The Incubus Under My Bed #wattys2019

Chapter 17- It's All Fun And Games Until Somebody Gets Hurt

Fourteen hours, thirty-six minutes, and nineteen seconds, that's how long it had been since Stella told Henri, Aria just disappeared. People just don't vanish for fourteen hours, thirty-six minutes, and twenty seconds. Henri searched the campus for Aria, while Stella went home with her aunt. Fourteen hours, and there still wasn't a trace of her.

"Hey, man you good?" Tyrell asked when he passed Henri.

"I was looking for Aria. She got into a fight with her mom, and just disappeared," Henri said explaining the situation to Tyrell.

"Aria came over to my suite last night and crashed at my place. She was upset, I didn't know you guys were looking for her," he confessed.

"Is she there now?"

"No, I just walked her back home she wanted to get ready for Seth's party. She was helping us setup," Tyrell informed him.

"Oh, thanks for taking care of her," Henri said.

"Nothing happened," Tyrell said when he noticed the disappointment in Henri's voice. "She just needed space."

"No, it's cool."

Tyrell scratched his head. "You don't look like it's cool. You look like I punched you in the gut."

"My girlfriend spent the night with her ex. I'm not cool, but I understand you guys are friends."

"Hey, Stein. You look upset. I guess you heard about Tyrell's night. I found him and Aria and tingled in each other. Like old time," Cohen said.

Henri punched Cohen in his mouth. The last thing he needed was Cohen kicking him while he was down. "Don't talk about Aria," Henri ordered him as he grabbed his collar.

Cohen's lip was busted, and blood was quickly oozing down his face. Tyrell steeped in. "It's cool man just let it go," Tyrell said as he attempted to separate them.

"Thanks for helping Aria," Henri said to Tyrell before he left.

Stella rushed into the bedroom and sure enough Aria was there lining her eyebrows with a pencil. "Hey, hurry up and get ready for Seth's party," Aria said not once glancing at her.

"Are you serious?" Stella yelled. "I was worried sick about you. We all were."

"Why?" she asked.

Stella's eyes widened. "Why? You just vanished into thin air. Your mom was going to come down here and kill you when Henri called me."

"I was fine, I just needed to think and regroup. I have and now I'm back and ready to have fun with my beautiful cousin, who could use some free spirits and greasy food," Aria said as she lay her head on Stella's shoulder and made puppy eyes at her.

"Okay," Stella said giving in.

"Great, get ready," she said kissing Stella on the cheek and starting on her own hair.

_IUMB_

Aria and Stella danced with Kaitlyn and Iesha, who Aria talked into joining them. The girls were having fun and got invited to a round of beer pong with some of the boys from the lacrosse team. Aria didn't plan on losing, but Iesha wasn't much of a shot, and Kaitlyn was a million times worse. Aria twitched her finger sending Kaitlyn's shot into the cup Iesha's ball was in.

The people that watched them cheered, and the boys on the lacrosse team looked impressed. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. That was everyone, but Henri. Aria knew he was watching her like a hawk, but she paid his presence no mind. That was until his furious stare turned into one of bewilderment. He walked over and took her off to the kitchen. "Did you just use magic to win a game of beer pong?" he asked. The inflection in his voice made it sound like the most ridiculous thing she had ever done.