Nico sat in the back seat in Emily's car, watching Nate practically bursting at the seams, bouncing into the seat in the passenger seat. Nico rolled her eyes, tugging at the end of her dress, and sighed.
"I am so excited! I heard everyone is going to be there, and I mean everyone," Nate excitedly said.
Emily giggled at Nate's childish actions and that nothing would put Nate in a lousy mood, not even the negative Nancy sitting in the back seat. Nico looked out the window watching the trees past, becoming memorized by the scene displayed in front of her. The longer Nico sat in the car, the more she dreaded their destination. Nico was starting to regret opening the door this morning, let alone put Nate in charge of the plans tonight.
~7 hours earlier~
"No, no way I am not going," Nico said, standing in her doorway starring at her two best friends.
Nate rolled his eyes and continued to look through her closet, tossing whatever seemed fit toward the bed where Emily was looking through the clothes that Nate picked out. Emily examined the clothes she thought would look good on Nico, and she would put them in two piles, one pile for yes and the other for no. Nico groaned at the fact that her friends were ignoring her protest.
"Why not? It would be fun", Emily chimed in, sitting on Nico's bed watching Nate pull out multiple dresses.
"Why not! Do you understand what you guys are asking me?" Nico said, stomping toward her desk, grabbing her chair, spinning it around, sitting in it, crossing her arms, pouting.
"It is just a little party, Nic," Nate said, holding up two dresses surveying them closely before throwing both of them on the bed. Nico huffed, sliding deeper in her chair because this was no little party. This was apparently the biggest party of the year and is hosted by Megan Worthington, her enemy.
"I don't understand why we have to go. Megan throws a party like every other week," Nico grumbled to herself, but Nate just shrugged it off and moved on to Nico's shoes.
"You never know, Nic, you might have fun," Emily said as she picked up a black dress and examined it before putting it behind her for herself.
"Yeah, I highly doubt that, and why are you okay with this? Wouldn't it be awkward that you would be the ONLY college kid at this party?" Nico sat up in her chair, asking Emily.
"Actually, I won't be. I heard from some people around my campus said that they are also heading to this party," Emily said, causing Nico to sink deeper into her chair. Emily sighed and looked at Nate for some assistance, but he was immersed in Nico's closet.
"I just don't know why we have to go," Nico said.
"Look, this wouldn't be an option if we didn't think it would be fun," Emily said.
"For you, it would be," Nico grumbled.
Suddenly Nate slammed Nico's closet doors, causing Nico and Emily to jump. Nate whipped his head around, glaring at Nico. That glare alone can make Nico break out into a cold sweat as she watches him slowly approach her. He gave her one more look before turning to Nico's bed, grabbing a pile of clothes shoving them at her uttering the words go change. Nico nodded meekly and got up from her chair, scrambling to the door rushing to the bathroom.
~Present~
"Nic. Hey, Nico, you alive back there?" Emily called out, looking at Nico through the rearview mirror. Nico snapped out of her daze, and her eyes met with Emily's concerned eyes.
"Yeah, what's up," Nico asked.
"Uh, we're here," Emily said, pointing at the house in front of her. Nico tilted her head and saw this giant house in the distance, and the more she looked at it, the more it made her unease. Emily looked at Nate and exchanged some concerning looks before looking back at Nico.
"Nico, are you okay there? You don't look so great." Nate asked.
"Wha- yea, I'm okay," Nico said, shifting her attention towards Nate.
"Okay, well, you two go ahead, and I will meet you guys once I find a decent parking spot," Emily said, gesturing towards the fact that they were still in the middle of the street. Nate nodded, unbuckled his seatbelt, looked back to Nico, and saw that she hadn't moved an inch.
"Well, come on, Nico, you can't stay here all night, "Nate said.
"I could try," Nico mumbled before she unhooked her seat belt and threw open the door, hopping out shutting it behind her once she was out.
Nico stepped onto the sidewalk and watched Nate get out of the car, talking to Emily about where they would be once she parks the car before closing the door, joining Nico on the sidewalk. They walked toward the house, and the closer they got, Nico got a better view of the house and the lights dancing behind the dark windows, making Nico feel nervous. The front yard was decorated with statues and a fountain. The yard was split up in half with a stone pathway leading up to this massive house with a lovely porch and matching furniture. Nico started to play nervously with the end of her dress as she watched some people rushing past her and Nate to get inside the house.
"You can't bail out now," Nico heard Nate say, and she turned her head toward Nate, and he was looking at the massive house. Nico sighed and glanced back at that house, feeling dread settle in the pit of her stomach. Even though it looks nice and big, something about it made it look unwelcoming to Nico.
"I know, but I am leaving after an hour," Nico declared, and Nate shook his head, now facing her.
"I can only do three," Nate said, holding up three fingers towards her.
"An hour," Nico said, standing her ground, crossing her arms with a stern look.
"Two hours," Nate said, putting his hands on his hips.
"Nate, no," Nico said, annoyed.
"Come on, Nico. Okay, how about this? We can stay for two hours, and I will pay for your food at joe's later," Nate pleaded. Nico thought it over a little, and she agreed because she could not turn down free food.
"Fine, two hours but not a minute after," Nico stated, and Nate grabbed her and hugged her tightly.
"Thank you. Thank you so much. You won't regret this," Nate excitedly said.
"Won't regret what," they heard Emily said Nate and Nico turned around and saw Emily walking up to them with a look of confusion at the two.
"Me staying longer than I should have," Nico said.
"Oh, he manages to get you to stay," Nico nodded. "Good, maybe you would have some fun," Emily said, placing a hand on Nico's shoulder, giving her a lopsided smile.
"Oh, you will," Nate quipped. Nico rolled her eyes, pushed Emily's hand off her, and started to walk towards the house.
"Come on, let's just get this over with," Nico said, tugging at the end of her short dress. Nate looked and Emily and smiled at her. Emily gave him a chuckled and started to follow behind Nico, with Nate flowing close behind.
Nico walked into the party, and the only thing she felt was hot. Many people were on the first floor, including the couples walking to the second floor, hand in hand, clearly drunk. Nico turned her head and saw that the living room was filled with people dancing or talking or making out on the expensive white couches. Then, as Nico watched the crowd of people, she heard someone calling them, well, more like Nate.
"Nate! Hey Nate," A guy called out, emerging from the crowd of people, and Nico watched the guy approve the three, not taking his eyes off of Nate. Nico glanced at Nate, looking at the boy break out into a huge smile, and practically ran to the guy.
"Evan, hey, I am so glad you are here," Nate said, hugging the guy.
Nico got a better look at the guy as Nate talked to him. He wore a grey flannel that was open and revealed the white t-shirt that looked tight on him, the sleeves on his flannel were rolled up, showing off his tan arms, and he wore black jeans with black Tim's that matched. His raven hair was tied up into a high bun, and the longer Nico looked at him, she noticed that he was pretty tall standing next to Nate; he looked like he was around six feet tall. Nico glanced at Nate and saw that he was real close to him with a smile on his face while this guy had an arm around his waist and finally putting two and two together.
"I am glad that I came. I am mostly happy that I got to see you again," Evan said, matching Nate's smile.
Evan felt the mood change when he felt some intense glares on him. Evan turned his head and noticed Nico and Emily staring at the pair. Nate felt Evan tense up slightly and shifted his gaze towards and fuming Emily and a bored Nico. Nate awkwardly cleared his throat, looking back at Evan, who was looking at him with a bit of fear in his eyes.
"Um, Evan, these are my best friends, Emily and Nico. Guys, this is Evan, a guy I have been talking to," Nate said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Nate talks about you guys a lot. It's nice to meet you guys finally," Evan said, reaching out his hand.
"Is that so because Nate hasn't mentioned anything about you," Emily said, crossing her arm, glaring at Nate, and Nate shifted his gaze towards Nico. Looking at her with pleading eyes to help him out, leaving Nico to groan inwardly.
"Nice to meet you, Evan. I'm sorry about my friend. She can be a bit protective, especially with this one over there," Nico said, grabbing Evan's hand and shaking it slightly before letting go.
"No, it's alright. I get it," Evan said, rubbing the back of his neck, smiling, letting out an awkward laugh.
"Okay, so now that formalities are done, how about we have a little fun. I was dragged out of my house. So rather have some fun before I go back into my cave of solitude, okay," Nico said, shifting the conversation to be less awkward.
"I agree with that. Let's go," Nate said before grabbing Evan's hand pulling him towards the dance floor. Nico looked at them and smiled a little because Nate looked happy. Nico shifted her gaze toward Emily, and she was watching him but with an odd look that Nico couldn't make out.
"Hey, you alright," Nico asked, and Emily only nodded her head before looking at Nico with a smile on her face, but to Nico, that smile felt off to her. Nico tilted her head in confusion and opened her mouth to say something, but Nate called them.
"Come on, guys, you just gonna stand there all night," Nico turned towards Nate, who had a big smile across his face, and was motions, Nico and Emily, to join him on the dance floor. Nico gave Emily a small smile and grabbed her hand, pulling her toward that dance floor, joining Nate and Evan, and began to dance the night away.
Even though Nico would rather be at home right now, she doesn't hate that she was here spending her time with her friends having fun. The rest of the night consisted of dancing, mainly drinking from Nate, and having fun. Evan tried to make Nate pace himself and actually took care of him, relieving the tension a bit. Even Nate commented about how he didn't want Emily to scare him away because he was a good one causing Evan to blush at that, which was funny to Nico. Nico felt a bit stuffy and headed outside to get some air at some point. Nico walked out onto the front porch, felt the cool breeze across her face, and took a deep breath. She sat on the white swinging bench looking out onto the empty road, lost in thought.
"Well, out of all the places, I never thought you would be here," Nico heard, pulling her out of her thoughts. Nico whipped her head to the left, noticing Zane was standing there with a red solo cup in his hand, looking down at her with a lopsided grin, and Nico chuckled to herself.
"Well, what can I say? I just full of surprises," Nico said, shrugging her shoulder. Zane chuckled and walked toward the banister placing his cup on the ground leaning against it, looking back at Nico.
"That I can not argue with," Zane agreed.
Nico looked at Zane and got a better view of him. Zane wore a black leather jacket with a red button-up shirt underneath and skinny black jeans with red and black converse. All in all, he didn't look bad, and ironically, Nico was matching in a way. Nico's dress was a red bodycon dress that ended toward the middle of her thigh with black accents along the dress. She wore black and red stilettoes with red and black straps wrapped around her ankles to her mid-calf. Nico groaned mentally because she never let Nate pick her outfits out again. Nico sat there with Zane with muffled music playing in the background until Nico broke the silence.
"So you are enjoying the party," Nico asked, and Zane only shrugged his shoulder, moving away from the banister and sliding into the bench next to Nico.
"For a while, but it was getting too much for me, and I needed some air. What about you?" Zane asked.
"You know I am not going to lie, I'm am having some fun all things considering this being my first party," Nico admitted.
"Wait, this is your first party? You are having a lot of first," Zane said in shock, leading back.
"What do you mean by that?" Nico asked, turning to face the boy.
"Well, you have been doing new things like going to a party for the first time letting a boy sleepover. Wow, Nico, what is next on the list?" Zane said, and Nico shook her head, letting out a laugh, lightly pushing Zane.
"Oh shut up, I have had a boy sleepover before, considering that it was my best friend," Nico said.
"Oh, I'm hurt. I thought I was the first," Zane said, holding his hands to his chest, pretending to be hurt.
"You are so weird," Nico said.
"Well, what can I say? I am one of a kind. Just like you," Zane said, giving Nico a smile. Nico blushed and turned away from the boy.
"So, what did you do after you left this morning?" Nico glanced at the boy.
"Nothing special, I just went home, took a shower, got a call from a buddy, and we hung out. He convinced me to come to this party because he was meeting his date here," Zane said, shrugging his shoulders.
"You were forced to come here. I thought this was your scene, and going to parties like this was your life," Nico said.
"Well, after a while, these kinds of parties get kind of boring," Zane said.
"I see," Nico said.
"Well, what about you?" Zane asked.
"What about me?" Nico asked.
"Why haven't I seen you at these kinds of parties?" Zane asked, leaning closer to the girl.
"Well, let's see," Nico placed a finger on her chin. "Well, for starters, this is Megan's party, and everyone knows that she hates me," Nico said.
"But yet you are here," Zane added.
"Yea, that is because my friends dragged me here," Nico said.
"I supposed so. What are the other excuses?" Zane asked.
"Well, the other reason is that I work a lot, so I never have time to go to parties," Nico said, shifting her gaze somewhere else.
"At the book store, right? I've noticed you there before," Zane said, and Nico chuckled to herself.
"Are you following me, Mr. Peters?" Nico said, and Zane's face twisted into uneasiness.
"Please don't. That makes me feel like my dad," Zane said, shaking his head, and Nico laughed a little.
"Sorry, but I can't because if that's the reaction I get every time I say it, then it never goes away," Nico said, laughing.
Zane only shook his head and leaned back into his chair, turning his head to look out to the empty street and Nico following suit falling into a comfortable silence. After sitting there, Nico felt a chill and shivered from the cold. Zane noticed and shifted toward the end of his chair and slid his arms out of his jacket's sleeves, taking it off.
"Here," Zane said, passing his jacket to Nico, and his gaze shifted towards his jacket and him.
"Oh no, I am fine," Nico said, waving him off pushing his jacket back towards him, but Zane leaned closer to the girl placing the jacket over her shoulders.
"Come on, Nico, it is obvious you need it more than me," Zane said, and Nico gave in and slipped her arms through the sleeve, wrapping the jacket around her.
"Thank you," Nico said, giving Zane a slight smile.
"Don't mention it," Zane said, falling back into a comfortable silence. Nico looked at him and wondered why he was still here, so she decided to voice her inner thoughts.
"Hey, aren't you friends looking for you," Nico asked, and Zane sighed, not turning towards her.
"Nah, they are too busy playing beer pong or trying to pick up girls, and I'm not in the mood for that," Zane said.
"Oh, I see," Nico said.
"Why you don't want me here," Zane said, looking back at Nico and watching her frantically shake her head.
"No, not at all. I was just curious," Nico said, waving her hands at him.
"Okay, well, can I ask you something that made me curious it is not about the party," Zane asked, leaning towards Nico.
"Um, sure," Nico said, playing with the end of Zane's jacket sleeve nervously.
"It was something I have been thinking about since this morning. That book that was on your nightstand," Zane said in a severe tone.
"Yeah, what about it," Nico asked.
"The book wasn't your diary, was it?" Zane asked in a soft but worried tone.
"N-no, it is not. I got it from work. My boss told me I could take a book from the pile they were getting rid of and that one piqued my interest," Nico confessed, and Zane's expression softened a bit.
"I see," Zane said, shifting his gaze away from Nico, deep in thought.
"Why do you ask?" Nico asked curiously, wondering what Zane saw that made him so serious all of a sudden.
"Well, while I was waiting up in your room, I read a few pages before you took the book, but from reading those few pages alone felt somewhat off like it was dangerous to read it," Zane said, looking back at Nico. She was thrown off a little because she never expected that comment to come out about the book. Yes, the book was different, but she never thought it gave off a dangerous vibe.
"Dangerous how," Nico questioned, sliding closer to Zane sitting at the edge of the chair, anticipating his answer.
"I don't know how to explain it like I thought it was just about the town's history, but then it took a weird turn. Didn't you look through it? "Zane responded, moving closer to Nico to where their knees are now touching.
"I didn't' get to read it thoroughly. I just briefly skimmed it, but what do you mean it took a weird turn," Nico asked in a low tone, afraid of people overhearing them even though they were alone.
"Well, on one of the pages was a list of people describing when they were last seen and numbers next to the names. I don't know. It was like whoever's journal this belonged to. It looked like they were tracking these people who may be disappeared or something. I do know that this book is no joke," Zane said, looking back at Nico, who had an unreadable expression on her face.
After hearing that, Nico was even more curious about who the owner was and what they were doing. Zane placed a hand on Nico's knee, pulling her out of her thoughts. She looked at Zane, and he had the same look of curiosity she had. Nico opened her mouth about to ask Zane what else he read, suddenly her phone rang on the table in front of her. Nico reached for her phone, picked it up from the table, and noticed that she had received a text message from Emily asking where she was. Nico sighed and replied to Emily before looking back at Zane, giving him a half-hearted smile.
"Sorry, my friends are looking for me. They are ready to go," Nico said, getting up from her chair with Zane mimicking her actions. Nico gave him a small smile and started to walk away, and Zane grabbed ahold of her wrist. Nico snapped her head back to Zane, surprised by his actions.
"How about I come with you?" Zane suggested, taking a step closer towards Nico, still holding her wrist. Nico looked down at her wrist and then back to Zane, and he looked down. Realizing that he was still holding her wrist, he let go of her wrist, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Why?" Nico asked Zane, not breaking eye contact.
"Y-you piqued my curiosity and want to know more," Zane said, shifting his gaze away from Nico.
"I don't think that is a good idea," Nico said, taking a step back from him rubbing her arm.
"Why not?" Zane asked, looking at Nico, confused.
"I don't think your friends would be okay with you leaving with me," Nico said, hugging her arms looking away from him.
"So they don't need to know," Zane said, shrugging his shoulders, and Nico sighed.
"Goodnight, Zane. I'll see you later," Nico said, turning away from him and heading back inside to look for her friends.
"Wait, hold on," Zane called out before she got too far. Nico stopped and looked back at him, and Zane walked up to her and held his hand out.
"Pass me your phone," Zane said, and Nico hesitantly passed him her phone, and Zane turned it on.
He looked at the phone for a minute before turning it back to Nico, gesturing for her to unlock it. Nico reached for her cellphone, took it back, and typed her password before passing it back to Zane. Zane fell silent, looking through her phone, and started tying before pulling his phone out of his pocket, turning it on, typing on it as well before giving Nico her phone back. Nico looked at her phone and saw that Zane's name was on it along with his number.
"You know, if you just wanted my number, you could have just said that in the beginning," Nico said, watching him slide his phone back into his front pocket.
"I thought that is what I did," Zane said, and Nico chuckled at him and started to walk away.
"Goodbye, Zane. Oh, wait, your jacket," Nico said, sliding his jacket off her shoulders, but Zane walked up to her stopping Nico.
"Keep it. You look better in it than I do." Zane said, sliding it back on her shoulders before taking a step back from her.
Nico felt her cheeks heat up, and she turned around and headed towards the door. Nico walked up to the door, opening it before looking back at him, giving him a small wave before heading inside to look for her friends. Once the door closed, Zane sat back in the chair, looking at his phone with Nico's contact on the screen. Zane smiled to himself before turning off his cellphone, sliding it into his pocket, grabbing his neglected cup, taking a sip before getting up, and heading back inside.