Page 7 of Lost Paradise

“It will do you no good, getting involved with the likes of those three, and if Eve is part of that girl crew, I can only imagine the wickedness their hearts possess,” he cautioned earlier today.

He said he knows the three and almost compared them to the likes of Mean Girls. Dude, nah…. I don’t have any interest in that histrionic personality disorder, but I think Eve is different.

When she steps foot in a room, the girl’s presence is electrifying, like the sudden crackle of a sparkler that makes you stop and take notice. I definitely want to get to know her a bit more.

Ever since we stepped foot inside this house and mingled with the four women, Byron’s kept a certain distance as if there's some unspoken history between him and the other three English girls. But Eve and I, on the other hand, seemed to hit it off quite well despite her inclination to keep her guard up and remain at arm's length from everyone else. She's reserved, reluctant to open up and let anyone in, yet there's a subtle connection between us that seems to transcend the barriers she erects.

But damn, she’s pretty. More than just pretty.

As I step into the pulsating heart of this student house, the thumping bass of music envelops me. This party is pretty wild and the main room here is where it’s all happening. I scan the room, recognizing the faces of fellow students who seemed pretty serious at sign-up today but have now crossed a line into the realm of illicit drugs. Prioritizing a good time over everything else, including their studies and risking their place here at the college.

I think hard and remember the sketchy dealer who organized this party looking in at us from a distance. At first, his eyes were fixated on something. He was silently scrutinizing the group I was with. I’m pretty sure his focus was on Eve momentarily before moving on to Byron and approaching him before leading him towards the staircase. Then, I lost sight of them as soon as Eve caught my attention, saying she needed to get some fresh air.

Searching my memory, I recall a moment when I saw the dealer again, this time without Byron. I remember watching him with disgust as he laughed and joked with his newfound “best friends,” beckoning his lackey over to push drugs into their eager hands.

Bastard won’t get his own hands dirty. He’ll always be orchestrating his business from a safe distance.

The way everyone flocked to him, desperate for his approval and eager to be in his inner circle, ignited a fiery rage within me. It was infuriating to witness how easily he wielded influence and manipulated those around him, all while remaining untouchable and unscathed.

“A raid is going down,” Emily says, her hand gripping my forearm and catching my attention. She’s one of Eve’s three roommates, but where the fuck is Eve?

A sudden sense of urgency tightens its hold on me as Emily's words about campus police drug bust rumors hit me with hard realization. I watch as everyone around me scrambles to their feet, rushing toward exits and windows with desperate urgency.

My heart pounds with fear and anxiety as I realize the gravity of the situation. My scholarship. My entire future hangs precariously in the balance, and I know that if I don't move quickly, I could be swept up in the chaos and face dire consequences.

With adrenaline coursing through my veins, I’m aware my future hangs in the balance if I don’t get my ass out of here. Yet, despite the impending danger, I can’t bring myself to abandon the two people I came with, even if I barely know them.

“Are you coming?” Emily asks, gripping my arm tighter. I’m sure she has more in mind than just escaping with me. She’s had her hands on me all night, but I have zero interest in her. My attention is a hundred percent on another princess, and while Eve has no connection to regal blood, I’d love to give her my own kind of royal attention.

Fuck, I need to get my head straight and my cock to stop doing the slimy thinking for me.

“Go,” I tell Emily, shoving her into the crowd. “I’ll be right behind you,” I say, and as if she’s satisfied by my remark, she smirks and climbs out the window.

I frantically scan the room again, searching for Eve and Byron amidst the chaos, my head pulsing with worry. This protective instinct surges deeper within me, a connection forged in the heat of the moment. I can’t leave them behind, not when we we are all in this together, facing the same uncertain fate.

Moving towards the staircase where I last saw Byron, I notice the door that’s camouflaged within the side of it, and I press the bolt to unlock it. I yank it open to find the stairs leading to a cellar, and there’s a dimly lit ceiling lamp at the top of thestairs.

“Byron?” I shout down and hear the campus police entering the house.

Fuck, I slip inside and close the door behind me. Every cellar should have casement windows. Maybe I can find an escape or at least hide out until they finish raiding the house.

I quickly dash down and find Byron standing on a chair and trying to open a locked hopper window.

“What the fuck are you doing down here?” I shout at him. “Campus police raided the house!”

“That arsehole, Astro, locked me in,” he barks back angrily, his hair disheveled and flopping over his irritated face.

“Fucking piece of shit,” I scorn angrily. I knew he was trouble from the moment I saw him.

Byron adjusts his dark-rimmed glasses, pushing them back up his nose. Frustration is evident in his face.

“Tosser said he needed help to change the pump of the kegs. There are no fucking kegs down here!” His words drip with exasperation, and irritation crosses his features.

When I find the bastard….my thoughts are interrupted as we hear heavy, pounding footsteps above us hitting the old floorboards, and I’m sure it’s the raid.

“We need to get out of here,” I say with a sense of urgency.

“You think I want to stay here and count the cobwebs?” he looks at me mockingly. “This is the only window down here, and I’ve been trying to get in unlocked for the past twenty minutes!”

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