Knockin on heaven's door (Lee Chaeyeon)

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"God dammit

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"God dammit."

The worst thing about college wasn't the outrageous student debt, nor the mountains of units and classes you needed to juggle. It was the parties.

It was always the parties.

Not a couple of weeks passes by without some wild party hosted by some rich nepo kid. There isn't really a reason that justifies the occasion except to celebrate for celebration's sake. An excuse to let loose and relax from the stresses of the semester; a reasonable justification—if not for the copious amount of drugs, alcohol, and sex that happens in them. Every scene plays out like a parody, an ironic twist of fate that realizes your worst assumptions and stereotypes of college after graduating high school.

And the worst part is: no one escapes completely unscathed, not even you.

You make one thing clear: you don't despise parties—you just didn't want any piece of it. It stands to reason then that you usually take refuge in the many corners of the house, away from the madness and debauchery of it all. Exposure to their degeneracy proves to be near-unavoidable. You're essentially the designated driver for your friends, who are none the wiser. Often, they're the first ones in, last ones out. The moment they step foot inside, they basically forget your existence until dawn. They're insufferable, but you'd otherwise remain a loner without them, for better and for worse.

In a sea of people, someone manages to spot you. It's not the gaze of a burgeoning romance or friendship; their eyes evidently spell out drunkenness, and their zombie-like motions toward you are about as subtle as a sledgehammer to the face. A little push and pull. You suddenly find yourself being escorted to a huge circle that raises immediate red flags. Even the slightest whiff of the room laced with crack triggers your fight or flight impulses. Thankfully, it only takes the simplest and most cliche of excuses to create a path of escape.

"I need to use the bathroom."

With their impaired judgment, you'll soon be an afterthought to them—or at worse, a horde of makeshift zombies banging at the door. The bathroom would be too obvious. It was never the destination.

Sneaking around the crowd, you find a door conveniently tucked away from the madness and rush toward your freedom. On the other side lies complete darkness, and if not for a foot teetering on the edge of some hidden stairs, you'd be a dozen steps away from a concussion and several stitches. A hidden basement sealed away from the house, blocking most of the noise.

Finally, some peace and quiet.

As expected, the actual basement is nothing but clutters of dusty boxes and forgotten relics, with a few tiny windows hidden behind the piles. Little light peeks through the otherwise pitch black room, but a bit more exposure runs the risk of your retreat getting exposed. You'd more than happily sit here until you can weasel your way out in the morning, when everyone's blacked out and completely fucked from party overdose, or when the rich kid's angry parents find you sleeping on the floor.

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