The Retribution Chronicles

M i r i a m | t e n

Miriam managed to shake Ade off around midnight by feigning exhaustion and calling upon the power of their promised date. He, in true fuckboy style, didn't even bother to offer to take her home, so she ducked into the crowd without so much as a goodbye and redirected her energy to finding Wes. On any given occasion Wes wasn't hard to spot, if not for the fact that his every expression was burned into Miriam's mind, then because he, at six foot five, often towered over any given crowd. And yet, a quick scan of the room yielded no results.

Turning on her heel, Miriam headed outside. She barely made it into the courtyard before she spotted Wes. The first thing she noticed was his smile. To the untrained eye it looked genuine, big and broad, like something out of a commercial, but she knew better. And yet, when she saw his hands, she wondered if she did. In one he held a plastic cup while the other curled around the fingers of a petite woman wearing a honey blonde wig with incredible edges. The two laughed, hands swinging, and Ollie bent down to whisper something in her ear which served only to make her laugh ten times harder.

Something curled in the pit of Miriam's stomach, ice-cold and sharp, while two options presented themselves. She dismissed the first almost immediately. Sure it would rid her of this feeling, but she had enough shame to not interrupt. So, with no other choice, she leaned against a rusted stretch of railing, squashed between two overly large groups, and slid her phone out to text Wes.

Moments later, Miriam watched as Wes pulled his phone out of his back pocket, read her message and put his phone back without sending a response. If earlier her stomach was ice-cold, now it's raging hot.

The next person she messaged was Abi who told her to head to the exit. Without sparing Wes a second glance, Miriam did exactly that. She and Abi bumped into one another on the outskirts of the dance floor; Abi rolled onto her tiptoes. "Ade said you left."

"Wes was busy," Miriam shouted back.

Abi looked bewildered for all of ten seconds before she offered to leave too. Miriam began to shake my head, but Abi interrupted with, "I've ordered the uber."

"Abi." Miriam groaned.

"What?" she asked with the upmost innocence. "I'm sure Daniel would love time alone with his friends just as I want it with you."

"We literally spent the entire day together."

"And now we can spend the night, your place or mine? Who am I kidding, you have better snacks."

"Fine, but just know Wes ate all the cookies from the other night."

"That monster," Abi gasped.

Miriam laughed at her theatrics, then looped her arm through Abi's and dragged her out of the club. By the time they managed to escape, unscathed bar a few droplets of something that smelt like paint stripper, their uber was parked up by the curb. Abi clambered in first and slid across the back to make space for Miriam. The driver checked their details then pulled away, fiddling with the radio until Capital Xtra started playing the latest Dave song.

"So." Abi stretched the word to its full potential. "Wes was busy?"

"Yep, with a girl."

"The same girl from earlier?"

"Yeah." Miriam squinted. Something about Abi's expression made her break out in a cold sweat. "Why? Do you know her?"

"Me?" Abi pressed a hand to her chest.

"Yeah, you."

"Oh, no. Ryan said she doesn't even go to uni with us."

"Then what the—"