"I'm not that lucky, no. The Elect is having a party tonight, and I get to bring you. You'll come, right?"
"Uh… of course! That sounds exciting. We never had many parties back in Wyoming"
"Bet the farm boys were hot, though "
"Yeah, some of them, I guess. But none were as hot as the guys here "
"Guys, or guy? "Amira was curious
Amira wags her eyebrows at Lea, teasing her.
"All right. Fine. I'll go to the party "
Amira fist pumps. "Yes! Okay, first thing. Outfits ". Amira helps Lea select three outfits from her suitcase.
"I think white looks best on you. And it's also a certain someone's favourite colour "
Is she talking about Hadyan? I don't care what he thinks!
As though she can read her mind, Amira winks at Lea.
I should choose …
"Damn, girl. I do have good taste "Lea throws a pillow at her.
"Be serious. Is it too slutty? "
"No. It's just the right amount of slutty "dressed to kill, Lea both leave the dorm and head out into the night.
Lea arrives at a thumping house party. It's already in full swing, partygoers milling everywhere. "There are so many people "
"It's a party, Boots. Want a drink? "
"Hmm… sure. Why not? "
Amira grabs a stray cup and fills it with beer from the tap. She hands it to you with a grin... "Time to Party! "Amira shout excitedly.
She pulls Lea into the living room-turned-dance floor. But a second later, she stops. Amira immediately disappears into the crowd, leaving Lea to fend for herself. Lea searches desperately for a familiar face but can't see anyone.
Lea navigates her paythroughs the gyrating bodies, calling out for Amira.
"Amira! Amira, where are you? "Lea sees her flirting with a hot stranger. Lea sidles up to them, interrupting their conversation.
"Hey. Um, I just didn't know where to go. And I don't know anyone else here "
"Gimme a few minutes, Boots. I'll come to find you "she turns back to the guy, jumping back into their intense flirting session
Maybe I should just go.
Hadyan said, "come on, boys. Let's get this party started "
I recognize that voice.
Lea turn. Hadyan's at the entrance with Kevin and Dito, surrounded by a group of models. Hadyan's eyes meet hers for a nanosecond. He quickly looks away. He pulls one of the models onto the dance floor. A second later, they both start grinding against each other.
Ugh, gross. If that's supposed to make me jealous, it is not working.
"Lea! It's dance-off time! Come show us what you got! "Reply Amira.
Amira is waving Lea over to the dance floor. There's now a large crowd gathered around the centre. Even Hadyan stops dancing. He's still ignoring Lea, but he shoots Amira an aggrieved glance.
If I go up there, he'll have no choice but to pay attention to me. And maybe I'll even win our wager. After all, what better way of proving proved to need him?
Lea nervously squeezes her way through the crowd, heading to the dance floor.
Oh, God. Everyone's staring at me.
Amira whispers something to the DJ. A second later, the speakers start blasting a dance song. "Come on, Boots! Let's go "
Lea takes a shaky breath, quickly letting her muscles relax. She looks up, noticing Hadyan watching intently.
Okay, okay. You can do this, Lea Kinandita.
Lea starts moving her muscles to the music, slowly at first. As the tempo picks up pace, so does Lea. The crowd whispers in shock. "Damn, Boots! You can dance "
Lea doesn't reply, letting herself feel the groove and tempo of the music. She drops to the grounds does a quick twist, and jujumpsack up in a flip.
"Whoa! "says the random hot guy
The crowd gasps in astonishment. Lea does a quick twirl, ending her mini-routine. As Lea does do, notices ice Hadyan is staring, slack-jawed.
Ha! Hadyan's reaction makes this worth it.
"Holy shit! Boots, where did you learn to dance like that? "
"My grandma made me choose between cooking lessons or dance lessons. I chose dance "
Amira whistles. A second later, Amira abruptly leaves the crowd and heads toward the exit.
Huh. I wonder why he's leaving. Lea leaves the dance floor, in search of refreshments.
"Looking for Hadyan? "Ask Dito
Lea turns to see Dito standing in front of her, dressed in a ridiculous ruffled blue shirt. "No, I was looking for drinks. Also, what are you, a 17th-century pirate? "
"Sure. Will you be my pirate wench? "
"If you can get me a drink, I'll be whoever you want me to be " reply Lea
"I know just the place. Those in the modern world like to call it a 'kitchen' "
Lea follows Dito into the small kitchen. There's no one else here. " So, why are you talking to me without your posse? "
"Kevin is flirting with the entire cheerleading team, and I felt like a third wheel "
"I wasn't talking about Kevin "
"Oh, I know you weren't. but Hadyan is an off-limits, farm girl. "
Dito mixes Lea's drink while she people-watch. A moment later, he offers it to her.
"Cheers. To 17th century outfits and 221st-century kitchens! "
Lea hesitates. "Thanks, Dito " she sips her drink.
"This is delicious "
"Added a little secret sauce, just for you "
"Good to know "to dispel the nerves, she chugs the drink.
"Rule number six. Never accept drinks from strangers "
"Uh… do you qualify as a stranger? "
"No. We're friends "
"Wow. That must have been hard for you to say out loud "
Lea starts to respond, but her throat suddenly feels parched.
Why is my throat so scratchy? I just had something to drink.
"I think I need some water "
"Do you want some of mine? "He smirks, offering Lea his drink.
"That's not water "
"You don't need any more aqua. Come on, Lea. Live a little "
I think he did something to my previous drink. Lea grabs his drink with a shaky finger and the rest of it.
"I c-can't see "Lea's eyesight blurs. Sight and sound blend together.
"This is for your good, Lea "the last thing Lea hears before she blackouts are Kevin's voice.
"Hey man. Let me take her instead "a second later, everything goes dark.
Lea woke up in an unfamiliar room to the moonlight shining on her face. She looks around. She has in a men's dorm. Memory comes flooding back. She blacked out at the Elect part after Dito offered her a drink.
The last thing I remember is Kevin and Dito talking about where to take me.
Text Amira...
'What the hell happened last night?! '
'Boots, you went missing! I searched for hours and I couldn't find you! '
Shit, shit, shit.
A second later, a gorgeous, golden-eyed man emerges from the bathroom, wearing a towel.
"Hey, there, gorgeous. I'm Vidi. Captain of the football team, if you didn't already know "
What the hell!
"If you don't tell me what happened, I'll report you "
"Report me to who, the school security? "
"No. The cops "
Vidi raises his hands. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down. Nothing happened. I was paid to make it look like we had sex ".
"Who paid you? "he immediately clams up
That's suspicious
"Was it Hadyan? "
"Let's just say, Hadyan would rather claw his own eyes out than hurt you "
That doesn't seem like the Hadyan I know. I want to believe him, but I don't know if I can.
"Look, I'll just say this. I don't envy you the enemies you have, Lea "
"I'm brand new to Elite. What enemies could I possibly have? "a flicker of fear appears in his eyes. He shakes his head, refusing to answer.
He knows more than he's saying. Maybe there's a way to convince him to admit the truth.
"Vidi, what do you want? Money? I'll pay you to tell me who it was "
"No payment is worth that risk. I'm sorry "
Lea grits her teeth, knowing he won't budge. She leaves his room, heading into the men's dorms. The other men ogle her. One even shouts at her.
"Way to go, new girl! Bagging the captain of the football team. Hell yeah! "said a random resident
"I didn't sleep with him. Nothing happened between us "
"Sure. Whatever you say, farm girl "suddenly, Lea sees Dito and Kevin exit their room.