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Chapter Seven
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Last Night, 12:38am
"Fucking cunt," he growled, an arm over his girlfriend's shoulder. They sat alone in one corner of the house. Alleyne had drove everybody who sat down away with his continuous snarking, clearly still hung on the brief and first interaction he'd had with Ariana in the better part of a year. Nika had drank her way into tuning the man out, every word from his lips began to blur an hour ago when she had a few cups of 'punch'.
She scanned the party, eyes lingering on the sight of her friends swaying and whirling on the dance floor. Paige and Azzi were up on the platform hanging out with the DJ, KK was popping and locking with Aubrey and Ice while Ariana was dancing sensually with Inês. Something about their Portuguese and Colombian blood seemed to be meshing then, getting fired up by Bad Bunny coming on. It was obvious they were just having fun embracing their European roots, but something about it didn't sit well with Nika. Her fingers tightened around the plastic cup, staring intently until the song came to a stop.
Ariana moved on to taking pictures of the two jamming it out with the DJ, before having someone else snap a few of herself surrounded by her friends. Nika wondered if she would be there right then, having fun like the rest of her team if she had decided to come with them. Instead, she was now stuck with a man she's beginning to have second thoughts about. He was so kind and charming the first week they met, but now that charm was wearing off increasingly with each time he opened his filthy mouth.
"I'm going to the bathroom," Nika said, prying her body from Alleyne's relaxed grasp.
He didn't respond, grumbling more complaints to himself as he drank from the beer bottle in his hand. She sighed, rolling her eyes. He was just so self-centred, she felt like she was going to rip his head off if she stayed any longer. Her hands smoothed out the black camisole she sported, going to find a stronger drink to satiate the nagging voices in her head.
She seemed to be the only person having a sour time at the party—apart from a sulking Alleyne—as the only faces she seemed to greet were ones of pure ecstasy or intoxication.
She spotted a familiar face outside at the bar, striding over to dap an alone Aaliyah up. She smiled, straight back loosening up for the first time that night. The taller raised an eyebrow at the look of exhaustion plaguing the Croatian's features. "What's gotten you so giddy, Niks?"
She didn't need to utter a word. A slight quirk of her lip and the Canadian got the hint.
"I'm sorry, babe. If you want, come hang out with us, I'm just grabbing a couple of refills for some of the girls over by the DJ." She nodded towards the dancing mass of basketball players, Ariana stood out amidst the tall crowd as her and Inês danced their hearts out. Her gaze lingered on Ariana and her wide smile a bit too long, as Aaliyah snapped her back to their conversation by calling her name on repeat. "Nika... Nika! If you stared any harder, Mickey's head is gonna explode."
