3 months later…

I look in the body length mirror that hangs on my closet door. I'm in a strapless black dress with black platform boots. I nod and walk over to my dresser and sprits some perfume on my chest. I make sure my make up is all in place and that nothing is smeared. I look good, I think to myself, smiling at my reflection. Tonight marks the third month that I have lived in the Pasta Manor and my life has never been better. All of the Pastas are my family now, more of a family than I had before. And from the looks of it, I look healthier than ever too. I have more color to my skin, my face is fuller and my eyes are brighter.

I open the door, smiling, and walk downstairs. There waiting for me is Jane. "Hey Jane," I say brightly. She groans in frustration.

"Jade, girl. It doesn't take that long to get ready to go to a club."

"Yes, it does. Jane, think about it. I'm eighteen, never had a boyfriend, never gone to parties and never had a make-out session. Do the math."

She purses her lips and looks upward, weighing and calculating my points. Then she just shrugged, "Ah, good point. But who cares! Let's go!" She says excitedly as she grabs my arm and pulls me along after her.

We barrel out the front door, excited about the fun we would have with the others tonight. With Jane pulling me after her, we meet everyone else on the sidewalk out front. Ben has his arm around Mrs.P's waist and they are all "lovey-dovey-need-a-room-quick". Mrs.P blushes and shoves Ben playfully. I smile to myself, secretly envious. I've never had a guy treat me like that before, ever. I guess I am just a bit upset about that. I shake my head and see that everyone is just chatting with each other, Jane fussing at Jack; Maskie discussing a matter with Mr. Widemouth for Slendy. Then, I see Jeff, standing alone, waiting for the others to shut up so we can leave. I smile and walk over to him.

"Hi, Jeff." My face flushes, I can feel it. He looks at me then looks away. That is when I see his eyes shift and do a double-take, his face flushes, just like mine.

He clears his throat and tries hard to look uninterested, but he fails. "What do you want?"

"You were just over here alone, I thought I'd come and keep you company."

He snorts sarcastically, "Thanks but, no thanks. Come on! Let's go already!" The others all follow me and Jeff. Keeping my silence, we walk side-by-side. When we arrive, everyone just gets in the club and goes crazy, except- for me. I just stand alone, feeling awkward and out of place. A hand touches my shoulder. I turn and see a tall man with blue eyes and dirty blonde hair.

"Hey, babe. Wanna go somewhere," he slurs. The stench of alcohol seeps from his mouth as he breathes on me. I shrug his hand off.

"Back off, perv!"

He grabs my waist and pulls me against his body. I yelp in surprise. "Where the fuck you think you going?"

"Let me go," I scream at the top of my lungs. The man's hands tighten their grip, digging into my flesh. Then, their ripped away. Suddenly, someone wraps their arms around me.

"You alright baby,"Jeff asks in my ear. I play along and nod. The man tries to reach for me but Jeff punches him square in the jaw. "Back off, douchebag! She's my girl." Jeff and I walk to Slendy. He leans over and says something. Slendy nods and Jeff pulls with him.

As soon as we exit the club, he pulls me into a light. Bending, he lifts my dress. "Jeff, what the hell?!"

"Chill out. I am only checking your side. Let me see." Blushing, I look away as he lifts my dress. "You're going to have a bruise," He says softly, as he pulls my dress back down. He looks back at the club door. "I'm gonna kill him."

"Jeff, no!" I grab his arm and pull him toward me. Next thing I know, his hands are placed lightly on my waist, and my hands are on his chest. "H-he isn't worth the trouble." His jaw clenches as he looks at the door again. "Please, for me."

Finally, he sighs and grabs my hand and makes me walk with him. "Then let's go home." As we walk, I can't help but have this uneasy feeling that we were being watched.