Column XIV: Unmatched on Wyckoff
On this heightened Tuesday evening. Cleo, Sarah, and I gathered on Myrtle Avenue over cheap drinks, smoking, and $1 pizza, to figure out how we should spend a random weekday night.
Cleo Robinson is 22 years old, five feet, seven inches tall with tight ginger fingerwaves. There was something so regular but so remarkable about this woman, and people knew her from a few years ago when she made a viral snapchat that made it to all other social media sites.
She dropped out of the girls’ college in her first year but stayed committed to Blossom, Vanessa, Sarah, and I. But, like most girls her age, she was a bit boy crazy. And that’s how we come to learn about Big D David.
“Sloane stop!! Don’t text him.” Cleo reached for my phone after I showed her the 6’2 skater boy, David, I just matched with on Hinge.
“Oh my god, Cleo!” Sarah made a strong face as she finished her fourth glass of $2 wine.
“Girl, I am not going to text him.”
“No bitch, let me see you unmatch.”
“You can’t be seriously that obsessed over this boy that half of NYC, young and old, has fucked.” Sarah came in the middle of our playful wrestling on my, still, broken bed.
David was the dream for any doll, hell for anyone. He comes from a wealthy family of doctors who owned a practice in Manhattan. He dressed like a 90s clean model while being a chaotic DJ. And he expressed that he was open to being with anyone, he was one of those that would date anyone, what sparked his interest is the person rather than the identity. Everything was big about him and he kept large interest among the young hipsters in NYC.
“Cleo, look!” I quickly unmatched him, “I can’t be too bothered about this boy, it’s whatever.” Cleo laid on the bed after her win.
Sarah threw her fourth red cup in the overflowing trash in the corner. “Y’all let’s not worry about boys tonight, let’s go out and have a good time,” Sarah said. Earlier I was all for a night out but Cleo’s obnoxious obsession made me resentful. But, then again-
“Yes, let’s go out!” I ended. For a casual weekday, getting ready happened in a flash. Brown lip-liner, cheaper contour, and misplaced blush lit up Brooklyn. Three gorgeous young women strutted on a steamy night. Cleo dressed in jeans and a white tank, Sarah in her favorite oversized hoodie with biker shorts and me in an off-the-shoulder cream top tucked into a black mini skirt and pair of brown boots. The crowded hot streets of Bushwick couldn’t resist this show. We moved in unison like a pop girls group.
As we walked, Sarah pulled us in: “we def should go here instead of that bar 30s and up bar. Look, it’s a house party! Only down the street too.” Sarah, put her arms around me and Cleo, “let’s go have a good time and not worry about the boys.” I nodded to Sarah, Cleo did as well, but then she put her head down and let out a long breath.
Within ten minutes, we were at 156 Wyckoff Avenue; like most house parties in Brooklyn, everyone was high, drunk, horny, and loud. Cleo and Sarah led me through the house. I couldn’t resist enjoying the full carrying on of the party, jumping punk boys, wining waist girls, and the occasional overtly drunk 29 year old in the corner. Spilled drinks on the broken wooden floors had people running to open tequila bottles knowing damn well they didn’t buy. Through the cigarette and weed smoke clouds, the entrance and exit faded as we went deeper into the crowd surrounding the DJ booth.
“Hey!! Watch out,” a random, deep red eyed girl told us as she stood still on the dance floor scrolling through Instagram. Cleo snatched my hand and ignored the loser.
We finally reached the front of the DJ booth where a long hair, tatted, DJ with a camouflage beanie was spinning techno beats. His spider neck tattoo and three nose piercings made the small hairs on me raise. Somehow, I got lost in the redundant beats, maybe to impress him, but his electric spins started to impress me, taking over my body in mysterious ways.
“Ayeee! Get it girl. You want a shot?” A random girl threw herself on me, tripping.
“Haha yes, can my friends have one too,” I bought Cleo and Sarah next to me.
“Sure girl! Just drink from the bottle,” she threw the bottle in my hands. Our girls group took 2 shots of brown tequila each. I handed the almost empty bottle back and the girl vanished into the smoky crowd. It became hot as hell quickly! My stomach became really warm, then something pulsed over my body. I danced: catching breaks, whipping my hair, and wining like the girls did earlier. Sarah jumped around shaking her hand. Cleo stood nodding her head slightly while frantically texting on her phone.
The set came to a gentle stop. My pores open and edges sweated out in place. The beanie DJ had the room going up for him, yet our eyes seem to want to lock pupils.
“Thank y’all for vibin’ to my set. Follow my ig @rockirockithedj1.” He winked directly at me after his self promotion, like a girl lost in a barbie store, I cheesed.
Shortly after, a new set begin and to our surprise-
“What the fuck! Shit! It’s David.”
“Oh it is, lol,” Sarah said. I had no response. The first time seeing him had me wide eyed, I glanced over to see Cleo wide eyed as well but frowning.
“I don’t look fab right now, ugh! Can we go to the back, like now,” she pleaded.
“Girl…it’s okay… you’re so pretty…let's just dance,” I tried to affirm her.
“Right!!! What did I say before we got here…”
David’s short curly black hair was filled with sweat and his blue Ecko shirt had matching armpit stains. He put his diamond stud in the left ear, and did the same to the long cross earring in the right before starting his house music set.
Almost instantly, I let myself go to the music. I don’t know what I did truly but the alcohol let itself dominate me. After about an hour of dancing, I paused my drunk spell to see the crowd, my first sight was still Cleo. The girl: flipping her hair back front, her arm tightly over her stomach. I had no idea where Sarah was.
I felt a piercing energy wanting to enter inside of me and of course it came from the DJ stage…David had been attempting to eye fuck me. I must admit, I did lock eyes for just a second. Something felt wrong. I immediately went back to dance!
The thickness in the room was becoming unbearable at the end of the set. Unlike Rocki’s finale, David just left the booth as the crowd went up for him. Cleo tried to look around the area, she couldn’t shake herself so she just stared at her phone. Sarah appeared to save the day.
“Girls! I met someone who can give us some more tequila or honestly whatever else we want…”
“OOOOO!.” I clapped, “let’s go Cleo!” I pulled Cleo along behind Sarah’s lead.
“Hey ladies, y’all look good,” the doll pointed at me directly then, "especially you girl, I love your outfit.” The doll that complimented me was gorgeously tall with a pink bodycon dress and black lace up stilettos.
“Thank you. You too.” I replied.
“Thanks babes. What do you girls need? I have vodka, tequila, and-”
“Heyyyy,” a deep shy voice reached out. We all turned to David, Rocki, and two other boys standing behind our group. Cleo took a sharp inhale while digging her pink claws into her arms.
David saw Cleo first, gave a soft polite hug, then focused entirely on me. He moved himself into our bubble, slinging his arm around me.
“Hey you, I love your style. You seem familiar.” David began.
My melted blush bloomed again. Cleo’s eyebrows got tight, Rocki tried to put his arm around her shoulder. She threw his arm off. Her breaths became irregular. A fist appeared on her right hand. Rocki threw his hands up to prove his innocence as the other two boys left the scene. Sarah looked across this messy bubble as the pink dressed doll filled up her red solo cup.
“What’s your name?” He insisted, staring down at me. I couldn’t speak…
“UGHHHHHHHH!!!” Cleo let out her cry before she stormed off, pushing people out her way, storming towards the exit. I pulled David’s hand off me, starting to follow Cleo.
“Sloane, stay please. I will take care of her.”
“But-”
“Trust me, stay! She will be fine, this is how she gets, lol. Stay for right now and be smart.” She pressed her cup full of vodka into my hands before she turned me back to face DJ David, Rocki, and the tall doll.