Chapter 12
Lily's POV.
I spun around in front of my bedroom mirror, trying to zip up the deep-blue cocktail dress Sonia had insisted we buy for this party. My heartbeat thudded in my temples, and every ten seconds my hairbrush clattered to the floor. I glanced at the clock: 9:18 PM. The party started at 9:00.
"Ugh!" I yanked the zipper as far as it would go. It stuck. My headache flared brighter behind my eyes.
"Relax," Sonia said, flinging a tangle of her own hair over her shoulder as she pulled at the zipper from behind me. "It's on its way."
Her words sounded tinny in my skull. The room looked like a tornado had passed through: shoes everywhere, makeup strewn across the dresser, clothes draped over every chair. I glanced down at my dress. The fabric strained at the seams.
"Can we please just change?" I groaned. "I look awful."
Sonia's eyes widened. "You look amazing. But fine, let's try the other dress."
"Sonia! Where's my silver dress? The one with the slit!" I yelled, my voice echoing through my chaotic room. My hair was a mess, half-straightened, half-frizzy, and there was eyeliner smudged across my cheek like a war stripe.
"I thought it was on the chair!" Sonia called back, stumbling over a pile of shoes on my floor.
"The chair's buried under six outfits I tried on and rejected," I groaned, clutching my head. "Why are parties so stressful? I thought this was supposed to be fun."
"It is fun. Or it will be. Once we figure out what we're wearing, how to stop sweating, and get out of this fashion hurricane."
We both looked around in silence at the complete war zone that was my room.
"I miss when my only weekend plans were cleaning my wolf's claws and watching romcoms," I muttered.
"Too late for that now. You're dating Mark, one of the hottest guys in school. You have to look snatched."
We finally found two outfits that weren't wrinkled or weirdly stained. I held up a red sequin dress. "Too much?"
"Too perfect," Sonia smirked. "Now go shower. You smell like panic."
By the time we washed off the stress and put on fresh makeup, we were laughing again. Until…
ZEEPPP!
I froze. Sonia froze. We both looked at my dress, torn along the side seam.
"No. No, no, no, no…"
"Lily, breathe. I've got a needle and thread. Just... don't inhale too deeply. We can… sew it?."
"We don't have time to sew!" My head spun. "We're going to miss the entire party."
She raced to my desk and grabbed safety pins. "Temporary fix, I promise."
Sonia crouched in front of me, pinning the tear together with frantic, uneven stitches. "Okay," she said, standing to examine her handiwork. "Hold still."
I fought the urge to groan. Pins pressed into me. My head throbbed.
"Nearly done." She tugged at the fabric."There…we can work with this."
I exhaled. "Thank you." My voice sounded raw.
"Now let's go before the universe finds another way to delay us."
***
The party was already in full swing when we arrived. Music thumped from the walls like a heartbeat, and the strobe lights made everyone look like they were dancing underwater.
Mark spotted us almost immediately. He strode over, towering and golden, with a red solo cup in hand.
"You're late," he said, arching a brow. "Also... didn't we agree this was a freaky party?"
I blinked. "What does that even mean?"
"More skin, more glitter," he teased. "And make-up. You look cute, but... you know, basic."
Ouch.
I forced a smile. "Sorry, wardrobe malfunction."
He handed me the cup. "Here. You look like you need this."
I stared at the drink. "You know I get tipsy real quick."
"Which is why you need to build tolerance," he winked. "One sip. Come on."
I took it. Bitter, Burnt. But it did calm my nerves.
"See? Told you. Lightweight," he smirked.
"Excuse you," I challenged, grabbing another shot from a nearby tray. "I'll show you lightweight."
Big mistake.
***
Three shots later, I was dancing on a coffee table, arms in the air, my dress glittering like a disco ball. Sonia was yelling, "YASSS QUEEN!" and someone had started chanting my name.
But I kept scanning the room.
Where was Joe?
My wolf was growling at the absence. 'We want him here', she whispered.
But then nausea punched me in the gut. I covered my mouth and leaped off the table, only to projectile vomit on some poor dude's leather jacket.
"OH MY GOD!" he screeched, stepping back in horror. "Did you just…are you kidding me?!"
"I…I'm so sorry…"
"Get away from me, freak. Ugh."
I turned, dizzy and horrified. Sonia was nowhere in sight. Mark was busy with a group of guys, laughing about something. My stomach flipped again.
I ran upstairs, searching for a bathroom like a dying sailor looking for land.
I found one. Locked it. Sat on the floor, trying to breathe.
Then…
Knock knock knock.
"Occupied!" I croaked.
"Dude, she's so wasted," a familiar sneer said. "Let's teach her a lesson."
The door burst open. I didn't even have time to scream.
It was the guy I vomited on. And three of his friends.
"Thought you could puke on me and get away with it?"
"I said I was sorry," I whispered.
They laughed. One of them kicked the door shut.
"Maybe you should be punished."
"Come on," the leader said, sneering. "We just want to have fun."
I backed against the wall, shaking. "I…I'm sorry for vomiting."
He laughed. "That's exactly why we're celebrating." He strode forward, hand reaching for me.
I pressed my back against the cold tile. "Don't…please." My voice cracked.
The boy to my right lunged and tore at the pin on my dress, ripping it free, so the fabric gaped open. My heart soared with panic as I tried to shield my chest.
"Quiet!" the leader barked. "Or we do it for you."
Tears stung my eyes. My mind went blank. Someone grabbed my arm, pulling me forward.
Suddenly, everything exploded. A fist slammed into the leader's jaw with a sickening crack. He went down like a puppet with a cut string.
The next boy spun around, only to have his head smashed into the mirror above the sink, splintering glass everywhere. He crumpled.
My breath caught. I tried to scream, but no sound came.
The third boy raised his fist, but before it could land, he was yanked backward and thrown against the opposite wall, knocking the bathroom sink off its mounts. Water and porcelain rained down.
I pressed myself as far back as I could. Through the hanging shards of a broken mirror, I saw him… Joe. Standing tall, chest heaving, fists bloody, eyes blazing. He'd waded through the carnage to save me.
"Lily!" he breathed, rushing to my side.
His voice broke through my panic. Relief flooded me.
"Joe…" I whispered.
He reached me, kneeling in the puddle of water and glass. "Are you okay?" he asked.
I opened my mouth to speak, but my stomach revolted again. Liquid splashed onto his chest. My knees went weak.
"Ugh…" I leaned forward, he caught me, and I heaved into his arms.
He cradled me, stroking my hair. "Shh… it's okay."
Then everything went black.