"Okay, here we are!" Stella said excitedly, tugging on (Y/n)'s hand and leading her down the street over to her friend's house. A house (Y/n) would have described as a manor considering its sheer size, its well trimmed garden and its high regal gates.
Some black and pink balloons had been tied to trees inside of the property and on the portal, along with bow garlands hanging here and there paired with fairy lights. All Stella's work for sure.
"Wow." (Y/n) said in awe, looking up at the big illuminated windows and overall height of the house.
Stella chuckled at her friend.
"Right? Amber's parents are filthy rich, they work in public affairs, or whatever they like to call it." Stella said with a smile, "Anyways! Let's join the party! I can't wait to see what she thinks of the decorations!"
(Y/n)'s lips curved into a smile as she followed her friend through the gates, Stella's excitement rubbing off on her and working to dissipate some of (Y/n)'s nervousness.
She hadn't been to this kind of party since what had happened with Simon, and she never thought she'd one day be stepping foot in one of those ever again.
Yet here she was, willingly following Stella in what might be her own version of hell on Earth.
Not that (Y/n) hated parties, she used to love them and was never one to miss out on her and her friends' weekly Friday night. But things had changed when she had started associating parties with Simon.
Ever since then, parties had lost their appeal, tainted by her memories of that night.
Truth be told, (Y/n) didn't really know what compelled her to accept Stella's invitation. Maybe it was because she needed a change of pace, or because she wanted to try and get a taste of her old self.
Of the old (Y/n) who didn't live in fear and anxiety.
"You okay?" Stella turned to her, gazing at her friend in concern. She had probably noticed (Y/n)'s discomfort somehow, like she often did.
"Yes!" (Y/n) nodded, putting on a smile and giving a reassuring squeeze to her friend's hand, "I'm fine, sorry. Was just thinking about something."
"Okay, feel free to leave any time if you don't feel good, though. I'll be staying until the end to clean." Stella said with a sympathetic smile, before leading the both of them inside the house.
Amber's house was packed with students, their chatter mixing with the music that played from speakers on both sides of the living room. And with the dim lighting, (Y/n) wondered how anyone could find anyone through the maze of people dancing, chatting and making out.
A shudder ran through her as she caught sight of a couple groping each other in a dark corner, their mouths roaming up and down each other's throat.
You're okay, She had to remind herself, shaking off the tight tension in her muscles.
She'd probably be fine after a few glasses.
"I'm going to try and find Amber real quick and see if my friends need me for whatever around the party." Stella shouted through the noise to make herself heard, "I'll be back!"
(Y/n) didn't know if this was a good idea, but she didn't really feel like going up to this Amber girl like the two of them had known each other for years when (Y/n) had literally just invaded her birthday party as a complete stranger.
So she nodded at Stella to leave her. She said she'd be back anyways, so (Y/n) just had to wait until then.
Aaron's nose scrunched up in distaste as a total stranger leaned over to him and babbled something incomprehensible, his breath stinking of alcohol.
Aaron's gaze travelled around the room in search of Adam, soon catching his friend talking with a blond haired girl he could only identify as 'Amber' thanks to the birthday crown that sat atop her head.
A heavy sigh fell from his lips and he brought his cup of water up to his lips.
What was he even doing here? It's not like he knew anyone around this place, apart from Adam, and it's not like Aaron had ever been fond of parties.
He couldn't see anything exciting about dancing with a bunch of drunk strangers who all smelled of beer or weed, or both.
If it wasn't for Adam, Aaron would currently be at home doing anything else he'd rather be doing at the moment.
But Adam was his best friend and he had been invited to this party by Amber's parents who were good friends with Adam's own parents, so Adam had to come.
Esme was originally going to come with Adam but following their last conversation she had been distant, and Aaron couldn't really blame her. Even if that meant he had to come to the party with Adam who didn't want to come alone.
"We'll be in and out, I promise! Am just popping by to say hi and wish her a Happy Birthday, and then we're out."
That's what Adam had said, but Aaron couldn't hope to get away from here fast enough, and Adam's twenty minute long conversation with Amber was already way too long.
With a sigh he stood up from the couch.
He didn't really know what he was doing, but Aaron had enough of just sitting there and doing nothing. Anything else would be more productive and a welcome distraction from the ongoing party.
And Aaron would have probably made his way to the gardens if he hadn't caught sight of something much more interesting.
'(Y/n)?'
His eyes fixated on the (h/c) haired girl on the other side of the room, a glass in hand as she swayed to the music with her eyes closed. And suddenly all his problems vanished, including his urgent wish to leave the party.
He turned around to look at Adam who was still stuck in a conversation with Amber.
Aaron didn't know how Adam would react if he learned of (Y/n) being here as well, but Aaron well intended on taking advantage of him being busy to have a few moments with her alone.
With that in mind, he made his way through the crowd.
On the other side of the room, (Y/n) didn't know how long it'd been since Stella had left to look for her friend, but it had been long enough for her to be at her second glass of whatever alcohol they were serving.
(Y/n)'s objective wasn't to get drunk, just to drink enough for that floaty feeling to carry away her thoughts and problems, to banish any thoughts of Simon and his disgusting face from her mind.
The party had been going pretty smoothly up until that moment and (Y/n) had just found it in herself (and the alcohol in her system) to stand and walk over to the dancefloor.
It had been a hot minute since she had last loosened up like this and casually danced to some pop music without anything on her mind.
It felt good, she felt normal again.
She found herself regretting Julian not being here though, as seeing him dance would have been a pretty entertaining sight in her opinion. And she would have had a dance buddy whilst Stella was out and about.
But he'd said he had work and wanted to get an early night for an exam the next morning. Ever the hard working student.
(Y/n) wondered if he ever loosened up and allowed himself to have fun. Maybe the two of them could go out with Stella one of these days and gather around for some drinks at a bar.
Right now (Y/n) had a desperate need to pee though, and some water on her flushed face would be welcome as well. That is if she managed to find the bathroom in this maze of a house of course.
Which was easier said than done considering her near drunk state.
Maybe she did have too much to drink after all. For she didn't even see Aaron trying to wriggle his way over to her as she made her way upstairs.
Julian checked the time for the umpteenth time, drumming his fingers on the smooth surface of his desk.
It was almost midnight and although he knew student parties tended to end way past this hour, he couldn't shake the slight worry that tugged at his conscience.
Maybe he should have tagged along.
But then again he had work, and although (Y/n) was his top priority most of the time, he also had to think of his own future, well their future. For part of him working so hard was also to guarantee his and (Y/n)'s financial stability later on.
He could catch a break though, he'd been working for the last two hours and a quick check on Stella's socials to see how the party was going wouldn't hurt.
Julian grabbed his phone and swiped his way to Stella's social media account. She had posted a few stories about the party, just like Julian had anticipated.
Apparently things were going well, she had posted videos of the food and decorations, things she had been in charge of during the organisation. (Y/n) didn't appear in any of these videos though.
Someone else caught Julian's attention though.
"The bastard." He groaned to himself as he zoomed in on the face of a familiar boy who appeared on one of Stella's videos.
Simon was casually drinking in a corner, with two other students, an insufferable smile on his face. All too happy for Julian's liking, and the probability of Simon stumbling upon (Y/n) all too big.
Julian didn't waste a single second to grab his jacket and head out. He didn't know where this party was but he'd stop at nothing to find it and get to (Y/n).
Of course this was something Julian had seen coming, he knew it was only a matter of time before (Y/n) and Simon crossed paths. But for this to work in his favour he had to be there when it happened.
He just hoped that by the time he got there it wouldn't be too late.
A/N:
Hey everyone! I hope this chapter wasn't too boring and confusing, it's mostly a transition to the next chapter's action! Thanks for reading <3