Scorched Earth: A Revenge Romance

Chapter One

TW: Emetophobia warning for the end of this chapter. Don't say I didn't warn you.

The loud music reverberated through every part of my body. Even my quickly developing headache started to pound to the beat of the music. I closed my eyes and tried to take some deep breaths, willing the pain to go away.

"Are you okay, Lyra? Do you want to go somewhere a little quieter?" Dylan's hot breath fanned my ear. My eyes snapped open, forgetting that I was in the presence of company. I had met Dylan an hour ago after reluctantly arriving at this party with Mina. It wasn't long after our introduction before Mina excused herself to go find the drinks table with a wink.

Since then, Dylan has been glued to my hip. He's a nice enough guy, with a cute-but-nerdy look going for him, but I just wasn't in the mood for an hour-long discussion of school. I had three research papers to write, due in two days, and had barely glanced at any of them. Our conversation did nothing to ease my rising panic. I had already refused Dylan's offer to get me a drink, wanting to be sober when I went home to work on my assignments. Mina promised we would only stay for two hours. She had talked me into coming to this party against my better judgment with a perfected routine of begging, guilting, and finally, invoking the Best Friend Favor.

We created it when we first became friends in our freshman year of college. The Best Friend Favor is meant to signal how significant the other person's ask was. It was silly and childish, but it stuck. We used to joke that the Best Friend Favor was the gold standard of asks. And as we both know, it's tough to say no to that.

"I'm okay, just have a little headache coming on. I get migraines pretty often," I admitted absentmindedly, scanning the room for my missing best friend. I hadn't had a chance to meet him, but Mina informed me as we were getting ready that the party would be hosted by Adrian Campbell. As soon as I entered the massive foyer, I knew what kind of family the Campbells were. The house (if it can even be called that) boasted nine bedrooms and had a massive staircase in the foyer. I didn't get a good look around the house as we entered, not wanting to make it seem like I wasn't used to this level of lavishness. I wasn't, of course, but I still felt the need to keep up the pretense.

Looking around now, the home is furnished very tastefully and has a modern aesthetic. I take in the many details of the decor, including the clean black, white and grey color scheme. My mouth twists into a smirk at the irony of a college rager being thrown in such a classy home. My eyes linger on the beer pong table in the center of the clean open-concept living room. It seems the only difference between upper-class parties and lower-class parties is the scenery.

Still unable to find Mina among the throng, I make a start to hunt for her. A hand on my arm stops me, and I turn my head to look at Dylan. He gives me a questioning look, concern still etched on his face. I cup my mouth with my hand and lean close to his ear. "It was nice chatting with you. I'm going to find my friend Mina."

He nods in understanding and moves to follow me. Great.

We check the kitchen first. My eyes scan the massive kitchen island, and all the bodies gathered around it, looking for Mina's signature long golden tresses. Unsuccessful, I move to the back door, a few people are ambling about outside, smoking and drinking. Taking a step outside, I let the cool September air fill my lungs and luxuriate in the feeling. I immediately feel my headache start to subside a bit. Shutting the door  behind me does little to muffle the music's bass inside. I scan the patio area, noticing a girl from one of my classes I spoke to briefly when I arrived. She's lounging on a sofa with some other guys who I don't recognize.

I raise my chin in her direction and stuff my hands in my pockets. "Hey, Caitlyn, have you seen Mina come outside? I lost track of her a while ago."

Caitlyn thinks briefly, rubbing her chin with her thumb while her cigarette dangles daintily from her slender fingers. "The girl you came with, right? No, she hasn't come out here. We've been here for a while. She's probably back inside somewhere. You should check upstairs."