I changed the chapter name

TW: Sexual Assault

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Party

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Chapter 21: Party (Jules's POV)

"You'd rip her to shreds," I whispered mostly to myself, watching him carefully. 

"You bet I fucking would," he replied, holding my gaze. Christian and I were arguing too much in the short time we were forced to spend together and again and today I thought I'd try my best to prevent that. Obviously, it's impossible for us not to argue at all but today hadn't gone all the way south. 

Yet. 

"You can't fight my battles for me, Christian," I said, shaking my head softly. 

"I don't want to. I know you can stand up for yourself. But I don't like seeing you in trouble." He tore his gaze away from mine first and turned to stare out the window, his jaw ticking as he clenched it. "I can't stand to see someone hurt you." Then he added, "And that's not the first time I've told you that." 

"Things used to be different." 

He faced me again. "The first time I told you that, we despised each other." 

"Not more than we do now." 

Lifting a sharp brow at me, he watched me doubtfully. "Are you sure about that?" 

"Jules, get up," Audrey whined, throwing a short white satin slip dress at me out of my closet. 

I caught it with a groan and ran a finger over the diamond straps. "I really don't feel like going tonight, Audrey." 

"Are you kidding me? Finals just ended, everyone's going to this party." She paused and then sat at the foot of my bed. "Do you really not want to go? I mean..." She shrugged then, "I'll stay with you." 

"Please, don't do that. You've been looking forward to this party all week. It got you through finals." 

"Are you sure? You know it's not a party if you're not there." 

"That's such a lie," I laughed. 

"Well, not for me. Everyone says we're joined at the hip. I like it better when that's true," she grinned, her nose scrunching up. I chuckled, watching her, still holding onto the dress I planned to wear tonight. "We're the lives of the party though," she announced, pointing a finger at me before she slipped into the bathroom and started getting ready. Only a few seconds later, she threw her makeup brush down and came back out, stomping a foot. "Jules!" 

"All right!" I began standing up, spreading the dress out on my bed. "Let me get ready," I muttered, grabbing my makeup bag and sitting on the floor in front of the full-body mirror. 

She squealed, reaching down and grabbing my shoulders from behind, shaking me aggressively, making me yell through my laughter with annoyance and amusement. "I love you!" she screamed in my ear before going back into the bathroom while I stared at her like she was crazy. 

After spending an hour or so getting ready, we finally left and grabbed a cab that could take us to the address Reya sent to both Audrey and me. I paid for the cab before Audrey could once we reached Jason's house and we got out of the cab, making our way up the driveway. Audrey reached for the doorbell but when no one answered, I nudged her elbow with mine. "Do you think anyone can hear you?" I chuckled before trying the door. It was open. 

"Open sesame," she shrugged before leading the way in while I followed her in, both of us stopping every few steps to say hi to people. 

We entered the kitchen and were pouring our own drinks when she gasped, knocking my elbow so hard that my plastic cup clattered to the floor. I stared at her blankly. "Are you kidding me?" 

"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "But there is an extremely cute guy in that backyard by the pool. Who is that?" 

Following her gaze, I searched the crowd. "The navy blue shirt?" I questioned. 

"You know me so well," she snorted. 

"That's Cameron Diaz, he's in my marketing class." 

"I will go talk to Cameron Diaz from your marketing class." 

I nodded, watching her in amusement until she left and then poured myself a fresh drink but didn't take a sip as I began wandering around, having conversations with everyone I ran into or anyone who called out my name. 

"Jules!" 

I stopped at the staircase where I was heading upstairs and turned back around, not recognizing the voice or the face of the guy who sent me a short wave and then started making his way over to me. 

"Hey," he greeted. 

"Hey," I replied with a small smile. 

When I didn't say more, he elaborated, "Oh, I'm Stefan. I'm in Audrey's advertising and digital marketing class. I saw you on campus earlier today but you were gone before I could stop you." 

Not thinking anything of it, I nodded, keeping my smile intact. "It's nice to meet you." 

"Yeah, sure is." He glanced at the top of the stairs. "Are you heading up there?" 

"I was about to go to the bathroom." 

"Everyone's playing some drinking games up there. You wanna join?" 

Trying not to be too obvious, I glanced down at the full cup that had lasted me the entire night so far. I hadn't had a sip of alcohol and wasn't planning to either but drinking games would give me the complete opposite result. "How about I meet you up there?" I asked, which directly translated to, "How about you go up there and we never see each other again?" 

But Stefan never got the memo. "I'll wait for you," he nodded. 

Sighing quietly, I began heading upstairs while he followed, muttering under my breath, "That's not what I meant." 

Before entering the bathroom, I caught a glimpse of the group of people sitting in one room, some of them gathered on the floor, a couple sharing a loveseat, and a different couple lying together in bed. I was hoping Stefan would be gone by the time I came back out and I tried stalling as much as I could but he was still there once I exited, throwing my drink down the drain. 

As he led me into the room, I blinked in surprise at all the smoke wafting around and the empty cups littering the floor. "Whoa," I chuckled, standing in the doorway. 

"It's not as bad as it looks, I swear," he grinned, taking my head and leading me in, grabbing a spare pillow from the bed and offering it to me as I said in a free lounge chair. 

"Thanks," I smiled, keeping it in my lap. For the first few minutes, I merely observed the others. 

It felt like I was sitting in a room with a bunch of frat boys and sorority girls, both of which were either too drunk, too high, or... too fucking stupid. Then I found out that most people here were freshmen and suddenly it made more sense. 

They're having their college wild nights and I whispered to myself as a girl chugged her boyfriend's beer, "Party on then." Noticing that everyone was busy among themselves, I stood up and left the room, offering my seat to one of the girls who entered the room instead. 

From the top of the stairs, I spotted Audrey dancing wildly with Cameron, and I could see the alcohol's effect on her from a distance. She had to go home tonight and I couldn't take her with me. Unfortunately for me, that meant calling her brother to help. 

Taking out my phone, I searched my contacts for his number and while waiting for him to answer the phone, I found an empty room and walked in, opening the door and standing on the balcony, taking in some fresh air. He wasn't answering. I clicked my tongue in frustration and tried for the third time. 

"Red," he said immediately. 

"Asshole," I greeted back. "Your sister needs you." 

"Then my sister can call me. Goodbye." 

"She's wasted... again. We're at a party that's too far from her apartment." 

"Take her with you." 

"Looking at her, I doubt she'd leave with me. Plus, I'm busy tomorrow." 

"Busy?" he scoffed. 

"Planning, of course. Hundred and one ways to murder Christian Lukov." 

"You might have tried them all, I think you need a new book on that." 

Rolling my eyes, I bit down my laughter and smile. "I'll send you the location." 

"Don't. I'm not going to show up." 

Pausing, I leaned forward, resting my elbow on the railing. "Should I leave her with Cameron then?" 

"Who is Cameron?" 

"The guy she's been dancing with all night." 

"Why is she dancing with some guy she doesn't know?" 

"Maybe she'll get to know him tonight," I teased but couldn't hold in my laughter, "relax. I know the guy, he's really nice. But I think you should still take her home." 

"Fuck's sake," he groaned after a short pause. "Send me the location, I'm leaving now." 

"Hold on just a second." I quickly sent him my current location and then put the phone back to my ear. "Got it?" 

"Got it. Why aren't you with Audrey?" 

"She's dancing with a guy, what am I supposed to do?" 

"Find me when I get there." 

"Christian, you should find us when you get here. Audrey at least." 

I could practically hear the question on the tip of his tongue and the hesitation behind it. "Can you get yourself home?" 

"I'm sober if that's what you're asking," I replied, another smile tugging at me. "Worried, are we, Lukov?" 

"I like you better when you're quiet." 

"I like me better when I'm not," I laughed softly. 

"Hey, there you are." 

Spinning on my heels at the sudden voice from behind, I released a startled breath. "Stefan," I exhaled. 

"Who the fuck is Stefan?" Christian asked. 

"Hold on," I mumbled, pulling my phone down without hanging up. 

"I've been looking all over for you," Stefan said, walking over, almost tripping over his own feet. 

"You're drunk," I stated, watching him warily. 

"A little tipsy," he laughed, holding his fingers up in a pinch. 

I could faintly hear Christian's muffled voice so I put the phone back to my ear. "Jules, find Audrey." 

"What?" I mumbled. 

"I don't care where you are or with you, just get away and find Audrey."

"But I—" I felt Stefan take a hold of my phone and toss it on the bed behind him. 

"Why aren't you listening to me?" 

Inhaling shakily, I braced my hands on the railing behind me and leaned further away from him as he leaned forward, his hands over mine, holding me down. "Stefan," I mumbled. 

"I said I've been looking for you, Jules." 

"W-well, I was right here. You seemed busy with your friends, so..." I slipped a hand out from under his and put it on his chest, trying to ease him off of me. 

Rolling his eyes, he threw it off and held it down to the railing again, making me wince in pain. 

"Stefan, get off of me," I warned. 

"Or what?" he laughed, "what are you going to do about it?" 

Trying my best not to panic, I nodded. "All right, let's go downstairs, okay? I'd really like a drink, you think you can get me one?" I forced a chuckle. 

"Don't fucking distract me," he snapped, pushing me further into the railing. 

"You're hurting me," I ground out. 

"I am?" He laughed humorlessly. "You ran out like this last time too, didn't you?" 

"What?" I blinked in confusion. 

"Audrey's party. A couple of months ago. You left me waiting just like that in the room." 

"Her birthday party where everyone including me was wasted?" I scoffed, "Get over yourself. Let me go." 

Pure rage flashed in his eyes before he clutched my arms and pulled me into the room, backing me towards the bed before grabbing my shoulders and shoving me onto the bed, knocking the air out of me. 

I tried to scramble back before he could touch me again but he was clawing at my legs and waist, pulling me back under him before he braced himself forward, hovering over me while I thrashed, trying to push him off. "Get off! Get away from me!" I yelled, attempting to shove him off as he forced himself on me, his lips grazing my jaw and neck. 

With my movements so frantic and panic surging through me, he managed to get a grasp on my hands and pin them down while dread pooled deep in my stomach as my heart started racing in anxiousness while tears began slipping out of the corner of my eye as I turned my head the other way. 

I screamed as his fingers dug into my skin and turned my head the other way, spotting my phone at the edge of the mattress. With my legs kicking and thrashing, I managed to slip one hand out from under his and slid myself higher up the mattress, remaining on my back and stretched out, finding a hold on my phone but I got no chance to even glance at my screen as Stefan grabbed my jaw, forcing me to look at him. 

I screamed at the top of my lungs when he began sliding his hands under the hem of my dress. My eyes were sealed shut when the door banged loudly, ricocheting off the wall and the next thing I knew, Stefan was yanked off of me and shoved onto the floor. The moment he was off of me, I was sitting up and scrambling back, gasping to breathe and calm myself down. 

My whole body continued to shake as I recognized Christian holding Stefan down to the floor, face down, while Christian pinned his wrists behind his back, shoving his face into the floor. 

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Chapter 21

I will be continuing the flashback in the next chapter so it will be in Jules's POV again

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