Chapter Eleven: Six Months Later
Throughout the six months, Erin has shown considerable progress with the support of Al and Voight in leaving her previous life behind. Despite the initial surprise of not returning to Luke, Erin expressed relief and contentment in her decision.
As she prepared for Tish's party, Erin reflected on the recent events that transpired after Luke's attack and Tish's explanation. With a sense of forgiveness, Erin donned a pair of black jeans and a blue shirt, opting to tie her hair up due to the warm weather.
Tish, while lounging on Erin's bed, inquired about her readiness for the party. Meeting Tish's gaze in the mirror, Erin confirmed her preparedness and expressed gratitude. Subsequently, Tish hinted at introducing a potential romantic interest to Erin, emphasizing hope for her friend's open-mindedness.
The brunette expressed her disinterest as she acknowledged her feelings for someone but was reluctant to reveal them, particularly to Tish. 'How many is this now?' Erin inquired as she proceeded to sit on the bed.
'I believe it's eight or nine,' Tish responded as she glanced up from her phone. 'Come on Erin, enough with being selective and just pick a guy,' she playfully suggested while nudging the brunette. 'Or are you enjoying being a bit of a player?'
Erin responded nonchalantly to the blond's teasing. 'If you would refrain from setting me up with every guy in school, I might consider choosing one, but none of them catch my interest,' she stated as she rose from the bed.
Tish persisted in her efforts to persuade Erin. 'Oh, come now Erin, don't be so narrow-minded. Just look at him,' she remarked while pointing at the guy she had selected for Erin's date to the party. 'Isn't he charming?' Tish asked with a grin.
Erin observed the picture and nonchalantly remarked, 'Meh.' She expressed that the brunette guy was appealing but not her preferred type. 'Who is your ideal type of guy, miss?' Tish inquired as she initiated contact with the guy via messaging.
'If I were not with Michel, I would consider asking him out,' Tish playfully teased.
'I do not have a specific type,' Erin stated as she retrieved her keys and bag, prompting Tish to stand up as well. 'Oh really? I thought you had a preference,' the blond playfully teased, mentioning Erin's detective friend, which made Erin blush.
As they exited the garage, Erin shot a glare at the blond, who commented, 'Oh, do not give me that look. I can see the way you gaze at him, and I definitely notice the way he looks at you,' she grinned, getting into her red mustang.
Erin got in the passenger seat and added, 'I highly doubt Hank sees me in that way. He is 23 years old.' 'Age should not matter. You are nearly an adult at 17, and he is not significantly older,' Tish remarked as they both buckled up.
' But if you really want to get his attention go out with Cameron to the party and send a picture to him and I'm pretty sure he'll be jealous.' Tish grinned handing Erin her phone when she got a text from Cameron.
Erin took the phone and looked at the message ' I'll see you then, Erin I hope to see you soon.' The text read and Erin swallowed as she texted back' I'll see you soon.' She sent.
Upon observing Erin texting the boy, Tish smiled and said, 'Atta girl,' as she drove to the party being held at a friend's house unknown to Erin, causing her to feel nervous but she kept it to herself.
The teenager contemplated speaking to Voight about her feelings, considering it had been six months of them conversing and spending time together. However, in the past few months, Voight had already found a girlfriend and had been prioritizing his time with her.
· With Voight *
Across from his girlfriend in a small restaurant, Voight sighed as he checked the time. She inquired about the food, her short strawberry blond hair neatly framing her face and accentuating her brown eyes.
'It's good, thank you Alyssa,' Voight responded while taking a bite of his steak, his mind preoccupied with someone else rather than his date. 'How about we leave and get a room?' Alyssa proposed with a smile.
Voight considered his situation carefully; he had only been with Alyssa as a distraction from his feelings for a particular teenager, whom he was contemplating asking out. However, since acquiring a girlfriend, Erin had become more distant from him. 'Ah, yes, of course,' he agreed calmly as he settled the bill for their meal.
The only interactions they had lately revolved around gathering information about her missing brother, Teddy, whom they were close to locating, leaving Voight curious about their findings.
After paying, he escorted Alyssa to his home and ushered her inside, maintaining a grasp on her hand until they entered. 'Wow, what a beautiful house,' she remarked with a smile, scanning the space.
'Were you married?' she inquired upon noticing a photograph of his late wife embracing their two-year-old son. Voight approached Alyssa, a frown on his face at her uninvited touching of the picture.
'Yes, I was, and please return that,' he requested in the politest tone he could muster, causing the strawberry-blond woman to comply.
Upon Alyssa's attempt to address Voight's tone, he preempted her by kissing her, resulting in her maintaining her silence and reciprocating the kiss. Voight then carried her to his room, consciously disregarding any thoughts related to Erin.
· At the party *
The moment Tish arrived at the large house packed with teenagers and perhaps some adults partying both outdoors and indoors, she inquired, 'Are you ready for the fun to begin?' Erin, following suit, stepped out of the car and scanned the area for Cameron, who had mentioned waiting for her outside.
She couldn't contain her smile upon seeing Michel approaching the two girls. 'Hey Erin, Tish, it's about time you got here,' he playfully teased as he pulled them into a hug before Erin headed off to find her date.
Tish then called out after Erin, reminding her, 'We'll meet back at the car at midnight.' Erin waved in acknowledgment and proceeded to approach a guy who walked towards her. 'You're Erin?' the guy asked with a grin, to which Erin nodded and replied, 'The one and only.'
Meanwhile, Cameron flashed a grin as he looked Erin up and down, remarking, 'Aren't you a cutie,' before extending his hand out for the brunette to take. Feeling uneasy, Erin glanced over to see that Tish and Michel had already disappeared into the crowd.
Accompanied by Cameron, Erin proceeded towards the drink table, which was abundantly stocked with various beverages like beer, vodka, Jack Daniel's, and more.
Erin hesitated, realizing she hadn't consumed alcohol since residing with Al and Meredith. Lost in her thoughts, Erin failed to notice Cameron adding some powder substance to her drink after mixing it.
Her mind drifted to Al and Meredith, whom she had informed about attending a party without knowing the specifics as Tish had only mentioned it as a pool party with food and drinks, conveniently omitting the presence of drugs.
Observing some individuals indulging in weed and alcohol, Erin nervously bit her lip until Cameron interrupted, handing her the beverage.
Erin was in the midst of declining when Cameron interrupted her by pushing the cup into her hand, insisting, 'Come on, babe, it's just one drink, I promise.' Cameron encouraged her to have a sip. Erin, taking a deep breath, winced as the liquid burned her throat as she swallowed.
'There you go,' Cameron said with a grin, refilling her cup once she finished the first. The brunette accepted the drink and followed Cameron inside the house. Her head began to feel fuzzy, and her vision started to blur as she took another sip from her second cup.
Two hours passed as Erin searched the house for any sign of Tish or Michel, assuming they were somewhere nearby. Her eyes landed on one of Tish's friends approaching, wearing a concerned expression.
Upon seeing the expression on the younger teen's face, Lisa inquired, 'Erin, are you alright?' Erin blinked a few times to clear her vision and replied, 'I'm… fine,' her voice cracking slightly as Cameron emerged with their fifth cup and a small black bag in hand.
Concerned, Lisa turned to Cameron and asked, 'Cameron, is she alright?' The darker-haired teen simply shrugged in response.
Despite Lisa's worried question, Erin accepted the cup from Cameron and followed him upstairs. Watching them go, a sense of unease crept into Lisa's chest. Her girlfriend, Sandy, noticing her distress, approached and inquired, 'Lisa, are you okay?'
Lisa admitted, 'Not quite, Sandy. I have a foreboding sense that something is amiss.' Sandy, with a furrowed brow, suggested, 'Should I go find Michel and Tish?' Lisa proceeded to share her concerns with Sandy, explaining what she knew.
Lisa expressed her intention to locate Tish and Michel, as she expressed distrust toward Cameron. The two girls set out to find the head cheerleader and Michel to inform them of what they had witnessed. They hoped to reach them before Cameron could potentially harm Erin.