I Would Kill For You

31. The Birthday Surprise

retrouvaille [ french ]

(n.) the joy of meeting or finding someone again after a long separation; rediscovery.

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WARNING: This chapter contains strong language.

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I never would have thought that being around a lot of people would feel good. 

But it really did; it felt normal. I could pretend, just for the night, that I was just a seventeen-year-old girl who was trying to enjoy the party and have fun. I decided that this night I would loosen up and eat, drink and dance more than I ever had. Especially since I had a perfect reason for it: it was Hayden's 18th birthday.

Nichole's words had kept me up that night. It was indeed Gabrielle's handwriting on the note, but the detective thought that someone made her write it, or she had an accomplice.  All for one reason: one of her earrings was missing, just like Avery's and Monica's were. Was it just a mere coincidence? Could it have fallen in the lake, could she have lost it? Certainly.

But there was also another possibility. A grim one: her accomplice followed us to the Belfort lake house, pushed her into the lake and drowned her.

"That hard of a question, huh?"

I jumped slightly, Devon's whimsical voice bringing me back to reality. I snapped out of my puzzling thoughts and gave him a sweet smile.

"You didn't even hear the question, did you?"

"I didn't. Sorry. Say it again?" I asked with an apologetic, innocent look, while playing with the ruffled long sleeves of my pink playsuit. 

"What do you want to drink? You're going to need some audacity to get through the night."

"You pick. You're well-versed in alcohol." I teased him. "Wait. Why would I need that?"

"I'm well-versed in many things." he smirked, and I rolled my eyes, poking him in the ribs. "Ouch. Things are going to get pretty heated. You'll see." 

 He poured multiple beverages into my glass and handed it to me.

I took it and scanned his face suspiciously. He was definitely up to something.

I sipped at my drink and let the alcohol glide down my throat, the familiar burning sensation coming round right away. It was good; Devon really had a natural aptitude for making good cocktails. 

We walked to the relatively small circle of eight students and sat down next to each other on the fluffy beige carpet, around the square glass table. Hayden was amongst them, with a birthday boy hat on his head, and so was Joseph.

Just like his brother, he was always standing out from the rest, looking a little bit alien, like he belonged in a painting, and not around tipsy teenagers. He was definitely out of his comfort zone. He was between two girls, and one of them, Amanda (I recognized her from the Christmas party), seemed extremely content to be near him. I gave him a racy smile, and he offered me a crooked one in return. I stirred slightly; in that exact moment, he looked just like Damian.