𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐫. [𝐥𝐫𝐡]

chapter thirteen: "matt."

[04.27.17]

[9pm.]

"i don't wanna go out..." cam complained, tugging against nova's hold.

"you have to! it's your birthday." nova insisted. "besides, when was the last time you left your apartment for something other than work or erands?"

her best friend shot her a pointed look.

she has a point. carmen hadn't been 'in the mood' to go out for months. there was just something dragging at her chest... like a constant dullness. she couldn't figure out what it was, and it was stressing her out to no end.

nova pushed carmen towards her closet, telling her to pick something nice for once. reluctantly, she complied. she didn't have many 'going out' clothes because she didn't exactly go out a lot. she never had a reason to.

she flicked past multiple dresses and flashy shirts, knowing that ashton would never let her out wearing them. after a few minutes, nova came over to help, seeing that she was totally clueless when it came to choosing clothes.

"for fucks sake, woman. just grab a skirt and a t-shirt, is it that difficult?" it took nova barely seconds to choose something suitable.

she threw a plaid skirt and a black long-sleeved shirt onto the bed. moving onto shoes, nova cringed at the lack of selection.

"seriously, cam? do you own anything other than sneakers?"

"they're comfy..."

with a sigh, nova settled on a pair of black converse, swearing that she'd buy her a pair of heels soon.

"i'm gonna go get ready. by the time i come back, you'd better be ready to go..." nova warned.

after she left the room, carmen dropped down onto the bed with a sigh. she really didn't want to go out. she wasn't really a social person, and preferred to stay inside her comfort zone most of the time. ashton and nova constantly tried to push her to try new things, scared she'd fall into a bland routine, but they often failed.

carmen didn't enjoy being around people, and they weren't gonna change that with a couple of forced get-togethers.

[10pm.]

"alright, here are the rules. one, stay together at all times. two, don't take any drinks from anyone unless you watched them make it. three, keep your ringer on at all times. four, if one of us wants to leave, we're both leaving. five, call ashton if anything goes wrong. got it?"

cam nodded in confirmation. "got it."

nova grinned, grabbing carmen's hand and dragging her across to the bar. with a huge smile still on her face, nova ordered their drinks.

meanwhile, cam was vastly uncomfortable. she found the huge crowds on the dancefloor daunting. so many people were pushed up against each other, most of them so drunk they're unaware of their actions.

she felt anxiety bubbling in the pit of her chest.

she turned to nova, about to express her worries, but was surprised to find she wasn't there. panicked, her eyes scan across the club, trying to find her best friend amongst the mass of drunk dancers.

eventually, she spotted her with a couple of people she recognised from posts on nova's facebook page. at least she was with people she knew...

on the bar in front of where nova was previously seated sat an empty glass. she'd clearly downed her drink and ran off as soon as possible.