It was 5pm, Memorial day weekend , 2000. We had been through five hours of driving, three gas stations, and two bowls. Without a doubt, we were ready to blow our whistles. Actually, as long as I had time to stop at a bathroom, I was ready to do just about anything. It had taken a hundred dollars and one tiny white lie to finally arrive in New Jersey. So what if my mother thought I was at Darien Lake for the weekend; she never would have let me out of the house if she knew where I was really going.

Whistle 3 had been advertised since March. The flyer was three pages long and it was huge. The biggest and best names in the rave scene were scheduled to be there: Bad Boy Bill, Anabolic Frolic, DJ Micro, and T-1000. When the eight of us left our hotel room, we were covered in wigs, boas, baggy pants, glitter, and, of course, whistles. We were ready to party.

It was the longest line we had ever stood in. JP, the only boy we brought on our mini-adventure, actually climbed the fence to take a picture of it. Once inside, I was blown away; I'd never seen so many people at one party in my life. The eight of us held hands as we walked through the crowd in search of the first empty spot we could find. By 11pm, we had decided on a meeting place for 8 am the next morning, then went our separate ways. I headed into the groove room with Amber and JP.

T-1000 was spinning vinyl when we came in: Face down, ass up, thatís the way we like to fuck. Not long after we hit the dance floor, I felt someone's hands around my waist. ìNot at a rave,î I thought. I started to turn around to tell him to get his fucking hands off of me, when a voice whispered in my ear, ìDo you want any speed?î Did I want speed? "No." I politely thanked him, and he removed his hands. Speed isnít exactly the kind of drug Iíve ever known anyone to take at a rave. I know people do, but not any of my friends. Speed is basically methamphetamines. It can be snorted, smoked, taken orally, or even injected. It has a bitter taste, itís odorless, and it's white. The only reason someone would even want to take it at a rave is to increase their blood flow and heart rate, which causes increased physical activity levels; helping them dance longer and at a more intense pace. It can keep you dancing long and hard, until the last DJ plays, however, sleeping afterwards may be somewhat impossible.

Dancing in the room I was in had become impossible, it was getting packed. Subsequently, I had lost Amber and JP in the crowd. I figured Iíd wander out and make some new friends. Besides, I had brought plenty of bracelets to trade. On my way into the funk room, I ran into Rainbow Brite. She wore an orange wig, silver skirt, rainbow shirt, and big white boots. I admit I was dressed kind of weird too, with my silver wig and pink boa; but come on, did I really look like Strawberry Shortcake? The chick admitted she was a little fucked up, and all I could think was, ìA little?î After our debate on whether or not I came dressed as an old school cartoon character as well, she asked me if I had any acid. Now look, I already said I knew I was dressed a little odd, but I know that there was no way in hell I looked like a fucking drug dealer. Iím not a drug dealer, Iím too cute to be one. Acid is another one of those weird drugs that you really donít see much at raves anymore. However, you donít see Rainbow Brite every day either. Truth be told, acid (LSD) was the mainstay of the rave/drug scene before the prominence of Ecstasy. A powerful hallucinogen, usually costs about $5. Itís usually taken orally, through a tablet, capsule, gel-tab, liquid, or paper. Some people like to get creative and dip the ends of their cigarettes into liquid acid, and smoke it. While under its influence, the way one perceives their surroundings is dramatically altered. Colors seem brighter, and the world seems to be a personal display of special effects. On acid, "the walls breathe and the ground speaks. The people you are with may appear to be made of rubber, the pictures on the wall may melt to the flowing floor below." People will drop acid at a rave to enhance the digital effects and to make everything even more profound. Permanent brain damage and possible insanity, may be a couple reasons to stay away from it.

What kind of night is this? ìIíve got GÖ okay, okay, you donít want that. I got K too!î He had more than GHB and Ketamine, he had greasy hair, pimply skin, ripped clothes, and nasty body odor to boot. I donít even want to be seen near this guy, let alone buy drugs from him.

GHB, or gamma-hydroxybutrate; and Ketamine, more commonly known as K or special K, are becoming increasingly popular at raves. GHB is known as liquid ecstasy, and usually comes in the form of a clear liquid. GHB supposedly makes everything "wonderful," producing a drunk, sedated feeling. GHB is commonly mixed with other drugs to enhance their effects. Ketamine, on the hand, which is legally used as an animal tranquilizer, brings you into a dream-like state, where "everything you are capable of doing seems amazing." Initially a liquid, it's dried out and cut up into a fine powder.

ìAHHH your so beautiful,î confessed some random boy.

"Okay, now this I can get used to. Tell me more,î I thought. He came up to me to pet my white wig, which was glowing an insanely bright white, due to the black lights in the room. He was cute, so, of course, I let him go right ahead and pet me.

ìAre you rolling?î he asked. "Rolling" is slang for being high on Ecstasy.

Truthfully, I wasn't high on anything. Hell, I couldnít get fucked up that night if I wanted to, the rest of my money was going toward s gas for the ride home. But he was cute. And he said I was cute ( not that I didnít already know that). So I thought, ìWhat the hell!î

ìOf course Iím rolling.î Gotta love raves; all you have to do is say your rolling and people love you. The cute boy, whose name was Perry, proceeded to give me the best back rub of my life; although towards the end, I had to tell him to stop because it felt like he was getting ready to rip the skin off my back. Hanging out with all of the kids that were messed up on Ecstasy was kind of fun. They were all in good moods, hugging and kissing. The honesty that the drug brings out in people is unbelievable. Perry told me his whole life story. He also told me everywhere he was pierced, and showed me his prince Albert piercing, which I must say, was the shock of my night.

Ecstasy is by far the most popular drug found at raves--due to the fact that it holds many desirable effects that seem to work along with the rave atmosphere. Ecstasy releases seratonin from the brain, which is a natural stimulant that basically makes people happy. A methamphetamine cut with something else--usually heroine--it produces a feeling that makes a person extremely sensitive to touch. Being touched by anything often results in a feeling of complete bliss. No matter what a person on Ecstasy is doing, to them, they wouldnít want to be anywhere else in the world. Along with the enhancement of the sense of touch, ecstasy gives off exceptional energy. It helps the raver to be able to dance and jump around to the music for hours on end. The price of an average pill will cost the raver between $20-25 dollars.

As Perry continued to pull me into the happy hardcore room to dance around and go crazy to DJ Dan, I longed for an excuse to go back and sit down. It was 4 am and I was tired and ready to go home. Here I was, dancing around, trying to make him think Iím rolling. Oh well, heís cute; I might as well play it up, right?