These are not the kind of friends I imagined Bryce would have. Connor is a tall, lanky, brown-haired boy with such a goofy demeanor, it’s hard to take anything he says seriously. Brad is a beefy blond jock who looks like he eats protein bars for breakfast and chugs beer in dingy frat basements on the weekends. I wonder if Bryce’s third friend is his girlfriend.

“Hi, I’m Jess,” she says softly when introducing herself. “Don’t mind them. They’re always like that.” She’s also blond and wears glasses. When we finally walk into the venue, she playfully pats Bryce on the back, as if he belongs to her. Maybe he does. I sink at the thought of it, sulking as I search for a seat.

“What’s wrong?” Bryce asks. “You seem down all of a sudden. I know my friends are a bit much, but they’re really good people. Do you want anything? A snack or something to drink?” Bryce’s compassion lifts my malaise. I want to lose myself in his stunning light green eyes. I’ve never met someone as nice as him. A kiss is what I want to say, but I just smile and shake my head no. He rubs my back softly, like Jess did earlier, and I wonder if white people just walk around gently patting each other on the back. If that’s a thing they all do? No one ever touched me on the back in Cleveland and I definitely don’t do that with my friends here, most of whom are Black. It’s a mystery I’ll have to unravel later.

The lights dim and a hush crawls over the audience. A man in a white lab coat walks onto the stage. I guess this must be Hypnotist Jerry.

“For centuries, we have been trying to understand the human mind,” he begins speaking. “Tonight, you will witness its marvels. Remember, no one can hypnotize you if you reject it. Hypnotization is really about surrendering. So decide now if you are ready to let go.” He flings his arms dramatically above his head as he says this and looks out into the audience without speaking for at least a minute. A long, drawn-out, awkward minute. People begin to shift nervously in their seats under the weight of his intimidating stares. I remain perfectly calm, however, as I’m starting to get used to white people and their watching. I smirk knowingly while everyone else shutters.

Hypnotist Jerry starts randomly pointing to people in the crowd and beckons them to the stage. He scans the audience with his finger, peering intensely beneath his furrowed brow, before stopping on an unsuspecting victim and motioning for them to join him. I am surprised at how willing everyone has been so far, bouncing up out of their chairs and running eagerly in his direction. Maybe he has already started his hypnotizing, I think to myself.