Page 28 of The Lair

It doesn’t work.

I hide myself in the shadows, as far away from everyone as I can without looking like a creep, and keep my head down. My fingers tremble slightly around my drink, and I hate myself for being this way.

“Hey,” a feminine voice says, loud enough for me to hear it over the music. When I look up, a long-haired brunette is standing in front of me with a smile. I remember her from earlier—Charlie’s friend Lola. “You’re Allie, right? I’m terrible with names.”

I give her a nervous smile in return. “Yes. And you’re Lola?”

She nods. “Sorry for disappearing earlier, but one of my friends was having a crisis in the bathroom,” she explains. “She broke up with her boyfriend last weekend, and she’s not doing well.” She leans in and whispers, “He’s here tonight.With another girl.”

I wince. “I hope she’s okay.”

Lola shrugs and takes a sip of her drink before she says, “We’re all plotting his demise as we speak. You can participate if you want.”

Something unknown but not entirely uncomfortable settles inside of me.

Growing up, my friends were scarce. At school, my classmates had the wrong idea about me and my life. I’d never felt a genuine connection with any of my so-called friends, never felt included in boy talks or the usual teenage gossiping session. Not really.

I was always the freak. My parents made sure of it.

So the fact that this stranger is talking to me as if we’ve known each other for years, the fact that she approached me because she wanted to… I might sound pathetic, but I don’t know how to act or what to say. What would be appropriate? What would be considered awkward?

Just be yourselfis what Jada would advise me to do.

Sometimes, it’s not so easy.

“So, you work with Charlie?” she asks, a teasing smirk on her lips. “Tell me he’s not as annoying at work as he is outside of it.”

I let out a genuine chuckle. “I wouldn’t say he’s annoying. Dramatic, though? Every minute of every hour.”

“Gotta love him as he comes.” She takes another sip of her drink, and I mimic her. “Charlie told us he invited you to our parties a few times.”

Her voice doesn’t hold any accusations, but my shoulders still tense up. “Yeah. I… I’m not big on parties. I wasn’t going to come today.”

“What changed your mind?”

I decide to be honest. “A friend convinced me.” I omit the fact that said friend used to be my teacher because that would lead to many questions I’ll never be ready to answer.

Lola gives me a conspiratorial smirk. “Is he here tonight?”

I frown. “He?”

“The friend who convinced you.”

“Oh, no. She’s a woman, and she doesn’t live in the area.”

She looks genuinely confused by that, which confuses me even further. “I just assumed… I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine,” I assure her. “Why did you think it was a guy friend?”

“I shouldn’t have, I’m sorry,” she apologizes again, her big eyes pleading. “It’s just that there’s a guy over there who hasn’t stopped looking at you since you got here, and I thought…” Her eyes widen. “Do you know him? If you don’t, don’t worry. You can stick with me and my friends, and we’ll call the police or something. I’ll drive you home.”

Her words come out so fast, it takes me a second to process everything she’s saying.

A guy is looking at me?

My eyes find his a second later, as if a magnetic pull had worked its magic on me.

“I know him,” I tell Lola. “He isn’t a creep or anything, don’t worry. But thank you so much for offering to help.”

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