grabbed a red glow stick and slipped it on her wrist. She took a deep breath and strode inside.

---

Ryu Ji Min turned off his car engine and hopped out of the vehicle. He was in high spirits after discovering Mingle. He finally had a chance to rebuild his train wreck of a life and meet people that weren't under the influence of that stupid rumor. He squared his shoulders and walked up to the bouncer at the door, flashing his student ID. Seeing that he was a minor, the bouncer drew a stamp from his pocket.

"Hold out your hand," he instructed. Ji Min complied, offering up his wrist to be stamped with a smile. He moved past the bouncer to a table covered in glow sticks then paused, racking his brain to remember which was which. Green was single, right? He cast a glance back at the bouncer and wondered if he should ask, then decided against it. He grabbed a green glow stick and put it on.

Ji Min was a little surprised to find the place mostly empty. After everything he heard about it, he expected it to be bustling with activity. He reached up and adjusted his fedora as he crossed the room to the bar. A bartender moved to meet him as he sat down.

"What'll it be?" she asked, offering him a friendly grin. Ji Min remembered that the girls from school had said it was a juice bar. He supposed he could ask for a coffee, but his sweet tooth got the better of him.

"A strawberry lemonade, please," he replied in a subtly accented voice, smiling back at the bartender. It was one of his favorite drinks in America. She nodded and walked away. Ji Min turned around in his seat to look around the bar. Despite the desolate exterior, it was a pretty nice place on the inside.

[i]Things are definitely looking up for me.[/i]