Chasing Darkness | H.STYLES

1.

They say life comes at you fast. In my case, it's more like life's been tripping over its own feet, trying to smack me with a baseball bat every chance it gets. For as long as I can remember, my life has been a series of unfortunate events—think Lemony Snicket but with worse luck and no mysterious fortune at the end.

Right now, I'm still in my hometown. I'm stuck here like gum on the underside of a cafeteria table. My mom left when I was twelve, and my dad's here but mostly checked out—lost in work and some endless cycle of regret. As for me, I work a minimum-wage job at the local bookstore, Leaf & Spine, because it's the only place that doesn't question the state of my "resume," or lack thereof. It pays just enough to keep me from being homeless, and maybe even a little more if I skip a meal or two each week.

But this weekend isn't about worrying over rent. It's about Friday night, my friends, and the pub we've all come to treat as our second home.

"Eloise, hurry up! You always take forever," Tessa calls out as I slip on my jacket and grab my phone.

"Yeah, yeah, keep your knickers on," I mutter, locking the door and joining them outside. Tessa, Ava, and Lena are leaning against my beat-up car, the only thing I've ever truly owned. It's old enough to be retro but not quite old enough to be cool.

Tonight's destination? Chasing Darkness, the slightly sketchy pub on the edge of town that our parents would definitely hate. Lucky for us, the doorman's been looking the other way since we turned eighteen, and as long as we don't start fights or throw up on the floor, he leaves us alone.

"So, what's the game plan tonight?" I ask as we pile into the car, fighting for space in the back seat that's covered in old books and empty coffee cups.

Tessa, sitting shotgun, grins. "Simple. Find some fun. Maybe even trouble."

"Define 'fun,'" Lena snorts. She's always skeptical of Tessa's version of "fun," mostly because it usually involves flirting with sketchy older guys or daring one of us to do something borderline illegal.

"Relax," Tessa says, flipping her blonde hair. "I'm not planning anything too wild. Just... the usual. Let's take a break from being responsible for once."

"Responsible?" Ava mutters from the back. "We're barely getting by as is."

I turn the key in the ignition, and the car rattles to life. "Good thing my car hasn't died on us yet, or we'd be even less responsible, sitting stranded on the side of the road."

"Speaking of, you should really get that thing checked out," Lena says, her tone motherly, as usual. I swear Lena would make the perfect headmistress at some posh boarding school if she weren't too busy babysitting us.

"You offering to pay for the repairs?" I shoot back.

She laughs. "Please, I'm as broke as you are."

The drive to Chasing Darkness is short and familiar. We've done this every weekend since we were legally old enough to be there, and maybe a few times before that. It's not glamorous, but it's what we have. That and each other. Which, for better or worse, is enough.

We pull up to the pub, its dim, neon sign buzzing overhead like it's seen better days. Chasing Darkness. The place looks like the kind of pub where shady deals are made in the back, and someone's probably had to mop up a pool of blood or two. But it's cheap, it's close, and nobody asks too many questions about our IDs.

"Here we go, ladies," I announce, turning off the car and heading for the door with my friends trailing behind. The doorman, Marcus, nods as we approach, barely giving us a glance as we pass through the entrance.