There's Something About Him (Complete)

Chapter Fifty - Bitterness

"You should just take it, River," I wheedled, trying to throw the card at him. "If anything happens, you might need the money."

He cringed away, "I'm not letting you hand over your credit card. Yeah we may be BFF's but you've still known me for less than two months. You can't be trusting people with shit like that. It's a black fucking card, for fuck's sake."

I huffed and popped it into the glove box, "If I thought for even one second that you were untrustworthy I would be kicking you out of my car. The card is just there if there's an emergency and you need more cash."

His fingers tightened on the steering wheel, "I can afford to look after myself, Alira."

The snappish tone of voice made me want to beat him over the head but I knew how worried he was about meeting Camilla and I didn't want for us to part angry. Not when I understood that I was the only support he was getting at the moment.

"You be careful," I ordered, my eyes watching as groups of teenagers made their way inside the main hall of the school. "You do not let her get to you." I held up my fingers as he opened his mouth. "I know that you think that you're over it all by now but there's no way to really predict how things are going to go between the two of you. Remember, I need you to be here to pick me up once the Ball is over."

"I will be." He replied quietly, "I just need this so that I can finally move on. Hell, so that my whole family can move on. I know that they watch me sometimes, waiting for me to fall apart again."

I poked his cheek gently, "They're not waiting for you to fall, River. They're waiting for you to let go and live again. Call me if you need to – I can catch a cab to you if things get bad."

He leaned over and softly brushed a kiss against my cheek, "Thank you for being my friend, Alira. I'm grateful to you, for mine and my brother's sake."

Not knowing how to reply and worried that the tears hovering close to the surface would spill over, I simply pushed his glasses back up his nose, smiled and let myself out of the sleek vehicle.

God, I hope that he was making the right decision. For both our sakes.

For a moment after he had disappeared down the road, I watched. Again there was that sick sense that something horrible was about to happen and I could only pray that they boy who had just driven off would be the same one to pick me up.

... ...

By the time that the sun had finished setting, the Ball was in full swing with the live band drawing everyone onto the dance floor. It had been a good night if I had to guess considering that everyone was smiling.

After experiencing years of it, I thought that I would be used to the lack of attention but as the event dragged on, I grew increasingly depressed at the fact that while many people glanced over at me, not one had made the effort to walk over.

It still puzzled and shocked me that one person could have so much influence over the entire student body. I mean, yes she was gorgeous and most definitely popular but that didn't explain how she had managed to rule the school from her day as a freshman.

Really, I'd spent years wondering how she had managed to keep so many in line – it seemed unrealistic.

I groaned when I spotted her followers tottering on their heels towards me as I stood in front of the drinks table.

"Well," Victoria drawled, her eyes dragging over me with disdain, "Look what the cat dragged in."

I rolled my eyes. Couldn't they come up with something better?

"Hello, Victoria. Ladies," I nodded once and went back to my people watching even as Alison reached over to finger the material of my dress.

"Where did you flog this from?" She asked, her intent clear in her eyes.

I put my drink on the table behind me and wrapped the fingers of both hands around her wrist. "Don't even think about it. My mother made this dress and you are not going rip a hole in it just because you're a jealous bitch who can't afford to buy anything not from Whores Are Us."

Her blue eyes grew stormy as she stepped back and twisted her arm out of my hold, "Hmm, look who decided to grow some claws. You should watch out, Alira. We all know that you snitched to the cops about the little tiff you had with Miranda and now she's out for blood." She leaned into me, her breath making me shudder in discomfort as it fell against my ear, "Run, bitch, before you end up choking on your own blood."

I watched them silently as they walked away, their lips twisted with amusement. I knew that my face gave nothing away but if any of them had been able to hear my heart, it would have given away how much Alison's threat had gotten to me. According to my father who had Blackbourne Investigations and the local P.D. keeping an eye out, no one had seen or heard from Miranda Cole and it honestly worried me.

She was a puzzle, the pieces not quite fitting together because there were some missing. Like, how WAS she controlling the other students? What did they know that I didn't?

I looked at my watch and sighed when I realised that there was still another hour before the music would begin slowing down. So far I had checked numerous times whether River had tried to contact me but so far my phone remained silent in my small silver clutch. It was all I could think about – if she even attempted to hurt him again, I would end her.

Reaching around to pick up my glass once more, I swallowed it down in one gulp, grimacing at the slightly bitter taste. I had wanted to spend more on better drink and snacks but the principal had vetoed the idea and now we were all stuck with gross tasting soda.

Or at least, that was what I thought. It was almost twenty minutes later that I realised that something was wrong.

As I began to think that the lights and noise was beginning to overwhelm my senses, I tried to walk across the floor to the exit where I knew I could take a moment in the fresh air but my body felt clumsy and slow, my movement's jerky as I tried to stay upright.

My ears felt as though I was suddenly underwater and my vision tunnelled, black crowding in at the edges as I felt the muscles of my stomach protest the sudden and irritable need to get away from all of the people pressing around me.

I wasn't sure how it had happened but in one second of clarity, I knew that I had somehow been drugged and I was in serious trouble.

Faces were so blurred that I didn't even try to find a teacher, all I wanted was to get outside where I knew that it would be quiet.

I practically fell through a set of green doors, my eyes playing tricks on me as I began to see sparks of glitter falling from the sky, its touch cold as I left the cover of the hall's awning.

My dress was wet, my knees hurting as I picked myself up. I couldn't even remember falling.

The phone in my bag begun to ring, its constant buzzing an annoyance as I roughly ripped my bag open and dropped it onto the cement.

With the wet glitter falling all over the screen, I swiped my finger across until I could hear a familiar voice through the speaker.

"Kitten? Kitten, are you there?"

I clutched at my stomach with one hand while I pressed it to my ear. "Heath," I whispered, my voice thick. "I'm scared. Heath." The last was a breath, barely heard.

"Alira! Alira, what's going on..."

The phone was snatched from my hand and thrown to the ground even as I could hear Heath roaring at me to answer him.

I tried to spin around but harsh fingernails tore at my shoulders before I pushed feet away onto the slick, freezing ground.

It was hard to see but Miranda's cold eyes drew close to my own before she kissed my cheek, "No one's coming to save you, Alira. I'll enjoy watching you die in the gutter."

That promise was the last thing I heard before everything went black.