Extras parted for me as I searched through the halls of the Party Tower, looking everywhere. I was still under the haze of the DreamOut, so it was hard to even recognize anyone in all of the faces.
I finally bumped into Xander on the bottom floor who was dancing with some girl and I dragged him off to the side. "What the hell Jeffy?"
"Have you seen Edie? I need her. Right now." He gave me a weird look. "She's out back, kid. Are you okay? You look like shit." I just waved him off and headed for the open double doors that led to a garden behind the tower.
She was standing with some Extras, all boys of course, when I spotted her. I practically sprinted to her, nearly tripping because of the DreamOut. "Hey, dear! What's my little Jeffy-Effy been up to?" I cringed, remembering how Aden had murmured it in my ear.
"I want to go. Now."
"Now?" She added to the pile of weird looks that I'd been given throughout the night. "But Jeffyyyy! We're having so much fun!" She whined and glanced over at the boys she was standing with, their attention fixed entirely on her Pretty face and Pretty frame.
"Yea. I need to go. Please, Edie. I just need out of here. At least help me get home." Any minute, Aden could show up and I'd managed to avoid him in the Tower while looking for her, but I was afraid he'd walk out the backdoors any minute.
"Jeffy, I just can't tonight. I'm busy." She threw a look over her shoulder at the boys standing behind her and I couldn't help but scowl at them. I didn't care if I was being selfish, I wanted to go home and I wanted Edie. My Edie.
"Why don't you get Aden to take you home instead? Or one of the others Party Pretties? I'm sure they would. I just can't help you tonight, sweetheart. You understand, right?" I wanted to say no. Every part of me wanted to scream it at her and throw things and knock over the boys behind her but instead I just nodded slowly and backed away.
I turned away finally and wandered back inside, looking for another Party Pretty who wouldn't let me down. Clare, a newer girl in our little clique was just inside the door and I stopped her, pleading for her to help me get home. I blurbed out an excuse that I was feeling sick and I needed to get home to get my Detoxi Pills to get all the drugs and drinks out of my system, which was partly true. After pleading with her enough and telling her that I'd let her in on some Bubbly parties coming up, she finally gave in and agreed to use her hovercar to get me back to my Pretty little apartment.
In the hovercar, the lights on the dashboard didn't sting my eyes as bad as all the ones at the party had. Clare flipped on the hyper-pop station and I clumsily flicked it off again. She started to argue but I threw her a look that said something like: "I will smack all the Pretty out of you" She shut up, so I leaned against the cool glass of the hovercar window and fell asleep.