After staying the requisite amount of time after the Waldorf Designs fashion show, Cornelia, Henry, Liam, & Ricky excused themselves and made their way to the Upper Westside where the rest of their classmates were at a party that was well underway at Andrew Carson's apartment.
With it being the first weekend of the school year, everyone was eager to reunite in Manhattan after their summers spent all over the world. After sticking close to her guys, Cornelia was invited to play beer pong with the host himself. The game was pretty close, but in the end it was Cornelia's back-to-back shots sunk that earned them a win. As the rest of the partygoers cheered them on, Andrew took the opportunity to wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her in for a kiss that quickly escalated to more than just an innocent peck.
Across the room, Liam had been in conversation with Henry and Ricky, as well as a few of the other boys from their class, while watching the scene unfold out of the corner of his eye. As the celebratory hug morphed into a kiss, he angrily clenched the red solo cup in his hand before finally speaking up.
"You know what, I think I'm just gonna head home. I have cross country practice early tomorrow morning," Liam announced.
"C'mon man, it's so early!," Ricky chided.
"I'll never understand why you guys insist on participating in sports voluntarily," Henry quipped.
"Whatever," he shrugged off the criticism. "I'm out. See you guys at grandma's tomorrow."
With that, Liam brushed past their group and headed to the elevator.
#
Sometime later after the commotion died down and Cornelia and Andrew finally lost, she made her way back over to her brother and Ricky.
"That was some streak, Cor!," Ricky praised as he patted her on the back.
"Yeah, mom and dad would've been so proud to see you besting all the proles tonight," Henry added.
"Thanks, guys," she rolled her eyes. "Where's Liam?"
"Widdle baby needed his beauty rest," Ricky explained with an eye roll of his own, "He decided to head home."
At this news, her heart sunk a little, but she played it off and continued conversation with her friends while quickly typing out a text to Liam.
New Message from Nelia
Left without even saying goodbye? RUDE!
#
The night carried on in typical Constance Billard/St. Jude's party fashion - the later it got, the more alcohol and drugs were consumed. Sticking to alcohol herself, Cornelia couldn't shake the worry that was flooding her as her text to one of her best friends remained unanswered.
New Message from Nelia
Hey Archibald! Are you ignoring me?
She had excused herself to go use the bathroom when she made up her mind - she was going to send one more text and then Irish exit to go confront Liam in person.
New Message from Nelia
Give it up, Fitz! I'm coming over. See you soon! Xo
Smiling and satisfied, she touched up her lipstick and headed out.
#
Once she reached the street, Cornelia decided that she'd take advantage of the beautiful weather and walk home instead of calling an Uber. Crossing Central Park West, she made her way along the 72nd Street Transverse and through the park back to the UES.
At this time of night there were very few people in the park - just the occasional late night dog walker or rogue late night runner, so Cornelia found it a little odd when she passed a group of four boys who looked to be about her age headed in the opposite direction. However, she shook it off and rationalized that they could very well have been heading home from a party just like her.
She continued her walk and decided to text Liam again just to annoy him.
New Message from Nelia
Quit being such a baby, Fitz! I can't wait to torture you until you stop ignoring me in person :)
As she hit send, Cornelia felt a wave of anxiety wash over her but couldn't quite pinpoint the cause. She paused for a moment to look around, and when she turned she found two of the boys from earlier right there, only this time they had bandanas covering everything below their eyes. Completely startled, she jumped back a little to try and establish a little more space between her and them, but they continued staring her down wordlessly.
"Wh-what do you want?," she stuttered.
Without answering, one of the two men lunged forward and slammed the side of her head with a hard object. Falling to the ground, he proceeded to kick her repeatedly as the other one grabbed her purse and phone before evaluating her outfit to see if there was anything else worth taking.
In this moment of reprieve, Cornelia was able to gather her wits and quickly pull herself up and begin running. As she ran, she passed the other two boys, who stood by idly as if they were observing the entire ordeal. Charging forward, she chanced a glance over her shoulder and realized that one of the two boys was still chasing after her. She kept running and then a moment later looked back again. This time, she noticed his arm was outstretched and he had a gun pointed at her.
Adrenaline coursing through her veins, Cornelia was desperate to escape. She wasn't sure what had come over her, but as she began serpentining to stay out of his direct range, she also decided to try reasoning with him.
"Please! I don't want to die! I'll give you anything you want - just please, please don't shoot me," she pleaded.
Still, he silently pursued her.
She wasn't sure when it had started raining, but apparently it had. The slippery ground was becoming increasingly difficult to run on in her heels, and in a last ditch effort to gain some more speed, Cornelia kicked them off as she continued moving.
"I don't know what you want from me!," she cried as she once again looked over her shoulder and saw that the assailant was still hot on her trail, a cold, hard gun still directed at her and white bandana still affixed to his face.
She had been running for what felt like forever but from what she could tell, she had covered barely any ground. She once again turned to look over her shoulder when she hit a solid barrier. She felt the color drain from her face as she accepted that she'd backed herself into some kind of corner when she felt large arms wrap around her. Before she could process what was happening she heard an older gentleman's voice break the silence.
"She's a young girl! Leave her alone," the strange voice demanded.
Finally the masked boy spoke out, gun pointed directly at the both of them.
"Throw me your phone and her jewelry," he instructed in a cold, authoritative tone.
The good samaritan obliged before turning to help Cornelia remove her jewelry and then threw both in the criminal's direction. He scooped up the new loot and ran off, back into the park where he'd come from.
Feeling relief wash over her, Cornelia nearly collapsed if not for the support of the mystery man. He was grasping both her arms and trying to look her over under the light of the streetlamp when he noticed the blood trickling down the side of her face.
"Are you okay? You're bleeding," he observed.
She looked at him, perplexed, and reached a hand up slowly to feel for the source, wincing as she landed on the gash at her temple.
"We need to call an ambulance. I think you're gonna need some stitches. Here, let me carry you," he calmly narrated as he scooped Cornelia up in his arms.
Still in a state of shock, she could only manage to nod her head in agreement.
"My name is Greg. I live over on 74th and Lex. Let's head that way and see if we can find an open business. If not, we can stop in my building. I'll have the doorman call 911 for us. I promise you're gonna be okay."
"Thank you," she finally managed to murmur. "I'm Cornelia."
"Nice to meet you," he chuckled sardonically. "What were you doing in the park so late? Were you alone?"
"I - I was walking home from a party. I was meeting a friend on 74th and 5th, and it was so nice out I thought I could walk, and then…" she trailed off as she began to cry.
"It's okay. It's okay. We're gonna get you patched up and then we can call your parents, okay?"
She nodded solemnly and the two remained silent until they reached Greg's apartment.
#
As promised, Greg's doorman was able to call an ambulance and Cornelia was rushed to Lenox Hill. In a whirlwind of questions and flashing lights, she tried her best to maintain her composure but by the time she was in a bed in the emergency room, she finally broke down and began asking for her parents.
"Can I please have a phone? I want to speak to my parents," she pleaded through her tears.
"It's probably best if we call them, sweetie," the middle-aged nurse explained. "What's their number? I'll have the doctor call them now."
Once the nurse left the room in search of a doctor to make the call, Cornelia laid back and let out a long, exasperated exhale. Greg had been allowed to ride in the ambulance with her, but he wasn't allowed past the waiting room because she was a minor and he wasn't family, so now she was all alone with her thoughts, trying to figure out how she'd gotten here.
The nurse returned and informed her that her parents had been contacted and were sure to be on their way.
#
A few blocks away, Liam's curiosity finally got the better of him. After waiting for Cornelia's arrival for over an hour since her last text, he finally caved and texted her back.
New Message from Fitz
Nelia, I'm sorry, okay? Where are you? Is this what you meant by torturing me?
He waited another 30 minutes before his exhaustion won out and he fell asleep with his phone in his hand.