WARNING:
Mentions of mature themes like underage drinking and sexual assault
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Current time: 9.07 pm

"How's Eva Coco?"

"She's fine. We both had so much fun talking."

"That's great." Kate smiled.

"Oh, I forgot," Coco said as she kept the fork in her hand on the plate, "she has a party tomorrow and she invited me. Can I go?"

"Of course. There's nothing planned for tomorrow, so you can spend that time with Eva." Kate replied.

"Adalyn do you want to come with me? And you Ruel?" Coco asked, looking at the both of them who were sitting opposite to her.

"Yeah I'll love to go." Ruel said before eating the pasta stuck on his fork.

"And you Addie?"

"I don't really know. I mean- you know-" Adalyn fumbled with her own words.

"Come on, it will be fun. It can be an amazing stress reliever for you. Take a small break from photography for one night." Coco tried to reason with her.

"But I don't really-"

"Adalyn you should join them. Coco is right, take a break from photography." Michelle piped in the conversation.

Adalyn took a pause before speaking anything. "Okay." She said with a sigh.

"Yay!" Coco cheered. She picked up her glass of punch and so did Ruel. He made Adalyn pick up her glass of punch too. They all clinked their glasses.

"Cheers!" Coco and Ruel shouted but Adalyn only smiled with them.

"Okay guys go to sleep soon. It's getting late." Kate said. Everyone finished their dinner and went to their rooms to sleep.

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Day IX of the internship; 20th October:

"Adalyn I don't mean to say anything wrong, but you looked unconvinced yesterday when I asked you to join me and Ruel for the party. Why was that?" Coco asked softly. It was morning, and as always, it was Coco and Adalyn getting ready.

"Well," Adalyn began, "I don't really like parties."

"Why is that?"

"I am about to tell you something no one knows; only Lorelai does." Adalyn sat down on the bed, and Coco sat down with her.

"You can trust me." Coco said as she kept her hand on top of Adalyn's.

"When I was in year 9, I loved to party. I would attend so many with Lorelai. We both would go and dance and have so much fun." Adalyn began. "But one time, in year 10, me and Lorelai were invited to one party. And of course, we decided to go. Me and Lorelai had one rule: we would never drink or smoke. We both just went to eat and dance and simply have fun. But at this party, Lorelai was peer pressurized by Luna. Luna was one of our friends, but she went to Mexico in year 11. Me, Luna and Lorelai were the bestest of friends. But when Lorelai got peer pressurized, she ended up drinking. A lot. And then she peer pressurized me. And so I ended up drinking too. The cup I got was drugged."

"Oh lord." Coco said, bringing her hand up to her face to cover it in shock.

"I was drugged so I didn't realise what all happened with me. Some boy took me up to a room, and- and- tried to-" tears started to spill out of Adalyn's eyes as she relived the past moments.

"Shh don't cry." Coco said, hugging her and moving her hand up and down Adalyn's back. She stayed in Coco's arms for minutes, sobbing and shaking violently. "Don't think about it. Shhh." Coco kept on comforting Adalyn. After a few minutes of crying, Adalyn pulled from the hug.

"I'm sorry that I asked you this." Coco apologized.

"No don't apologize. You had no idea." Adalyn said as she wiped the tears from her face. "Since then I have never attended any party, and neither did Lorelai."

"I understand. If you don't want to, then don't go to the party. I can stay with you. I'll call Eva and tell her-"

"No, we're going. I want to get over this fear." Adalyn said.

"You sure?" Adalyn nodded.

"Okay." Coco smiled.

"But you have to promise me, you and Ruel won't drink and won't pressurize me for it."

"Of course. But you can have simple punch."

"Yeah that will do." Adalyn said. "And also please don't tell anyone about it. My mum also doesn't know anything about it. That night somehow Lorelai saved me from that boy; apparently she wasn't that drunk. I went to stay the night with her only as her parents and her younger sister weren't home. She simply told my mum that I'm going to her home for one of our usual sleepovers."

"Okay, I won't tell anyone. I promise you." Coco held up her pinky finger. Adalyn smiled at the sight and intertwined her pinky finger with Coco's. "And we don't have to stay that long. We'll come back whenever you feel like."

"Okay." Adalyn nodded.

"But what am I supposed to tell Ruel about this? I mean, he probably would be looking forward to drink."

"I don't know Co." Adalyn sighed. "Wait, he drinks?"

"Yeah, but not very much."

"Oh okay."

"Tell me," Coco began shaking Adalyn's shoulder, "what should I tell him?"

"I think I want to tell him the truth." Adalyn said.

"You sure?"

"Yes, I know I can trust him. I know that."

"Okay, I'll bring him in our room." Coco got up from her place and went to Kate and Ruel's room. She knocked on the door and Ruel opened it.

"Coco?" He asked.

"Come to my room please."

"What happened?"

"There's something I want to talk about. Related to tonight's party."

"Okay. Let's go." He said. He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. Then he and his sister walked to her room.

"Go in." Coco said as she opened the door and motioned Ruel to walk inside. There he saw Adalyn sitting on the bed with a tear stained face.

"Oh my god Adalyn are you alright?" Ruel asked as he sat down with her.

"Yes I'm fine." Adalyn replied.

"But why were you crying?"

"Ruel, you have to promise me one thing." Adalyn said as she turned to face him.

"Anything."

"Tonight you won't drink, at all."

"Okay, but why?"

"Because I'm afraid that when you will drink, you will pressurize me to drink and I don't want that."

"Why not?" He questioned further.

"The last time I drank, I got drugged and was almost raped."

"What?!" Ruel exclaimed.

"It was in year 10, and that is two years ago. I just don't want the same thing happening again."

"Oh jesus. I am so sorry it happened." Almost suddenly, Ruel threw his arms around Adalyn and gave her a tight hug. Adalyn was shocked for a second, but after that she wrapped her arms around him.

"You're alright now, right?" Ruel asked, pulling away from the hug; cupping her face in his hands.

"Yes I'm fine. But please don't drink tonight."

"I wouldn't. I promise." He said, before hugging her again.

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Current time: 7.30 pm

"What is that?"

"It's called an eyelash curler."

"It looks like a torture machine."

"Trust me, it won't hurt."

Coco and Adalyn were getting ready for the party and Coco insisted that she does Adalyn's make-up.

"And done. See, I told you it won't hurt." Coco said, keeping the eyelash curler back in her make-up bag.

"I can't see any difference." Adalyn said, looking at her reflection in the mirror.

"What the hell?! I curled your eyelashes. It is so evident!" Coco cried.

"Okay okay."

Knock knock

"I'll see." Adalyn said as she walked up to the door. She opened it to reveal Ruel. He was wearing a simple blue t-shirt with black jeans and converse with a bomber jacket on top.

"Hey." Adalyn smiled.

"Hi." Ruel smiled back as he walked inside the room. "You look amazing Addie." Ruel complimented. She was wearing a simple outfit, very similar to Ruel's. It was a striped t-shirt with a sap green jacket on top and black ripped jeans paired with vans and rings and earrings.

"Thank you. You look amazing too. That jacket is amazing." She said, pointing at his bomber jacket.

"Why thank you." He said.

"Coco you done?" Adalyn asked Coco.

"Yup. One minute." She began applying blush on her face. "And done. Let's go." She said. Adalyn and Coco picked up their handbags and walked out along with Ruel.

"I've already booked our Uber. It's waiting for us." Ruel said as the three of them walked out of the hotel towards their Uber.

"Great." Coco said. They soon reached the car and sat inside. Coco told the driver the destination and he began driving. On the way, Adalyn kept on getting more and more anxious. She was moving her leg up and down, a thing she did everytime she got nervous.

"Hey don't worry, we'll make sure nothing happens." Ruel said, placing his hand on her moving leg. She instantly stopped at his touch. She looked at him and simply nodded with a smile.

"Come on we've reached." Coco said. Their car was parked in front of a house. It wasn't a house, it was a mansion. The trio got out of the car and looked at the magnificence in front of them.

"Wow." Adalyn said. The mansion was very large. The music was so loud that it was audible from blocks away. There were neon lights flashing here and there. All the flashbacks of that day came rushing back to Adalyn. As they began walking inside, Adalyn grabbed Ruel's hand. He was shocked at first, but then he intertwined her hand with his own.

"Oh my god hi Coco!" A girl screamed. They all looked to see it was Eva.

"Hi Eva." Coco screamed back. The music was so loud, that people literally had to scream to converse with each other.
They both hugged and before Adalyn and Ruel could say anything, Coco was dragged away by Eva.

"Come on let's go there." Ruel screamed in Adalyn's ear while pointing at a place. She followed his gaze to see he was pointing at the kitchen counter.

"Okay." Adalyn screamed back and both of them began walking to the kitchen counter.

"There you go." Ruel handed her a red cup, while drinking from another cup.

"Ruel no! I am not drinking and you promised me you wouldn't do it too."

"It's not alcohol; it's fruit punch. Have it." He said, insisting her more. At first she was a little unconvinced, but then she decided to take the cup.

She took the cup and gulped down the contents in one go. Her head began to hurt.

"Ruel," she said, walking up to him, "my head."

"Whoa you alright?" He asked.

"No, I'm not. This drink-" Just before she could finish the sentence, she fell right into his arms.

"Okay let's sit on a couch." Ruel picked her up and made way to a couch. There he sat down and dropped her on his side.

"Let me get you a glass of water." Ruel said. He took Adalyn's red cup and went in the kitchen to get water for her.

"Hey there." Adalyn turned around to see a boy her age.

"Hi." She replied.

"My name is Cree."

"Adalyn." She said as she shook his hand.

"Wait, Adalyn Henderson? Michelle Hunder's intern?" Cree asked.

"Yes." Adalyn smiled.

"Oh wow! I also entered the contest but couldn't win. But I saw your picture and I knew that you deserved to win." Cree complimented.

"Thank you so much."

"Can you help me out a bit in photography? Like I just want to get some tips in some specific areas."

"Oh of course. What all will you like to know?"

"Well-"

"Adalyn?" Cree and Adalyn turned around to see Ruel with a mixed expression of sorrrow and anger.

"Ruel, don't think anything like that! We were just talking about-"

"Stop it. You don't have to say anything. Here you go, your water," he said, slamming the cup full of water on the table in front of Adalyn, "and the punch was mixed with vodka. That's why your head began to hurt. I'm going to go now." He said, jealousy lacing his voice.

"Oh no, are you two dating? Did I make you fight? I promise it wasn't my intention at all-" Cree began to ramble but Adalyn stopped him.

"No Cree, don't worry. Can I go and talk to him?"

"Yes please. You should go."

"Thank you." Adalyn smiled before walking to find Ruel.

"Ruel?" She called out over the music.

"Ruel!" She called out again. Adalyn turned around and began walking in the backwards direction. Suddenly she slammed into someone else. She turned around to see it was Ruel.

"Ruel, listen to me." Adalyn said.

"No, you like him more than me."

"Ruel no. He recognised me as Michelle's intern that's why he was talking to me. It isn't anything like that."

"Please okay? Don't lie to me." Ruel began to slur his words, which made Adalyn realised that he drank after all.

"Are you- are you jealous?" Adalyn asked slowly. Ruel looked at her but didn't say anything.

"Oh my- I knew it! You are jealous. Ruel please there isn't anything like-" But Adalyn was cut off with someone's lips on her own. More specifically, Ruel's lips on her own. He kissed her and she began kissing him back, feeling his touch after so long. It felt as if they weren't in any party; they are the only two alive. The music faded away and all the voices shunned out, and all she felt was him, and all he felt was her.

"Guys what the hell?!" They heard someone scream which made them pull apart from each other. They turned around to see that it was Coco.

"Oh my god!" Coco screamed again. She took both of their hands and pulled them out to the garden of the mansion they were in.

"What was that? Why were you kissing?!" She began.

"Coco what? You can't tell us what to do!" Ruel slurred.

"Are you- are you drunk?" She asked.

"What do you think?" He slurred again.

"That's why." Coco began pacing nervously.

"Coco leave it. It just happened. We didn't intend any of it." Adalyn said softly.

"No I can't leave it! Now all of those things will happen again. You'll feel like dating, when you damn know that you can't!"

"Coco! Stop telling us what to do!" Ruel slurred-screamed.

"You know what? Okay, I won't say anything to you anymore. Solve it all yourself." With that Coco went out of the mansion and sat down in an Uber and drove away.

"Coco wait!" Adalyn began calling out, but she didn't listen.

"Adalyn, don't worry about her." Ruel said, still slurring his words.

"But-"

"No, party tonight and feel free. Then it's back to 'do this' and 'do that' and 'write a song soon' and bla bla bla."

"Ruel, you're drunk. We need to go back. I'm calling an Uber and we both are going back to the hotel." Adalyn pulled out her phone and booked an Uber. Within 5 minutes it came, and with a lot of effort, she made Ruel sit down in the car. She sat down herself and they went back to the hotel.

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Author's note

So, what do you think of this one?

I want to thank Butterfly2006 and cloud_down and love3grl who helped me with my writer's block. I wrote this chapter with their help so kudos to them!

Don't forget to vote!

With love through health and sickness
Keziah