Chapter 10: Neon Lights

Code of the Wolf (1/13):

"Protect your pack." ~ Rafhael Vieira

Ro

I slowly pour hot water over the coffee grounds and watch as the brown liquid flows through the filter and into my chipped coffee mug. Sweet, sweet coffee. I add a couple shots of expresso with some sugar and almond milk before pouring everything into a canister. I take a long sip savoring the sugary-sweet taste with a hint of nuttiness—just like me. My eyes flutter shut in pure bliss.

Okay, I may have a minor coffee addiction...emphasis on minor.

I down the entire drink in just a few minutes, basking in the familiar feeling of euphoria overcoming me that a good night's sleep just can't provide. I make another batch pouring hot water over the same cheap grounds that I got at Dollar General.

While I wait for the coffee to drip out of the filter, I look around my apartment. The brown couch with mysterious stains that came with the place that has stuffing coming out of multiple rips adorning the seats. The thin maroon carpet that I would like more if it didn't scratch up the bottoms of my feet all the time. I walk to the storage closet that I've made into a very tiny walk-in-closet, not sure I can call it that though, considering you can't do much walking in it.

I grab a purse that matches today's bohemian-chic look that someone bought me on a previous job. Looking around at the items in my closet I come to the disheartening realization that all of the finer things in the closet have been given to me. It isn't the most honorable way to live, but I do what I do to survive.

***

I walk down the hallway with my hand looped under my bag at my side. I stop and say hello to anyone remotely familiar, friends of course, but also just familiar faces that deserve acknowledgement. I'm aware of that weird limbo where you are unsure whether or not to greet someone because you aren't "close like that" but they're also not a total stranger. I settle for saying hello anyway, besides what's one more conversation? I do love talking.

After I'm finished greeting the entirety of the student body, I stop in front of my best friend's locker, Elena. Her strawberry blond hair is so bouncy that it reminds me of springs, and the amount of makeup on her face is one step away from resembling a drag queen. But she still manages to look effortlessly beautiful. I kiss her on both cheeks as a greeting, before she takes both of my hands in hers and jumps up and squeals.

"Guess what?" She asks, eyes wide and feet barely able to stay on the floor from excitement.

I raise an eyebrow at her, and my lips quirk upwards, I love her energy. "What?"

"You actually have to guess, Veronica." I wince at the use of my full name and rake my brain for possible scenarios.

"The government has petitioned to make National Unicorn's Day official? Bill Nye the Science Guy is now just 'the guy?' They are adding an October the 32nd and naming it 'Halloween Part 2?' Am I getting warmer...?"

She rolls her eyes, and releases my hands. "You are no fun." She huffs.

"Just tell me."

"I'm throwing a party tonight! And by me, I mean we." She jumps up again, and starts moving her hips like she's dancing to some invisible music before beaming once again.

Okay, first off. Elena is rich. You may think I'm overstating it because I live in a dingy apartment and can barely pay to fuel my coffee addiction. But I'm not. Her parents own a string of hotels all around the world, which they profit very highly from. On the downside, Elena doesn't get to see her parents very much because they are always attending business meetings and traveling to see their hotels for quality control, and other things. I know she really misses them and she doesn't talk about it, but I can tell. I'm great at uncovering people's true emotions, I guess that's why I'm such a good people person. On the plus side, she can throw parties whenever she wants. And no time better than Friday night.

"But we just threw one last week." I say in pretend worry, but my smile seems to be cracking through my facade.

She rolls her eyes at that knowing how much I love a great party, and it's true, I do. I don't know what it is about the flashing neon lights, the ear-piercingly loud music, the sweet, musky smell of bodies rolling to the hottest beats. I live off of that energy, I can't explain it. I thrive when I'm in a huge room of people, and at parties that hunger is most satisfied.

Suddenly my mind goes in to full planning mode about what drinks to buy, what DJ to hire, what snacks to pick up, who to invite...which is the most important aspect of planning a party. So I ask her.

She smirks at me with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "The whole school."

My eyes almost bulge out of their sockets. The whole school? Sure, these parties can get crazy and I should know. Having the cops show up to shut it down is not a rare occurrence, but after Elena kindly reminds them who her parents are they are usually quick to leave us alone. We usually invite a lot of people, you know the usual party people...the guys on the sports teams, the popular kids, kids who deal, pretty much anyone who is anyone at our school. But who's invited is usually Elena's call. We've never invited the entire student body. That's a thousand people.

"You can't be serious..."

She puts her hands on her hips. "Did you forget what today is?"

"National Unicorn Day...?"

She glares at me and I quickly shut my mouth. "A certain someone's birthday..." She hints, as if that makes it any easier. It isn't her birthday, and it isn't mine and as far as I'm concerned nobody else's birthday matters so...

She gazes at my confused expression before rolling her eyes once more. "It's Kyle's birthday today!"

"And I'm supposed to care because..."

"You know I have a major crush on him. Well, him and Emerson. But Emerson is more of a backup if things go south tonight. You didn't  remember?!" She pouts, looking slightly insulted that I "forgot." Well, I didn't. I just hoped she'd given up on her little crush. She deserves so much better than the guys she goes after, and I hate to see her get hurt.

"He's dating Zoey Griffin though," I try to remind her, "they are the literal definition of a perfect couple."

She mumbles under her breath, "Perfect my ass."

"...and I couldn't agree more, your ass is perfect." I wink at her. We are the type of friends to shamelessly flirt with one another, I've known her since high school started and I've never loved anyone more. As a friend, of course.

She chuckles at me, blowing me a kiss, before she takes her phone out and types on it for a few seconds, before putting it back in her purse with a satisfied smile. Not a second later, a tone is released from my phone. And not just my phone, every single phone in the hallway goes off as well. I look down to see that Elena has texted me, and by the looks of it all the excited faces in the hallway, everyone, an announcement that there will be a party at her house tonight.

"Well, that was fast."

She loops her arm around mine. "C'mon, we have so much work to do." She squeals one more time, before pulling me down the hallway.

I can't wait for tonight.

***

Lana

And they both lived happily ever after.

Okay, so that's not how the book really worded it, but it might as well have. No, it wasn't Disney Princess level, but it wasn't that far off. I close the book with a sigh. I look around at the study hall classroom. For the most part, students have their hoodies up over their heads, and are trying to get in a quick nap before next period. A select few are shamelessly trying to finish up homework or get in a last few minutes of studying.

I put my book down with a sigh. I love romance novels, don't get me wrong, but I wish I would stop indulging myself in all of this suffering, because I will never feel that way.

Novel after novel, a tale of a loner who just happens to find her Prince Charming in the most unexpected of ways. Or of the girl who ends up saving the damaged boy, or perhaps they save each other. Tale after tale of soulmates finding one another. Couples overcome with passion like wildfire, burning everything and everyone in its path. Couples so consumed in one another, the entire world fades away.

I want that so much.

For someone like me, it's only usual that I've never had a boyfriend. I'm "Lana Wang, top of her class, complete pain in the ass." And I take that title in stride. I do have the highest grades, and I am smarter than all of these fools who surround me each and every day. So I don't expect to find a soulmate in this helpless lot, because I do have standards.

But there are some cute guys at school, even I can appreciate nice features. The only problem is I've never had a crush on any of them, or found anyone remotely attractive. That burst of butterflies in your stomach, the heat rushing to your cheeks from infatuation...none of it. There's something terribly wrong with me. People always joke that I act like a robot, have I really lost all feelings of emotion? I refuse to believe that.

Just then, my phone goes off. Must be another reminder to do something since I have such a grueling schedule, or perhaps my parents reminding me to be the best and not disappoint them. I look down, and almost double take at what I see. Everyone else's phones go off as well. It's an invitation...to a party. I've never been invited to one, nobody wants me there and I don't really blame them, I'm not exactly what you'd call "the life of the party." I look around suspiciously for any tell that this is a prank, but no one is paying attention to me, they all look excited themselves.

I shake my head and put my phone down. There's no way I will go. I have so much homework to do, so many extra credit assignments I want to hand in early, even though I don't need them, I always like to be prepared. Not to mention, the community service hours at the animal shelter, and I need to watch my little sister. Well, the nanny usually looks after her I just...supervise. Also I wouldn't even know what to wear!

But there's also this small, nagging voice in my head telling me to take a chance. Maybe I'll find someone at the party, who I don't have to be a complete robot to. Maybe I don't have to be so alone anymore. The hopeful voice wins.

I can't believe I'm doing this.

Ro

My head's about to explode.

But I don't care. The party is in full swing. Elena and I left school early to oversee the decoration of her house, found someone to buy the alcohol for us, and bought killer outfits. I chose to go with a sexy black dress with a front tie, and based on all the wanting eyes from the guys and girls surrounding me, I'd say mission accomplished.

I dance, and I dance some more like nobody is watching. The music reverberates through me, and my feet carry me across the dance floor. I bathe myself in the neon lights, and smile to myself feeling in my element. A party may just be a party to some people, and that's alright, but to me they mean so much more. It's the feeling of freeing a kite, it's the savory feeling you get after accomplishing something you've wanted to do for a long time, it's the feeling of a bird taking flight for the very first time.

I down drink after drink, losing count after a while. My dancing starts to become more swayed and I feel myself loosing my footing countless of times. I look up in front of me to only see blurred lines and the beat of the music is intensified, affecting every part of me. I am one hundred percent drunk. I turn to go find Elena and tell her I'm going to go nap it off in one of her bedrooms upstairs, when a guy snatches my arm, a little too hard.

I turn to look at him. It's hard to focus on his features since my eyes aren't really working right now, but he has tawny blond hair and dark brown eyes. He is attractive, and if I wasn't so drunk I definitely would take that body for a spin or two. I don't know him, and he looks to be around the same age as me, maybe a little bit older. I usually welcome new conversations and meeting new people all the time, but seeing as I can barely form coherent thoughts, and he's looking at me like a shark at its prey, I release a nervous chuckle and try to get out of his grip.

I can't.

"Can...you...please let...me go?" I try and hiccup through slurred words. I try not to look as worried as I feel instead trying to plaster on a friendly smile to encourage him to let me go. He's not looking at my face though. His eyes are glued to my cleavage, he tries to take a step forward to try and get better access down my dress but I take a staggered step back.

"You look pretty tired, how about I take you to one of the bedrooms upstairs and you can sleep it off. Doesn't that sound nice?"

No, it doesn't. This is wrong. No, it's doesn't. This is wrong.

Instead my body does the opposite of what my brain wants, it nods and lets him lead me up the stairs. Away from the party.

Mason

Parties have never been my thing.

I take a swig of beer, and grimace at the taste. I need something to distract me from the thumping of the music, and the deep base threatening to crack my skull in two. I've never felt safe around huge crowds or loud noises, they just scare me. Make me feel unsafe, and as exposed as a bare skeleton. I tug at my sweater sleeve to try and distract myself, before forcing myself to chug more beer.

Like I said parties aren't really my usual scene, but I am feeling desperate this time around. I need to find anything to stop me from flying. Even though the flying is much better than sinking. That's why I force myself to drink the bitter liquid, anything to numb the feeling, anything to stop the buzzing of my brain. To feel normal.

I'm not drunk yet, but I'm a bit tipsy. Out of the corner of my eye, I see a girl being dragged up the steps by Thomas Veel. He shoved me into a locker last year and called me a freak. I shiver as I remember the feeling of being in that locker. How trapped I felt, how overwhelming the darkness was, how it resurfaced old memories that I wish would just bury themselves.

I think the girl is one of the party planners, I don't know her name though. She seems pretty out of it, more out of it than me, and Thomas has the same glint in his eyes that I saw him with the moment before the locker door slammed shut. What if she is in trouble? I start following them. I don't know how to explain it, but something in me is telling me to help her, not that I wouldn't help any other person in her position, but this feeling is very strong.

I lose track of them. I scan the doors in the hallway trying to figure out which one they may have entered. It's hopeless, all the doors look exactly the same. Just then, I being to feel a weird pulling feeling, that makes me stop in front of the second door on the right side of the hallway. I don't know how to explain it. I put my hand on the brass knob, and then brace myself before entering.

I close the door, before looking at the bed in shock. The girl is on the bed with a dazed expression on her features, she looks barely conscious. Thomas, on the other hand, looks fully conscious with a malicious grin on his face. He's in the middle of pulling down her underwear, before I can step forward and use my feeble arms to try and push him off of her, another guy beats me to it. I recognize him immediately as Emerson Kenneth, captain of the varsity tennis team.

Just then, a girl peaks her head out of the doorway. I recognize her as Lana Wu, she's in my Calculus class. She gasps when Emerson starts punching Thomas, hit after hit, until blooding is dripping down all over Thomas' face. Lana steps in and shuts the door. "What is wrong with you?" She hisses at Emerson.

Emerson examines his bruised knuckles, "The guy was asking for it."

"You didn't have to hit him! Look at him!" Thomas releases a pain-filled groan and the girl beside Emerson kicks Thomas once more for good measure with her platform boot.

"Did you not just see what he was about to do to Veronica?" She says, hands on her hips, looking heatedly at Lana with eyes of silver.

I don't hear the rest of the argument because all of them start talking over one another to defend their actions. Their voices are so loud, too loud, I wince. Just before I can walk over to the girl on the bed and check up on her, I see a coin whizzing in a circle around all of us.

"Um...guys?" I whisper, trying to get their attention. Just how much did I drink?

They don't hear me, and just keep on bickering. I try to muster up the strength and courage to shout over them but the girl on the bed beats me to it.

"Cool, I think it's aliens. I've always wanted to be abducted by some! I just hope they don't probe me..." She says, pointing at the circling coin like a kid pointing out their favorite toy at a store. This stops their fighting as they look up to see what she is talking about.

Emerson and the dark-skinned girl with him don't look surprised, more amazed. Lana, on the other hand, has a twisted expression on her face and I can't decipher if it means she's trying to piece together what it means, or if she needs to poop.

The girl with the silver eyes whispers to the tennis captain, "How many more did we need to find?"

The boy looks at Ro on the bed who's sleeping peacefully on the pillow, then to me who jumps from the sudden attention before looking away, then he looks at Lana who looks like she's somewhere far, far away from here.

Then he looks back to her and says with an almost giddy yet shocked expression, "Three."

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Finally reached chapter ten! Please remember to like and comment, and let me know what you thought! Stay golden:)

~Fallen Rose🥀