Indelible

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* Chapter 10 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

"It's scary what a smile can hide."

"Hey, Sav."

"Hey, Eli!"

"We heard you were going to prom with Noah," Derek said.

"Yeah. I didn't know he even wanted to associate with me, but he suddenly got like a lot of roses and decoration and asked me to go. I'd feel bad saying no. How can I say that if he put so much effort into it?"

"No," Derek said.

"Sav, we told you he was trouble, but I guess you can go for it," Elijah shrugged.

"Sorry..."

I turned around and saw Brooke holding hands with some guy. 

"Is that Brandon?" Elijah asked. Derek nodded, but he was oddly quiet.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* After School *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

I made my way to Rand's locker. I had an extra bag with my clothes and makeup. Sarah was already there. Rand got there a few minutes later and we headed to her place. It had a modern aesthetic, which was really fascinating. It actually made me want to get ready for school. I changed into a blue denim romper. 

"Savannah! What are you wearing!?" Sarah gasped. I looked down at my romper.

"No, it's good, but--"

"You should be wearing Why Don't We merch!" Rand and Sarah said in unison.

"Oh-- yeah!" I laughed nervously. "I don't have any."

Suddenly a shirt landed on my face. It had a rose print with the Why Don't We Logo. "I love that shirt!" I said, grinning.

"There, do you have any pants?"

"Black jeans."

"Sure, they kinda match." 

Rand went to get changed and came back wearing a Why Don't We hoodie. "Looking good!" Sarah smiled, before getting dressed in another type of hoodie from the same line. I sat down on Sarah's bed and began to put on some makeup.  Sarah joined me. 

"Where's Rand?"

I shrugged, "she disappeared into the bathroom."

Sarah put a necklace around her neck. It read, "8 Letters, I love you."

"YOU HAVE THAT?" I jumped up from the bed and got eyeliner on my cheek. "Oh, God."

Sarah laughed and pointed to the bathroom. "Rand has some makeup wipes in there."

I nodded and walked in since the door was open. I wasn't paying attention to what Rand was doing. "Do you have any makeup wipes?"

"Right here," she slid it over the counter with one hand and I looked over. She was curling her hair. 

"That looks great!"

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

We stood outside the venue and Sarah started walking inside. "Hey guys, why don't we head inside?" 

"HAAHa."

We were close to the front of the crowd when I bumped into someone. I looked up and saw a person wearing a beanie, sunglasses, and a surgical mask. They were wearing a hoodie over his beanie. Was it just that cold in here, or was it a disguise? I could tell it was a male because of their masculine frame. Was he wearing sunglasses indoors to be trendy? He backed away. "Sorry," I said loudly because he probably couldn't hear me. He nodded, walking backwards and disappeared into the crowd. I decided to ignore it and not tell the girls about it. I still stood close to them, feeling a little on edge.

The band was welcomed onto the stage and Sarah began to scream, jumping up and down. I laughed. Jonah began to speak, so the crowd's screaming died down. "Thank you so much, everyone, who came here today. We are so thankful for you all."

Corbyn grinned, "So why don't we begin?" I nudged Sarah. She nudged me back, smiling. That's when I noticed the guy again, standing not far, to Rand's left. I stood between them, even though he was a good distance away.

As they began to sing 8 letters, I noticed the guy getting closer. I stepped closer to Rand. She just thought it was the crowd pushing me. I felt someone grab my wrist and pull me away from them. But before I could scream, he put his hand on my throat. Even if his grip on my neck was soft, I couldn't scream. Like there was a knot forming in my throat. The guy wrapped an arm around my waist as if he was hugging me, but kept his other hand on my throat. He leaned in close to my ear and said in a hushed tone, but still very audibly, "You might know who this is. I'm just trying to protect you. They told me-- Rand and Sarah, that they wanted to get you to go with them, they were going to knock you out and send you back to your dad's place. His orders. They do what he wants. And he usually gets what he wants. I'm trying to stop this, but he might be watching." I choked on nothing. He let go of my neck and put his hand on my cheek, tracing my jaw and forcing me to face him. "Let's pretend nothing happened. But keep what I said in mind." He looked into my eyes through his sunglasses for a few seconds and walked away. I was speechless. I almost dropped to my knees, but eventually found my way to the exit.