Arcade | s.m (✔️)

Seventeen

"How many of those have you had?"

"It's my third one. And calm down, I know how to hold my liquor." Victoria answers Connor, and he stares at me with an amused expression as she downs another glass of champagne.

"I'm just looking out for you, Vicky, that's all. Remember Britney?" As Connor speaks, Victoria's facial expression turns into one of disgust.

"Don't remind me about her. I knew a party like this was too much to handle. I mean, all that girl ever went to were college parties. I should have known what to expect."

I give Kate a questioning look, and she responds with a smile and nod, assuring me that I would get to hear about what exactly happened with whoever Britney is.

"I'll be back." Victoria mumbles, uninterested, as she walks towards her father and shakes hands with the man he was speaking with.

Victoria and her father looked nothing alike. While her dad had black hair, she was a pure blonde. I would began to suspect how they were event related if it weren't for the one thing they had identical about them, which was the threatening look they gave to everyone.

As we had spoken, Ryan leaving to check where Shawn was and Harper disappearing, I had watched Victoria's father firmly shake numerous hands, giving them fake smiles and introducing his daughter to them. Victoria left every time there was someone new to shake hands with, and I couldn't say I was disappointed in her absence.

"Honey, have you seen Theo anywhere lately?" My concentration is disturbed when a middle aged woman with short brunette hair walks over, directing her question to Kate.

"No, I haven't. He's probably with Shawn and Ryan though." She responded, making complete sense and easing the woman's nerves.

"I thought he had stayed home for a moment. Oh, Connor! Your mom was just talking about your coach. Tough luck, huh?"

Connor smiles at the lady as if she was an old friend, and although I was pretty sure I knew who she was by now, her introduction to me removed any traces of doubt.

"Oh, I've forgotten to introduce myself! Sorry, honey. I'm Kate and Theo's mom, but you can just call me Jillian. You're Rose, I presume?" She extends an arm out in greeting, a grin on her face.

"That would be me. It's nice to meet you." I shake hands with her, returning the smile.

"Oh, I can't see how you and Katie get along. You're just so well mannered. Teasing!" Jillian pinches Kate's cheek softly and I see her eye roll just in time before she stops and smiles at her mother.

"Oh, is that shrimp? Mama's got to go, good to see you all! Oh, and it's so nice meeting you, Rose." With a final wave goodbye to everyone, I watch Jillian walk to her table of other moms, as we begin to sit down at an empty one with a plate of shrimp on it.

As we sit, I notice Ryan, Theo, and Shawn began to walk over as Victoria and Harper take seats next to each other.

I watch as Shawn comes closer to our table, talking to Ryan before making eye contact with me and falling silent. I smile at him, hoping my cheeks weren't as red as I felt they were.

Before I can get my hopes up of him sitting next to me, Ryan beats him to it, obviously wanting the empty seat next to Ellie.

I can only wonder if the disappointed expression on Shawn's face as he sat next to Victoria was just me and my imagination or not.

As we all begin to eat, the table is filled with different conversations, some stranger than others. As Harper tells a story I can't help but smile. Not only because of its humor, but also due to the fact that I had my own group of friends so quickly in this new place.

Well, most of them were friends.

While listening to Kate argue on how the story really happened, my throat tightens at the sight of Nick with a group of boys, walking over to our table.

"Where's the bathroom?" I ask Ellie, and she points to the door at the other side of the room, telling me I would spot it after going through that door.

I thank her and quickly excuse myself, pulling my dress down as I walk to where Nick couldn't reach me. My night was doing much better than I expected, and I really didn't want him to change that. However, the moment I push open the door and notice another long empty hallway with numerous rooms, I feel a bit better, knowing I could hide in all these rooms without Nick finding me. And anyways, he probably hadn't even seen me leave the table, let alone walk to here.

My thought are disrupted as the door swings open and the voice of the one person I didn't want to hear begins to speak.

"Rosie! Now how is my favorite little lady?" He asks, walking closer until I back up to the wall and he chuckles.

"I was doing pretty good. You?" I ask, and he smiled dangerously at me.

"My night just got a little better." As he speaks, I can smell the alcoholic scent coming from his mouth, and begin to wonder how much he had drank before coming here.

"Listen-" I begin as he comes closer to me, but Nick cuts me off.

"No, you listen. I don't care if you're seeing Shawn. He's not here now, is he?"

"He's meeting me in five minutes." I fib, confident in my answer.

"Why him? You're hot, Rose, and Shawn is a..." Nick trails off, and I raise an eyebrow, daring him to continue the sentence.

"Shawn's a what?"

"He's nothing. I'm everything. Girls text me every day begging to spend an hour with me, and you're thinking about Shawn? Let me get it through your head, okay? Shawn Mendes is a famous sellout, and that makes him a nobody. He will always be a nobody, and will never be remembered for anything but being a sellout." Nick begins, and before I can defend Shawn, he grabs my wrist and puts it to the wall.

"Get off of me." I tell him firmly, and he laughed. I had a feeling a little champagne wasn't exactly his total intake of drinks today.

"Don't act like you don't want this. Really, Rosie, loosen up." He grabs my other wrist, and I instantly turn to full panic mode.

As he moves in I turn my head, and while struggling to get out of his grasp, I open my mouth ready to yell for help. However, before I can get a word out, the door opens, and I hear someone begin to speak, his voice filled with anger.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"