The bar's usual noise felt distant, like someone had stuffed cotton in Melisa's ears. Or maybe that was just the sound of her conscience screaming.
Vira kept shooting her concerned looks from behind the counter, probably wondering why her usually chatty fuck-buddy looked like she'd seen a ghost. Or made a few ghosts, in this case.
[Stop it,] Melisa thought, watching the liquor in her glass swirl. [It's done. All that matters is that you're going to be accepted now. That's it.]
"Another round!" Koros bellowed, slamming his empty glass down hard enough to make Melisa jump. "For our newest star!"
The other nim cheered, their faces flushed with alcohol and victory. Crooked-nose had his arm around one of the others, both of them swaying as they tried to recreate the explosion with increasingly elaborate hand gestures.
"Did you see the way it lit up?" One of them asked for probably the fifteenth time.
"The humans sure did!" They cackled.
