Disclaimer: I don't own the series Beverly Hills 90210 nor do I own any of the characters. All I own is my imagination and the plot.
A/N: I'm not even going to tell you how long it's been since I've uploaded something. Yes, I have been working on some things, but actually taking the outlines and working them out into something readable takes a little more time, time I hardly ever have, although it is a really lame excuse, I admit. Anyway, just know that I am still here and am constatly thinking about writing and what pairing/story I should write next. See my profile for more information. :) I hope you'll enjoy this. It isn't the most hip and happening of series, not anymore, but just give it a try. I thank you in advance. :) (Oh, this story was based on an actual episode, just so you know).
Belle of the Ball
Sometimes, bright lights deceive.
Brenda looked over at the entrance again, only a little less expectant than the times before. She started to go through her list of reasons a second time: it was a long line to get through, especially for the second time, the bouncer didn't seem like the most understanding person, and Donna and Kelly did get distracted easily, or maybe they had met someone, although more probably, they didn't get in. Out of all the times they had walked right in on the vain basis of their looks, all done up in heavy make-up and short skirts, tonight had to be the night that they didn't. Knowing all that, Brenda didn't leave, still having some hope, and also feeling especially good about herself for getting in someplace that they hadn't. Now, she would have an experience to share with them the next day, and she would make it all seem just a little more than it really had been.
She held on to her elbow with the hand of her other arm while looking around at the bright lights, the alcohol, the loud music, and all of the people that were crammed in between it all. They were all wearing outfits much more glamorous and expensive-looking than her white dress with messily layered skirts, silver flats and silver heart-chained necklace that she had wrapped around her neck twice. She had even curled her hair, although being all dolled up wasn't as much fun without her friends around to compliment and reassure her that she really did look good. She also felt more confident with Donna and Kelly around, less open and vulnerable, because now it felt as if everyone was looking at her, just her.
Brenda glanced down at her watch, the minutes that had passed proof that she would be on her own tonight. ''Great,'' she mumbled to herself. She contemplated leaving, but knew that it wasn't the most cool thing to do nor was it something that Donna or Kelly would do. She didn't know why she compared herself to them so much, but she did know that she was, at least for another hour, stuck at a club that was the place to be for this evening and where she knew no one.
With a sigh she set off for the bar, managing to squeeze herself in between a couple of people, although that didn't end up helping her much since the bartended didn't take notice of her, and why would he? She knew that she really didn't fit in or stand out in such a place. Down on herself, she turned and leaned against the bar with her arms crossed.
''Hey!'' someone yelled over the music. ''Brenda!'' She lifted her head in response, not able to familiarize the face until the person was right beside her. ''Dylan. Hey.''
''Hey.'' He shot her half a smile while signaling to the barkeeper. ''Hey. Yeah. A coke please. Make that two.'' He now gave her a full smile.
Brenda smiled back. ''Thanks.''
''You're welcome.'' Dylan reached for the two cokes and handed her one. ''So,'' he struck up a conversation while mimicking her position, ''what are you doing here?''
''What do you mean?''
He glanced at her while hiding another smile. ''I mean, aren't you a little young for a place like this?'' He gestured towards the scene in front of them.
Brenda looked down at her glass. ''It wasn't my idea to come here.''
''You don't say.''
''That obvious, huh?'' Brenda turned, her back now facing the dance floor, and put down her drink. ''Ironically enough Donna and Kelly didn't get in and I did.''
''So, you're here alone?''
She nodded. ''What about you?'' She shook her hair out of her face and looked at Dylan.
''Oh, I know some people,'' he commented before taking another sip from his drink.
''Yeah, you know everyone.''
Dylan finished the last of his drink and turned slightly towards her when putting the empty glass on the bar. He cleared his throat. ''Hey, listen, if you want me to stay with you for a little while…''
Brenda shook her head and looked up at Dylan, just missing his eyes. ''Look, Dylan, you don't have to feel obliged to look after me because I'm Brandon's sister. I'll be fine.''
His eyes found their way back up. ''You sure?''
''Positive.''
''Okay,'' he replied with a nod. ''I'll see you, Brenda.''
''Yeah… Bye.'' She lifted her hand to wave, but dropped it almost instantly, feeling stupid; instead, she reached for her coke, getting it halfway to her lips before someone took it from her hand.
''You shouldn't be drinking that.''
Brenda shot the guy standing across from her, the guy who had taken her drink from her, a look. ''Why?''
''Because a pretty girl like you should be drinking something with a little more class.'' The man broke into a kind and inviting smile. ''My name's Leonard, but most people just call me Len.'' He held out his hand. ''Now, what's your name?''
Taken back by the sudden attention, Brenda shook his hand and said her name.
''Well, Brenda, nice to meet you. How about you let me buy you a drink? It's pretty much customary in a place like this, but I'm sure you know all about that, don't you?''
Brenda simply shot him a smile and nodded; flattered by his words and that he thought she was older than she really was. ''Okay.''
Leonard smiled. ''Good. Just excuse me for a few minutes, will you? I have to tell the people I came here with that I'll be spending the remainder of the evening talking with you. That is, if you don't mind?''
Brenda shook her head without really thinking about it; spending the night talking to Leonard was better than being by herself and it would add to the story she would have to tell Donna and Kelly the next day.
''I'll be right back, then. With your drink,'' Leonard added before going off to find his friends.
It didn't take him long; he was back with her drink a few minutes later. She accepted the drink with a smile, quickly sipping at it to see if there was alcohol in it, though she already knew that there was. No guy ever bought a girl a coke or anything without alcohol in it. She continued to sip at it and made small talk with Leonard.
When she finished her drink, Leonard took it from her and placed it on the bar behind them, reaching for her hand with his other. ''I think it's time to dance.'' He pulled her off her seat.
''But all the people-''
''No one knows you here. That's the fun of it!'' he yelled while leading her onto the dance floor.
So, she danced, realizing that what Leonard was saying was true; no one knew her here anyway, so why bother caring what they thought? She made it through the first two dances just fine, though by the third she was getting more and more clumsy, tripping over her own feet, but she kept on dancing, blaming it on the fact that it was so crowded and that she kept bumping into people. Halfway through the fourth song, the room started spinning, really slowly, and she had to stop, feeling disorientated and slightly dizzy.
''Leonard!''
''What?!''
''I'm not feeling so good. I think I should go home,'' Brenda told him.
''Nonsense,'' Leonard said. ''You're probably just dehydrated. I'll go get you another drink.''
Brenda shook her head. ''No, I don't want another drink. I just want to go home.''
She began to turn away from Leonard, but he stopped her by grabbing her by the arm. ''Okay. I'll take you home, then.''
Again Brenda shook her head, not feeling comfortable with the firm grip he had on her and the look in his eyes. ''No, thanks.'' She tugged her arm free and spun around quickly, tripping over her own feet in her haste and slightly beginning to panic at what she was feeling. With one hand on her forehead, she stumbled a few steps forwards, bumping into someone because she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings. She began to panic at the possibility that it might be Leonard and tried to pull back, but she was too tired. She felt fingers graze her face and fingers beneath her chin as her head was pushed up. ''Brenda, you okay?''
''Dylan?'' She shook her head. ''No, I-''
''Who did this to you?'' Dylan questioned after having done a quick scan of her.
She briefly managed to look him in the eyes. ''What? I don't know.'' She leaned into Dylan even more and his hand slipped from her face to her other arm. ''Dylan, I feel really tired.''
''Do you want to get out of here?'' Dylan asked
Brenda nodded. ''Please.''
''Okay, come with me.'' He began to lead her to the exit while keeping a tight hold on her and outside he gently helped her into his car.
''You're taking me home, right?'' Brenda murmured when they were on the road.
Dylan shook his head and looked at her. ''My place. I don't think you'll be able to explain this to your parents. I'll call Brandon when we get there,'' he added before returning his eyes to the road.
Brenda nodded, not having enough energy to argue with him, and by the time Dylan had parked his car in the hotel's parking lot, Brenda was barely awake. She was only that because he had talked to her throughout the car ride to the hotel. ''Brenda,'' he called her name, already haven gotten out of the car and on his way to the passenger's side. ''Brenda,'' he repeated, his fingers only just coming in contact with the side of her face as he brushed some of her hair aside.
Brenda moaned and opened her eyes some as Dylan opened the door and began helping her up. She leaned on him heavily as he shut the car door, and when he guided her through the hotel and to the elevator.
''Come on, Brenda, it's just a little longer,'' he said to her when the doors closed.
He tightened his hold on her during their short walk through the hall, only briefly removing one arm from her to unlock the door to his suite, and not letting go until she was lying down on the bed. He thoughtfully took off her shoes and told her, ''You'll be okay,'' before pulling his cell phone from his back pocket and dialing Brandon's number.
''Brandon. Hey. It's Dylan. Yeah, actually, I'm with her. With Brenda… Well, she'll be fine in the morning, but-'' Dylan let out a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. ''Listen, I think some guy slipped something into her drink. It's probably Rohypnol. Yeah, roofies. No, the jerk's probably long gone. She was underage. Most guys figure that underage girls are easier to- Look, I'm sorry, man, but she's safe now, just dizzy and tired. Really tired,'' he told Brandon while sneaking another glance at the half closed door to his bedroom. ''Yeah, no problem, I'll look after her. You just come up with something believable to tell your rents. Will do. Later, man.''
Dylan slipped the phone back into his pocket, leaving his hand there as well while pushing the door to his bedroom open a little further with his other. Brenda's eyes opened and she looked at him through squinted eyes. ''Was that Brandon?''
Dylan nodded, his other hand also finding his back pocket. ''That was him.''
''He was worried, huh?''
''You could put it that way,'' Dylan said with a smile that was gone as quickly as it had appeared. He took a step towards the bed. ''How are you feeling?''
''Fine. Just tired, and when I have my eyes closed the spinning stops.'' She tried to smile, but failed at the attempt. ''Dylan,'' she began softly, her eyes locking on his, ''why am I so tired all of a sudden, and dizzy? What happened?''
Dylan shrugged, reluctant to tell her, but when she said, ''You told Brandon,'' he removed his hands from his pockets and got into a crouching position beside the bed. He cleared his throat before telling her, ''Someone slipped something in your drink.''
Brenda's eyes searched his for a little before, seeking for confirmation when she whispered, ''Leonard.''
Dylan nodded. ''Have you ever heard of Rohypnol? Roofies?''
Brenda nodded her head. ''Yeah, we had this speech about it during health class.''
''What did they tell you?''
''Well, the teacher showed us a picture of it and how, when we go out, we should always order our drinks ourselves because some guys might use that as a way to…'' she trailed off, realization hitting her too late and she too tired to comment on her stupidity.
''It's a date-rape drug,'' Dylan went on, purposely ignoring her silence. ''A popular one, too, because Rohypnol is tasteless, colorless, and odorless once it has dissolves.''
Brenda opened her mouth to say something, but he shook his head. ''Don't blame yourself; there's no use. You were taken advantage off, plain and simple, but you'll be just fine,'' he tried to reassure her as best as he could because he hadn't had a lot of practice in it. ''Just sleep it off, okay?''
''Okay,'' Brenda murmured, her eyes already closed.
Dylan waited for a few more minutes before getting up. He threw the covers over her and left the room; there was nothing more to do now but wait.
It wasn't until eleven o'clock of the next morning that Brenda began to stir in her sleep and opened her eyes again, slightly dazed at first because she didn't immediately recognize her surroundings: she wasn't in her own bed and as she sat up slowly, she noted that she was still wearing the same clothes as the night before. Her hands automatically went to her necklace, needing something to fidget with as she went through what had happened. All the while she stared at her shoes, which lay at the side of her bed, until a soft tap on the door distracted her. She didn't say anything, and she didn't have to. The door was pushed open gently and Dylan came in, carrying a tray.
''Morning,'' he greeted her while walking over to the bed.
Brenda mouthed a 'hey' and watched as he placed the tray on the bed and sat down on the edge himself. ''You feeling okay?''
Brenda nodded. ''Yeah.''
''Do you remember last night?'' Dylan asked. It was a standard question, just to see how much of the drug she had gotten in her system.
Again she nodded. ''Yeah, I remember.'' She looked down at her hands that she had now dropped into her lap. ''I was pretty careless last night, wasn't I? I mean, I shouldn't have just accepted a drink from some guy I just met.''
''That was probably not the wisest thing to do,'' Dylan agreed.
''And I can't believe I wore this dress, what was I thinking?''
''You were thinking what any other girl was probably thinking in that club.''
''Maybe, but maybe if I hadn't-''
Dylan stopped her, ''The guy's a sleaze, Brenda.''
''I don't get why someone would want to hurt someone else like that.''
He shrugged. ''The world's filled with some sick people.''
Her eyes found Dylan's. ''Have you ever…''
Dylan ran his tongue across his bottom lip before answering, ''I may have done some wrong things in the past, but I would ne-''
''I'm sorry,'' Brenda interrupted, quickly lowering her gaze. ''Of course you haven't. I'm sorry I judged you. I don't even really know you, so I had no right to. I-''
''It's okay,'' he told her. ''Just have some breakfast.'' He gestured at the food in front of them.
''Room service? Isn't that expensive?''
''My dad pays for it.''
''Your dad? Where is he?'' Brenda wondered.
Dylan snorted. ''Not here.''
''Oh, sorry, I didn't-''
''Would you stop apologizing?''
Brenda nodded and quietly reached for a piece of bacon.
Dylan sighed. ''Look, my relationship with my dad's complicated and pretty much non-existent. I only see him a few times a year, if I'm lucky. He's out of town mostly, and since we don't have an actual house…''
She wanted to say 'sorry', but didn't, seeing the look Dylan threw at her, so instead she asked, ''Don't you get lonely?''
''Sometimes.''
''Well, if you're ever really lonely, and desperate, you can always come by my house.''
Dylan grinned at her. ''I do get pretty desperate sometimes.''
Brenda averted her eyes for a little while, unable to hide her smile. They continued to eat in silence, not saying another word to each other until they were standing outside the hotel.
''Are you sure you won't let me drive you?''
Brenda smiled at him and let him know that she appreciated his offer, but declined it. ''I don't think it'll fit into whatever story Brandon came up with, but thanks. Thanks for, well, you know, right?''
''Yeah, I know.''
''And, for the record, you're not as bad as people make you out to be. You're a good person.''
''Well, I wouldn't go that far,'' Dylan remarked.
''Your heart's in the right place, and that's what counts, right?''
Their eyes met and he revealed a small smile to her, the kind that made her feel special. ''If you say so.''
''I should go.''
Dylan nodded. ''See you later?''
''You will,'' Brenda promised before turning around.
''Hey! Brenda!'' Dylan called when she was already a few steps from him, making her look back at him. ''Nice necklace.''
Brenda turned back around and kept on walking, one hand clutching at her necklace and a big silly grin on her face.
Please review? (: Not my best writing, in my opinion, nor the most challening of topics or pairing to write about, but this was something that I needed to write because I just kept thinking about it and seeing it in front of me, although it's always better in my mind. :) Please let me know what you think and, for you who have been looking for updates and/or uploads from me, I'm still here and I won't be going anywere. :)