She wavered just outside the partly open door — a wooden folding chair was wedged between it and its jamb. The door was stenciled "UCLA Bruins Men's Basketball" in the team's colors, pale blue and gold. Above and beyond her the music thumped. She had told Angela she detested the Black Eyed Peas, but Angie had begged her to go.
"Please, please, please, it'll be fun."
"You want me to go just because I have a car."
"Nooo, that's so not true. We can totally meet some guys."
"You know, you're way too old for that shit. The Black Eyed Peas, they're like for thirteen-year-olds."
"Next year, cuz, when I'm nineteen like you, I'll be all cool and shit, just like you. But please, can we just go? I'll totally owe you."
She had admired the performance. Angie was good. Plus she was leaning forward, grinning devilishly, and wagging those great tits at her.
So that's how she found herself at Pauley Pavilion, wearing a short-short black skirt, a purple rayon top and chunky semi-high heels. Her long nearly black hair framed her face in a way that suggested an Asian Veronica Lake. She wondered why a concert was being held here. She knew it to be a basketball venue. After a couple of songs Fergie stepped into a spotlight and spoke for a while about women owning their bodies, about rape being uncool. In a rambling sort of way she made her point.
Then she understood. The Peas were doing a benefit to support the rape crisis center on campus. She had heard about a few incidents. She shivered then laughed to herself. She thought, I hate rape, who doesn't? But half the fucking porn on my computer is gangbangs. What's up with that?
Lecture finished, Fergie launched into one of her featured numbers. Watching her writhe and shake her booty, she thought it was odd that one moment Fergie was haranguing the crowd about the evils of rape and the next her body was signing, "Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me."
But it didn't matter. She was pleasantly tipsy. From the moment she and Angie sat down the cute but too young boys next to them had passed them a large flask filled with God-knows-what liquor. It was like liquid fire going down, and it had its intended effect. After four swallows the music was sounding pretty good, and she felt an urge to get on stage and dance with Fergie. She felt an even stronger urge when the song stopped. God, I gotta pee, she thought.
Fulfilling that urge had led her down steps and ramps into Pauley's bowels and to, surprisingly, an unoccupied ladies' room, and, from there, to the present moment, outside the locker room. She hadn't thought to memorize her route here, didn't know if she could find her way back, and felt strangely impelled to keep moving forward. So she crossed the threshold.