Life's What You Make It

Chapter 55

Bet you didn't think you'd see me any time soon...

It's party time

Beyoncé's POV

The digital clock on the bedside table glowed 1:17 AM. Sunday. The house was utterly silent, the kind of deep, peaceful quiet that only settles in the very early hours. Shawn was a warm, heavy presence beside me, his breathing slow and even. I was just drifting back into a truly deep sleep, the kind that promised real rest, when the insistent, vibrating buzz of my phone started under my pillow.

My eyes snapped open. Who on earth would be calling at this hour? I fumbled for it, heart already thumping with a vague sense of dread. The screen showed the contact and my stomach clenched.

I slid out of bed as quietly as possible, padding into the en-suite bathroom, pulling the door almost shut behind me. I answered, holding the phone to my ear, my voice a groggy whisper. "Hello?"

Through the receiver, a cacophony of sound assaulted me. A heavy, thumping bassline vibrated, making the phone buzz against my ear. Shouts, slurred and high-pitched, echoed in the background, punctuated by bursts of raucous laughter. I heard what sounded like glass clinking, then shattering, followed by a collective cheer. The air on the other end felt thick with noise, a chaotic, uncontrolled energy that made my skin prickle.

My brow furrowed. "What is going on?" I whispered, my voice laced with confusion and a growing unease. "Where are you? What is all that noise?"

There was a muffled sound, like she was trying to move away from the immediate chaos, but the distant thrum of the music remained. I could hear her breathing, ragged and fast. She sounded... distressed. And something else. Something slurred.

"Oh God, Please. It's... it's bad. I don't know what to do." The voice was shaking, on the verge of tears. The noise behind it swelled, a sudden burst of shrill laughter and shouting that made my stomach clench.

"Are you okay?" I pressed, my voice sharper now, all traces of sleep gone. "What's happening? Do you need me to come get you?"

"You... you gotta come get me," her voice strained, distorted by the noise. "Now. Please. I... I can't..."

There was a pause, a shaky intake of breath, and then a rush of words, barely coherent over the distant roar of the crowd. It was a plea, desperate and urgent, for me to come. To come now. The address was rattled off, quick and slurred, followed by a single, damning word that cut through the noise and confirmed my worst fears. A party.

Then the line went dead.

I stared at the phone, the screen dark, the silence in the bathroom suddenly deafening. My hands were shaking. The cold dread turned into a searing anger, quickly followed by a wave of nauseating fear. A party. At 2 AM.

I stared at the dead phone, my hand trembling. Shawn was already sitting up when I walked out, his eyes wide, his face etched with alarm. "Bey? What is it? What happened? Is it Jas?"

I took a shaky breath.
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Jasmine's POV

The first thing I registered was the soft, unfamiliar weight pressed against my back. My fingers curled around it, recognizing the plush, C-shaped form of Mom's pregnancy pillow. And with it, the faint, comforting scent of her perfume. I burrowed deeper into the duvet, a sigh of contentment escaping me. It had been a long, long time since I'd slept like this. Truly slept. No running, no shadows, no suffocating darkness. Just... peace.

A soft knock on my door, followed by a gentle creak. I kept my eyes closed, pretending to still be asleep, not ready to face the day just yet.

"Jas," Mom's voice, soft and warm, a gentle melody in the quiet room. "Hey, baby. Time to wake up."