Page 13 of Into The Darkness

“That sounds terrifying,” I said. Whether there was any validity to the rumor, it was still fucking scary.

“Honestly, I thought so too and so did my roomie’s parents, but a rumor is a rumor.” Maddy shrugged and headed over to the counter where she lifted the shot that her and Beatrice poured. They nudged one in my direction.

“Come on, do a shot with us,” Beatrice encouraged. I looked between them and felt this need to conform, especially since I never had girlfriends who cared about being in my presence outside of school.

“It tastes better than the beer from earlier?” I asked Maddy. She laughed, then threw her head back, showing off the freckles that lined her neck.

“Can’t say it tastes better, but it’ll fuck you up faster, newbie.” This was a fresh start, right? I hesitantly grabbed the shot and a lime.

“Lick the salt on your hand, pound the shot, then bite the lime, got it?” Beatrice told me. I nodded and obliged, then the tequila burned down my throat as I swallowed it like I would medicine.

“Oh, fuck no!” I exclaimed, then coughed.

“Bite the lime,” Maddy said, giggling the entire time.

“I literally don’t understand why people drink,” I commented once I was finished wincing from the bitter taste.

“Ah, you just wait until you’ve had a couple more,” Beatrice said, pouring another round for us, and the three of us repeated the same steps once again. This time it burned a little less.

“Can we still not convince you to come with us?” They both whined as we all piled onto the couch with a bowl of pretzels.

“I just don’t think if Walsh or my dad found out—”

“I promise he won’t. Plus, regardless of if the rumor is true or not, they are still bitter rivals, so it’s not like anyone he knows is even going to be at the frat anyway.” Maddy pointed out.

“It’s true,” Beatrice chimed in.

“I guess if we are wearing masks—” I needed to come up with a diversion immediately.

Maddy bound off the couch, pulling us with her, and exclaimed, “Yes. That is the spirit! Now go get dressed. Wear something sexy.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. I did not own sexy, and Maddy knew that, even with only being roomies a few days.

“Fine, I’ll grab something from my closet for you to wear.” She ran into her room, then came back with a pale-green mini dress. I was rather impressed with her fit because while she was notorious for wearing loud outfits, it was a simple ribbed mini dress. “You can even wear it with your sneakers if that makes you comfier.” She beamed.

“It’s not bad—”

“It’s cute,” Beatrice said. I smiled at the two girls and disappeared to put it on in our shared bathroom.

Once I slipped into it, it really was cute. Typically, because of how curvy I was, I stayed away from tighter clothing, but this one hugged me in all the right ways. It was maybe a size too small because Maddy was a little more petite than I was, but I liked the way it fit on me.

I pulled my hair into a sleek ponytail, added a little blush and bronzer like I had learned from tutorial videos on the internet, and took one last glance in the mirror, then the perfect distraction came to mind.

Looking out the front window, I noticed the guard in the car parked across the street before calling my dad.

One benefit of growing up without a mom was that when I got my period, my dad shipped me to my aunt’s house for a long discussion. He avoided period talks for as long as I could remember, and when I needed a restock, I’d tell him, and without further discussion, he’d go get what I needed.

Once I was outside, I wouldn’t be worried, because I was in a mask, it would just be difficult to get out of this dang house. Opening the bathroom and peeping out, Maddy and Beatrice were still fussing about and getting dressed, so I knew I had some time but not much.

I called my dad, and he picked up on the second ring.

“Hey, Em!” Thank God I got him in the right mood too. “To what do I owe this pleasure?”

“Ugh, Dad,” I murmured, “I think I am getting sick.”

“I am coming right now.” I could hear him shuffling his papers about.

“No, no.”

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