Lady Venom

Party

"And sometimes I have to keep my feelings to myself, because I could find no language to describe them in"
- Jane Austen

Raiden

The music thumps through the walls of Harlam's house, a pulsing rhythm that drowns out the noise of my thoughts.

I stand in the kitchen, a drink in hand, surrounded by friends, their laughter blending with the bass. Harlam and I are joking about something while the others chime in with their own banter.

"How do you even know this many people, Lamb?" Zeka laughs.

Lamb is a nickname we call Harlem sometimes because the guy's as clueless as a lamb.

"I'm very likable, Zeka, especially with the ladies." Harlam sends a wink my way. Oh Jesus.

"Aren't you dating Madeline?" Logan asks.

Harlan shrugs and takes a sip of his beer. "So? I'm still popular."

I glance around the room, taking in the sea of faces, some familiar, others not so much. And then I spot her.

Vienna.

She stands by the entrance, her presence drawing me in even from a distance.

Her light brown hair falls around her shoulders in loose waves, and she's wearing a green dress that clings to her curves. But there's something else, I can almost feel the unease radiating from her.

"Hey, RD, you good?" Zeka's voice cuts through my thoughts, bringing me back to the moment.

"Yeah," I respond, but my focus drifts back to Vienna as I watch her fidget with the hem of her dress.

"She's here with that boyfriend of hers, right?" Harlam says, following my gaze. "Orion?"

"Yeah," I reply, trying to sound casual. "I think so."

Harlem gives me a knowing look, the kind that suggests he can see right through my attempt at indifference. "Just remember, she's with him, RD. Don't cause that girl any more trouble than she already has."

I know he's right. I should keep my distance, respect her space. But I want to see if she's okay. Just to talk to her.

That's when I notice Nolan, a brunette with a pug-like face from my football team, swaggering over with a smirk on his face.

He catches sight of Vienna, his eyes lighting up. "Lady Venom, surprised to see her here?" he sneers, loud enough for her to hear.

I watch as Vienna stiffens, her expression shifting from casual confidence to something darker.

"Leave me the fuck alone, Noel," she snaps.

"It's Nolan."

"Yeah? Tell me, Nolan, how does it feel to know your only purpose here is to make everyone else look better?"

"You're a bitch—"

"Hey, don't fucking call her that!" I interject, my voice sharper than I intended.

"Relax, man. She's the one who—" Nolan starts, but Vienna turns away, snapping at me.

"I don't need saving, especially not from you." Her tone is razor-sharp. How the fuck is she mad at me right now?

Katherine appears at her side, stepping in with calm authority. "Stop it, both of you. We're supposed to be having a good time tonight, right?"

She turns to Vienna. "Whether you like it or not, these people are our friends."

"I'm going to get a drink," Vienna declares, her voice steady, though there's an edge to it. She moves away, and I watch as Orion follows her, his expression full of concern.

"V, wait!" he calls after her, but she waves him off, rejecting his comfort. Well, that's a surprise, Ori actually cares, for once.

"Dude, she's been vicious since middle school," Jace, one of my friends, says, shaking his head. "I mean, we've all had to deal with her meanness."

"She's not bad, you know," I say, feeling a strange urge to defend her, even if I don't fully understand her actions.

"Yeah, right. Just wait until she throws another insult," Nolan laughs. I can't help but feel a surge of irritation.

"Whatever, I'm going to the bathroom," I say, trying to shake off what they're saying.

But instead of heading to the bathroom, I make my way toward the door where I saw Vienna slip out.

As I step outside, the cool air hits me, and I scan the area, searching for her. I find her sitting on a step, deep in thought.

"Vienna?" I say, stepping closer. "You okay?"

She looks up at me, her expression a mix of annoyance and surprise. "I'm fine, Denny."

Hearing her call me Denny after so long, even when she's upset, warms my heart.

She's the only one who calls me Denny. The only one I allow to call me that.

"You don't look fine," I reply honestly, concern creeping into my tone. "Nolan's a dick, and he shouldn't have called you that."

Vienna laughs bitterly, shaking her head. "Lady Venom? That name has been stuck with me since middle school. I don't care anymore."

I take a step closer. "You are not venomous. We're friends, right? I don't like seeing you upset."

"Friends?" she echoes, the word dripping with skepticism. "You don't know me. You don't have to pretend to care."

Oh, baby, I do know you. More than you think.

"I'm not pretending," I insist. "Just because you've built this wall over the years doesn't mean I can't see what's behind it."

She scoffs. "You don't know what you're talking about."

"Then let me in," I say, my voice steady. "Let me help."

For a moment, it feels like the distance between us is shrinking.

But she shakes her head, pulling away. "No. Just... I'm not doing this with you right now—I can't....Leave me alone."

Vienna may be Lady Venom, but underneath it all, I see a girl who's hurt by whatever.

She needs me, and whether she likes it or not, she's fucking mine.

All mine.