Chapter 59

Hannah’s POV

I’ve never been to an actual party with peers before and I had to admit that I was extremely nervous. Especially Sebastian wasn’t going to be there. But Raya was right; it was our time to meet new people and enjoy ourselves for a little while.

It’s been so stressful since I arrived at this school; between work, school, and now Sebastian following me around everywhere, it was nice to be able to get away for a little while and have some fun.

The party was held in one of the frat houses across the campus. We could already hear the loud music booming across the campus grounds and shaking the earth the closer we got. Raya had a look of excitement as we walked toward the house.

She wore a blouse that rested above her pierced belly button and a skirt that hugged her thighs. I wore a pair of jeans and a tank top. I tried to be as casual as possible since attending this school because I wanted to fit in.

There was a part of me that wanted to call Sebastian before entering the party to make sure he was all right, but I refrained from doing so. Raya draped her arm through mine and pulled me through the doors of the crowded house.

It was filled with young students that were dancing and already drunk.

I said hi to those I recognized but for the most part, stuck by Raya’s side. We found our way into the kitchen where they were serving alcohol.

“Let’s do shots!” Raya exclaimed loudly through the booming music.

I gave her a nervous smile but followed her through the crowd until we reached the kitchen.

Everyone seemed to be having such a good time; once Raya got a few drinks in her, she was also loosening up and enjoying herself. I couldn’t help but shake the unsettling feeling I had in the pit of my stomach though. I tried to brush the thought out of my mind and enjoy myself as well, but there was something about being there that didn’t sit right with me.

I felt like I was on guard, waiting for something to happen.

“Have a drink!” Raya said, eyeing my face carefully. “Loosen up.”

She was right; I had to stop being on edge. The point of being there was to loosen up and have some fun. So, that’s what I was going to do.

After I did a few shots, I was already feeling a little lightheaded. I was never much of a drinker; maybe a glass of wine or two during dinner, but never hard alcohol. I wasn’t sure how my body was going to react to it, but I thought I was going to fall over as I made my way through the house. Everyone was using the living room as the dance floor, so I pulled Raya with me to dance.

I couldn’t help but laugh at Raya’s ridiculous dance moves. I admired that she could dance like no one was watching.

“See!” She said laughing as well. “I knew you would have fun.”

She was right. It was fun.

…

Sometimes during the party, I lost track of time. The music seemed to be getting louder and the room was practically spinning.

Or I was spinning.

I couldn’t tell.

I fell onto the couch and allowed myself to rest my head for a little while as the room continued to spin. Nobody seemed to be paying attention to me though; they were all too busy getting even drunker and making fools of themselves. I heard some glass shattering from the kitchen and shook my head with a small smile knowing they were so wasted that they were breaking things.

After resting on the couch for a little while, I realized I hadn’t seen Raya in a while. We were dancing together and drinking, but at some point, she disappeared, leaving me alone to fend for myself.

I frowned as I scanned the room. I saw a bunch of unfamiliar faces, none of which belonged to Raya. That unsettling feeling started returning to me and I hoped it was just my imagination.

“Raya?” I called for her, but my voice got drowned out by the crowd around me.

The room was still spinning when I stood from the couch; I had to catch myself before falling over. I worried that I couldn’t see Raya; it wasn’t like her to just disappear like this.

I scanned the room again, walking clumsily around the house, my heart beating heavily in my chest. My breathing was becoming rapid as more worry started overfilling me.

Something was wrong.

“Raya?” I said again.

Still nothing.

I ran into a hardened body, and I felt the cold liquid of his beer soaking my clothing and sticking to my skin. I winced at the coldness and stumbled backward.

I glanced up at the man who didn’t look at all apologetic. The man was coming from the stairway and rounded the corner when he knocked into me. He didn’t look familiar to me, but he towered over me, and his body was largely built. His presence gave me a chill down my spine. He had a scar going down his face and his lip curled up in disgust as he pushed past me, nearly knocking me to the ground.

“Asshole…” I muttered; the noise of the party drowned out my words though and he didn’t seem to hear me.

I stared up at the darkened stairway he had just come down from and Nora tensed; she could sense something was seriously wrong.

The stench of the beer invaded my nose, bringing my attention back to the spill on my clothes. I felt disgusting and I could feel my stomach becoming queasy.

I swallowed down the thickening saliva in my throat, but I could feel the contents of my stomach rushing to the surface.

I shoved myself through the crowds of partying people until I reached the front door. The night air felt good on my heated features, and I felt like I could finally breathe.

Even outside looked like it was spinning around. I was having trouble keeping a straightened stance and walking in a line. I scanned the outside area and saw a few people talking and drinking, but I still didn’t see Raya.

Before I had the chance to call for her again, the queasy feeling returned to me. I couldn’t hold it in anymore; holding onto my torso, I leaned over a bush and allowed myself to release the contents of my stomach.

My breathing was harsh, and I tried to recover myself. As I lifted my gaze, my eyes fell on someone familiar talking with the guy with the scar.

They were talking about something I couldn’t quite hear, but they looked serious. The guy with the scar looked furious. Soon, some other men joined the conversation, and I was getting an even more unsettled feeling in the pit of my stomach.

What were they talking about?

The men dispersed and started going into the house; all of them looking furious. But one of them remained behind, staring at the house with a worried expression on his face.

“Conner?” I breathed, loud enough to catch his attention.

He met my eyes and they widened. I opened my mouth to say something more, but then I heard the screaming.