Surprise Guest

I watched Aiden walk off, his words still echoing in my mind. *"You can't keep all that beauty hidden forever, cutie."* My cheeks felt like they were on fire, and I couldn’t stop the small, nervous smile that tugged at the corners of my mouth. He actually called me *cute.*

I shook my head, trying to regain some composure, and pulled out my phone to text Maya.

**Me:** *Hey, I’m on my way.*

A few moments later, my phone buzzed with her reply.

**Maya:** *OK, girl! We’re at 243 West Park, apartment 302. See you soon!*

I called a cab, gave the driver the address, and fidgeted the entire ride, Aiden’s words looping in my head. I was already nervous about hanging out with Maya’s friends, and now I had Aiden’s teasing words stuck in my head, making it worse. But I reminded myself that I’d promised Maya I’d try—and, well, maybe Aiden’s words did help a little.

When I arrived, I called Maya, but she didn’t pick up, so I sent her a quick text to let her know I was there. A few seconds later, she appeared at the apartment entrance, waving with a big grin.

“Girl, I can’t believe you actually came!” she laughed as I walked up. “Honestly thought you’d chicken out at the last second.”

I laughed a little, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. “Nah… I was about to, but… someone convinced me otherwise.”

“Oh, I *know* it was Aiden,” she said, winking. “You don’t have to beat around the bush for me.”

I felt my face heat up again. “Yeah, but… how did you even know that?”

Maya smirked, turning to lead the way up the stairs. “Because, every time you say his name, your cheeks turn redder than a tomato.” She threw a playful look over her shoulder, clearly enjoying this.

I rolled my eyes, my face feeling hotter. “No, they don’t!” I protested though it was probably obvious I was lying, I think.

She just laughed, looking straight ahead as she continued up the stairs. “You like him. You *like* him,” she chanted teasingly with each step.

I followed her, trying to defend myself. “It’s not like that!” I mumbled, feeling more and more embarrassed with every word.

“Oh really?” Maya shot back, grinning like she’d already won. “Sure, sure, whatever you say. But just so you know, you’re not exactly subtle.”

I groaned, covering my face with my hands. This was going to be a long night, but at least Maya seemed to be enjoying herself at my expense. And as much as I hated to admit it… a tiny part of me was maybe liking his company, even if I wasn’t quite ready to say it out loud.

Maya opened the door, and the sound of laughter and upbeat music hit me instantly. I hesitated for a second, but Maya gently nudged me inside, grinning.

“Everyone, meet Raven!” Maya announced as we walked in.

The three people in the room turned to look at me, smiling warmly.

“This is Tyler,” Maya said, gesturing to the guy with tousled brown hair and a mischievous grin. He gave me a quick wave.

“Nice to meet you, Raven,” Tyler said, his tone friendly.

“And these two lovely ladies are Kara and Tess,” Maya continued, motioning to the two girls standing next to Tyler.

Kara, a girl with short red hair and a confident stance, smiled. “Hey, Raven! We’ve heard a lot about you.”

I glanced at Maya, feeling a little flustered. “Hopefully good things?”

Tess, a quiet-looking girl with long, straight black hair, chuckled. “Don’t worry. All good things!”

I relaxed a bit, feeling their friendliness ease my nerves. “So… what are you guys up to?”

Maya grinned. “Pizza party! But, like, we’re making the pizzas ourselves. We’ve already ordered drinks—there’s soda, and we got some non-alcoholic stuff, too.”

“Oh, uh… yeah, I don’t really drink,” I said, feeling a little awkward admitting it.

“No problem!” Kara replied, waving her hand dismissively. “We’ve got plenty of options.”

“Yeah, and if you want something else, there’s a stash of sodas in the fridge,” Tyler added, already making his way to the kitchen.

Maya grabbed my arm, pulling me along. “Come on, you’re helping too!”

I laughed, letting her drag me over to where Tyler was pulling out ingredients from the fridge. Kara and Tess joined us, and we all gathered around the counter, ready to start our pizza creations.

“So,” Tyler said, handing out pizza dough, “everyone gets to make their own personal masterpiece. Raven, any favorite toppings?”

“Oh, uh… I like mushrooms, maybe some olives? Not too adventurous, I know.”

“Olives are a solid choice,” Tess nodded approvingly, grabbing a handful for her own pizza.

Kara grinned, tossing some pepperoni on her dough. “I’m going all out. Pepperoni, mushrooms, and… what else?” She scanned the counter and added a few more ingredients. “Yeah, this is gonna be epic.”

I laughed, feeling more relaxed as we started assembling our pizzas. Maya was piling on a little of everything, while Tyler was working with impressive precision, carefully arranging each topping.

“Tyler, you look like you’re making a five-star restaurant pizza,” I teased.

He shrugged, grinning. “What can I say? Pizza’s serious business.”

Maya nudged me, leaning in with a mischievous smile. “I knew you’d have fun. See, this isn’t so bad, right?”

“Yeah,” I admitted, smiling back. “It’s actually… kinda nice.”

Tess chuckled as she spread sauce on her pizza. “Just wait until you try it. Making it is only half the fun.”

Everyone was chatting, laughing, and sharing ingredients. Maya and Tyler got into a playful debate about whether pineapple belongs on pizza, and I found myself jumping in, voicing my opinion and laughing along with them. It felt good to just be… part of a group, part of the moment.

Just as we were all finishing up with our pizzas, the doorbell rang. Tess’s face lit up, and she quickly wiped her hands on a towel. “Oh, that’s my boyfriend! He said he’d be joining us tonight.”

Maya rolled her eyes, snorting. “Really, Tess? *That* guy?”

Tess shot her a pleading look. “Come on, Maya, be nice.”

Tyler chimed in, clearly unimpressed. “Yeah, I have to agree with Maya. The dude’s so full of himself.”

Tess looked between the two of them, a hint of frustration crossing her face. “Guys, please,” she said softly, glancing toward the door as if hoping they’d drop it.

Ignoring her protests, Maya shrugged. “I’m just saying, Tess. I don’t get why you put up with him.”

Finally, Tess sighed, walking over to the door and opening it. I tried to keep my focus on arranging the toppings on my pizza, hoping the situation wouldn’t get awkward. But when I heard a familiar voice greeting Tess, I froze.

I looked up, and my stomach sank as I recognized him. Jack.

He was the obnoxious guy I’d met a couple of times around campus when i was with Sophie, always lurking around with Emily. Last time I’d seen him was at that party, and he’d gone on about me to anyone especially to Emily and Sophie or who would listen. My mind raced as I pieced everything together—of course he’d be here with Tess. Just my luck.

Inwardly, I prayed he wouldn’t remember me, that maybe enough time had passed. It had been months, after all. But the thought of him recognizing me made my heart pound.

I kept my eyes down, pretending to be engrossed in my pizza as he and Tess walked over to join us. Please, I thought. Just don’t say anything.

Tess and Jake made their way over to us, and to my surprise, Jake didn’t even glance in my direction. After giving a reluctant nod to everyone else, he turned to Tess and asked, “Who’s this?” He motioned towards me, his face blank.

“Oh, that’s Raven! She’s Maya’s friend—we just met, and she’s pretty cool,” Tess explained with a friendly smile.

Jake gave a dismissive wave in my direction. Still in shock, I managed to give a half-hearted wave back, forcing a polite smile. But inside, my thoughts were spiraling. *Why is he acting like he doesn’t know me?* After the way he’d stared and commented about me the last few times we’d run into each other, this sudden indifference felt... odd.

Before I could dwell on it, Tyler announced, “Pizza’s ready, everyone! Could use a couple of extra hands.”

To my further surprise, Jake immediately offered to help, giving Tess a quick kiss on the cheek before heading into the kitchen. *This is getting weirder and weirder,* I thought, but I shook it off. Tonight was supposed to be fun. And as long as he kept ignoring me, I was content.

I joined the girls, and soon, the boys returned with the pizzas and drinks. We all settled in, and for the first time in what felt like ages, I found myself actually enjoying the company. I laughed, I talked, and I relaxed. The whole evening felt surreal—I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d had this much fun.

After about an hour, I felt Maya tugging at my arm. “Hey, Raven… are you drunk right now? I thought you said no alcohol for you.”

“Huh?, I barely had two sips of the fruit punch before my head started feeling light. Wait… this was non-alcoholic, right?" I mumbled, feeling a bit lightheaded. I waved her off, ignoring the way her face twisted with worry. The room was starting to blur, but I chalked it up to the laughter and excitement.

Maya helped me upstairs, and I vaguely remember her tucking me in before heading back down to the party. My head spun a bit, but I closed my eyes, letting sleep take over.

What felt like only moments later, I felt someone gently but persistently tugging at my shoulder. My eyes fluttered open, and I squinted against the dim light.

“Raven,” a familiar voice called out softly. I blinked a few times, focusing on the face hovering above me.

“Aiden?” I mumbled, still feeling groggy. “Is that you?”

“Yes, it’s me,” he said, his tone calm but with an edge of urgency. “Are you up now?”

“Kind of…” I murmured, rubbing my eyes. “How did you get here?”

He brushed off my question with a shake of his head. “That’s not important right now. I need to ask you something.”

“Huh?” I muttered, barely comprehending.

“The USB I gave you earlier,” he said, his gaze intense. “Where is it?”

My eyes shot open, and I struggled to sit up. “It’s… it’s in my bag,” I stammered, suddenly wide awake.

He looked at me with a serious expression. “It’s not there, Raven.”

Panic surged through me as I tried to remember the last time I’d seen it. *How could it not be there?*

“What do you mean it’s not there?” I ask, my voice coming out shakier than I’d like. “I literally put it in my bag after you handed it to me earlier this afternoon.”

Aiden holds up his hands, his expression softening. “Cutie, calm down, okay? This was obviously your first time drinking, so just try to relax and think carefully about where it might’ve gone.”

“No, Aiden… I remember exactly where I put it,” I say, frustration and anxiety pooling in my chest. “It was definitely in my bag.”

“Okay, let’s say you did put it in there,” he replies calmly. “Maybe it fell out at some point? Think back—apart from here, where else have you been? Just take it slow and try to remember.”

I take a shaky breath, memories of the evening coming back in fragments. “After the meeting ended on campus, I came straight here. I got in a cab, and even when I arrived, I remember checking that it was still in my bag.”

Aiden reaches out, gently wiping away the tear that escapes down my cheek. “Alright, then it must be somewhere in the apartment,” he says softly. “I’m sorry if I sounded harsh—it’s just important that we find it. But hey, you look cute when you’re crying, though you’d look even cuter if you weren’t, okay?”

I give him a small, embarrassed smile, wiping at my eyes. “I’m sorry… I just don’t know how I could’ve lost it. I know I had it…”

“Hey, I know you’re not careless,” he reassures me. “It’s definitely here somewhere. Why don’t you go wash your face, and the rest of us will take a look around the apartment?”

“Okay,” I whisper, nodding. I feel a little embarrassed, but his reassurance calms me.

“Good. Now go freshen up,” he says, giving me a small, encouraging smile. “I don’t want Maya or anyone else thinking I’m bullying you.”

I manage a small laugh at that and head off to the bathroom, trying to steady my nerves and hoping that when I return, they’ll have found the USB.

After splashing some water on my face and giving myself a quick pep talk, I head back downstairs. The tension in my chest only worsens when I see Maya pacing near the couch, her brows furrowed.

“Any luck?” I ask her, my voice barely steady.

She shakes her head. “No, nothing. We’ve checked everywhere, Raven.”

Just then, Jake’s voice cuts through the room with an unmistakable sneer. “So, the new girl loses something, and now we’re all supposed to lose sleep because of her?” He throws his hands up. “It’s literally 11 p.m.! We’ve been searching for an hour.”

An hour? My heart sinks even further. I thought Aiden had just gotten here a few minutes ago, but they’ve all been searching this entire time.

The air feels thick as Aiden and Tyler return to the room, both of them looking defeated. “We couldn’t find it,” Aiden says quietly, meeting my gaze with a sympathetic and worried look.

Oh no… What have I done?

A bitter silence lingers until Jake chimes in again, a smirk tugging at his lips. “So, what’s so important about this USB, anyway? And if it’s that valuable, why did Clumsy here go and get herself drunk?”

I blink, the pieces slowly clicking into place. “I didn’t know it was alcoholic…” I stammer, my voice cracking slightly.

Jake rolls his eyes. “Next time, maybe check before downing it.”

Tyler steps in, his expression apologetic. “Aiden, I’m really sorry about this. She did say she didn’t drink—I should’ve been more careful about filtering out the drinks.”

Aiden shakes his head, giving Tyler a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “It’s all cool, Tyler. Not your fault.”

He turns to me, his eyes softening. “Raven, want me to drop you off? You’ve had a rough night.”

I nod, feeling too overwhelmed to argue. “Okay. Thank you.”

As we head toward the door, I can’t shake the guilt clawing at me. The USB, the drinks, everything—it’s a disaster, and it’s all my fault.