The Plastic Wilderness

By Jason Zhi

A young man from the Central Valley discovers the Bay Area rave scene of the early 21st Century. Under the pseudonym "Glimpse," he witnesses and participates in the underground scene first hand, going on a series of different adventures and meeting wacky new characters along the way. The novel is loosely based on the author's own experiences and observations.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jason Zhi
• Release date: Jul 7, 2011
• ISBN: 9781466135659

Jason Zhi

Jason Zhi is an aspiring author now in his early thirties. Originally born in the East Bay, he moved to the Central Valley with his parents, being stuck in California’s agricultural heartland for 19 years. He is a licensed Pharmacy Technician with a voracious appetite for electronic music and has tried his hand at several different things, including fire spinning, computer graphics, and stage acting, to name a few. The Mimic App is his second full length novel and the first work fully conceived by his imagination. His first novel, The Plastic Wilderness, was loosely based off his experiences in the rave scene. He hopes to continue writing, making fire poi videos and would like to get married someday.

Book preview

Chapter 1

I had never known much about my cousin Michael. Throughout the years of seeing each other at family gatherings and Holiday parties Michael had always remained quiet and aloof, distant from the rest of the family. I could be considered aloof as well, but partly due to my parent's persistent resolve to become part of the Albrecht clan, I tried to be well liked and sociable, without forcing too much of both. But most of the Albrechts were stern, demanding people who pitted their own children against each other so that every little thing became a competition. If one of their successors lost at anything or did something not up to par, you can bet that any or all Albrechts would voice their disapproval.

I wasn't fond of my family's competitiveness or stringent upbringing, but I learned that as long as I remained friendly yet uninteresting, I could manage to stay under their radar and reduce the chance of having my name brought up in their conversations. For usually being talked about by an Albrecht was rarely ever a good thing. Michael unfortunately, did not have such luck and most of the family abhorred him, much because of his unwillingness to compete and utter lack of ambition. His quiet disposition was detested and considered a sign of weakness amongst the rest of the wolves.

They'd had it in for him since the beginning, where rumors speculated that Michael didn't learn to walk until he was 3 and that he slept with his mother until he was 12. I can remember one time, when all the cousins had a good laugh at him when he actually broke down and cried because his mother refused to sleep with him in the same room. He was supposed to sleep with the rest of us children at the time and he just couldn't bear it. There were a few other times I recall where I had made fun of him as well, but most of it had to do with immaturity and a desire to fit in. Although I was probably the second most picked on family member in the next generation of Albrecht upstarts, it pales in comparison to Michael's torture. But as he grew older, he took it in stride. I could never understand why he wouldn't at least try to make a better standing with the family, or attempt to prove at least one family member wrong or something, but that was just how things stood. Either way, he remained the shy and timid fellow who always found his own secluded spot at the gatherings, lost in thought and easily forgotten.

The same held true at my post high school graduation. I had wanted to throw a party better suited for me and my newly graduated friends, but that idea was quickly shot down by my parents, so another fine Albrecht meet-up resulted instead. This time I managed to exchange a few pleasant words to my misunderstood cousin, but before I could tell whether or not they made some impact on him, I quickly left to greet the other guests and to accept their gifts. My parents were monitoring my hosting duties carefully and I had to ensure that I spoke to every guest in a polite and courteous manner. Things were different this time around, I was the center of attention that day and my usual plans of staying below the radar were inapplicable. As I feared, I became interrogated by the other Albrechts, whom were all inquiring to know what I was to do with my life after high school. I couldn't answer them, simply put, I hadn't thought that far ahead. While everyone else had been busy applying to other colleges, studying hard to earn high SAT scores or earning scholarships, my only focus were to pass all my classes with a B average, a moderate goal that I couldn't even succeed on. My Economics teacher had given me a C, the only C out of them all. Oh well, I was tired of doing homework and stressing out on grades. I just wanted to enjoy a break from academics.

Needless to say, my utter lack of goals after high school became exploited by the Albrechts and I could see their frowns and distaste all around. It left me feeling sullen and marred. How dare they come over my house and patronize me like that? I was supposed to be celebrating this new accomplishment in my life and their judgmental nature was ruining it all.

Later that evening, as the guests and family members started leaving, I temporarily neglected my hosting duties, indifferent to them all. I hovered about the garage, the only spot in the whole house that didn't have any guests wandering about. I leaned on the side of my parent's 1997 Mitsubishi Galante and put my hands in my jean pockets. Here I was, fresh out of high school and hiding from my other family members. Why did they have to be so damn critical all the time? So what if I didn't know what my career was yet? I’m young, I still had plenty of time to decide. And I didn't need to think about it right now when I should be out having a good time. The garage door was half-way closed and the summer sun had begun to set, the orange glare filled most of the concrete floor with its hue. I bent down to look outside the garage and into the neighborhood. There marked the end of another dry Central Valley afternoon.

From the end of the street, I could see another car turn in and approach my house. I smiled, it was another pair of guests that I had hoped to run into sometime today. My friends Noel and Rayne came out of the car, and I quickly bent down from the garage door and walked out to the driveway to greet them. Seeing them changed my entire mood. After a quick welcome, and a few tasteless jokes, they informed me that another one of their friends was having a graduation party at their house, and this one happened to be without chaperones. I didn't know their friend personally, but they assured me it would be alright for me to come. This person wasn't setting many limitations on who could show up, as long as they brought booze, and Rayne had already taken care of that. Without much hesitation, I agreed to go with them. I didn't even so much go back inside to put on another shirt or tell anyone that I had left. I headed straight toward the car. I just didn't care tonight. I was going to enjoy myself, even if it meant ditching all of my family. I was going to experience the party that I wanted to have, not deal with that tripe I had gotten instead. Like always, Noel and Rayne came through.

The following morning I was dropped off back to my house, red eyed, hung-over, reeking of cigarettes and alcohol. I was greeted by my parents at the door, unamused and boiling at my disappearance. They spoke to me in a harsh, yet subdued manner, for a few relatives had spent the night and hadn't awakened yet. I was far too wrecked to comprehend the words of my parental units, it took all the energy I could muster just to stand on my feet. They eventually dismissed me, and I stumbled upstairs to my bedroom. Before reaching the door I saw my timid cousin emerge from the adjacent guest room. He stared at me blankly and I returned his stare with a throaty belch and a devilish grin. He retreated back into the room and I passed out on my bedroom floor no less of a mighty crash, falling just a foot short away from my comfortable, full sized bed.

I had a long and uneventful 3 weeks until I was allowed to go out again. Normally I would have no problem with that. My first two years of high school I did nothing but go home and study, with a little television and maybe a few fast food meals on the side. I wasn't really a wild teen partygoer and I never fit in with any of the cool kids, who always seemed to have some exciting story to tell weekend after weekend after. I just wasn't that type. Perhaps it was the freedom of the burden of public schools that had me skirt over to the dark side, that and the family of course. But having done such a reckless thing had cost me 20 days of summer. 20 less days before fall semester at the community college started, and 20 days of listening to my parents’ sharp rebukes with nowhere to run. Those 3 weeks ended up being quite painful.

During that time, I reflected on that night and slowly pieced back hazy memories of my first post-high school shindig. We had gone over to Catalina's house. She was one of the popular ones whose crazy weekend exploits had made her somewhat of a legend. The house had been packed for most of the night and the kids, in typical Valley fashion, kept a constant supply of alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana flowing. I honestly never felt comfortable at events like these, being around so many people and in the presence of drugs, but at that time, I felt that anywhere was better than being back at Albrecht HQ. Plus several of Catalina's friends were quite pleasant to look at, even if I was invisible to them.

Now for Noel and Rayne, dealing with parties like these came like second nature. These two were all about the party scene and they knew how to handle themselves well. I had first met Noel in my PE class in 11th grade. He was easy to get along with and no matter what you suggested to him, he was usually cool with going along with some plan, as long as there was some possibility of it being fun. He was about as tall as I, brown skinned, and had a pair of dazzling green eyes that he used to his advantage with the ladies. He normally had his hair cut short, gelled, and parted to the side. And he loved wearing long sleeved plaid shirts with a wife beater underneath. Don't mock the plaid shirt, Noel knew how to make it work for him.

His older brother Rayne was only about 14 months older than him. By the time I had been introduced to him, he had already graduated high school. Rayne was several inches shorter than Noel, and a bit huskier. His skin was also a shade darker than Noel's, and he had longer, wavy hair that came down to his shoulders. He preferred to wear designer wind breaker jackets such as Nautica, Ralph Lauren, or Calvin Klein. He was currently wearing a navy blue Tommy Hilfiger jacket with a red collar, and a black shirt underneath depicting some cartoon character that I didn't recognize. Rayne was laid back and stylish, but he also knew how to have a good time, and part of that success was attributed to his ability to not take life so seriously. Rayne did not have as good of looks as his brother, but he did have one trait that he used very well, his smile. He had a perfect row of white teeth, and enough meat on his cheeks to form some great dimples. While he may not catch a girl's attention on the first meeting, he could usually make her remember him with that winning smile of his. Yeah, my two close friends were approachable, fun loving, and popular. What they ever saw in a boring, unremarkable person such as myself was still a mystery to me. Although they would both still vanish every so often and socialize with others (Much like any other party we went too), they always reappeared to check up on me, to ensure that no one was giving me any problems or that I wasn't feeling too out of place. Tonight they kept popping back up more often than usual with some drink in their hand, and we would all do a shot or down a can of beer. They made sure that tonight I wasn't without alcohol for too long, and it didn't take much to get me drunk.

By midnight I was fairly plastered and enjoying life. People were getting crazy all around me, and I wasn't minding it one bit. I even drank a tequila shot with a few of the jocks whom I never shared any interest with until now (Funny how alcohol can loosen a person up). The living room, although spacious, was crowded with barely legal high school girls grinding all over each other as other guys cheered them on. I walked down the hallway and entered a bedroom that was half-full of other guys drinking beer, watching a comedy show on television. I decided to hang out here for a little bit and casually integrated with the group. After a few minutes of laughing and cursing and slinging about racist remarks, I saw something that would change my life.

It was a television commercial advertising a Mitsubishi Eclipse. But it wasn't the car that captured my attention, it was the song that was playing. It was soft, mesmerizing, but retained such a groovy beat. The vague, mechanized vocals only enhanced the dreary feeling the melodies conveyed and for a moment, I felt like I was somewhere else entirely.

The fuck you doing over here man? Noel yelled in my ear, snapping me out of my daze. There ain't no bitches in this room.

Do you know what that song is called? I asked, pointing to the commercial on the television.

Oh yeah, that's Dirrty Vegasss. Noel slurred. Got a sick ass techno beat.

That's techno? I said, amazed. I had heard the term around before, but I had gotten the impression that it was very repetitive and boring. This song I was hearing was anything but. Alas, the commercial ended and the comedy show returned on the air.

Well it's not really techno. It's a form of electronic music, I just don't know which one. Haven't listened to that stuff in a while. Not since the last time Rayne and I raved.

We made our way back to the kitchen and met up with Rayne, who was just finishing a jello shot with a couple attractive young latino girls. We obtained three shot glasses full of 151 rum and found a spot on the deck in the backyard to talk. I had already known that Noel and Rayne had been going out to parties since they were 14, but since they knew that I was never that big into the party scene, they hardly ever talked about their experiences around me much. Even then, when they dived into the subject of raves and all night warehouse parties out in the Bay Area, I was still somewhat wary of it. But after hearing that song on the tube, I listened to their stories intently, eager for any relevant information.

Yeah parties out here are coo' and all, Rayne said, But you wouldn't believe some of the shit me and Noel used to hit up. There was this spot in Oakland, could hold up to 15,000 people. We went a couple of times and...damn, seeing that many people getting down to trance and going all crazy and shit...well...nothing else comes close. The people at raves, so much easier to talk too than anyone here. Sometimes I can't even stand these assholes, they think they’re so hard. I bet these pussies couldn't even walk down the streets of West Oakland at night. But me and Noel would. If we didn't have a ride, we'd walk to the party. That's why we wouldn't leave until it was over. We didn't want to walk the street again until it was morning. But it was worth it.

Noel and Rayne recalled some interesting experiences as well as a few hairy ones. From being chased by gangbangers, to avoiding cops while under the influence of LSD. Their teenage lives were just too crazy for me to relate too. I never did anything near the scope of things that they had participated in. But it was learning about this new music I had heard only moments ago that fascinated me. When they moved from the Bay Area out over here in our most splendid of regions, the Central Valley, they had brought with them some mixtapes they had received from various DJ's at parties. They were willing to let me borrow some of them so I could listen to the different styles, or genres, that electronic music offered, granted that I didn't lose any of them. Many of them were irreplaceable.

I don't remember much else after we went back inside the house that night, taking that shot of 151 became my undoing. I nearly choked chugging on something so acridly strong like that. I do remember falling down on the living room floor and knocking an ashtray all over myself as well as the nearby carpeting. The glass tray didn't break, but tobacco and marijuana ash scattered all over the area. It got quite a few laughs, but I'm certain it made for a very poor impression on Catalina. I wouldn't even had cared so much if she didn't have all those hot friends though. Not like I had a shot to go out with any of them, but it would have been fun to watch more of their drunken antics.

For the next several days, during my 3 week grounding, I did what I could to pester Noel and Rayne into borrowing some of those mixtapes. The brothers had disappeared for roughly 4 and a half days, attending several other graduation house parties and the like, while I rotted away in boredom with absolutely nothing to do but to read cheesy Science Fiction novels. I was finally able to receive them late one evening while my parents had left the house to purchase lottery tickets. The California Lottery was up to 55 million dollars that night. There was a quick knock on my door, and a very tired and red-eyed Noel dumped a cardboard box in my hands.

Have fun, Jail-bird, He commented dryly, and ran back off inside the car. Finally! Something to pass the time while I served my sentence. I peered downward into the box full of audio goodies. It was strange going back to cassette tapes. I had nothing but CD's that filled my entire music collection these days. I had to bring out the old boombox from a messy corner of the garage back inside my bedroom in order to play the cassettes. But it did make the listening experience more novel, despite the shittier sound quality. I wondered at first why they were called mixtapes. Noel explained to me that these tapes were recorded sets by DJ's, either inside a small studio or during a party. When a DJ moved on to another record, he/she would layer the beat from the incoming song on top of the one that was playing, and slowly crossfade the ending of the song out to the beginning of the new song. This process was called mixing and it involved other things, such as beat-matching and equalizing...terms that went right over my head when Noel had explained it to me. If a DJ mixed tracks well, his listener shouldn't be able to tell when the actual mix started or ended. From listening to some of these tapes, I found this to be true.

Each of the tapes held their own unique style that differed substantially. There were a few in the group that I didn't particularly care for, and then there were some that I just couldn't get enough of. I still wasn't very good at detecting the mixes, they all blended fairly well from my viewpoint, but good mixing didn't always mean a successful set. If all the tracks sounded the same and boring, then it was just a long 40 minutes of crap. There were some crap tapes inside the brother's collection. But when I did find a tape whose sound piqued my interest, I would ask Noel and Rayne a vast amount of questions about it. I believe that I surprised them with my sudden appetite for techno...or trance, or house...whatever these sets were called. But they did answer most of my questions best to their ability and put up with my inquiries with amusement. I could already suspect that Noel was trying to use this new turn of events to his advantage. He was always a sneaky bastard.

In early August, I still held the box full of cassettes on top of my credenza next to the old Aiwa Boombox. Noel and Rayne were lounging on my bed and computer chair, while I kept nodding my head to a set by DJ Homegrown, whose fast beats and driving synths enthralled me. It was quite a warm afternoon, common during the Central Valley summer. The AC was on full blast. It was here that Noel dropped the inevitable question.

Hey Danny, if you're really digging this shit, why don't you come out with us to a rave sometime? The scene's still alive in the Bay, and me and Rayne are thinking about going to one again, for old time's sake.

Yeah man, Rayne chimed in, You should come out and see these DJ's play out live. Some of these locals know how to throw down, get you pumped.

Ahh, I dunno. I'm not sure I want to make a two hour drive just for a rave. You told me yourself you don't like driving your car outside of town Rayne. It was a good excuse. Rayne's beat up Cougar seemed to be running solely on God's good graces.

It's not gonna be a problem, Noel interjected, Our parents are looking to buy a new car. Dad's been saving up enough money for a down payment on a new ride, and as soon as he gets it, Rayne's getting the Integra.

Fuck yeah. And once I get it, the shit's on. We'll be driving all up and down this bitch: Chico, Sac, Oakland, Santa Cruz, Monterey, wherever the fuck we want to go. Rayne slapped his brother's hand.

Now this was news. With a new car, there surely be no stopping the brothers in their tireless search for parties all over the state. But this also struck down my perfect excuse. I didn't want to go that far to a party just to hear electronic music. It meant dealing with crowds full of obnoxious, sweating people, and assholes always looking for a fight. Why should I go through all that trouble when I can easily listen to the music in the comfort of my own bedroom? I’ve been having fun all summer long playing these tapes and watching television, annoying my parents with all the oontz oontz beats.

I'm not really sure about this. I don't think I could hang at one of these all night rave parties. Sounds like it would be too much for me.

Actually, I think it's just what you need. You're wasting your whole summer staying inside this room. The last time you kicked it with us was at the club almost a month ago. You haven't partied with us in hella long, yet you been holding our tapes all this time. Don't forget who those tapes belong to dog. Noel said, with an edge in his voice.

Rayne waved him off, Forget about the fucking tapes. Look man, the scene is nothing like the shit out here. Ravers are friendly. You can go up and talk to these people and not worry about them starting shit. They're all about love and unity, and getting sucked into the music, like you. You think you're gonna learn anything about this scene just by sitting in your bedroom listening to old cassette tapes? Nah, you gotta experience the shit first-hand bro. You gotta be there, feelin' the shit. And I mean feeling it. Any good party will have good sound, that when the bass hits, it shakes the floor. I remember this one time me and Noel were at this party, and they had a whole wall just fucking stacked with speakers. You couldn't even go 20 feet of the shit without it making you go deaf. It was sick, nothing at all like this fucking little boombox. If you're going to listen to music, you need to hear it played on a proper sound system.

I rubbed my temples and shook my head. They definitely weren't going to take no for an answer. I suppose they had a point. I've been so curious about rave music that going to one seemed logical. Noel and Rayne had been good to me the whole year, watching out for me and making sure I was having a good time. Going with them to a rave didn't seem like they were asking too much from me. I sighed in defeat, Alright, I'll go. When do you guys want to do this?

Noel reminded me that they had to get the car first. But once that was taken care of, they would make some calls and find out what events were coming up that looked promising. They still had quite a few contacts from around the Bay Area that they stayed in touch with. Since gas prices were rising to over two dollars a gallon this year, they were going to make certain that the rave we went too would be worth the cost and the drive. I'd have plenty of time to prepare for it...

Chapter 2

During the middle of August, Noel and Rayne's father was temporarily put out of work. He was a mechanical engineer for a popular boating company, and that month his union went on strike to demand higher salaries and higher compensation for the skilled workers building the engines in the factories. Because their father was a part of the union, he had to honor the strike, and he went outside the building to join his coworkers protesting against the Board of Executives. The strike lasted for only 3 weeks and was for the most part, effective in making changes to employee wages, but even that short amount of time without work hit his checkbook hard. It would set him back buying the new car for a few months longer. Meanwhile, Noel and Rayne continued to risk driving their Cougar to different areas in the Valley to attend parties. It was apparent the way the motor shook while running that the old car would be scrap shortly. But Noel and Rayne were just waiting it out until the Integra could be theirs. As for me, I enrolled in the only community college in Modesto. I had wanted to take a year's break from school but my parents saw otherwise. They were already disappointed that I hadn't tried to apply to a university, like my cousin Roy who was spending his sophomore year at UC Davis. What was the point in going to an expensive college if I was still undecided in my major? Feelings aside, I took just enough General Ed courses to be considered a full-time student, and that was enough to appease Mom and Pop...for now.

Throughout my final days of summer vacation as a high school graduate, I turned to the news more often for current information from around the world. After all, reading Science Fiction novels and listening to mix tapes from the 90's could only be done so much. We were all still shocked about what happened on 9/11, and even if it had been a year, it showed a lot of us just how blind and misinformed we were when it came to international news. I especially kept a keen eye on my government's stance on terrorism, and wondering what exactly they were planning next. There was a lot of talk about Iraq and how we needed to destroy their weapons of mass destruction. I still didn't quite understand Iraq's alleged role on the recent terrorist attacks, but I figured if anyone needed to go down for it, it might as well be Saddam. My mother noticed this sudden interest in politics and suggested taking a political science class.

If that dumb Texan can be President of our country, why can't you Danny? She demanded. But when I did make the decision to apply at the college, all the seats were taken. 9/11 had awakened many people's thirst for politics after all. Oh well, there would always be next semester.

Before long, October had already arrived and we would be setting our clocks back an hour soon. It was then that I received a call from Rayne saying he had taken ownership of the Integra and that the real fun would begin. However, I was busy with homework and searching for a job by then. I finally landed a spot as a data clerk for a facility that typed price tags and order forms for their retail division. The work was far from exciting, but it was easy and the pay was a few dollars above minimum wage. Noel and Rayne had told me that they found a good party to go too on Thanksgiving weekend, but I turned them down because my work was insistent that I didn't miss any days for the first two months, Saturdays included.

It wasn't until the beginning of next year, in 2003, that all three of us were ready to put this plan into action. I will admit, after surviving my first semester of college and passing my work's probationary period, I was looking forward to a little more recreation, last summer seemed so long ago. In mid-January, while I was waiting for my General Psychology class to start, I got the call from Rayne.

Hey bro, we got word that a huge party's happening in SF. Gonna be held in an auditorium, and the crew that's throwing it has been around since our days. Party's on a Saturday of next month, so you won't even have to miss work. This is the one we've been waiting for.

Shivers ran down my back. I held both an excitement and trepidation at the news. I was eager to go out and enjoy myself again, but I was afraid of the unexpected. However, I reminded myself that I was in college now, not high school anymore. It was time for something new.

The next month flew by rather quickly and I prepared myself for the party by buying a couple trance albums at my local Wherehouse. The sound wasn't too ground breaking for me, but it introduced me to the genre of melodic trance, spearheaded by the likes of Paul van Dyk, Sasha, Solarstone and Tiesto. It wasn't the type of energetic, up on your feet music like those on my friend's tapes, but they had a wonderful, serene, and liquid like feel that would send my mind into orbit. It was thought provoking and pleasant, the ideal background music for doing my homework or passing the time between classes. A few of my classmates would get curious whenever I brought out my CD player, and I would allow them to hear the music through my headphones if they wanted too. But no one seemed to share the same passion, enthusiasm, or interest in it. They would end up making faces and snide remarks over the gayness factor of the songs, and then proceed to ask me why I wasn't listening to Lil Jon, 50 Cent, etc. I couldn't seem to find anyone here who listened to trance. Top 40 radio hits were prevalent here. The only trance these kids knew was DJ Sammy-Heaven, and that couldn't have been a worse track to represent the genre. Either way, as frustrating as it was for others to take my choice of music more seriously, I grew accustomed to the laughter and snootiness (My family had already given me good practice in dealing with that). I would continue to pursue a greater knowledge of electronic music by myself.

Before long it was Valentine's Day weekend and my friends and I were cruising through Highway 580 to San Francisco. We were only a matter of minutes from the Bay Bridge and yet it was only a little past 4. The party, or massive, as Noel kept repeating to me, was still 2 hours away, but we were going into the city earlier to meet up with a couple of their old friends.

After a hassle finding an open parking garage, we met up with their friends, Vice and Slouch, inside a Burger King right off of Market St, quite possibly the busiest street in all SF. Streetcars and cable trolleys rolled by, while a conglomerate of different buildings and high rises from different times and eras loomed over us from above.

Vice was of Mexican descent, he stood a good head and a half taller than Rayne, had a decent build, and always seemed to stick his head up high, even while talking to people shorter than him. Only his eyes gazed downwards. He was a proud sort, he didn't allow things to get to him, but he was also easily approachable. Slouch stood even taller than him. He was a heavier set black man with a bald head and a deep voice, he spoke in a booming tone, and laughed often. Upon seeing Noel, he had picked him up in a fireman's carry and spun him around a couple of times. No one inside the fast food place took notice, or maybe they were just afraid of making eye contact with him. Whichever the case, these two seemed like interesting characters who were probably at one time, just as wild as Noel and Rayne had been. There wasn't too much time for nostalgia. We immediately left to catch the Muni to ride over to a day party deep in the city. Rayne told me there was a possibility of doing some promoting before the party. I patiently waited for an explanation of that term. He said it was passing out flyers that advertised or promoted future events. The Norcal scene took the promoting business very seriously, and Vice was an expert on it.

We hopped off the Muni and made our way to a public park of capacious size. It was in here that the day party was being thrown, and we split individually to plaster four different types of flyers on the windshields of cars in the surrounding streets. Then we made our way inside the party to hand out the flyers to those enjoying the groovy beats. It was something I had least expected to do, but I did as I was told. With Noel and Rayne, I never knew what to expect. I watched in disbelief as Rayne managed to get the number of some cute looking blonde with tight fitting shorts while promoting, incredible.

We stayed there for about an hour until it started getting dark, and then made our leave. We stopped by a small yet excellent pizza place to satisfy our hunger and actually have a moment to talk. I learned that Slouch and Vice had started out in the scene shortly after Noel and Rayne, and had shared several of their misadventures together. But they had put all the wild times to rest and were working diligently on becoming DJ's, while promoting for friends and helping set up at parties. They were rave veterans so to speak, and were doing what they could to give back to it, so the next generation of kids could enjoy it. They were amused to learn that this would be my first party.

Damn Rayne, couldn't you have taken him to sumthin' smaller first? Slouch joked, This is a massive.

I tried, but this fucker had to work. Besides, you think I'd come all this way just to take him to some tiny underground spot that'll get busted in a few hours? Fuck that.

Busted? I asked. What do you mean?

Cops shutting the party down, Vice answered. Raves aren't exactly legal you know? The pigs don't like dealing with hundreds of kids on drugs.

But this one tonight's permitted, so you have nothing to worry about, Rayne reassured me. The Thrills crew know how to do this shit.

Thrills. I remembered seeing their name on one of the flyers we had passed out earlier. I looked at Vice and Slouch, Are you two part of their crew?

Naw, Slouch replied, We just promote for them. But we're friends with the two top guys. We can get in for free.

Speaking of which, Noel chimed in, Now that we helped you guys out...you hooking us up?

Vice nodded and the brothers grinned. I almost choked on my slice of scalding pepperoni and mushroom pizza.

Free? When the Hell were you guys gonna tell me this?

Well we weren't certain, Rayne countered, And I wasn't about to tell ya some shit if I didn't know it was gonna go through or not bro. Vice has told me some bullshit before.

A little heads up would have been nice though. I just paid 40 bucks for a presale on-line last night. Printed out a receipt and everything.

Ahh fuck bro. You should have told me that before you did it. I woulda saved you more money than that presale. Rayne looked over at Vice. Is there anyway you can refund my homie's money?

Vice shook his head. I don't handle their money. Plus all the cash from the presales are handled by a third party Internet company. It be too much trouble.

I frowned and bit into another piece of delicious pizza. Slouch looked at me thoughtfully.

You 21? I shook my head, Well, I think we can hook you up with a 21+ bracelet. I know it ain't much, but at least you be able to buy drinks at the bar. You cool with that?

Yeah, that's cool.

We can do that, Vice nodded, Unless you were planning to drop tonight?

Drop? Drop what? I asked dumbly.

Rayne intervened, I wasn't gonna mention this to ya because I was afraid you'd change your mind about tonight. But there's gonna be drugs at this event, hella drugs. I'm not just talkin' bout the usual dank that floats around parties in the Valley either. Talkin' bout X, speed, cid, shrooms, tweek. There's gonna be a lot of people that you're gonna see act hella weird tonight, but it's cool. Just ignore them and you'll be alright.

I looked at Rayne suspiciously, Exactly what am I to expect tonight? A bunch of tweekers trying to jack me? The Valley did have its share of unscrupulous methamphetamine users, and I wasn't trying to cross paths with anymore tonight.

Nah bro, it's not like that. Look most of the people you're gonna see tonight will be on E, lying on the ground or cuddled together or some shit. Some will be so fucked up that they'll hardly be able to move, or they'll be dancing so hard like it's no tomorrow. But there shouldn't be anybody tryin' to punk ya.

And if they do we'll fuckin’ handle it. Noel replied, Hey Slouch, remember Nightmare on Bass St? You were fryin' so hard you thought you were a parrot. Fucking staff walked by and you started imitating them in parrot talk.

Yeah, that was fucking stupid. I almost got knocked the fuck out by Joey Dubs. You don't want to piss that guy off. Someone also fed me a cracker that night…

Everyone started laughing in the group but me. I noticed Vice kept looking back at me amused, chin thrust upwards. I couldn't get over that unusual quirk.

So, you're telling me that you had no clue that there were drugs at raves? Seriously? Vice chuckled, Damn, you really are new to this shit. I feel old now.

Well, I mean, I knew about the whole ecstasy thing. I didn't know they called it dropping. I said defensively, I just didn't think all that other shit was gonna be there too.

Different strokes for different folks kid. Vice remarked. Slouch dropped another bomb.

In all seriousness though, if you're gonna take anything tonight, be careful. This is a massive, there will be clubbers and other assholes around, not just the normal rave kiddies. And there will be undercovers. Thrills told us they got over a hundred of them patrolling tonight, so don't just buy from anybody, find me or Vice first.

Over a hundred cops? I exclaimed. Wow that's a lot.

The downside of permitted raves, Vice added, You just gotta deal.

I stared back at Rayne in silent disbelief. Not only would I have to get used to being surrounded by drugged up party-goers, I had to watch out for police too. Wonderful. Noel and Rayne assured me that everything would be fine, and if I wasn't going to take anything illicit there anyway, then I had nothing to worry about. I remained silent throughout the rest of the conversation and refrained from finishing my pizza. I wasn't hungry anymore. I wasn't even sure I wanted to go through with it, but a part of me reminded myself that I would have spent 40 bucks for nothing if I chickened out, not to mention losing the respect of the brothers, who had spent so much time convincing me to go. On the bright side of things, all the police activity would mean no one would risk doing anything too stupid or violent…hopefully. That thought was a little more comforting.

We soon left the small eatery and hastily boarded the Muni to take us back to Market St. The auditorium would be only a few blocks away from our stop. While the bus was in motion, I had a strange vision of various people jumping up and down in the reflection of the glass window. Right before we entered the tunnel, I thought I saw the reflection change to that of a young girl before vanishing in the dark. The whole vision lasted only a few seconds, and I couldn't remember the girl's features at all, it had happened too soon. I thought the reflection of the girl may have been someone seated or standing behind me, but when I looked over, there was only Noel. He looked at me curiously.

You alright? Looked like you were spacing out there.

Yeah, I'm good.

Don't think too much about tonight. You're about to rave for your first time with thousands of other people all looking to have fun. It's going to be beautiful.

That lifted my spirits more, Should be a good one.

Just don't start acting like a parrot, and you should be fine. Hey Slouch, Noel called, turning to the rear of the bus, You want a cracker?

Kiss my black ass bitch.

Caw! We both laughed.

Chapter 3

Noel and I were sitting in the second floor balcony overlooking the main room inside the auditorium. Directly below us was the bustling activity of over a thousand people dancing in front of an upraised platform where 20 foot high speakers constantly pounded the bass to a crowd bathed in multi-colored search lights and glow toys, fervent for more. Noel and Rayne were right, Thrills could throw a damn good party, and I was pleased to note that trance dominated the main room, the melodies resonated in such an ultra clear tone the likes I have never heard before. But, although I was impressed by the production quality of the crew and the impeccable grandoise of the whole auditorium, I was overwhelmed by the huge scale of it all. There were 5 rooms, each playing a different style of music: 40 different DJ's, expensive sound systems, a dozen different stairwells, and thousands of party kids piling all around, making navigation through the labyrinth of hallways and corridors difficult. Thank goodness for the comfortable and expansive seating encircling the main room upstairs.

The party had the whole feeling of a giant concert, fueled by drugs and repetitive electronic music. And here I was bearing witness to it all, amazed and confused at it at the same time. I remembered when we had first entered the main room. There were only a handful of people inside then. Our group had been one of the first to enter since Vice and Slouch knew the security stationed outside and were given front of the line privileges. Lucky us, as that line had wrapped around the block when we arrived. Now it was almost midnight, and the entire auditorium was being rocked by madness.

I had received the 21 and up gold bracelet on my arm, compliments of Slouch, and during the few hours it took for the building to reach capacity, I made numerous trips to the bar for some tasty Jager Bombs and Rum and Cokes. Exploring the entire auditorium and watching the brothers run into old friends and acquaintances were nice, but I quickly grew tired of yelling at the top of my lungs just to communicate. Furthermore, I watched in a sort of morbid fascination and disgust of the ever increasing amount of people becoming more conspicuous to their use of drugs, namely ecstasy. The effects became obvious, when they would begin touching themselves and each other more frequently, chomping hard on pacifiers, or lying on the floors and stairways crumpled over, their eyeballs rolling behind their sockets, unaware of the apparent tripping hazard they presented. I now finally understood where the term rolling, came from, as I had been confused earlier by several other people asking if I was rolling tonight.

I had assumed that the people involved in these growing floor gatherings, or cuddle puddles, as Rayne called them, would be the first ones picked up by security and undercovers, arrested for being under the influence of an illicit drug. But the floor mongrels were left generally unharassed, much to my surprise. Rayne later explained to me that the undercovers had to catch the person in the act of either buying or selling drugs. Without physical evidence, it was only speculation, even if it was blatantly obvious, and luckily the police were not in the mood to start drug testing random individuals. That would have been unheard of to do at a party, or so I was told.

Besides, they're mainly interested in busting the dealers. The ones that are making bank off the party. They could care less about the casual etard. They got bigger fish to fry.

This alleviated most of my concerns. I had nearly pictured police in kevlar vests pinning people to the ground and conducting searches. It wasn't like that at all. Even the more conspicuous security, in their red polyester jackets, did little to interfere with the partygoers. They simply provided traffic control and shooed off anyone blocking the stairs. For the most part, everyone ran amok and the overall attitude was carefree and joyous. I was generally satisfied with the low amount of violence and skirmishes that resulted. Perhaps being surrounded by ecstasy users wasn't such a bad thing after all, even if their behavior was considered abnormal.

Despite all this I felt mainly uncomfortable, tired, and uncertain of being placed amongst all these strange people. There was only two hours left in the party, and I was ready to go home. I was already counting the minutes. Noel had stayed by my side for the last hour, while Rayne had run off with Vice to God knows where. That was just how large and crowded the event was. One could get easily lost and unseen for hours. I sat in my plastic fold down chair quietly, thinking about my essay due to English class on Wednesday. I hadn't started on it yet, and I would somehow have to punch out six pages regarding the ethics of animal testing. Noel fidgeted, I could tell he was eager at rejoining the ruckus below.

If you want to head downstairs, I said, Don't let me stop you. Ill be just fine up here."

Nah, I'm cool. There was a moment's pause. What do you think of the party?

It's...massive. I shrugged, I'm just tired. Don't really feel like moving. I didn't technically lie, it was too crowded downstairs, and there wasn't any place to sit but the floor. And I was in no mood to lay amongst the etards. Plus I didn't have to yell as loud seated up in the balcony. There was another moment's pause. Did you take anything tonight?

Nah. Wanted too, but Rayne wasn't feelin' it. I think he saw that Vice and Slouch weren't rolling and wanted to be sober with them. And I don't wanna roll by myself so...fuck it.

I nodded silently. I could tell Noel was looking forward to eating a pill, he had been watching all the ecstasy-induced youngsters closely. "I just don't get it. There's too many people here. How do you go about having fun at something like this when there's so much going on everywhere?

That's because you're thinking too much bro. Your family's made you to be too self-conscious. You grew up worrying what other people think about you. Now that you're in a place where people are free, you don't know how to handle it. You're culture shocked.

I nodded, half-embarrassed. Culture shock, that was the most appropriate term to utilize. I had to give Noel credit, he could hit things right on the mark when he wanted too. It's not that I don't want to be happy. I paid to have a good time. I like this kind of music, and the sound here is great. Crowd's all into it...everything should be good.

Then why aren't you? The question struck me like a bolt of lightning; it's true that I felt uncomfortable, but the rampant use of drugs wasn't that huge of a deal for me, or at least, wasn't as much now. I was rather approving of the carefree aura I felt around me. You know what I think? You're afraid to let yourself go. You're too worried about getting good grades, finishing college, finding a career, doing the shit solely for your parent's approval. Tell me, you like living this way? You like it when Mom and Dad make all these decisions for you, just because you live under their roof?

I slowly shook my head. No. I wanted to take a semester off school. I wanted a break. They wouldn't even let me have that. I groaned, I keep seeing my mom's face looking at me all disappointed. Fuck I'm not even doing anything wrong, and I keep feeling guilty somehow. Christ, what's wrong with me?

You just gotta learn to cut off that cord. Understand that it's not your parents who can tell you who you are, that's up to you to find out. Personally I think you like this music, and you like this atmosphere, too many people yes, but is that really such a bad thing? I shook my head. "Good. Then why don't you forget

Reviews for The Plastic Wilderness

[DebiWeatherby · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this story, but had a problem with the time. I am 61 years old, and was a partier right up to my mid 40s ... I don't know how I missed the whole rave scene!