One Night 192
Chapter 192 Audrey
Saturday night, I found myself in Tina's dorm room, surrounded by my friends as we prepared for a night out. The air was thick with the scent of hairspray and perfume, laughter echoed off the walls, and music played from the bluetooth speake
on Tina's bedside table. My head already buzzed slightly from pregame shots we had all shared, and my fingers tingled with anticipation.
It felt like ages since we had all been together like this, just the girls, carefree and excited for a night on the town. I was glad it was finally happening.
"I can't believe we're finally doing this," Tina said, carefully applying a coat of mascara. "It feels like forever since we've all gone out together."
I nodded, smoothing down the front of my new dress-a slinky black number that hugged my curves in all the right places. I'd bought it earlier today, wanting tonight to be extra special. "I know," I said, reaching for a bobby pin to pin my silver streak out of sight-just to be safe. "I've missed this so much."
Betty emerged from the bathroom, her dark hair perfectly styled in loose waves down her back. "Audrey, you look amazing! Edwin's going to be so jealous that he's not coming with us."
I felt a twinge of guilt at the mention of Edwin, but I pushed it aside. We had talked, and he understood that I needed this night with my friends. He had promised that he would remain in his office tonight, grading papers and not following me around to make sure I was alright.
If I was honest, the idea of not having him with me did fill me with a sense of anxiety. There really was no knowing exactly when Coldclaw might send more rogues after me, and for that reason, he had made me keep pepper spray in my purse, had instructed. me to hide my silver streak in order to keep my identity private, and had helped me brush up on some of my defense maneuvers just in case.
I doubted that anything would happen in a crowded club, surrounded by my friends. But it felt good to have the extra protection.
Once we were all ready, the four of us piled into a cab, giggling and chattering as we made our way to the club. The neon lights of the city blurred past the windows, and I felt my anxiety quickly being replaced by excitement.
"Let's make a pact," Tina said as we pulled up to the club, the bass already thrumming through the air. "No boy talk tonight. This is all about us girls."
12:38 Mon, Sep 23 G G
Betty smirked. "Easy for you to say. You're the one who actually likes girls."
Tina grinned and shrugged at the same time,
The line to get into the club was long, but the energy of the crowd was infectious. I could feel my excitement building, the stress of the past weeks melting away with each step closer to the door.
As we waited, Avis pulled me aside, her expression serious. "Hey, I wanted to check in with you. Are you really okay after the other night? You know, when Edwin showed up at my place?"
I nodded. "Yeah, I am. Edwin and I talked things through. He agreed to take a step back and let me
some space the again. That's why he's not here tonight-we both agreed I needed
some space. I'm taking a couple of weeks off of training, too, just to focus on school."NôvelDrama.Org owns this.
Avis nodded, relief evident in her delicate features. "I'm glad to hear that. Edwin's a good guy, you know. It's clear how much he loves you."
I couldn't help but smile at that.
Our conversation was cut short as we finally made it inside the club. The music washed over us, the heavy bass pulsing through my body. The dance floor was a sea of moving bodies, lights flashing overhead in a dizzying array of colors.
We made our way to the bar, squeezing through the crowd. I ordered a vodka. cranberry, the tart sweetness a perfect start to the night.
"To us," Betty said, raising her glass. "And to a night of forgetting about all our worries!
We clinked our glasses together, and I felt a warmth spread through me that had nothing to do with the alcohol. This was exactly what I needed-a night to just be a normal college student, without the weight of being the Silver Star on my shoulders.
As the night wore on, we danced and laughed, losing ourselves in the music and the moment. I twirled under the flashing lights, feeling freer than I had in months. The worries about training, about Coldclaw, about my responsibilities-they all faded away, replaced by the simple joy of moving to the beat with my best friends.
We danced for what felt like hours, only taking breaks to grab more drinks or to catch our breath in the stuffy bathroom where the walls and mirrors were covered in graffiti. Soon, my head was spinning from the alcohol, but in a pleasant sort of way. I needed. this. Badly.
But it was during a particularly upbeat song that that suddenly changed.
2/44
12:38 Mon, Sep 23 GG.
Mid-twirl in the middle of the dance floor, my wolf suddenly choked out, "Look."
Turning, I caught sight of a familiar blonde head bobbing through the crowd. My heart. s**ed a beat as I instantly realized who it was.
"Fiona?" I thought to my wolf. "What's she doing here?"
"I don't know, but I'm getting a bad feeling."
1 strained my eyes to see better. It was a crowded club; it could have been anyone. But I would have recognized that long platinum hair, those slender shoulders, those blue eyes anywhere.
That was indeed Fiona. I looked around, noticing that those two burly security guards who followed her everywhere were nowhere to be found. How was she here without them? She was supposed to be under constant surveillance.
I needed to find out. And maybe the alcohol made me bolder than I should have been.
Without thinking, I getting the better of me. I watched as she slipped out a side door into an alley, glancing around furtively as she went.
oped away from the dance floor and followed her, my curiosity
Cautiously, I approached the door, cracking it open and peering out into the dimly lit alley. Fiona was standing there beneath a street light, talking to a man whose face I couldn't quite make out in the shadows. But his voice... it sounded familiar, even though I couldn't quite place where I had heard it before.
Stepping forward on my tiptoes, I strained to hear their conversation over the m**ed music from the club, but I could only catch snippets.
"...got what you asked for," the man was saying, his voice low and gravelly.
Fiona nodded, reaching out her hand. The man placed something in it-a small baggie that Fiona quickly slipped into her pocket. My eyes widened as I realized what I was seeing. Was that... drugs? What was Fiona involved in?
My mind raced with possibilities. Fiona, slipping away from her guards and buying drugs outside the club... This was unexpected.
Suddenly, Fiona turned as if sensing me there, and I ducked back behind the door just before her eyes caught me, my heart pounding. Had she seen me? I held my breath, pressing myself against the wall, hoping the shadows would conceal me.
Thankfully, she never came.
12-38 Mon, Sep 23 G UG.
After a moment that felt like an eternity, I chanced another look around the door. But
the alley was now empty.
Fiona and the mysterious man were gone.