CHAPTER 20
Soon they arrived at the venue. Avery had to admit that it was very classy. They were shepherded into a ballroom with tables and chairs surrounding a designated dance floor. Their group had picked a table near the back, which Avery was grateful for. She didn't have to wait long before the atmosphere picked up. It got incredibly loud with voices drifting in between the blaring music. Her instincts told her to run but she of course couldn't. She really just wanted to hide out in the bathrooms where it was quiet.
Beth made sure not to leave Avery out of the conversations between her other friends. Or from getting onto the dance floor when a great song came on. She had to practically drag her out there. Avery did have to admit that she was having some fun. But everytime Josh came near her while dancing with Beth, Avery could swear that he purposely bumped into her. He always seemed to have a wandering hand too. Either it was on Beth's body or it was bracing itself against Avery when they 'bumped' into each other. His actions were causing her to become uncomfortable. He even whispered things to her when Beth was turned around talking to her friends.
"You do look very nice in that dress, Avery. Wonder what it would look like off." He smirked devilishly as her face turned red with embarrassment. But as soon as he said it, his attention was focused back on Beth. A slow song had started and all the couples were soon pressed up against each other. It didn't take long before lips were locked and heads were resting on shoulders.
Reeling from his comment, Avery rushed to find a bathroom to take refuge in. Once she was inside, door locked, she took a few deep breaths to calm herself down. She wanted to gain some confidence and march right back out the door and confront him. But she knew she wouldn't…or couldn't. She didn't want to ruin the evening. If only she could stay here all night.
With another deep breath, she made her way back to their table, only to find that everyone was there passing around a flask. The students had to be creative in sneaking it in as the venue was a dry one. Girls were reaching into their clutches to pull out mini bottles. One girl even disguised her flask as a clutch! (AN: have you seen that one post where the girl does the exact same thing to a silver flask? That's where I got the idea from) The boys had hidden their bottles in their ties and jacket pockets. Avery knew why they had picked a table near the back; less eyes on them and more privacy.
Resident party girl, Beth, was being dared and daring her friends to try different concoctions of the smuggled alcohol. They all seemed to be having a blast.
"Oh my god. You guys do not know how badly I needed this! Especially after having to deal with Professor Stevenson! That guy is super boring to listen to but let me tell you he is such a stickler for rules! God it's a miracle I passed his class with all his little critiques and points off! I swear he finds something wrong in everything I turn in." Beth expressed while downing another mini shot.
"Damn, he sounds like an ass. Here, have my drink too. It'll help you forget about him faster." Josh slid his glass towards Beth. In everyone else's eyes, he was just a boyfriend trying to make his girlfriend feel better after a tough semester. But to Avery, it was like he was feeding her drink after drink to lower her inhibitions on purpose. To her dismay, it was working. Avery knew that Beth had a lower tolerance for excessive alcohol consumption. It was sad to watch.
"Hey Beth… You might want to ease up on the drinks. We haven't even gotten our dinner yet and it's bad to drink on an empty stomach." Concern was in her voice. She experienced the same thing with her own parents but she couldn't help them then. But she would be damned if she wasn't going to try her hardest to prevent the same outcome from happening to Beth. But just like back then she was met with resentment.
"Don't tell me what to do Avery, you're not my mom! She's always nagging me, just like you are now! I'm fine-I'm perfectly fine. I can manage my own drinking! Maybe if you drank, it'd help you loosen up! You must be taking after that uptight boss of yours at the museum." Her words stung.
"I'm sorry Beth. I'm not trying to stop you from having a good time here but all I'm saying is to be careful." She tried to put a hand on Beth's shoulder but it got brushed off.
"Avery, I think Beth can handle herself. Why don't you chill out, you're killing the whole vibe." His voice just seemed to enrage her.
"I'm not going to apologize for wanting to keep my best friend safe!" She was also fully aware that the rest of their 'friends' were staring at the trio, soaking in the fresh drama.
Saved by the bell, waiters came out to serve them their dinners. Before they reached their table, all prohibited items were packed away rather quickly.
Talk about perfect timing.
The dinner was delicious, Avery had to admit. She didn't think that a college event would have such great food service. The dining hall paled in comparison to this experience. She let out a sigh of relief that Beth was finally getting something in her system that wasn't flammable liquid.
Meanwhile, back at the museum…
Everyone had just woken up for the night and began to do their own thing. Larry was there to help Ahkmenrah out of his sarcophagus. Ahkmenrah was relieved to be released. He still held a fear that he would be locked up again. Sometimes it felt like a dream to him that he was able to walk amongst the other exhibits.
"Ah Guardian of Brooklyn! How are you this evening?" He smiled widely at Larry.
"Hey Ahk. I'm as good as I'll ever be. Sorry to cut this conversation short but I need to make the rounds." He didn't mean for it to sound like he was in a rush, but he kinda was.
"Ahh, well if it's not too much trouble, may I accompany you?" The simple question was enough to slightly throw Larry off guard. He could literally be doing anything else now that he was freed but he wanted to follow him on his boring rounds? Well, looking at Ahk's eager face, how could he say no? So off the pair went checking off items on an imaginary list.
As they finished checking on the safety of all exhibits, and making sure the doors and windows were locked, they made their way to the lobby. It was rather empty, only a few animals and the occasional statue. But then Teddy and Sac came along on Texas.
"Lawrence! Pharaoh! Good to see you two!" His loud voice carried through the nearly empty lobby, echoing just a bit. But he had a large smile when he looked upon his friends. A gentler voice perked up behind him.
"Hello gentlemen."
"Hey Sac, Teddy. Whatcha got going on tonight? Oh, uh, hold that thought. Just got a text…from Avery. She's on her way to a dance with her friends."
"Splendid! I hope she has a rousing time! Though I do wonder how today's young people celebrate in revelry." Sac nodded her head in agreement. Teddy was glad that Avery was finally coming out of her shell. It was good for her to be around people her age.
"I also hope that she has a good time, would you mind telling her that Guardian?"
"Sure no prob guys." Larry fired off the text and put his phone in his pocket again.
As the others talked, Ahkmenrah excused himself. He began to wander the halls, deep in thought. He truly wondered how Avery was. He knew she didn't like crowds. She hadn't mentioned the dance to him. She must have had her reasons for keeping it a secret. While he knew her roommate had most likely persuaded her into going, he hoped that she would find the evening enjoyable. Part of him wished to be there with her, to help distract her from the crowds. He also wanted to experience this modern lifestyle of college kids. Much has changed since he was locked up. Just once would he like to escape this museum life to really be free. But he couldn't do much about it, he knew it was for his own safety that he should stay inside. Plus the last time he was outside, the snow had chilled him to the core. He smiled at the memory.
First time seeing and experiencing snow.
He went back to milling about the museum and decided that he would go to the Ocean's exhibit. Once again he smiled as he remembered how silly he and Avery had been. Making faces and 'conquering' the ocean. He remembered how guilty she had felt when she mentioned being trapped in darkness. He forgave her because it wasn't intentional. She had been so hard on herself for the mistake. But he would take this vast nothingness of the ocean over his own dark sarcophagus. He stopped by the little puffer fish display and did his greeting of puffed out cheeks and hands as fins. Once again the little fish was delighted. It seemed to look around for Avery.
"Sorry little fish, but Avery is not with me. She is attending a dance with her friends tonight."
He really did hope she was having a good time at the dance.
