Mysteries Around Him

Chapter 5: Night Out

Hallie's POV

It's Friday night and is the end of the first week of college, so Abby suggested that we go out for drinks tonight to celebrate. I have never been to a nightclub before because I'm underage, but Abby assured me that it wouldn't be an issue.

I'm not one for breaking the law, but part of being an adult is trying new things and experiencing the world, so that's what I'm going to do. I'm going to let my hair down and enjoy tonight with my new friend. I'm all about making new memories.

It's approaching 9 p.m. when I leave my room and head downstairs to meet up with Abby. I decided to dress casually in a pair of black skinny jeans, black ankle boots, and a plain white spaghetti strap camisole. I've never been to an event like this, so I'm unsure what the dress code is.

I spot Abby standing by the door to the building when I step outside. As soon as she sees me, a whistle escapes her lips, and her eyes trail up and down the length of my body.

“Woah, look at you! You look hot, Hallie."

I blush at her compliment and tuck my long wavy hair behind my ear. A trait I associate with being embarrassed or nervous. “Oh, thank you. You look great yourself."

And she does. Abby is dressed the total opposite to me in her black mini dress and silver high heels. Her mousy light brown hair is tied into a slicked-back ponytail and her make-up is done to perfection. She looks like she just stepped off a runway.

Abby chuckles as she links her arm through mine and begins directing me down the street toward the main township where most of the local shops and bars are located. “Oh, I know I do, Hal. I appreciate your compliment, though. You're the cutest."

During the walk to the nightclub, Abby and I engage in casual conversation about how our first week went. Since meeting her, I've learned she is very much the type of person to enjoy a night out instead of staying inside to study, which is something I'm going to have to get used to if I'm going to be her friend. It's not a turn-off for me because I like having people to encourage me to get out of my comfort zone and push me to try new things. Tonight is one of those times and I'm looking forward to it.

As we walk down the street, I can see a line of people forming at the front door to a nightclub called 'Euphoria'. My eyes widen at the number of people waiting to get in as we join the back of the line.

“I didn't think there would be this many people out at this time," I say as I peer down the line to where the security guard is standing checking IDs.

Suddenly the realization of what I'm doing dawns on me, and I begin to grow nervous at the thought of the security guard catching on that the fake ID Abby got for me is in fact not real.

“If anything, we're early," Abby chuckles as the line moves forward inch by inch. “Normally people don't start arriving until 11 p.m. because that's the best time to be out. It's all about pregaming first before you arrive at the club. That way you have to pay less while you're here because you're most likely already drunk anyway."

“The more you know," I chuckle and shake my head, hoping it'll be a good distraction from how nervous I am.

I'm holding my breath when it's our turn to get our IDs checked. I try to stop my hands from shaking as I hand the security guard my ID. His eyes flick between the card and me before he hands it back and gestures for me to go in. I breathe a sigh of relief as I follow Abby inside.

The room is in complete darkness beside the flashing strobe lights coming from the DJ deck in the back right corner of the room where the dancefloor is located. There are multiple tables spread all throughout the room with large groups crowding them as they try to talk over the music to each other and dance beside their table.

Abby drags me to the long bar covering almost the entire wall to our left. She lowers her mouth to my ear to hell over the loud pop music. “What do you want to drink?"

I shrug, “I've never had an alcoholic drink before."

Abby chuckles and shakes her head. “You're so innocent, I love it. I'll order you what I normally get."

I look around the room while Abby orders our drinks. I chew on my bottom lip as I try to make out some faces in the dim lighting. I can't help but wonder how many people from my classes are out celebrating the first week like I am. I'm sure the number would be high.

I tilt my head slightly when my eyes land on a large group of people sitting in the back corner opposite the DJ set. There are three large couches with what looks like twenty-plus people occupying them. Most of them are guys, but there are also a lot of women lounging on the guys and dancing with them very sensually.

As I look closer, I can see a pair of eyes watching me through the crowd. With furrowed brows, I try to recognize the face despite my pounding heart. As I look closer, realization washes over me.

How the hell am I always running into River Knight when I least expect it? And is he always looking at me like he's trying to dig deep into my soul?

“Here's your drink," Abby yells over the music as she hands me a drink.

I jump at her sudden appearance and gratefully accept the drink from her. “Thank you!"

We find a table to sit at, but it happens to be in the direct line of sight of River's group of friends. I can't seem to keep my eyes from flickering over there as I take a sip of the drink. I raise my brows in surprise at Abby.

“Woah, this tastes amazing. What is it?"

“A Vodka and Redbull. It's great, right?" Abby responds while wiggling her brows at me. I don't know if she notices me watching River, but she points a finger toward him even though he's watching. “What's going on with you and River? Is there something you're not telling me?"

“No," I shake my head profusely and take another long swig of the drink, enjoying the way the alcohol feels sliding down my throat and heating up my skin. “There's nothing going on between me and River."

“Well, he's staring at you right now, so surely there must be something going on."

I try to keep my eyes on Abby, even though I desperately want to look at River because I can feel his eyes burning holes in the side of my head. “I don't know what's up with that. I've spoken to him maybe two times this past week. He lives down the hall from me at the dorm, so I guess we're neighbors."

“Well, if I were you, I'd try and stay away from him," Abby warns as she sips on her drink. “Yeah, he might be insanely hot, but Giselle, the girl you see sitting on his lap… yeah, she's insane. I would steer clear if I were you."

I furrow my brows and turn to look at River again. Abby's right, there is a beautiful blonde girl sitting on River's lap who I didn't notice before because I was too captivated by him to notice his surroundings. Now that I'm thinking about it, she looks like the girl I saw him with in the alley yesterday. Are they dating?

I turn back to Abby, “Yeah, I suppose you're right. I've barely spoken to him anyway, so I won't have any issues steering clear."

For the next couple of hours, I'm not sure how many drinks I go through with Abby. We took turns going up to the bar to order more drinks, but I lost count after my fifth trip up there.

My body feels warm and fuzzy as I sway slightly in my seat, trying to focus my blurry eyes on Abby's face. This is my first time drinking alcohol, so I should've taken it slow, but I couldn't with the way River's eyes stayed on me the entire night. It felt like I was an insect he's inspecting under a microscope.

I have no idea why he continues to look at me like that when he has a beautiful girl on his lap, but I need a distraction from it and alcohol seems like a good choice.

“We should…go get some food," My words sound slurred and odd coming out of my mouth, making me giggle profusely.

“Maybe we should get you home instead," Abby suggests as she finishes the last of her drink. We have drunk the same amount, so why does she seem fine and able to stand on two feet as she rounds the table to me?

“Come on, Hallie, let's go." Abby tries to hook her hands under my armpits, but I feel heavy and sluggish in her grip. My eyelids feel heavy.

“I can take her home." A deep voice forces my eyes wide open.