Intermission: I am nobody. (Part I)

At the same time that you and Maureen are getting served your meal in the restaurant, Karen Grant is dancing a few hundred meters away on the dance floor of the disco to roaring music and bright stroboscopic lights. Her mood is good and the twenty-one year old girl is in her element as she moves her body skillfully to the drumming bass and attracts the looks of several other dancers. Rachel is experiencing the same thing a few meters further on and the two have divided the attention of the male - and some female - dancers evenly on the dance floor.

If we would dance together we would certainly get some money from the disco owners, Karen thinks with a grin and throws her head and hair around. She has raised her arms above her head and swings her hips in her white mini skirt and tight black tube top. She laughed when she saw Maureen and Megan queue up to pick out evening wear for the older girl. How nervous Maureen had been. For Karen, the whole thing is a game - she understands Maureen and her brother's other concubines, but cannot understand why someone makes such a fuss about a single guy. The attention of men and the way they look at her body has been with Karen since puberty and a day without being adored by someone is as rare as snow in midsummer. That's nature, she thinks and continues dancing, returning the looks of a good-looking Latino at the bar. She has learned to deal with the attention and to dismiss it as something normal but of course she also knows about the benefits that a body like hers brings her. It's been years since she last paid for a cocktail or something else and she doesn't mind seeing the range of men and picking out the best for the evening.

Carrie looks at her from the booth while Karen turns her body in circles. A few feet further on, a lanky boy almost trips over his feet and almost spills the beer in his bottle and the one he is holding in his hand for Rachel. The friend of Karen has always had a heart for strays and now that Emma is not there to take care of them, Rachel Huerta attracts flies like a shining light in the dark. It would be the same with Karen, but unlike her friend, she has already established her reputation here in Seacrest. Only attractive guys dance around her, but keep their distance and only admire her from afar. The evening has not progressed far enough, not enough beers has been drunken to warrant further advances. With a girl like Karen Grant, it's worth waiting until she's had her fun with the music. At some point during the evening she will signal to one of the many applicants to get closer. Then the game begins. One by one they will dance, charm her and try to conquer her. Karen likes the feeling of being wanted, longed for. But she doesn't see herself as a prize or booty. She is the hunter and the suitors will soon notice that. It may put some off, but Karen doesn't mind. She will choose the one who is allowed to spend the evening in her company... and maybe the next morning as well.

Of course that won't work today. Bringing a friend to someone else's house and her girlfriends at that, not even Karen is that tough. Maureen would have made that surely earlier, she thinks soberly, and whirls her body around. Besides, Finn is sure to be in a huge orgy by now and I'm not going to share my catch with him tonight. She grimaces briefly when she thinks of the boy who has withstood her advances so well so far. It is not surprising that he is so strong. Together, all of his girls exceed even her beauty. Karen shakes her head, but tonight it's annoying not to have a bed to let off steam on. She looks around and sees the sign for the toilets among the many suitors. In a pinch, that has to be enough. It's not inviting, but Karen won't let the fun taken away from this evening. Especially not from a guy who ignores me. Again she shakes her head and turns in circles, this time a little faster. Her light gray skirt with folds only reaches the middle of her thighs and if Karen turns fast enough one can see the curves of her buttocks and the black panties that almost disappear between her ass cheeks. Karen is not a slut thou, she never thought of herself that way. But life is not a petting zoo and you have to use your weapons to get there. That's why she decided to wear her skirt instead of wearing a dress similar to Maureen. You can't always be as lucky as Emma and get a boyfriend almost effortlessly. And Carrie even had to help her too.

Young Grant continues to dance on the linoleum floor and picks three or four possible candidates for the rest of the evening. She exchanges glances with them to signal that they will be the lucky ones who can spend the evening with her tonight. The eye contact does not last long, however, and Karen already knows the looks well enough, which briefly focus on her eyes and face, then wander down over her breasts and, a swing with the hip later, lay only on her legs and thighs. She can even understand that her handsome plump tits do not express so much admiration, as her tube top reaches over her stomach. She is proud of her body but for tonight she has opted for a more chaste top that leaves more to the imagination. Karen has always been an advocate of the thesis show, don’t tell and her choice of clothing has always reflected that. Just not today.

All because of Finn and his sisters. Somehow Millie is cute and Finn just wants to protect her. Karen has no siblings herself, is an only child and so cannot imagine why Finn would look at her disapprovingly if she opted for one of her usual outfits. But today she has independently decided to work for the peace of the house and not to expose his protégés to 'bad influences'. Karen snorts and dances more energetically which makes the boys' looks even more greedy. A young African American is particularly fond of her, but at the bar she is watched by a young white man who must be some football player or something. The offer is there and yet Karen feels kind of weird tonight.

"Damn" she growls, her voice drowning in the music. What's going on all of a sudden? So far, she hasn't paid so much attention to her clothes. Not that kind of attention, that is. Her income from advertising partners via her social media channels is enough to be able to afford expensive and exquisite fashion, not to mention the freebies. For Karen Grant, fashion is a matter of course, just like using her body, and the two hobbies go hand in hand. The bass in the air falls silent and while the DJ puts on a new song, Karen studies herself, ignoring the greedy looks of the boys around her. Her outfit is okay, but she still has a strange feeling when she looks down at her body. It takes a few seconds and in fact she misses the beginning of the next song until she realizes that looking at her top she feels something different than when looking at her skirt. That amazes her.

"Are you okay?" Rachel calls over the noise and pulls Karen out of her thoughts. The lanky boy from earlier cannot believe his luck while dancing near the young Latina. Karen shows her friend the thumbs up and she shrugs her shoulders and continues dancing. Karen is also moving back to the music. She likes the song and so she has a few carefree minutes in which several other young men and also a few older men join the circle around her and watch her. It won't be long now and the evening will enter the next phase.

This happens when a particularly brave boy dances up to Karen. She has already seen what comes next hundreds of times and the game has become part of her flesh and blood. The guy comes closer, she looks at him briefly, but then ignores him. The guy gathers his courage, dances closer to the girl. Karen grins and is happy to be distracted by thoughts that she cannot classify. During this vacation everything went differently than usual anyway. Emma got a boyfriend, which too escaped her advances, someone briefly but effectively looked through her protective layer...

"Finn... damn it." Karen stops, ignoring the good music and staring at the floor.

"Hey, are you okay?" asks the guy who danced behind her and taps her shoulder. Finn! Now she realizes it. It's him who messes them all up! But why? The music around her is faded out just as her suitor as Karen realizes that she has had his name on her mind all evening.

"Fuck!" She gasps and at the same time realizes, ashamed, that it is his standard saying that he always uses. Even doing so, she thinks of him. Again she feels the guy's fingers on her shoulder, then on her hip. She lets him turn her around and looks into his questioning eyes. “Yes, yes, everything is okay,” she assures, and waves it away. "I-I am just thirsty." The boy doesn't look bad, has a well-groomed appearance and an infectious smile. Just like... "I-I have to go. Excuse me.” With these words she just turns around and runs from the dance floor to the bar. Karen almost throws herself on the counter, pushing another girl aside, turning her glare and calling her a slut. She doesn't care right now but signals her order to the bartender and greedily reaches for the alcoholic drink. Okay... take it easy, she reminds herself and tries to organize her thoughts. The cocktail tastes good but now she needs the **** too. What's wrong tonight? Everything is as it always is. She gets attention, can act out, be free and go her own way. Everything is as she wanted it to be. She looks around the disco. The suitors on stage have already turned to other girls, ignoring her and try to make up the time they wasted with this girl, who can't decide what she wants. Rachel looks over at her every now and then but is busy with the lanky boy. Carrie, Susan and Claire sit in the booth. The older girl's face is illuminated by her smartphone, which she stares indifferently into. Carrie likes to dance too, but has hardly done it during the week at the lake. Again something that is different.

"Hey girl," the bartender calls over the noise. "Are you okay?" Men always seem to be there when something is wrong. But never when something goes wrong. Most of the time, it's their fault. That's unfair. But still she can't figure out what happens to her.

“Why is everything different this week?” Karen asks quietly.

“What?” yells the man behind the counter. He's handsome too, a bit older but in good shape and Karen realizes that she likes that he seems to care about her.

“Why do I feel so different here?” she asks again, again too quietly.

"What?" Karen shakes her head with a smile and the barman shrugs his shoulders and takes care of his other guests. Seems to have too many people to look after. Just like…

"Fuck!... Damn it!" Angry, Karen puts the glass on the counter and does something she has never had done before. She sits down on a bar stool, her back sags, and leans on the sticky surface of the counter. She supports her face with her elbows and stares at herself in the mirror behind the counter, which is filled with bottles of all kinds. It does not help. "Okay, what's wrong with you, you bitch," she grins at herself in the mirror, but gets no answer. Whenever she felt bad, Emma would come and listen to her. The shy girl was always there when one of the others had problems. And Megan always made a funny comment that cheered her up again. Karen widens her eyes and turns around on the stool until she can see the table again. Nothing has changed there... after so much has changed. Emma and Megan are not there. This is what Karen takes his toll with her! Now she can see it clearly.

Finn changed everything. It was he who took Megan and Emma out of the group. The two made a perfect team along with Carrie, Rachel and Karen. Nothing could stop them and together they were unbeatable. Now that Finn has hijacked two of them, Karen can see exactly how that affects the others. Now we're sitting here alone and can't enjoy ourselves. That's unfair. But that's not the only thing that bothers Karen she notices. Furious, she takes a long swig of beer. She's not like that, doesn't even like beer so much, but she doesn't care. So much has changed that it doesn't make a difference anymore. Okay everyone has the right to fall in love. But with your best friend's boyfriend? That goes for both Megan and Emma. And they both love the same guy! Megan is even his sister! Okay, stepsister, but still... And it's not even just that. Another sip might help. Karen is not jealous. She can pick up any of the boys in this disco right away, she knows that. But none of them can replace her friends. And that's what makes her angry. Finn not only stole one part of her group, but two. And they're even happy with it. Just why? Karen Grant has met enough guys in her life and knows that they are all alike in one thing. They all think with their dick. That's okay, she benefits from it herself every day and without guys like that she wouldn't make that much money through her social media. Again she looks at herself in the mirror. Reaching out to her fans has always helped her. She briefly wonders if her outfit is enough for it. The top is too long, does not show enough skin. Again it was Finn who made it so. Well, she thinks it's cute that he takes care of his little sister and she can just pull up the top.

“What am I doing here?” she wonders again. Is she defending Finn for his protective instincts even though he has stolen two friends from her? That's funny. It's like her outfit with him. Two different feelings. "Ouch..." She presses her hands against her head. It's all so complicated. Actually, she shouldn't be mad at him. After all, he helps her friends. Karen really believes that unreservedly. She trusts Megan and Emma and thus also their explanations why they are so happy with this one special boy. And he's good at what he does, she has to give him that. Her gaze rises again and meets again with the one looking at her from the mirror behind the bar.

She liked the way he treated her. So far she has had no problem with the image that she has drawn of herself. So far. A lot has changed this week. The ease with which Finn saw through Karen surprised and also scared her a little. The normal guy she meets on the dance floor of some disco doesn't have this ability. They doesn't have to be for the purpose for which it is intended. Still, she is a bit startled when she realizes that there haven't been many people in her life who have touched her as he did. Inwardly. She was very grateful to him and taking the next step seemed only natural. It's the game of life, after all, and Karen Grant is good at it. But Finn just got out. He saw her in her bathing suit, her breasts in the water, put sun cream on her and talked to her. Karen has opened up a lot of her arsenal to show him that she would like to thank him for...

"Oh Fuuuu... crap!" Because he was nice to her without wanting anything from her. She doesn't know the feeling and it also scares her a little. In her world, making a transaction is the most normal thing. A deal. She offers something, someone is interested in it, offers something in return, she accepts and the deal is made. "Barkeeper! Another beer!” The man behind the counter comes back and there is a trade going on here too. The whole damn world is based on these laws. But Finn just gave her his part of the deal without even thinking about taking anything from her. "That's not normal," grumbles Karen and takes a huge swig from the bottle. She gets angry. This Finn is simply overriding the rules. He takes two - no, now there are five - girlfriends even though he is only entitled to one, the group breaks up from her point of view, he takes what he wants and when she tries to get in to want to go back to her friends he lets her just fall.

"Bastard!" she spits out, but nobody in the crowd hears it at the volume. She is alone at the bar. And Karen doesn’t look really desirable at the moment as she is bumbling on the bar stool and getting drunk. Again something that she owes Finn. She misses Emma and Megan and when they get home things will only get worse. She would never stand in the way of true love, but she also doubts that whatever the sex have just built will last for another week in the real world. So she'll have Emma and Megan back soon. It has to be like that. Then why does she still feel sad? If it's not because of lost time, then what? Again she turns her eyes to the table where the other girls are sitting. When she looks at the three, she recognizes it. They're all either bored or...

Susan and Claire sit huddled in the corner, in front of them a glass of fruit juice or something similar and also look around. There is no way they are having fun. They are waiting for something, they seem impatient but also intimidated. Carrie has - probably on purpose - moved a little further away from them and tries to ignore them as best she can. Her behavior has also changed this week. At first she was so open, but when Emma made her relationship with Finn official it changed. And the other two too. Karen turns her head and almost slips off her stool as she looks for Rachel on the dance floor. The **** begins to work and clouds her thoughts. Rachel looks happy, now dances closer with the lanky boy and enjoys herself. And Karen is happy to feel the **** rush through her body. We should all be as happy as Rachel by now. Just because Emma and Megan aren't around and would rather hang out with him than me. Karen is startled at these thoughts. That went too far. Another quick sip, this time she doesn't put the bottle down for a long time. Some of the beer trickles down her chin onto the fabric of her top. Karen always thought she was a good friend, but when she thinks about the disinterested Carrie, the shy McKinleys and the absent Emma and Megan, she feels a feeling that scares her. She orders a third beer, this time a stronger one with a higher **** content from southern Germany. The bartender looks at her questioningly, but gives her the drink. Karen thinks angrily that he's just a man who has profit in mind. They don't care if we are fine or if they break something with their behavior. Then she painfully remembers that she also supported this behavior and oriented her life accordingly. What is happening here? But no **** in the world can protect Karen from the thought that must inevitably occur to her. She notices how he builds up, gets ready... and then he's there.

She is jealous of Emma and Megan. Karen is mad at her two friends and at Finn that they are together - three... six! - are so happy and leave Karen here alone in the disco. The men are not to blame for the bad feeling of loneliness that suddenly overwhelms her. It is Finn. Not only does he mess up her life by taking away her friends. He also makes sure that she doubts and worries about her path! And to make matters worse, he also refuses to accept her!

"That asshole!" she hisses and empties the third bottle of beer in several gulps. Her stomach is already rumbling, her head is turning and her vision is a bit blurry. She doesn't look like the desirable jewel of the disco at all, but like a **** girl who was dropped before the prom. She's already so drunk that she doesn't notice the looks Carrie is giving her across the room. “It can't go on like this.” Karen is strong. All her life she got what she wanted. She won't let herself be knocked down by something that only happened within a week.

With renewed energy she sits up at the bar and looks around with glassy eyes. Not many looks land on her and she wishes that the boys here were more like Finn. She shakes her head furiously. Fuck it!, she thinks and pulls her top up to almost under her breasts. Then she turns awkwardly on the bar stool, leans her elbows on the sticky surface, straightens her hair with a jerk of her neck and sticks out her breasts. Finn can see what I can achieve even if I look like shit like now. Nobody imitates me! You take my friends away from me, disregard me, destroy our group, change all the rules and are still happy afterwards? I can do that too.

In fact, it doesn't take long. The boy who sits nervously at the bar at a distance from her is so obviously interested in her that no one can miss it. Inwardly, Karen rolls her eyes at the thought of answering his advances, but it doesn't help. Through Finn she has shown such behavior that no one who plays in her actual league is interested in her anymore. And that these guys are like that makes her angry and sad. Finn wasn't like that. He was always... No damn it! Her hands clench into fists. Before she can understand the situation, she has already turned to the side from which the admiring glances come. She straightens her top and shows enough cleavage to inspire even a blind person. A few meters further on, the boy's eyes almost fall out of his head and he quickly turns to the bar. Karen could puke out of anger that even that milk face is turning away from her.

“Miss, this gentleman would like to buy you a drink,” the barman comes up to her after a while of anger and sorrow and his face reveals what he thinks of the idea of ​​serving even more **** to this poor girl. She, however, is blown away.

"Really?" Her voice grows high with relief and an attempt to sound sexy. "Say thank you to him."

"What can I bring?" Karen leans forward, but looks at the boy from the side.

“Sex on the Beach” she says loudly and clearly. The boy blushes, the bartender rolls his eyes, but takes the order. When the drink reaches her hand, she clumsily lifts the glass and toasts the boy. It takes several long seconds until he finally has the courage to lift himself off his bar stool and dig over to her.

"H-Hello..." his voice hardly rises above the noise.

"Hi handsome," Karen shrieks happily at the attention. In her condition, she can hardly remember the confident and elegant Karen who entered this disco a few hours ago knowing that she owns this place. Now she is just happy that someone is talking to her and proving that she is desirable even when her friends are not there to support her. The realization hits her hard that she misses being with her friends the most instead of being ogled and worshiped by some men. Still, right now it feels good to see that her opposite is shyly looking at his shoes. Here, too, Karen has to break new ground. “Thanks for the drink, honey” she opens the conversation with a slurry purr. One can clearly see the boy wrestling with his feelings, then his face takes on an almost indifferent expression.

"You are welcome. Thank you for accepting it.” He points to the bar stool next to Karen. "May I?" On of his legs trembles strongly and make him look ridiculous.

“Of course,” the girl laughs out loud. The boy needs two tries, then he sits awkwardly next to the beautiful, seriously drunk and angry girl. "So what did you say thank you for?" Karen is not used to leading the conversation. Usually the men take over from here to the point where Karen has the initiative again. She looks surprised when the boy's laugh drowns out even the music.

"For what? Maybe that I can sit here now?” He shrugs his shoulders.

"Why shouldn't you?" Karen honestly doesn't understand why the boy seems so amused.

“What?” The boy also looks surprised. "OK. I am grateful because you are the prettiest girl I've seen in my life and I can't believe my luck to be able to sit next to you."

"Oh you are sweet. Thank you, pretty,” grins Karen and leans forward a little so the boy can see into her cleavage... which he doesn't. “Don't you like them?” she asks, a little confused and perhaps angry.

"Yes... totally, honestly. But I want to get to know you first if that's okay?"

“Why?” she asks simply.

“Because I never thought I'd be so lucky with you. I put everything on one card and it worked. I don't expected that.” The boy looks around. "And I still don't really believe it." He looks back at Karen. "Do not you have a boyfriend?"

“Otherwise would I be sitting here alone? No, I'm single.” Karen involuntarily begins to play with her hair. She desperately wants to prove tonight that not that much has changed. She puts on a big smile but the boy sees through it. He holds out his hand to her.

"John" he says. “Yeah, I know it's hard to believe. But my parents only thought about a name for two seconds."

"Karen," she replies the gesture somewhat hesitantly. She almost slips off the stool as her weight shifts. Much of their brain is already foggy from ****. The other part is still full of worries about what has happened this week and doubts about herself. Only a small part warn Karen that something is going too fast here. But even this part has to make way for the part of her mind that tells her she can fix everything with this boy. Maybe John is the way out of your strange, damn stupid, angry and sad situation? "You seem nice John."

“I am Karen. And you seem to be drunk."

"Don't you like me like that?" She doesn't notice what she's talking and spreads her legs a little under the tight skirt. Now John's looks flit down for a moment and Karen is very happy with it. First he takes a deep breath.

“Of course. Like I said, you are beautiful. And… excuse me,” he breaks off and rubs the back of his head. His hair is a little messy, his shirt is a bit too loose and his jeans are a size or two too big. His shoes are dirty. "You're drunk."

"Yes. So? That doesn't matter.” Karen leans a little further so that she doesn't have to raise her voice to speak to John. He smells like cheap perfume that can't mask the smell of sweat. Karen is horrified when she sees John sagging his shoulders sadly.

"Karen, you are super pretty and everything, but..."

"No, don't say that, please," she hears herself begging. It cannot be that even this guy, this boy refuses her on this evening. It breaks her heart. Nothing in her social life seems clear and structured anymore. She isn't worried. Karen Grand is scared like shit that her life changes in front of her eyes and she doesn't know why, when it started and where it will end. She always was on top but now...

"But I don't want to take advantage of you or anything, okay?" John laughs again and Karen doesn't understand the world. "I never thought that I would get this far with you, but now I realize that it wouldn't be right to take advantage of you."

"You're a real gentleman," grins Karen, drunk. You can have me now and here if you want. Just show me that I am a real person! John just shrugs and makes her angry. "You are definitely still a virgin."

"What?" Karen doesn't notice that his voice sounds a bit angry.

"Well, someone as nice as you is surely out of luck with women." Only when John's facial features turn icy does Karen notice what's going on.

"Yes you are right. But I'd rather stay single than take advantage of someone else,” he grunts and suddenly sounds completely different. Almost like… “I know girls like you… or maybe all girls don't like wimps like me. But, you know what? I've been watching you all evening. You are so incredibly beautiful, I think your skirt is totally sexy, but what I admired most was your top. My pals said you shouldn't wear it like you did before but I said that I think it's good that you leave something to the imagination." Karen blushes with shame.

"Sorry," she mumbles. John cannot hear her but understands what she is trying to say. Karen pulls the black top back over her bare stomach, which is not easy for her. Then there is an embarrassing silence that the music in the background does not improve either. Karen sips her cocktail and John watches her. Finally it is enough for him.

“Listen Karen. I know girls as you are not used to dealing with great boys like me.” He waits for Karen to see through the joke, but she just nods dejectedly. He also doesn't know how right he is about it. “And I don't have that much experience with incredible girls like you. Actually… ”Again he shrugs his shoulders. "Is this the first time that I dare to do such a stunt."

"And how's it going so far?" She creates a gentle smile.

"Catastrophic. I'm almost dying of anxiousness. Look at my hands.” He shows Karen his fingers which cannot hold still and which are trembling badly. "First I wanted to bring you the drink myself, but I was afraid I would pour all this stuff over your outfit like my pal has done with this other lady." Karen looks at John. He has put on a crooked smile that is almost apologetic. He doesn't look special, several levels below what she is usually presented on a typical evening. But that is exactly what makes him attractive right now. He is there, the others are not.

“I have to look awful,” she replies, throwing John a little off track with this unexpected move and feeling miserable. "Thank you for sitting with me." Now she really smiles. "I had a strange evening."

“How do you think I'm doing?” asks John with a almost panicked laugh. “I'm sitting here with you. I think you can't beat that when it comes to madness.” With this smile and his humor he seems like... She hasn't noticed it yet. But she notices something else. Karen finds John attractive.

"John, girls like me could count themselves lucky to meet someone like you too." John almost falls off his stool and looks at the person opposite in astonishment. “I had a really strange evening and I can't say what's wrong with me.” Her fingers run thoughtfully over the edge of her glass. She doesn't care about her appearance or posture at this moment. That has never happened to her. Otherwise she was always an image of control and the display of perfectly sexy behavior. She earned the looks of the man around her. The only thing that matters to Karen right now is that John stays with her. "None of the guys you're so scared of care about me. Do not worry. You have me all to yourself.” Out of habit, she already wants to show more of her body, but pulls herself together.

“I'm not afraid,” says John soberly.

"Why not?" She knows she is right now.

“I know what's going to happen,” he replies coldly. “You're a great girl who had a bad evening. It happens to all of us. I'm a nice guy who happened to see how you are doing and who was incredibly lucky to be able to speak to you. That I dared to do that was the greatest thing I've done in my life.” He looks at Karen and she can't meet his gaze. “But we both know how it will go on. People like me never get what they deserve. Our strength doesn't count in this world. To dare to speak to someone like you takes a lot more courage than to dance when you already know that you only want something fast and uncomplicated. We want something solid, something honest. It's dangerous and exhausting... and not what you want. And we do that over and over and we keep getting disappointed. But we don't do it for ourselves. We do this for you, even if we know that it is of no use. Maybe it's us, I don't know either. But as far as I'm concerned, I'm just happy that I might have helped you a little. I hope I could show you that there are people who look behind your facade and not just your T..." he clears his throat. "Your breasts."

“You did,” Karen confirms, almost panicking. Her throat hurts from shouting over the music. She is startled when John's expression gets darker and darker. Just now she realizes that she isn't the first person he has spoken to like this in his life.

“I will tell you now how it will go on because I am speaking from experience. The best that can happen to me is that you hug me and then flee into the arms of someone who may not treat you like me, but who is more suited to your life. The worst part is that you use me as a friend, take advantage of me, and in the end the same thing happens."

"Oh John... no, that ..."

"Let it be. Is nothing personal. Just experience. I'm not mad at you or anything either. I want to help you because I think beautiful girls like you have no one when they are sad. You are always expected to be in a good mood, to be available for everyone who wants to talk to you in a disco or at a bar and spend some time with you. You cannot afford to be sad. I'm one of those people who think that's unfair. We lift people like you out of their desperation and make sure that they can return to their lives."

“No, John. Please.” But Karen knows he's right. She's exactly that kind of person.

“Never mind, Karen. For someone like me you would have to change your life and I will not ask that of you. It's actually unfair to you because the others in this room won't be so nice. They'll get you further in this life.” He shrugs. “But that's okay. I don't know any other way. The people who really care about someone are the ones who are outside of life.” Karen knows those words. She has heard such words before. The conviction behind it. Almost like...

“But I don't want that!” she shouts in a hoarse voice and lets her hand slam on the sticky and wet table top. John is startled. “You're right damn it! I am such a girl! Everything you said is true! I would never have thought of even talking to you. But look at me! Nobody here is interested in me the way I am now. I need people like you John. Not just for crying and comforting. I... shit, I don't wanna live like this. One of my friends after the other gets a boyfriend and I notice how I am sitting here alone at the bar and wrestling with my life.” Karen is too drunk to pose a threat to Finn. Finn with his speeches, his morals and... Then she realizes it.

Her eyes widen and fixate on John who doesn't understand the world and his luck. Karen Grant realizes why she's been feeling so weird all week. Why she envies Megan and Emma and at the same time is angry with them. She realizes that it wasn't Finn who made her situation so bad. It was he who led her on the path at which she now stands. Karen realizes that it was Finn all along who showed her what she missed in life. Megan recognized it, Emma recognized it, Denise, Maureen, Susan and Claire recognized it. And now Karen recognizes it too. She wasn't mad at him for taking her friends away from her or for not letting her get to him. She is mad at herself for realizing inside what she is missing.

“John, the way we treat you is unfair. People owe you more than just an simple excuse for how we treat you."

"Oh yes?" bursts out from John who can't really believe it himself. But Karen is now full of newfound energy.

"Yes! You are right with everything you say."

"I am?"

"Yes damn it!" Her fist hits the table again, the barkeeper smiles knowingly. “Yes, life is unfair. To all of us. But never stop being who you are. Yeah, girls like me don't understand and yeah, girls like me keep running back to the idiots who leave them on the dance floor when they don't show enough tits. But don't stop being this way anyway dammed!” The **** has now transformed her and Karen is no longer in control of herself. At this stage there is also the realization that Finn has changed everything in her life without wanting to or her noticing it. “People like you are important John! You will never get the reward you deserve, but you still make the world a better place." A single tear shimmers in her eyelids an catches the reflections of the stroboscopic lighting.

"Do you think so?" Again he smiles crookedly. "You're drunk."

“Yeah, damn it!” Karen yells over the music. Her throat hurts, her head is throbbing and her stomach twists. But John she sees clearly in front of her. “But I'm still right. Girls like me just don't notice what they need and we need guys like you to keep telling us that. It's ungrateful and dirty and unjust but in the end it is worth it if you convince even one of us stupid geese to be in better hands with you than with the guys who drop us when we are not perfect. You deserve it!” One more hit on the counter and the remains of sex on the beach lands on her hand as the glass tips over. John says nothing for a long time, puts the glass back on and looks at the angry girl in front of him. Suddenly he looks shy and Karen realizes that not only she has gone through a transformation. It must be much more difficult for him to talk to someone like me after his experiences, she thinks and is terribly ashamed of her own behavior and that of her comrades. Her eyes are fixed like magnets on John and watch his every move. He's just like... Then John put his thoughts in order. His hands are trembling badly when he looks at Karen.

"And did I convince one of these girls tonight?"