The bouncer

"Nah." One word that had the potential to ruin her entire evening. One word that deflated what little confidence she built up in the time leading up to that moment. No explanation, no hesitation, just a quick look at her and "Nah."

"...what do you mean?" She could hear the awkward panic in her voice but had no control over it at that point, **** to not have her first attempt to be brave crushed before she even made it through the door. But whatever she hoped for, she didn't get it.

"You're not getting in, little girl. And I'm keeping this," he told her as he held up the ID she'd just handed him, the one he hadn't even looked at. "Stop wasting my time and fuck off back home."

"You can't keep my ID," she protested, reaching for it to try and snatch it from his hand, but he pulled it away with all the bored swiftness of a man used to dealing with light-fingered patrons. She managed to hold herself back from outright lunging at it and making a further fool of herself in the line to get in, but could hear the beginnings of people grumbling about wasting their time too.

"Please," she whined softly, a little breathlessly, "I can't go home like this. I just want to go in. I need my ID. ...please give me my ID back. Please let me in."