Chapter Ten
It's been a few weeks since Rachel returned from her weekend "away". Things have been different. Not necessarily in a bad way, just different.
Chloe and Victoria have been seeing each other secretly and spending time together a few times a week. According to Chloe, it's been easy and fun. Victoria has loosened up a lot more since their first time and Chloe has been enjoying their time together since then as a result. Rachel managed to pry all of this out of Chloe and have her open up about her spending time with Victoria. At first, Chloe was hesitant to give much information up and it felt like pulling teeth for Rachel. Rachel had assumed it was because of her and Chloe's past, coupled with the fact Rachel and Victoria don't get on, that Chloe wasn't so forthcoming with details. But after a lot of reassurance, Rachel had eventually gotten Chloe there and they have finally been able to discuss things more freely and openly now.
But that has left Rachel with a guilty feeling.
Sitting forward in her seat, Rachel looks up from her lap and leans over to grab the bong in front of her. Taking a long hit, she closes her eyes and melts back down into her seat, exhaling slowly as she does.
Chloe still has no idea about Rachel's own secret affairs.
If anything, Rachel is thankful for Victoria's presence in Chloe's life in the sense that it's distracting Chloe enough for her not to really notice that Rachel has her own secret love life. Even when Chloe isn't spending time with Victoria, Rachel can easily explain most things away with school work and being tired. It's almost the end of senior year after all and even Chloe, despite being kicked out, can understand that that comes with a lot of pressure and work.
It doesn't stop the feelings of guilt, though. Especially when Chloe excitedly mentions getting out of Arcadia Bay with her once graduation is over.
"Fuck," Rachel spits, kicking the table in front of her and knocking a pile of magazines off.
After taking another hit, Rachel places the bong down by her side, when a lined notebook catches her eye that has fallen off with the magazines. An idea quickly springs to mind as she reaches down and picks up the notebook. Reaching for her bag, she rifles through it in pursuit of a pen. She knows she doesn't have long. Chloe had a late night last night with Victoria, but she still agreed to meet Rachel in the junkyard around noon. It's currently just after eleven and Rachel knows Chloe will be starting to drag her ass out of bed by now. With it being a Saturday, Rachel doesn't have any classes, but she still found herself waking up early this morning. She had figured she'd rather kill some time reading in the junkyard and catching up on school work before Chloe arrives. However, her mind kept getting distracted, so she decided to just sit and get high instead.
Whilst Chloe had been with Victoria the previous night, Rachel had met up with Mark. It hadn't been their first time meeting out of school hours, but after last night, Rachel knows now that what she feels for him is strong. She doesn't know what to do and she can't exactly go around talking about it with people. Chloe is the only one she can trust with this, but telling her isn't going to be easy. She doesn't know how exactly the punk is going to react to the revelation that Rachel has met someone new that she really likes. Rachel has come close to telling her about him on a couple of occasions, but she would always freeze up and stand looking awkward, her mouth gaping like a fish, whilst Chloe would stare at her with an eyebrow cocked, suspiciously.
Rachel sighs remembering this and throws her head back in frustration, her eyes searching the incomplete ceiling of the shack, where the gaps give way to a bright blue sky. Closing her eyes, Rachel breathes in deeply, doing her best to clear her mind, before sitting forward and staring at the notebook in her lap again.
She knows that at the very least, Chloe is going to press for details, just how she herself pressed her for details about Victoria. How Chloe will react when she finds out it's Mark, her photography teacher, is what Rachel is most uncertain about. But writing this letter is a start, right?
Right.
Opening the notebook to a fresh page, Rachel clicks her pen, tapping it briefly against her chin in thought, before she begins to write. By this point, she's lost count of the amount of hits she's taken from the bong and her writing isn't at its best. Her mind feels foggy and she keeps forgetting the words for things. By the time she's finished (if you can call it finished, that is), the page mainly consists of more scribbles than actual legible words. But it will have to do. The main message is there and she knows it's enough for Chloe to understand.
Checking her phone, Rachel notices it's after half past now and Chloe has sent her a message to let her know she's getting dressed and heading out shortly.
A sick feeling rises up from her stomach, leaving a lump in her throat. Rachel knows this is a shitty move on her end, but she can't be here when Chloe reads this. She's not ready to fully discuss it yet and she doesn't want to see her reaction to it. Besides, they both have a Vortex Club party to attend tonight. Rachel had brought it up to Chloe a couple weeks ago and, again thanks to Victoria, Chloe was much more open to attending it. With Chloe and Victoria's thing being secret, however, Chloe and Rachel were still going to be showing up together. They could talk about it then, when there's plenty of booze around to numb any feelings that surface or get hurt.
Ripping the letter from the notebook, Rachel places it down on the table and uses the bong as a paperweight for it. She knows for certain that Chloe won't miss it there and chuckles to herself.
Picking up her things, she packs them all away into her bag, before swinging it over her shoulder and making her way out of the junk shack.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Hey, Rach!" Chloe calls out, slamming her truck door shut. "Your hella awesome sauce friend is here!"
Being greeted with silence, Chloe shrugs and assumes Rachel is listening to music. Whistling along to a song that's been stuck in her head, Chloe strolls over to the junk shack, a slight hop in her steps.
Things have been good for Chloe. Easy. Apart from money being tight and the usual bullshit, things haven't been that bad. Victoria and her have been getting to know each other better and it's been relaxing. Yeah, she still acts like a major bitch with most things, but with Chloe, it's like she's a whole different person. Victoria had confided in Chloe about how she likes to put up a front so as to not leave herself feeling vulnerable and Chloe had understood after her own experiences.
Even though they were seeing each other, they hadn't spoken about what they were exactly and Chloe preferred it this way. She hasn't let Victoria know yet that she's planning on leaving Arcadia Bay after the end of the school year with Rachel and she doesn't know how the blonde is going to take it. Chloe, having always been aware of this, hasn't let herself get too deep. Yeah, she likes Victoria, but she's been keeping her feelings in check and distancing herself best she can emotionally. Fuck knows about Victoria, though.
"Hey, Rach," Chloe says, walking into the junk shack.
Chloe stops in her tracks by the door to the shack when she sees it's devoid of Rachel. Frowning to herself, Chloe reaches into her jacket and retrieves her phone, pulling up her conversation with Rachel.
Chloe: yo, where are u?
Hitting send, Chloe pockets her phone and moves her way further into the shack. It stinks of recently smoked pot.
"What the fuck?"
'Rachel must have been here,' Chloe thinks in reply to herself.
Spotting the bong on the table, Chloe walks over to it and grimaces as she picks it up.
"This needs a serious fucking clean," Chloe sighs, inspecting the bong in her hands.
Her phone alerts her to a new message so she quickly places the bong back down, before moving over to sit in the seat. Pulling out her phone from her pocket, she checks the message, only to see it's from Victoria and not Rachel.
Victoria: I have no idea what to wear for tonight.
Chloe: wear my favorite.
Victoria: I can't go to a party naked, Kari!
Chloe: damn.
Smirking to herself, Chloe scrolls through her contacts and finds Rachel's number and hits dial. The phone rings for a twenty seconds or so before Chloe is sent to voicemail. Chloe's eyebrows furrow and she shakes her head, ending the call without leaving a message. What now?
Chloe: Have u seen Rachel today?
Victoria: No, why? She wasn't in the dorms when I got up.
Chloe: jw. Thanks
Audibly sighing, Chloe pockets her phone and throws her head back against the seat, her eyes wandering over her surroundings mindlessly, as her thoughts work their way to the forefront of her mind. 'What the fuck, Rachel?!'
Sitting forward, Chloe reaches over and turns on the radio sat next to the letter that goes unnoticed by her. Sinking into her seat, Chloe starts to subconsciously bob her head along to an unknown heavy rock song, whilst her hand fumbles into her jacket pocket in pursuit of her cigarettes.
Surely if Rachel was just here, she can't be far, right? Maybe she needed to go get something from the store or had to run a quick errand and will be back, right?
Right.
Chloe nods to herself, as she places the cigarette between her lips and lights it, taking a deep drag and letting the smoke and music consume her and her surroundings.
It's only when she finishes her cigarette a few minutes later, that she bothers to check her phone again and notices the time and lack of response from Rachel. Flicking her cigarette, she hits dial once more. Ring, ring, ring. Welcome to voicemail. Chloe grunts and ends the call, kicking her leg out in frustration at the table in front of her. The action causes the bong sitting on top of it to start to wobble to the side. Thinking fast, Chloe launches herself forward and catches it just as it's about to hit the ground. 'Close call,' Chloe thinks to herself, smirking, as she gets up and moves to place it back on the table.
That's when a piece of paper with writing on it, that she hasn't seen before, catches her eye. It's Rachel's writing.
With a curious look on her face, Chloe picks up the letter and starts to read, the bong still clasped in her other hand. As she reads, her face contorts and twists into different expressions. From curiosity, to confusion, to disbelief... And finally, to anger.
Without a second thought, Chloe screams out and twists, hurling the bong full force towards the wall of the junk shack, shattering it into tiny shards of glass. The sunlight, streaming in through the gaps of the shack, gleams off of them as they fly through the air. Using both hands, she angrily scrunches up the letter in her fists and launches the ball towards the trash in the corner of the shack, making the shot in one go.
"Fuck this," Chloe spits, before turning and stamping her way out of the shack.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rachel is busy pacing in her dorm room. She's dressed for the party and ready to go, but Chloe isn't answering her phone or replying to any of her texts. Shit. Did she really react that badly to finding the letter? Is she just not going to talk to Rachel now?
The stressful thoughts cause Rachel to stomp her foot and run her hand anxiously through her hair as she continues to pace.
She shouldn't have ignored Chloe's texts or calls from earlier in the day, but she wasn't ready to talk about it, yet. Now, though, it seems Chloe doesn't want to talk at all and this is all her fault. She had first tried calling Chloe at around 2pm, but since then, Chloe has been ghosting her completely. It's almost 7pm now.
Rachel stops in front of her desk and shakes her head, willing herself to calm down and just do her best to proceed as normal. Picking up phone and keys, she turns and leaves her room.
She isn't going to let this stop her from going to the party tonight. And if anything, she could really use a drink right now.
Stepping out into the hallway, a thought comes to mind. If anyone were to know where Chloe is, besides her, it's surely Victoria.
Making her way down the hallway, she stops outside room 221, her fist raised and hesitates, briefly, before shrugging it off and knocking.
Rachel doesn't wait long before the door suddenly swings open with a cheerful looking Victoria stood before her. Her cheerful expression quickly dissipates, however, when she sees Rachel.
"Oh, it's you. What do you want?" Victoria asks, her voice cold as she crosses her arms.
Usually, Rachel would put on a faux smile and cheerful tone in order to irritate Victoria and get under her skin, but this isn't like other times, so she gets straight to the point.
"Have you heard from Chloe at all today?"
"Yes," Victoria says, shooting Rachel a look as if to say 'duh'. Rachel ignores it, despite the sudden urge to punch her in the face.
"When was the last time you heard from her?"
"Why do you want to know?" Victoria fires back, before uncrossing her arms and placing a hand on one hip, the other raised to her face as she observes her new manicure.
"I haven't heard from her in hours and I'm just worried. We were supposed to go to the party together," Rachel replies. Her look is one of concern, but Victoria doesn't notice as she's too preoccupied with her nails.
Victoria sighs, dropping her hand to her other hip and looks up at Rachel, before rolling her eyes. "Last I heard from her was this afternoon."
"Did she say where she was or what she was doing?" Rachel pushes, her tone sounding slightly desperate.
"Shouldn't you, like, know?" Victoria asks, cocking her eyebrow and head to the side, staring Rachel down. "You two are like BFFs, right?"
"She won't answer any of my texts or calls and I'm worried about her," Rachel huffs, her frustration with Victoria building and her patience dwindling. "Now, will you answer the fucking question, Chase?!"
Victoria scoffs, before letting out a small snort and rolling her eyes again.
Rachel meets her gaze, unwavering and determined for answers, her hands now balled up into fists by her side. Victoria can't help but notice this, though.
"Not that it's any of your business," Victoria starts, her brows furrowing as she crosses her arms, "but she said she was going to the liquor store for drinks for tonight and would see me later."
Rachel's facial expression softens, some relief washing over her with the knowledge that Chloe will still be attending tonight. She doesn't move or speak, instead stood, lost in thought and nodding to herself.
"Satisfied, bitch?" Victoria spits.
When Rachel doesn't reply quick enough, Victoria just audibly sighs and steps back.
"Whatever, I have a party to get ready for. Au revoir," Victoria says, a bored tone in her voice, before slamming the door shut in Rachel's face.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The music is loud, just like the last party Chloe had found herself at. Too loud. The whole street feels like it's shaking, but then again, it could be because she's blind fucking drunk and struggling to walk up the driveway as it is. She has no idea whose house this is, but yet again, it's large and expensive looking. Another elitist asshole from Blackhell. She grunts at the sight.
Taking a few more steps, Chloe stumbles and someone nearby says something, but she doesn't catch it. Everything is a bit of a blur and the lights up ahead are bright and disorientating. People's voices are all around her, whoops and cheers from inside occasionally interrupting them. It's all messy and merging into one, though, like an annoying ringing in her ears that won't go away.
Opening the door, she stumbles yet again, but, fortunately, holds onto the doorknob for support and doesn't fall. Shaking her head, she wills her legs to work and does her best to stand up straight, straightening her beer stained shirt down. Beer that she spilled on herself earlier on her way to the party, but that she still hasn't noticed.
Taking a deep breath, she does her best to focus her gaze at the people around her. The party is in full swing, with swaying bodies everywhere. Chloe isn't sure if they're swaying a little extra for her in her inebriated state, but she doesn't care. She's not here to sway and dance and laugh and have fun. No. She's here to see Rachel. She needs to talk to Rachel.
"Rachel!" Chloe calls out.
Her shout attracts the attention of a few party goers nearby, who turn and look at her disapprovingly. A couple laugh when they see her struggling to stay stood up. Chloe doesn't notice any of this, though, and takes determined (though shaky) steps further into the house.
"Rachel Amber!" Chloe calls again, as she steps foot into what she assumes is the living room.
More party goers turn and take in Chloe's appearance, some turning and whispering into their friend's ear, before erupting into laughter. Chloe doesn't notice.
The room is fairly large, but you wouldn't be able to tell with the amount of bodies packed into it right now. A huge and expensive looking sound system is set up to the side, with a dude attempting to "DJ" stood behind it, his fists pumping into the air, as people around him dance and cheer.
Chloe moves further inside, but she trips on a wire and falls. Fortunately, she doesn't feel any pain or embarrassment, as she slowly backs herself up against a wall and pushes herself up. A girl stood next to her rolls her eyes and pushes herself away from the wall, putting distance between herself and the messy, blue haired drunk.
With her back still slumped against the wall, Chloe takes a moment to catch her breath and find her bearings. Rachel can't be too far. Standing up as straight as she possibly can, Chloe lets her eyes slowly wander over the people around her. They seem like semi-blurred shapes and it's hard to recognise faces.
But there's one face she doesn't fail to clearly recognise up ahead. She spots her through a gap in the crowd. She's dancing with a small group of people and swigging from a red cup. A very distinct blue feather is hanging from her ear, swinging wildly from side to side as she whips her head to the beat of the music. Chloe smirks at the sight.
"Rachel!" Chloe yells once more.
But the music and everyone around her are too loud. Rachel doesn't hear. Chloe watches as a girl leans close to Rachel and whispers something into her ear, causing Rachel to throw her head back and laugh, the girl next to her joining her in a fit of giggles, before throwing an arm around her.
Before today, the sight of Rachel laughing would fill Chloe with a nice sort of warmth. A fuzzy and happy feeling. One she would revel in and enjoy. But now, she finds herself being filled with a different sort of warmth. No, not warmth. Heat. It's not a nice sort of heat. It's making her stomach twist uncomfortably and her teeth have started to grind, causing the muscle in her jaw to pop and contract visibly, whilst her hands subconsciously ball up into fists.
Rachel hasn't heard a word from Chloe all fucking day and here she is, having the time of her life. Carefree and unbothered, laughing with her stupid fucking friends. Completely oblivious to Chloe and her existence. But why would she care? She has someone new in her life to care about now. Right...?
"Fuck you," Chloe spits, pushing herself up from the wall and taking fast and heavy steps in Rachel's direction.
A girl off to her side goes to grab Chloe's arm, but misses. She's nothing but another blur to Chloe, though. The girl then says something, but...
Chloe doesn't notice.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
She'd finally caught sight of the punk after a fellow Blackwell student had informed her of a hilarious drunk chick with blue hair in the living room. Victoria had seen Chloe from across the room and she quickly noticed the angry look in her eyes and the aggressive stance she had against the wall. She did her best to get to her through the crowd and see what was up, but she was too late.
It all happens so fast.
One moment, Chloe is there and almost in her grasp, the next, all hell breaks loose.
Victoria stands as she watches Chloe keep walking.
"Chloe, wait!" Victoria shouts, the concern and desperation in her voice lost in the cacophony of the party surrounding them.
Victoria makes a move to follow her, but a tall jock is pushed by his friend in front of her, blocking her path.
If looks could kill, that jock would be six feet under Victoria's heels. Instead, she hastily grabs him by the arms and throws him to the side and out of her way.
That's when she catches a glimpse of Chloe bowling into someone up ahead. She can't make out who, though, so she pushes her way forward to get a better view.
Chloe is in the middle of a sloppy looking wrestling match with a guy that Victoria doesn't recognise. Everyone's attention quickly turns to the shouts between the pair and a small circle has formed around them.
Victoria stands frozen, her mouth agape as she witnesses Chloe throw the guy in a headlock. It's clear Chloe has had a lot to drink, though, as she stumbles and loses her footing, allowing the guy to get his head out from under arm and push her away from him.
Suddenly, the music is cut and all goes quiet, as other party goers join them in the living room out of curiosity.
"Fuck you, man!" Chloe shouts, flipping the guy the finger, her body visibly swaying as she does.
"You need to watch where the fuck you're going next time, bitch!" the guy fires back, his face visibly red, some spit flying out of his mouth and landing on Chloe's face.
"Blow me," Chloe shouts, closing the distance between herself and the guy.
"Shut the fuck up, dyke!"
"What did you just call me?!"
"Dyke! Fucking slut!"
Chloe lurches forward, her fist balled up and ready to make impact with the guy's face. Only, in her drunken state, she misses by a mile and falls forward into the sound system that's set up next to them.
"Fuck!" Chloe screams, bringing her fist down on the turntable she's hunched over. An audible crack is heard, before she pulls her leg back and brings it kicking forwards, the toe of her boot impaling a speaker on the floor. She goes to pull her foot out, but it's stuck. Instead, she loses her footing once more and falls, knocking over some other equipment which crashes around her. A beer (presumably belonging to the DJ), perched near where the turntable is, wobbles and falls amongst it all, causing a few sparks to fly along with a crackling sound.
Shocked gasps and laughter is heard all around at the sight. People are all gathered around, phones in hands, recording. Victoria has no idea what to do, she simply stays frozen in shock.
"Chloe!" a girl shouts.
Victoria looks up and sees Rachel has pushed her way through the crowd and is staring down at Chloe on the floor.
Chloe seems oblivious, though, her body sprawled out on the floor, some minor groaning sounds emanating from her.
"That's it!" a guy is heard shouting. "You're so fucking screwed, bitch! I've called the cops, they'll be here in no time!"
Victoria recognises the voice and looks over to where Nathan is stood, phone in hand and a livid look on his face. She springs into action once she processes his words and makes a move towards him. However, Nathan brushes her off and walks towards Chloe.
"You destroyed my fucking sound system, you stupid bitch," Nathan spits, leaning down as he does so his face is closer to Chloe's. "Did you hear me, cunt?!"
Chloe just groans and rolls over, her eyes half lidded. Victoria can see her shirt is torn and stained, despite it having ridden up, exposing her abdomen.
"Out of the way, people! This is the police! Make room!" a voice shouts from across the room.
Victoria feels sick. She glances over to where Rachel is, only to find she's no longer there. She's moved and is now kneeling by Chloe, shaking her shoulder and whispering in her ear. Nathan has backed off, a smug, yet evil, looking grin on his face as he waits for the approaching officer.
Officer Anderson Berry pushes his way through the crowd and appears next to Nathan. He quickly takes notice of the mess on the floor... And the damaged sound system. Without saying a word, he approaches Chloe and Rachel, before pushing Rachel to the side and roughly picking Chloe up by her arms. He gives her a shake and does his best to get her to meet his gaze.
"Hey! Wake up!" Berry shouts, shaking Chloe once more.
No luck. Chloe's head just lulls and she remains unresponsive.
Berry shakes his head in disgust and begins to drag Chloe out in the direction of the door. People move to the side and make room as he does. Nathan follows behind quietly.
Snapping herself into action, Victoria quickly side steps some people and works her way behind Nathan.
Once outside in the front yard, Officer Berry sits Chloe down by his cruiser, her body limp as she leans back against it. Victoria breathes a sigh of relief when she hears Chloe groan and notices her eyes opening briefly to look up at Officer Berry.
"So, what happened here?" Berry asks, pulling a notepad and pen from his pocket, before turning to look at Nathan and Victoria.
"I have no idea. One minute, I'm partying, the next, I can hear shouting and see this piece of shit destroying my things," Nathan replies, pointing his finger at Chloe. "That's when I called you."
"Your things?" Officer Berry asks, scribbling something down in his notepad as he does.
"Yeah, it's not my house, but that's my sound system. I had it brought in for the party. It's fucking expensive, too! My dad won't be happy about this!" Nathan spits, his brows furrowing at Chloe.
Berry just nods and puts his notepad and pen away. "I'll take care of it. Sorry this happened, Mr Prescott."
Nathan just nods and takes a swig from his drink. Berry watches, saying nothing, despite the fact he's underage and drinking. Nathan Prescott is the son of the man he works for, after all.
"Nathan," Victoria finally speaks up.
"What?" Nathan asks, snapping his head around to look at her for the first time since coming outside.
"I'll pay for the damage," Victoria sighs, "just please, let Chloe go."
Both Officer Berry and Nathan cock an eyebrow at Victoria and silently look at her for a few moments. Nathan is the first to break the silence.
"What?" Nathan snorts. "You're going to pay for the damage?"
"You know I'm good for it," Victoria says, forcing her tone to remain confident and cool.
"It's a fucking twenty thousand dollar set up, Vic! You sure you wanna waste that much on this trash?"
"That's fine. My dad will wire me the money if I ask for it," Victoria nods, crossing her arms.
Nathan sighs, taking another swig of his drink, whilst locking his gaze with Victoria's over his cup.
"Fine," Nathan says, letting out a small burp. "You owe me."
Victoria just nods, choosing to stay silent.
Officer Berry audibly clears his throat, causing Victoria and Nathan to look back at him.
"I think it's best I still take Miss Price here to the station," Berry says, casting a glance over at Chloe as he does.
"You know her name?" Nathan snorts.
"Yeah, I'm familiar with this one," Officer Berry snorts, shaking his head.
"I bet," Nathan says, mirroring Berry's actions.
"Why take her to the station?" Victoria pipes up.
"She's clearly very inebriated, Miss Chase. I think it's best she sobers up somewhere where I can keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't do anything else she'll come to regret."
"You can just leave her with me, I'll get her home safely," Victoria says.
"Nah, take her," Nathan scoffs, "I think she deserves a brief stay behind bars. Anderson is right, she's dangerous right now. Don't want you getting hurt, Vic."
Officer Berry just nods, before moving over to pick Chloe up again.
"Fine, but I'm coming with you," Victoria snaps.
"I can't allow you in the cruiser, Miss Chase," Officer Berry says, his back turned to Victoria as he opens the door and pushes Chloe into the back.
Victoria sighs and rolls her eyes. "Fine, I'll just follow you there in my car."
Closing the door on Chloe, Officer Berry turns and nods at Victoria. "That's your choice, Miss."
"Okay, I'll just go grab my things then. I'll see you there," Victoria says, shooting Officer Berry a small smile.
Nathan just grunts and takes another swig from his drink, ignoring Victoria as he makes his way back inside.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"Nathan!" Rachel calls out, pushing her way through the crowd and out into the hallway.
Nathan is on his way into the kitchen when he hears his name and turns to see Rachel moving towards him.
"Sup, Rach?" Nathan asks, before finishing off his drink and crushing the cup in his hand.
"Where's Chloe? Is she being taken to the station?!" Rachel asks, her face full of concern.
"Yeah," Nathan nods. "She's totally shit-faced, Rach, she needs to sober up."
Rachel looks away, shaking her head. "Shit. This is my fault."
"No, it's not. She just had too much to drink and couldn't handle it," Nathan scoffs, "fucking lightweight."
"Nathan, please don't press charges," Rachel pleads, turning to look up at Nathan. "Chloe's just going through a bit of a rough patch."
"Not my fucking problem!" Nathan spits, shaking his head. "She fucked up, big time! There's no excuse! My dad got me that sound system."
"Please, Nathan. Is there anything I can do? Just please don't make Chloe pay for this!" Rachel says, grabbing Nathan's arms and looking him square in the eyes.
Nathan stays silent and meets her gaze. He can sense the girl's desperation. And she looks so fucking good tonight. He wishes he could have her in front of his lens, so he could capture it. Her beauty. Her vulnerability. Her fear.
Her 'moment of desperation,' a familiar voice echoes in the back of his head.
Rachel is still silent, her eyes still pleading with Nathan's. Confusion breaks out across her face when Nathan's serious expression shifts into a wide grin as he glances around them, despite no one being around.
"Okay, Amber," Nathan laughs, looking back down at Rachel, "for you, I won't press charges against your friend."
Rachel breathes a sigh of relief and smiles up at Nathan, before throwing her arms around him in a hug.
"But, there is something you can do for me," Nathan adds, causing Rachel to lean back and look up at him.
"Okay. What's that?" Rachel asks, her eyes searching his face.
"Come back to mine and have a drink with me," Nathan says, winking. "This party is dead now, but we could bring it back to life back at my place. Only fair seen as it was your friend that ruined this one, right?"
Rachel smiles and nods her head. "That seems fair. I really am sorry about what happened, Nate."
Nathan grins again, before throwing his arm around Rachel's shoulder and moving them towards the door.
"Don't worry about it, Rach. Our little party is gonna be way better than this one, anyway."