Chapter 13: Longest Night

Louis woke up with a start. He blinked a few times as he studied his surroundings. He tried to sit up, but noticed something heavy was pinning his chest. Rubbing his eyes, he looked down to see what it was. His opened book was resting on him. Right, now he remembered. He was studying chemistry when he suddenly fell asleep. Well, he was trying to anyway. But all he really did was to stare at the clock every five minutes for over two hours.

He glanced at the clock beside his bed. Thirty minutes had past since last time he checked, which meant he was asleep for half an hour. And Ren has still yet to come home. He stared at the ceiling for a moment, getting worried.

Louis stifled a yawn as he opened the door of his room. He silently crept downstairs and made his way to the living room. He was very much surprised when he found his mother sitting by the counter top. Papers were all over the table.

"Mom," Louis called out in surprise. "What are you still doing down here?"

Eileen turned around, equally surprised. "Louis, I thought you were already asleep."

He frowned a bit. "Well, I thought I'd watch some movies first." He poured himself a glass of water. "I-uh, I thought you weren't going to wait for Ren?" He asked.

Eileen continued on examining the paper she was holding. "Yes, but I remembered that I need to go over these papers, and I thought I might as well wait for her." She took a quick look at Louis, who had already positioned himself on the couch.

He grabbed the remote and turned on the television. "Oh, okay," he replied as he tried to surf for a good channel. Deep inside, his heart started to race. What if Ren suddenly shows up? He could already see his mother's reaction, and it's not a pretty sight. He shook his head a little, trying to get rid of the picture. His mind went into overtime as he frantically thought of a way to change her mind.

Eileen looked at her watch. It was already ten minutes before eleven. "It's getting really late. Maybe I should call Ruby's house and ask her to come home."

Louis was quick to object. "Wait, mom," he said. "I-uh, I  just talked to her a while ago, actually. Yeah, I called Ruby's house fifteen minutes ago."  He paused for a moment as he carefully thought on how to proceed. "She told me they're still trying to finish at least half of their project."

Eileen's eyebrows creased. "You called Ruby's house?" she asked, somewhat dubious at his statement.

"Uh huh," he quickly answered without looking away from the television screen. "Hey mom, didn't you say you have an early meeting tomorrow morning?" he asked, hastily changing the subject.

Eileen gave him a little suspicious look, but dismissed it almost instantly. "Yeah, actually. I have a meeting with Senator Wilkins tomorrow morning."

"Well why don't you get some sleep then? I could just stay here and wait for Ren myself." He said, trying to sound casual.

Eileen pondered about Louis' suggestion. It looked like she was having second thoughts about it.

"Besides, I'm pretty sure she'll be home soon, maybe in half hour or so," he added nonchalantly. He still kept his eyes trained on the TV.

"Oh alright," she agreed with a sigh. She stood up and gathered her things.  "I'll see tomorrow," she said as she moved toward him. She gave him a peck on the cheek. "Good night."

"G'night, mom."

Louis watched as his mother disappeared up the stairs. His mind wandered aimlessly as an old movie began to play on the TV. Well, at least he'd taken care of that part of the problem. Now, everything should be alright, if only his sister would just show up like he told his mother.

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Will stared silently at the dance floor as he took a mouthful of beer, as he leaned by the bar.

"I thought she was supposed to be your date?" Someone from beside him asked.

He didn't need to see who it was. It was Wes who was standing beside him.

"She is." Will answered him tightly. He kept his eyes trailed on the crowd in front of him.

"So, why are you here while she's dancing up a storm out there?"

He ignored his friend's question. They both watched as the crowd cheered and surrounded Ren.

Wes looked at his friend. "Getting slow, are we?" he said with a laugh.

He turned angrily at him and grabbed him by his collar. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" he snapped at him.

"Chill out, man!" he answered as he tried to tug free of his grasp. "It was just a joke!"

Will pushed him aside, letting him go.

"What I mean is you're standing here next to me, while she's out there surrounded by other guys. Now what is wrong with that picture?" He quickly fixed his shirt. "Tick-tock man, the clock is ticking."

From within the crowd, Will spotted Ren. Apparently, she also saw him, as she gave a little wave toward their direction. "You know what, you're right." He grabbed two shots of tequila from the bar. "I got to get going."

"So how many of those have she had?"

Will gave light shrug. "Beats me. I've actually lost count."

Wes gave him a mischievous grin. "Great, a couple more of those, and you'll be on your way." He gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Good luck." 

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People were cheering wildly all around her.

"Nice moves!" someone shouted.

"Go Ren! Go Ren!"

Ren smiled as the crowd chanted her name. Never mind if she felt a little bit lightheaded. She sure wasn't going to let it ruin her fun, especially now that she's having such a fantastic time.

Some guy approached her. "How about a dance with me, Ren?"

"Why not?" She answered with a huge smile. Okay, so she doesn't actually know him. So what? The guy's a pretty great dancer.

Before long, other guys have approached and asked to cut it. She didn't mind them. Ren continued dancing to the beat of the music and to the sound of cheers pounding her ears.

"How about I cut in?" a familiar voice spoke up.

Ren and her dance partner turned to see Will holding up two glasses. The guy promptly left, leaving her and Will.

He handed over a glass. "Here, I thought you could use a drink."

She willingly accepted it. "Thanks!" She raised it to the crowd, and then swallowed it in one gulp. Ren smiled and threw the glass away. The crowd cheered and shouted loudly.

Will laughed and did the same.

"How about a little dance?" She asked as she hooked her arm around his neck. Ren was obviously tipsy from all the alcohol. "I really love this song."

He smiled and gladly agreed. Both of them showed really great moves, which made the crowd cheer even more wildly than before.

"Show her what you got, Will!"

"You go, girl!"

"Alright, man!"

The song ended and everybody around them applauded. Will smiled at them and took a bow. The crowd around them was slowly starting to disperse, but the party was still far from over. Another song came on, and people were once again dancing around, doing their own thing.

"Is it me or is it suddenly so stuffy in here?" Ren suddenly asked. She tried to fan herself using her  hands.

He turned to her and noticed that she looked a little pale. "You don't look so good. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, it's just that it's a little hot in here, don't you think?" She took a couple of steps, toward him, almost tripping in the process.

"Whoa, easy there," Will said as he quickly caught her. He put his arms around her. "Why don't I take you for a little breather? From all that dancing, you look like you really could use one."

Ren smiled lazily at him. "That would be great." She told him.

He started to lead her away from the crowd.

"Where are we going, anyway?"

Will smiled sweetly as he answered her question. "Well, somewhere without so many people. You know, some place quiet." He took her hand and looked at her reassuringly.

"…Okay."

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By the way, let me warn you, next chapter's going to contain some… graphic scenes. But don't worry though, nothing rated R. That I assure you.