Birthday Surprise
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After what I'd been through, this party actually made my night, I missed the feeling of freedom and being able to do whatever you want or be whoever you want at parties after tasting the tequila several times and feeling like a different person. Dancing confidently with my friend Rexha to amazing beats like Dua Lipa's One Kiss (R3HAB Remix) and Yellow Claw's Till It Hurts that made us hyperventilate, as well as poison drinks that made us feel shit if we stopped swaying our bodies, so we kept having fun and just getting wild and having a good time for my birthday.
As we returned to our table, I finished half of my cola whiskey drink before having to tell Rexha that I needed to use the restroom again, she didn't accompany me this time because she suddenly began making out with Dylan.
"Um, I'll be right back," I told Stephen instead, and he then followed me across the crowded dance floor. He grasped my hand, which made me fidget a little from his unexpected touch, and I turned to face him.
"Wait, where are you going?!" he asked, his face flushed as he noticed his friends making out behind him.
"Restroom!"
"Oh, do you want me to lead you there?" he said, leaning his face closer so I could hear him better.
I took his hand off mine while sarcastically beamed and shook my head, "I can handle myself," and then I continued on my way to the restroom while Stephen kept an eye on me.
I let out the liquid from my body for a third or fourth time, which made me feel even more woozy, every time. It sucks, but at least I was having fun at this party because I knew I wouldn't be able to celebrate my 18th birthday normally after everything that had happened to me until I stepped inside the Sword & Cross Academy.
I flushed the toilet and dashed to the sink with the other girls who had just exited the stalls. I washed my hands before fixing my hair, then took tissue papers and wiped my cold sweats on my neck and shoulder as I slid the sleeve lower until it was just above the bandaids.
"I love your crown!— wait, is it your birthday?" squealed a girl beside me, startling me slightly.
"Yeah," I said with a nod and a chuckle.
Her friend approached her, noticed me, and exclaimed in delight, "You're so pretty!" as she looked in the mirror at my reflection, she held up a finger and pulled out a red lipstick, and I knew what she was going to do. "Oh my god, this matches your dress, come here."
"Oh, no, I'm good," I chuckled nervously, flinging the tissue paper into the trash can under the sink.
I was good with my natural lip color but realized I saw myself in the mirror again that my lipstick had faded out from drinking, but the girl was too ignorantly supportive that she pleaded with me that I had to say "Fine."
She smiled cheerfully as she assisted me in applying lipstick, holding my chin up, while her friend watched. "Where did you get the dress?" she asks.
I tried to response but I waited for her friend to finish painting my lips red first, "My friend gave it to me."
"Oh, well, you look fucking sexy, so kudos to your friend!" she exclaims, her eyes widening in awe. "But you should take off that jacket," she said as she examined me in the mirror.
"Oh, no, it's too cold on the dance floor," I laughed, shaking my head as I lied when, in fact, it was making me feel hot on the dance floor, I lifted my sleeve and covering my shoulder with the rhinestone strap.
"OK, done!" her friend said as she backed away, giving me a look and a heartfelt smile, "You're so beautiful," and she kept her lipstick in her bag.
"Uh, thanks?" I returned my gaze to myself in the mirror. Yeah, that's too much red.
"Now, go give your man a sweet tender kiss on your big day," she says as she checks her hair in the mirror.
"Oh?" I laughed hesitantly, trying not to recall that dream in my head, which made my cheeks flush. I grabbed another tissue paper in order to reduce the intensity of the red.
"Happy birthday, babes!" she winked and squeezed my arm before walking away with her friend, who said, "Have fun!"
And someone yell, "Birthday sex!" from outside the restroom.
Okay, what the fuck, that was so random, but it's true that meeting girls you don't know in the restroom who are so supportive and fun to get along with for a three-minute meeting is the funny and best thing ever.
After I watched them exit the restroom, I placed the tissue paper between my lips and pressed it repeatedly until the shade of red changed to a more natural rather than the bright-too-much-red.
I walked out of the restroom and squeezed my way through the dancing crowd to our table, and when I got out, Rexha and her friends had disappeared.
Wait, what?
I went looking around the venue but couldn't find them.
Where did they go?
Okay, this isn't funny.
I pushed my way back to the dancing crowd, continued looking for them because I couldn't find them anywhere.
Are you fucking kidding me?
Did they just left me here?
"Excuse me, ma'am. I saw your friends left the table and did not return to pay the bill," the receptionist said as their bouncer blocked my path to the exit doorway.
"What?" I frowned and winced, my vision becoming even hazier due to the bright party lights hovering over my eyelids.
"Do you intend to pay this bill?"
"I," I stammered as I searched the crowd for Rexha and Stephen, who had disappeared. I returned my gaze to the receptionist, who pursed her lips in annoyance at my stammering.
Fuck, I would pay the bill but I forgot my wallet in my dorm. I managed to smile and scratch my nape while plotting an escape in my mind even though I could feel the bouncer staring down at me.
A waiter abruptly interrupted the two, saying, "Let her go!"
"What?" the receptionist questioned, as we couldn't hear the waiter over the loud music, and all I could hear was that— someone had paid my bill?
I wasn't sure if that's what I heard, but I'm glad I got away when the bouncer was distracted by the interaction between the receptionist and waiter. I swooped through the crowd just past the bouncer, and he caught me, so I hurriedly hid myself from the oncoming crowd. "It's fine! Let her go!" demanded the receptionist.
Okay, I finally left, my toes aching from dancing in these boots. I should've worn rubber shoes or sneakers, but I didn't want to look short in this fitted dress.
I looked behind me and saw people partying inside, and the receptionist kept telling the bouncer to let me go, but she still looked as perplexed as he did.
I was confused as well, did they simply let me go? They mentioned that someone paid our bill? Whoever they are, maybe they saw me celebrating my birthday and thought it would be a pity to ruin my big day from that situation, bless them.
Then I looked around the street, there are a lot of people outside the club, smoking, chatting, some were making out in the corners, and the rest were walking down the dark empty street to go home. And I still, can't, find Rexha and her friends.
Ugh, so much for a birthday surprise.
I exhaled deeply and closed my eyes, feeling the frustration gnawing at my nerves, I couldn't believe Rexha would do this to me. She gave me the lovely dress and the stolen bracelet, and now this? What am I thinking? What if she was in trouble?
Oh god, I don't know.
I don't know what to do now.
How the hell am I supposed to get back in Sword & Cross?
I crossed my arms, feeling uncomfortable in this dress as the hot temperature from the club gave way to the cold breeze from the weather outside.
I crossed the street to the sidewalk, walked up to the closed store, and leaned against the wall. I could smell weed being smoked by a guy in his early twenties as I sensed his approach to where I was standing.
Shit, think (Y/n), think about how to go back in Sword & Cross.
"Hello, princess." He grunted softly to attract my attention and held out his weed to me, "wanna smoke weed?"
I looked at him, and he was smiling down at me with his eyes lidded, his dirty blonde hair slicked back and a piece of hair over his brow. I groaned as I was still upset about the way Rexha left me alone here. "Ew, I don't smoke."
"Understandable." He pouted, and shrugging.
Great. I'm not in the mood to hang out with a cute guy right now. I grimaced at him, slightly bobbing my head in annoyance, "Do I know you?" I asked with my eyes squinting.
The corner of his mouth twitched in a smirk, his eyes went wide awake with fascination. He pressed his chest with his hand full of silver rings and even has the same angel wings ring as Cam but silver, "I'm Vincent, but call me Vinnie in short—, that's what my friends call me." he glanced behind his shoulder, "and I work there." he pointed to the Pandemonium club with his thumb.
"Yeah, we're not buddies," I uttered in a flat, uninterested tone.
He chuckled, his blue eyes piercing as he returned his gaze to me, "Ah, I know that," he beamed.
I sigh and turn my head away. To show how unpleasant I was and that I wasn't interested in him at all, I crossed my arms and stared at the empty, dark street. He leaned his side against the wall as he faced me, hunching his shoulders, "Do you wanna hang out?" he asked.
"Nah, I'm good." I answered bluntly, smiling unpleasantly.
He pouted once more, brushing his chin while holding a joint in his hand. I could smell the smoke and it made me hold my breath. And wished I could've just shoved it in his mouth so I won't be coughing like this. Ugh, this annoyed me much more than the fact that my friend leaving me alone here.
When he cocked his head to the side to get my attention, which I did, he grinned slightly and looked at me up and down. I gulped, went on to say before he speaks up, "Can you like- back away?"
"Wait, we are having a conversation."
I raised my crossed arms over my chest and gave him a bored expression as I peered up into his blue eyes, saying, "Oh yeah?"
Yeah, by noticing that he is a good looking guy, he looked straight out of a popular fashion magazine with those perfect sculpted cheeks and sharp jaw, and a silver chain's necklace and grey t-shirt and white bomber jacket wrapped around his hips, and a black cargo pants, but he isn't as attractive and mesmerizing as Cam, and— this desperation and thirst turned me off.
"Damn, baby, I'd do anything to get along with you." he bit his lower lip softly as he faintly smiles.
"Aw, you're so cute," I managed to smile amusingly, gazing at him up and down in contempt, "but no." I remarked coldly, dropping my smile, and turning my head away from his eye fuck.
He laughed raspily, charmed by my sarcasm, and leaned in to give me a look, "Why? Are you waiting for someone?" he asked, looking over the street.
"Yes."
"Who?"
"My boyfriend," I gulped, unpleasantly smiling from a lie to save myself from this situation. I know, that phrase is always what saves us girls when this day comes just so these boys can leave us alone.
He fixed his gaze on me like I was hiding something, until his eyes shifted into the distance from behind me, his smile beginning to fade.
I furrowed my brows, perplexed, as the smell of my leather jacket intensified, enticing with a mix of whiskey. Then I felt a hand slip beneath my leather jacket, grabbed my waist, and pull me against their chest. "There you are."
I then looked up to see— Cam.
He was narrowing his green eyes and slightly smiling down at me before looking up at Vincent, his face drops.
"Cam," I almost choked up.
Oh my god.
I was just staring up at Cam, completely bemused. Where did he come from?
He's wearing a plain black button-down shirt with three buttons undone, his long sleeves rolled up, exposing his detailed tattoos on his arms, and the left side of his shirt isn't tucked in his pants, which I noticed the chain from his pocket attached to his belt. His pocket watch.
Vincent was as surprised as I was, but he kept his cool while smiling smugly, "Cam Briel...," and I returned my gaze to him as he stepped back away from us, "you show up."
Oh, they know each other.
Cam seems to know almost everyone in the world, huh?
"Yeah, just in time," Cam says emphatically.
I didn't mind Cam's arm around me, I just knew why he act this way so this guy Vincent would leave me alone. It was funny to see him do it right away, as if Cam is his boss or something.
"Shit, I was just keeping my eye on your girl," he said, raising his hands in surrender. Your girl?
"She's with me," Cam stated adamantly, his hand on my waist slid on my stomach, holding me tightly, which Vincent noticed and bobbed his head before began to step backwards.
I'm ashamed to admit that when he said that, my cheeks reddened and my heart pounded.
Vincent inhaled a joint, and exhaled a smoke through his nose, "Alright." He nodded then looked over his shoulder and our gazes met as while he flung his joint to the corner of the pavement before returning to the club, "bye, (Y/n)..." and he wave his hand weakly.
Wait, what? I turned to Cam, knitting my brows, "How the fuck he knows my name?"
"Don't mind him," Cam said, his hand on my shoulder pulling me towards and facing him, I groaned and rolled my shoulder to get his hand off me.
No, how did that random creep guy knows my name? I'm befuddled. "I didn't need your help," I snarled, struggling to remove the crown from my head.
I hate myself for acting this drunk with my unsteady stance and Cam witnessing it (it's not like he hasn't seen me drunk like this since the Social Night party).
Cam arched his brow. "I wasn't trying to help you, I was just showing Vinnie that you're not someone he can have for entertainment,"
I scoffed, holding back a bitter laugh as I shoved his broad chest, even though it was pointless because his chest was too broad. I struggled to remove the crown from my head as I felt it pulling at my roots.
Cam came closer to me as he assisted me in removing the crown, and he fixed my hair, smoothing it afterwards. I jerked my head away from him, grumbled, and grabbed the crown from his hand. He sighed from my stubbornness.
"What are you doing here?" he asks.
I looked up and met his eyes, swallowing a hard lump in my throat and maintaining my glare, "None of your business," I snapped, returning his energy just as he had done to me on Todd's funeral day.
I bumped his shoulder as I walked past him. Cam exhaled, licking the inside of his cheek, "Okay, I shouldn't have paid that bill then." he said delightfully with sarcasm.
Ah, more surprises in this day, so he was the reason the receptionist let me go? "Oh, really? Yeah, you shouldn't have!" my voice almost slurred with frustration and distress.
"Where are you going?" I could hear him groan irritably behind me.
"I'm going home!" I abruptly said, trying to walk straight and steady towards I don't know where I'm going while my vision became hazy.
"Yeah, that's like thousands of miles away!" He walked towards me, grabbed my hand, and pulled me, causing me to lose my balance not due to his force, but because I began to lose my sobriety.
"Get off me," I snickered irritably. I mean, yeah. He's right, my home is thousands of miles away. I then noticed some people on the sidewalk watching us cause a scene. A ridiculous scene in which it appeared that we were the type of couple who were fighting outside in the club just because one of them was caught without telling their partner.
Which is sort of happening right now. But why does he care and why is he suddenly giving a shit now? Cam, you are so unpredictable.
"Don't talk and don't move," Cam says as his arm quickly wraps around my waist and pulls me to his side, and I huff angrily.
"No, you can't fucking tell me what to do." I shoved his chest with my elbow and turned my heel, and the crown slipped in my hand, rolled to Cam's combat boot, his hand found my stomach, pulled me closer against his abdomen, and he picked up the crown before I could, he lifted me off the ground like a brat child who doesn't listen with my legs swinging to get free.
"All right, let's go," he said stoically, as if he was done with my behavior. This drunk behavior.
And just as I thought he was about to let me go as my foot landed on the ground, I noticed him bend down and grab my waist. "What are you doing?" I squirmed irritably, trying to get away, but he quickly hauls me back against his shoulder, and I gasped as he effortlessly lifted my entire body.
His hand tightly gripping my waist to keep me from falling, while his other hand held my birthday crown. "Put me down!" I yell, trying to get free.
"We're heading back," he stated.
Heading back to where? To that prison reform school? Hell no.
I started swatting his back, trying to get away from his broad arm that was wrapping around me. He carried me like a soft pillow on his shoulder, not showing a single struggle in my every movement of trying to get away.
"You're embarrassing me," I clenched my teeth as I watched him start walking down the sidewalk, holding me while I struggled.
"Nobody gives a shit around here."
"Cam, I swear! Get off me." I jerk, struggling to escape but his hold was tight, taunting. "Or I'll-,"
"What will you do?"
"Get off me or I'll fucking kick your ass."
"I bet you will." he said delightfully and I could feel his lips curling into sarcastic smile.
Ugh, Dickhead.
Swatting his back is pointless and exhausting. I caught my breaths carefully as I calm down, I said quietly to play it safe, "Put me down, please."
We got to the end of the street, where there were closed stores and other cars and motorcycles parked. Cam's arm relaxed around me, and I slid away from him as he put me down.
I leaned against this someone's G-Class SUV car until Cam took out his keys and unlocked it. He drew me to his side to open the passenger door, then cocked his head to the side, gently saying, "Watch your head."
Fuck, I'm so embarrassed. I couldn't think about how Cam found me, but I could think about how upset I was by the way Rexha, my friend, left me in the club. I was spacing out, couldn't look at Cam, just got quiet, and he just helped me get inside his car, his unbelievable Mercedes-Benz car. Where did he get the money for this?
He went for and locked the seatbelt while I was avoiding him, despite the fact that his face was closer and I could smell whiskey on him. When he backed away, I gave him a quick glance, and he caught my gaze, and I looked away again. Cam was amused by it, and I know he knew I was avoiding looking at him because I was embarrassed. He sighed softly, resting his arm on the dashboard and tilting his head to the side, waiting for me to speak up, waiting for my explanation.
I wasn't talking. I just couldn't get past this awful birthday celebration with my friend ditching me, why would Rexha let this happen? I crossed my arms and kept my gaze away from Cam, who was staring at me purposely.
"Right, you don't want to talk right now, that's fine," he said as he stood up before closing the door.
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