The Heir of the Fallen

Chapter 6

Adelaide

3 Years Later

"Hurry up Addy! We're going to be late!" Sophie's voice rang through their apartment that her and Adelaide shared off campus. They met freshman year, and had been inseparable since they were paired up in a dorm together. Adelaide found the friendship and connection she had been searching for all along in Sophie, and she loved her for that. Sophie had pulled Adelaide out of her shell since she left home. Even though she still loved her books and drawing, she also enjoyed going out now with her friends.

"Coming!" Adelaide called back, drawing the brush through her slick, dark straight hair one more time, and patted herself down in the mirror. She was wearing black wedges, a short little red dress with devils on it which hugged her thighs, and a black cardigan draped over her arm for later. It was the middle of winter. She wouldn't want to catch a cold after all.

The club was basically a dimly lit old warehouse, with a band on a center stage and one circular bar surrounding the stage, and everybody crammed around the bar. "Remind me what this place is called again!" The hum of the crowd and the music made Adelaide have to yell in Sophie's ear, her hand on Sophie's shoulder. Sophie was almost a foot shorter than her, with Sophie coming in around 5'3" and Adelaide around 6'3" in heels.

"The Circle!" Sophie yelled back.

"Figures," Adelaide snorted. She kept her grip on her best friend's shoulder, not wanting to lose her in the sea of people. "And who are we meeting here again?" she asked loudly, squeezing her shoulders as she did. It was her telltale sign of her anxiety spiking. Adelaide had not spent a lot of time in crowds growing up, and had a hard time whenever she was in one. She had been pushed out of her comfort zone though, ever since they became friends, as well as moving away from home.

"Jasper and Spence!" Sophie yelled back. She smiled brightly at Adelaide, trying to reassure her. Spence, or Spencer was Sophie's boyfriend of more than a decade, someone who had followed her to college and stayed with her. Adelaide was jealous of their relationship, but more out of admiration than anything else. They seemed perfect for each other, and she had yet to experience that kind of love.

Jasper was Spencer's best friend. Adelaide knew that both Spencer and Sophie were always hoping that Jasper and herself would get together, but there just wasn't anything there, and she had told him that a long time ago. He felt the same way, but she still enjoyed his company and had quickly become one of her closest friends. Jasper and Spencer being there would make things a little easier whilst in this crowd.

The club seemed to be more packed than before once the boys showed up. All of them were fully loaded with alcohol (except for her). Adelaide was the DD for the night. They all took turns being the responsible one of the group. She left the couple to grind away on the dance floor, and started to head towards the door for a breather, away from the crowd. Jasper grabbed her hand and followed suit, pulling a pack of smokes out of his pocket and nodding towards her. She smiled back, happy to have the company.

Pushing the metal bar on the heavy outside door, she and Jasper took a deep breath once they hit the cool, night time air. He released his grip on her hand. There were a few couples out there making out, as was the smell of marijuana heavy in the air. She peeked down the alley next to the building and saw some very risque events happening between two girls and a guy.

Stifling a giggle, she turned back to Jasper, who was leaning against the club wall. By now she had pulled the cardigan on, and she was rubbing her hands together to try and warm herself.

"Having fun tonight?" he asked, lighting up a cigarette, taking a deep inhale. She could see the relief from the nicotine wash over him as it hit him.