*NOT EDITED*

Party outfits in the A/N at the end.

Chapter 21

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   Emma's house was as beautiful on the inside as it was on the outside. She had wasted no time and took us hurriedly up to her room.

   Bex chose a turtle-neck military green crop top and black ripped jeans. She paired the outfit with golden pumps and curled her shoulder-length brown hair. It was one of the cutest outfits I've seen her wear.

   Emma looked stunning in a glittery gold dress that reached mid-thigh but had sleeves. She straightened her hair so now, it reached her waist. Overall, she looked gorgeous.

   As for me, Emma chose a black dress that reached mid-thigh and had a plunging neckline. I was super against it at first⎯and I'm still not very fond of it ⎯ but Emma forced the dress on me . . . And bribed me with her mom's latest designed dress. I mean, you can't blame me. Have you seen the dress?

But I had to admit, we looked hot. And it's a nice change from my usual sweatpants. I felt a rush of excitement every time I thought of the party.

   Emma drove us to the party since that was our only source to get there. The loud music was heard four blocks away, and once we finally reached the house, I was able to see that a lot of the people in the party were standing outside, on the lawn.

   By people, I meant tons of college kids. We were probably the only ones from high school, and that scared me, but excited me at the same time. They'll most likely not notice that we were in high school, though, because of what we were wearing.

   As I started to leave the car and feel people's eyes on me, I regretted wearing the dress. I mean, it was really pretty, and it hugged my curves perfectly, but I guess that's why it made me uncomfortable.

  But as my Elyse once said, 'Own that that dress like it's one of your precious books.'

  Emma led us to the front door and Bex was about to ring the doorbell when the door flew open, revealing a couple making out, and stumbling out the house. I made way for them, not wanting to be touched by them. Eukh.

   Inside, the party was as expected- full of teenagers, booze, and loud music. And I think I caught a half-naked guy dancing on a table.

   My eyes roamed the crowd, in search of Ryder. I still couldn't believe he was my boyfriend. It felt weird on my tongue like I wasn't supposed to say it. Maybe it was too early to go to that level. I mean, we only went on one date, for God's sake!

   "Excuse me, miss. Can I have the time?" I felt a low whisper in my ear, giving me a cold shiver down my spine.

   I met Ryder's teasing eyes. "What?"

   "I'd check my watch, but I can't take my eyes off you," he said with a smirk and I laughed.

   "Are you a clock? Because you sure are ticking me off."

   "Can you not be a smart-mouth for two seconds?" he asked, making me laugh with him.

   "I don't think that's possible."

   He laced his hands with mine and pulled me to the dance floor.

   "You know, I'm not the type of dancing person."

   "I know." He pulled me closer to his body, his hands on my hips, and started moving, forcing me to dance along.

   We took our time in dancing, letting the beat control our bodies with our eyes locked. I noticed all the small details about him that I hadn't noticed before. The way his muscles bulge by the smallest movement. How he'd always smile with his mouth closed, popping his cute dimples. How the shirt he was wearing hugged his torso perfectly, showcasing his muscles.

   It felt amazing to be in his arms and as cheesy as it sounded, everything fell away and it was only us on the dance floor. Nothing else mattered at that point.

   I don't know how many songs we danced to, but we stopped at one point because my feet started to ache. Ryder decided to go get us drinks so I went to stand in a corner, watching everyone else.

   Not two seconds later, Celeste came over.

   "Hi." She smiled genuinely.

   "Hey?" I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. Something was up, and I had to be cautious.

   "Listen, I know we got off on the wrong foot, but I come here in peace. I really want us to be friends, and forget everything that happened. I'm sorry."

   I could tell that the look on her face was sincere, but who knows? Maybe she was acting.

   Oh, snap out of it, Ash. She's here to apologize. Be the bigger person.

   "I accept your apology. But I can't forget what happened. Let's just be friends." I smiled at her warmly, and she returned it.

   "Here, I got you a drink." She handed me a red cup.

   I eyed it cautiously before taking it.

   "Relax, I'm not going to poison you or anything." She rolled her eyes with a laugh.

   "Thanks."

   I drank the whole cup, wanting to let loose for a while. I winced as the liquid burned my throat, feeling the aftertaste in my mouth. It was fizzy with a lemony.

   "I have to go now. My brother wants me to help with setting up some games. I'll see you later." She gave me one last smile before disappearing in the crowd like a needle in a haystack.

   After a few seconds, I started feeling something funny in my tummy. Hey! That rhymed!

   Maybe I should write books with Dr. Seuss. I giggled. That sounded would be funny.

   I haven't seen Damon in a while. Maybe I should go tell him my joke.

   I made my way through the sweaty tight crowd, pushing everyone out of my way. I felt someone touch me, and I jumped back, bumping into a couple making out.

   "Hey, watch where you're going!"

   "Are you blind?"

   "Stop, that's insensitive!" Someone yelled in my ear.

   I grabbed my head tightly, feeling something pound hard in my head.

   "Wanna-hick- go up to- hick- my room?" I felt someone sluggishly slur in my ear, smelling the alcohol in his breath.

   Gagging, I finally pushed my out of the crowd. I hurriedly walked out of the house to go outside.

   Fresh air.

   I needed fresh air.

   Finally stumbling out of the house, I took a deep breath that slightly calmed me. Feeling a breeze slide against my body, I shivered as the goosebumps rose on my skin.

   Looking around, I felt the funny feeling return in my stomach again. It slightly relaxed my head, and I closed my eyes in content.

   Everything was okay.

   "Hey, everything alright?"

   I looked to my right to find a guy with a concerned expression. He had strikingly familiar features, but I couldn't pinpoint who it was. It was the blue eyes in particular.

   "Yes, I just needed some fresh air." I gave him a small smile, crossing my arms.

   "Come with me. I'll take you somewhere away from the noise where you can relax," he said reassuringly, offering me his hand. Once he saw my skeptical look, he said, "Don't worry, I'm not some creepy rapist or anything. I'm just trying to help."

   My head started pounding even louder so I gave in and followed him. He led me to the back of the house, and true to his word, it was quieter than before.

   "I'm Nick, by the way. So, what brings you here at a college party?"

   "I was invited."

   "Oh." He nodded before taking a sip from his cup.

   I closed my eyes and tried to unwind. Opening my eyes, I saw that he was standing directly in front of me, invading my personal space.

   I tried to step back, but realized that I was backed up against the wall.

   "What are you doing? I-"

   His lips crushed against mine forcefully, interrupting what I was going to say. He held me solidly by the jaw, locking it to his. My brain seemed to have deserted me: all I could think was how tightly his body was pressed against mine and how the taste of alcohol and smoke in my throat burned.

   Snapping out of it, I tried to push him away, but he wouldn't budge. I slapped at his arms, but he held them forcefully, causing pain in my wrist.

   I was able to push him for half a second, but he slammed my body against the wall, and I felt black dots appear in my vision from the hit to the head.

   Now, I was powerless. I tried closing my mouth, but he slammed my body painfully against the wall again. As he started pulling down the strap of my dress, I started panicking.

   No, this will not happen. I pushed with all my might against him, and tried to wiggle my body as much as possible. Suddenly, I felt his body being pulled away from mine. It was Drake.

   Just as he was about to punch Nick, I beat him to it. I punched him straight in the jaw.

   "You bi---! I-"

   He wasn't able to continue because I pushed him hard, making him stumble and fall on the ground. Adjusting my strap, I kicked him hard in the side.

   He tried protecting his body, but I just kicked him in the ribs, again and again, earning a groan from him. I gave him one last kick where the sun don't shine, and he let out a girly shriek that weirdly satisfied me.

   I kneeled down next to him, and whispered in venomously in his ear, "Don't think you're getting away with this. Just touch me one more f--king time-"

   "Okay, that's enough, Ash. C'mere." Drake pulled me away from the moaning mess on the floor.

   "I was handling it. You didn't have to come," I muttered as I wiped my mouth, and adjusted my dress. We started walking away, leaving him on the ground.

   "Yeah, clearly. But that thing you just did there? You're a legend. Just be thankful Ryder didn't know what happened. He might just end up with murder charges if he knew." Drake chuckled.

   "Knew what? I was looking for you everywhere."

   Ryder was looking at us expectantly with two drinks in his hands. Aren't I just the luckiest person on earth?

   "Knew what? What happened?"

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Author's Note:

Hey, guys! So, here's an early update of a long chapter. I'm particularly proud of this chapter, and I like how it turned out. What did you think of it?

I just hate how the main male character is always the one who saves the day or how the guy is always the one who saves the girl. Women can do it just like men!

As you can see, I'm a hardcore feminist and I don't tolerate hate here ;)

Thoughts on the chapter? Who do you think was the guy? What do you think will Ryder do? What did you think about the truce between Ash and Celeste? Please do comment what you think!

   Party outfits:
Bex:

Ash:

Emma:

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