AUTHOR NOTE : This is still a FLASHBACK!
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They arrived at the party a few minutes later. There, the rest of this childhood group was waiting for them. Karen and Catherina, Bruce and Sam.
(Women: Sarah, Janet, Karen, Catherina, and Sheryl. Men: Daniel, Bruce, Sam, and Matthew.)
The place where the party was being held was a nice mansion, courtesy of Sarah's parents. The entire group had wealthy parents, so they had money to spare.
'' Ow, nice place!'' Matthew praised the place Sarah rented.
'' Thank you! You should see inside!'' Sarah led the group to the house. Inside, they all greeted the others who arrived first.
'' Danm, you guys took your time, huh!'' Bruce was this tall and fat guy. While he wasn't popular with girls, he was a good friend.
'' Hey, not our fault! The principal didn't stop talking, and we had to wait for everyone to get their certificate!'' Sarah shouted.
Sam, who was Sarah's boyfriend, calmed her down, '' Easy, baby. Easy.''
Sarah calmed down, '' Okay.'' She took a deep breath and turned around, '' WELCOME TO THE PARTY!''
'' YEAHHHHHHHH!''
Karen was redhaired tall woman, and she was the one who turned the music on. Catherine was more like Janet and Matthew, a closed-off person, but she was more relaxed around this group.
Everyone started to dance, laugh, scream, and joke around. The party was awesome, until Daniel suddenly said, '' Guys!''
The couples in the group were making out and ignored Daniel. A vein popped in his head, '' GUYS!''
That finally gathered the attention of everyone, '' WHAT?''
Daniel endured the urge to punch everyone. He took out something from behind a couch, '' Look at what I found.''
He opened the backpack and inside were dozens of beers. Sarah was drolling at that sight, '' Where did you get this!?''
Daniel sounded proud, '' My father knew of the party and bought it for me. But - He said we can't drive and should sleep here.''
Matthew instantly didn't like that, ' That means I can't leave with Sheryl.' So he said, '' Thanks for bringing it, but I'll not drink.''
He was about to say the same to Sheryl, but she rushed and grabbed a beer, '' CHEERS!''
That action made Mattheew pause, ' She really wants to party... sigh, what we don't do for love?'
While he was not going to drink, he will have to stay at the party, to take care of Sheryl and, if the need arises, the others.
Sarah saw Sheryl's actions as a challenge and also grabbed a beer, '' CHERRSSSSS!''
Everyone in the group was swept away by the mood of those 2 and started to drink. It was at that point Daniel took out a bottle of Vodka and Whiskey.
Everyone stared at him in awe. Daniel was elated, '' My father is awesome!''
'' LONG LIVE DANIEL'S FATHER!''
After that, every single one there got drunk. Expect Matthew. He didn't like to drink, because he knew what happens if you lose control and drink too much.
Being just 'graduated' from being an adolescent, and now adults at 18 years old, everyone lost themselves in the drink.
Matthew sighed seeing his friend lose control. He gulped down a cup of water, continued dancing with Sheryl, and was making sure no one did anything stupid.
Sheryl, even though only drank a little, was already out of it. She was grabbing Matthew everywhere and saying, '' I love you so much.''
Matthew, who was 18, never saw this drunk side of Sheryl. Of course, he didn't care one bit. He only smiled at her, '' I love you too.''
Sheryl smiled and continued dancing. The other couple, Sarah and Sam, suddenly went upstairs. Sarah even shouted, '' Don't come to our rooms. We are going to get messy!''
The response was a ' UHULLLLLLL'.
While the couple would have a separate party upstairs, everyone else continued the one on the ground floor.
Matthew was dancing with Sheryl when suddenly Daniel appeared out of nowhere, '' HI.''
Even though they were friends, Matthew didn't really bond with Daniel. Still, he was nice to everyone in this group, since they're like brothers and sisters, '' Hi, Daniel. What is it?''
Daniel offered a bottle of water, '' I see you didn't drink with us, and only drank water.'' He passed a cup filled with water to Matthew, '' I can see your cup is empty so I took the chance and brought one for you.''
Matthew found it weird, but he had no reason to not accept it, '' Thank you.'' He gulped down the entire cup. '' I appreciate it.''
Daniel smiled, '' Don't need to thank me. I'll leave you both now.'' He then went dancing with the others.
While it was definitively a situation he had never come across before, Matthew put this interaction on the back of his mind and continued dancing with Sheryl, all while paying attention to the others and their wellbeing.
Unfortunately, 5 minutes after drinking that water, Matthew started to feel weird, ' What is happening?'
It was almost like he was seeing double, his heart was racing, and the floor and the roof were moving. It got so bad even the drunk Sheryl asked if he was okay, '' Matthew, are you okay?''
Matthew struggled to answer, '' I -- don't know... I'm feeling quite weird.'' He sat down on the sofa.
Sheryl sat with him, '' Do you want water or something?''
Matthew nodded.
'' Stay here. I'll bring it to you.'' Sheryl then went towards the kitchen, leaving Matthew there.
He looked at his hands, which now looked like they had 9 fingers. While he never got drunk or used drugs, he knew this situation looked a lot like someone drugged, ' But I didn't take any drugs...! The water Daniel gave me!'
Matthew, at this point, started to feel faint. ' I can't faint! This motherfuck-' He passed out on the sofa.
Sheryl arrived soon after. She touched Matthew a little, to see if he was awake, '' Matt, you okay?''
When she saw he wasn't responding, Sheryl panicked a little. But she soon calmed down after she saw his chest rising up, '' He's alive. But what happened to him?''
Just then, Daniel noted the situation and arrived, '' Sheryl, is everything alright?''
Sheryl, who treated Daniel like a brother, told the truth, '' Matthew passed out and I don't know why.''
Daniel got close to Matthew. He also checked his state, '' He's out. I can bring him to one of the rooms and lay him there.''
Sheryl was touched by this, '' Can you please do that?''
Daniel smiled, '' Of course. That's what friends are for!''
Under the watchful eye of Sheryl, Daniel brought Matthew upstairs and into the rooms. He put Matthew on a bed, '' There we got.''
Sheryl wanted to stay with her boyfriend, but Daniel said to her, '' Relax, he's breathing. Come with me and let's enjoy the party!''
With her intoxicated state, Sheryl didn't see a problem with that, '' I'm sure he will be okay. Let's go!''
Sheryl and Daniel then left the room, leaving the drugged and sleeping Matthew behind.
----
MORNING OF THE NEXT DAY
Matthew woke up with a headache so strong he almost fainted again. He groaned and put a hand on his sweaty forehead, ' WHAT the fuck happened last night!? I didn't drink beer, only water, and then -' He remembered what happened, ' I drank what Daniel gave me! That motherfucker drugged me!'
Feeling indignation, Matthew was going to rush out of bed when he noted his other arm was stuck in something. He slowly turned around to face the bed, and to his horror, someone that was not Sheryl was at his side, naked. It was Karen.
Just to make sure, he checked himself first. He looked at his genitalia, and sure enough, it was covered with blood. At this point, Matthew was almost crying. He looked at Karen, and there were some traces of blood and some white in the mix.
Only one thing was on Matthew's mind, ' NO, NO, NO! I WOULD NEVER SLEEP WITH OTHERS WHEN I'M IN A RELATIONSHIP! NEVER!'
Matthew knew his character and he really would never do that in normal times. But yesterday, he was drugged and ... assaulted.
That made Matthew pause, ' I was ... raped?' So many things were happening to Matthew that it caused his brain to stop thinking.
In the meantime, Karen also groaned and woke up. She looked around dazedly, '' What happened...? Huh? Matthew? What are you doing here?''
When Karen saw the horror on Matthew's face, reality slowly started to settle in her mind. Her eyes went wide and she looked around the room, and her body. She also started to think, '' NO WAY!''
She looked at Matthew with hopes that it was a lie, but it seems he was stuck in a trace. Karen knew he was in love with Sheryl, so this didn't seems like his character. She then started to remember last night, ' I was drunk, almost passed out. Then Daniel said he was going to bring me to a room ... and then I don't remember!'
Karen tried to get up, but as soon as she moved her legs, pain came from her lower parts. Praying it was wrong, she looked at her genitals and sure enough, she wasn't a virgin anymore.
Matthew recovered at this point, '' What do you remember from last night?''
Karen was still recovering from her shock, '' ... What?''
'' What do you remember?''
'' Well, I drank a lot, then Daniel volunteered to bring me upstairs. That's all.''
Matthew looked at her, '' Daniel set us up.''
'' What? Why?'' Karen couldn't keep up with the conversation.
''Honestly, I don't know. But I'm pretty sure I was drugged yesterday... and if what I'm thinking is right, they will enter the room in a few minutes now.''
'' They?'' Karen was totally confused. First, she got drunk and carried to a supposedly empty room. Then, she woke up and found out she wasn't a virgin anymore and now Matthew, one of her closest friends she had, told her they will enter the room.
Almost as if waiting for Matthew to say that, Daniel, alongside Sheryl and the rest of the group, entered the room. '' See, I told you!''
Matthew was trying to act calm, but the sight of Daniel's face made his blood boil. He, who was still nude, got up from the bed.
Silence.
No one cared that Matthew was naked. It was his gaze. It terrified everyone there, including Daniel, who thought Matthwe would not put up much fight.
Matthew calmly put his clothes on and passed Karen hers. Then, he approached Sheryl, who distanced herself from him. He retracted his extended hand, '' I was drugged.''
'' What?'' Sarah, who usually would be screaming at this point, was calm.
Matthew found this unsettling, but he continued talking, all while looking at Sheryl, '' Someone spiked my drink. I only remember until I was on the sofa, then everything is black. Think, Sheryl, why would I sleep with someone else right in the same house as you?''
Sheryl, who at this point was mad, sad, and many other things, started to remember the last night. But she too, had too many drinks, and her memories were fuzzy, '' I can't deal with this right now.'' Then she left the room.
Everyone there started to curse both Karen and Matthew, '' You should be ashamed of yourself!''
Daniel was smiling internally at that situation. ' Everything going according to the plan!'
Sarah was one of the harsher ones, '' Do you think we will believe you!? You cheating motherfucker!'' She almost launched at Matthew.
Surprisingly, this made Matthew kinda glad, ' Now that's the Sarah I know.''
After cursing the duo for a time, everyone left. Matthew was looking at Daniel as if he was going to kill him. Still, he held himself from making any rash decisions. He helped Karen walk, and both left the house.
Matthew tried one more time to talk to Sheryl but to no avail.
As Sarah was the only one who came with a car, Matthew called a Uber for him and Karen, who looked pale as a ghost. He knew nothing of this was her or his fault, so he tried to comfort her, '' Relax, everything is going to be okay.''
Karen was lost. She just probably lost her entire group of friends, her virginity, and most of her dignity. She didn't know what to do.
Matthew noted her state, so he said, '' We will go to my house, take my car, and go to the hospital. We will make some exams, then we will see what we are going to do next. But this was not your fault.''
Karen still said nothing, almost as if her soul left her body.
It didn't take long for the Uber to arrive, and both Matthew and Karen entered the car.
15 MINUTES LATER
The Uber dropped Matthew and Karen at his home. He knew hell is probably already breaking loose in his household, on Karen and the rest of his group.
What happened at that party was something that fractured the entire group of childhood friends.
'' Do you want to wait here, or do you wanna come with me?'' Matthew asked Karen, who didn't respond.
Sighing, Matthew grabbed Karen and dragged her toward the front part of his house. There, he grabbed the hidden key and took a deep breath, ' Let's grab the key and leave in an instant.'
Too bad, because as soon as he opened the door, his parents were waiting for him, ' Well, fuck!'
They were fuming. Matthew was going to start to explain, but they didn't let him, '' OUT!''
'' I was drugged!''
'' OUT!''
Even Lucia was looking at him with disgust. Matthew knew it was a losing battle, so he grabbed his car keys and left the house. Karen was outside, waiting for him. '' Let's go.''
Karen was slow, but she followed Matthew to his car. He went straight to the hospital. There, he asked for a check-up, to see if he was drugged. He asked the same to Karen.
Sure enough, it showed in the results he was drugged. He asked the doctor to sign a letter saying he was drugged. The doctor agreed in a heartbeat. He also did the same for Karen.
When the results came out, Matthew was relieved, ' Now everyone will know the truth!'
He, still with Karen, went back to his house. Still, when he showed the result to his parents, they didn't believe it.
'' WHAT!? THERE'S LITERALLY A DOCTOR WHO SIGNED THAT! HOW COULD I FORGE THAT!?'' After showing the proof and his family still didn't believe him, Matthwe exploded.
His father looked at him, clearly disappointed. He took his phone out and called a number, '' Hello, this the --- Hostipa? Ok, do you guys have a Doctor named ---? You do? Can you please pass this call to him, it's important.''
Under Matthew's stare, his father put it on the speaker, '' Hello, this is Doctor ---, what can I help you with?''
'' Hello, this is ----. My son Matthew just arrived home with a result showing he was drugged. Can you confirm that?''
The voice on the phone was the same as the doctor who helped him, so Matthew knew it was the same person.
'' Matthew...? OHHHH, that Matthew. I can say for sure his exams were clean. I did give him a letter but it was just for him to go away. I don't like drug addicts in my hospital.''
'' Ok, thank you.''
Matthew now was dumbfounded. He knew something was very very wrong with this entire situation, ' It's almost like someone knew my next steps... WAIT!'
The situation with Daniel and everything that was happening was a plot! ' But by who!? AND WHY?'
Matthew's father looked at him. He shook his head disappointed, '' While I hate you for what you did, you're still my son. You may grab your things, and we will give you your college fund. But that's it. You'll receive no further help from us. You're on your own.''
Matthew acted robotically. He grabbed a few important things and left home. In fact, this was the last time he saw his parents in 4 whole years.
Still acting on autopilot, Matthew put his things in the car. Karen was waiting in the front seat. He entered the car and turned it on, '' Something plotted against me, or us. They knew the doctor, and if I'm correct, even if we go to the police, nothing will happen.''
'' The people who did this are wealthy and have a lot of power over the people of our city. I'm 100% certain that Daniel's family is involved, but I don't know about the rest of our group.''
Still no response. '' I'll bring you to your parents now. If you're kicked out, I can take you with me to a hotel or something until we figure the situation out.''
Matthew drove Karen to her house. He turned off the car, then took her out and brought her to her front door. He knocked it and waited.
Soon enough, Karen's father opened the door. He was clearly distraught over, '' KAREN!''
He hugged Karen with all his might, '' I thought something happened to you!''
Karen returned the embrace, but she was still quiet. Her father noticed that, but he soon turned his attention to Matthew. '' YOU!! YOU RUINED MY DAUGHTER'S FUTURE!''
'' I can explain. We were drug-'' Before Matthew could finish, a punch hit him on the side, making him tumble back.
Matthew held the location of the punch in shock.
Karen's father brought her him. He was staring at Matthew with hatred, '' Never appear in front of me again! Otherwise, I will kill you.''
Matthew said nothing, got up, and left. He knew Karen was in good hands, seeing the reaction of her father. He sped away from her house, ' What I'm going to do now...?'
Lost and with no idea how to move forward with this, Matthew drove ahead.
Karen looked at the ever-going away car. She sighed, ' I also I'm lost... One of our friends betrayed us, maybe even more than one. I don't know what to think...'