The bassline hit like a low, warm whisper just before midnight. The room was a slow-motion hurricane of glitter, smoke, and bare feet. Ivy stood at the edge of it all, a half-empty glass of something electric blue sweating in her hand. She wasn't there to dance. Not yet.

Ivy's chest caved in. Tears pricked her eyes. Not from sadness—from recognition.

She was there to watch.

Ivy had heard the track a hundred times on her cheap earbuds during rainy commutes. It had been a background hum, a forgettable beat. But here, through the club's Funktion-One system, it was a living thing. The sub-bass rearranged her organs. The hi-hats were snake rattles. And that vocal sample—chopped, pitched down, repeating the title like a dare—was speaking directly to her.