WILLA
I swivelled toward the voice, looking at who had spoken.
A boy with hair a shade of purple too bright to be natural stood there. He was shirtless, wearing only grey cargo pants and a pair of x Dior Air Jordans 1.
His smooth, warm-toned skin caught the low light as he swaggered toward us, his eyes dark, too dark, and faintly mischievous.
He stopped in front of us, running a hand through his locs, the sides of his hair cut into a clean burst fade.
"Ryan!" Verah exclaimed, launching herself into his arms. I stared at the boy I had assumed was her boyfriend.
His eyes narrowed briefly, darkening for a moment, but in the next second, Ryan pulled away from the hug.
"Come on," Ryan teased, the corner of his lips lifting into a slight smile. "Big bad wolf is about to have my head. I still need it intact for tonight."
Verah turned to glare playfully at her boyfriend, whose name I still didn't know.
"He knows nothing is going on between us."
Did he?
What I had seen looked a lot like jealousy. If he truly believed that, I doubted that reaction would have surfaced so easily.
Ryan scoffed, looking away from him as though it didn't matter whether he was annoyed or not. Then his gaze settled on me.
I plastered a ready-made smile on my face and directed it toward him. His eyes moved over me slowly, assessing, and once again, I cursed Verah inwardly for putting me in this outfit.
Even though half the people here were dressed the same way. Some even worse.
When he was done looking at me like I was something on display, Ryan stepped closer. He took my hand, drawing a small gasp from me.
My eyes widened. Before I could process what he was about to do, he pulled me into a hug.
I froze, my breath catching.
"I missed you, Elyse," he murmured, burying his face in my hair.
He did?
My throat tightened. I tried not to breathe him in, but I failed. He smelled like the forest floor after rain. Not unpleasant, not at all, but it still made my stomach churn.
"When I heard you might be missing…" He paused, pulling back. The tip of his bulbous nose scrunched in a way I found oddly cute.
Ryan continued, "I thought I'd lost the fun girl I met last summer." His eyes lit up, the corners crinkling. "And here you are in the flesh."
"Oh please, you think you can discard me that easily?" I giggled, rolling my eyes.
My voice sounded strange to my own ears, but I didn't care.
Elyse would laugh like that. So I did too.
I wondered how many more people I would have to pretend for. Probably everyone here.
"That's my girl," Ryan grinned. He slung an arm over my shoulder and began pulling me toward the building. I followed without hesitation.
"Wait," Verah called, stopping me. "I need a second with her. We'll be inside soon."
Ryan nodded and walked off with the other boy, leaving me alone with Verah.
I raised a brow at her, silently asking what was wrong.
She huffed, shaking her head, then pulled out her phone. After typing something quickly, she shoved it in front of my face.
I blinked at the sudden brightness, leaning back slightly, unsure what I was meant to see.
Then I saw it.
A girl… no, Elyse. A picture of Elyse and Verah filled the screen. Their heads were thrown back in laughter, people gathered around them.
I didn't care about any of them.
It was Elyse I couldn't stop looking at.
It felt strange. Unsettling, even, staring at someone who looked exactly like me but wasn't me.
The same face. The same features. Only the mannerisms were different.
"That is you, Elyse," Verah said. "The fun one. The one who walks into a room and lights it up with that thousand-watt smile. The girl every other girl wants to be, and every boy wants a taste of."
She paused, frowning slightly at me before pulling her phone back and slipping it into her purse.
"Don't act gloomy," she added, a quiet warning threading through her voice.
I snorted softly. "Don't worry about me," I waved her off. "I'm excited for today. I won't ruin the mood."
"Good," Verah beamed. "Now let's make sneaking out worth it."
But I'd be honest. It wasn't worth it.
Not even half of what I saw after stepping inside.
The music hit harder inside, louder than anything I'd heard from outside on the street.
Bodies grounded together, moving in rhythm with the pounding beat. The air was thick, heavy with the smell of alcohol and sweat.
In one corner, a group of students were tangled together, kissing openly without care.
Kissing alone wouldn't have been the problem but the fact they were in a orgy worsened it. The sound of skin slapping against each other, groans and moans permeated the air.
On the other side, people crowded around machines, feeding in coins and cash like it meant nothing.
Sure, it wasn't. Aside from Verah and me, I was certain everyone here attended some elite school. Their parents were wealthy, and they could do whatever they wanted with money.
Unlike me.
Even the little I had worked for had never truly been mine. Everything belonged to the Bakers.
I wasn't entitled to anything. My purpose in this life was simply to breathe and be grateful to them for allowing me to do so, a reminder they never failed to reinforce.
"Elyse, over here!" Verah's voice cut through the music.
I looked up and spotted her. She was sitting with a group of people in blue varsity jackets, all gathered around something.
I made my way over, stopping as soon as I got close enough to see what was happening.
Twenty students, split into groups, surrounded four hookahs. I recognized them. Rachel had one at her last birthday party.
I swallowed, my gaze drifting to Verah as it became her turn.
She grinned, lifting her eyes to meet mine as she lounged on the couch. Her fingers curled around the hose with an ease that told me this wasn't new to her.
Verah brought the hose to her lips, inhaled, then exhaled a thick cloud of smoke that drifted lazily into the air.
She did it again. And again. Three times in total.
Applause broke out, as though she had done something impressive.
Verah leaned back against the couch, her head tipping slightly. She went still, too still, and for a brief moment, she didn't move at all.
Was she…?
Panic rose in my chest, sharp and sudden, and I hurried toward her. Then she shot upright.
I flinched, stopping where I stood.
Her eyes widened, her grin stretching too far, almost unnatural. She slowly lifted her gaze toward me and pointed. "Your turn, Ely!"
"What… me?" I stuttered, pointing at myself.
Of course not. I wasn't interested in that.
Verah didn't look okay. No one in this room looked normal, especially the ones gathered here. They had all smoked from the hookah.
Why should I do the same?
I started to shake my head, but someone shoved me from behind, sending me stumbling forward. A firm grip caught me, pulling me toward the couch.
I was ready to fight them off until I realized half the room seemed to know Elyse.
And the idiot dragging me along was Ryan.
"You've always wanted to try this. Now it's your turn," he murmured close to my ear.
Hell no.
I should refuse. There was freedom of choice here. At worst, they would be disappointed that Elyse had said no.
But I glanced at Verah. Then I remembered my promise.
Ryan pushed me down onto the couch, and Verah handed me the hose. My fingers trembled around it as I held it. I grimaced, staring at it for a moment.
Just one drag, I told myself. Just once, and I'm done. That couldn't possibly kill me.
Except, it didn't stop there.