REDHEAD , until dawn

prank

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞 . . .
𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒏𝒌

The taste of the sweet cherry liquor lingered on her glossy lips, she tasted it with every smile and laugh that escaped her throat abruptly whilst her body jumped up and down on the wooden floor, causing her cheeks to flush and some parts of her body to sweat. She felt herself mingle with Josh and Chris as the three of them continued to dance together — The Three Musketeers — is what Lola liked to call the trio of friends.

The bottle in her hand emptied its liquid with small splashes before her lips captured it before releasing it, feeling it drip onto her nimble fingers. Soft locks of ginger hair flashed in front of her face, sticking to her sweaty forehead but she still looked beautiful because as if Lola Ness could ever look ugly. Lola chuckled when she felt Josh grab her face before continuing to sing the words of the bouncy song, laying a gentle kiss on her face which caused her to scrunch her nose.

The pulse of the music vibrated through her body, and she had never felt more alive than she did now: cheeks heated and flushed, body twisting and turning in the lights of the cabin along with the music. It was now the only time Lola and her friends could escape the pressures of home, their parents and finally have fun.

However, sometimes too much fun could lead to tiredness, Lola gripped onto the chair as she began to walk towards the doors for some fresh air. Opening the door, she stood outside the cabin, feeling as the cold air cooled her skin and made the alcohol rush to her head which caused her to stumble on her feet. "Woah. . ." She whispered to herself before looking out at the white scenery in front of her, admiring the almost magical look to it.

When she felt the temperature of her body drop and the sweat disappear from her skin, Lola entered the cabin once again before looking as Josh and Chris slacked down on the counter — barely conscious. "You guys lasted long," Lola chuckled, teasing the two of them slightly before she heard the whispering of the others come into ear-shot as she took a seat beside Josh.

   "Oh, my God. I can't believe you actually did this," Lola furrowed her brows as she heard the voice of Emily speak. She stood from her seat and walked over towards the group standing in the middle of the lodge. Jess giddily shushed the group, Lola crossed her arms at the random immaturity the group suddenly grew.

   "Don't you guys think this is a bit cruel?" Sam asked in a hush towards them all, her blonde hair swaying with her walk. "What—what is cruel? What are you guys planning?" Lola asked without the help of her drunken slur. She noticed the angry expression that crossed Sam's face as she had a grow of suspicion that things aren't good. "We are going to prank Hannah," Emily explained to Lola, the ginger shuffled backward slightly as she wanted to speak to Emily in private but the girl was stubborn; everyone knew Hannah couldn't take pranks well.

   "Oh, come on, she deserves it!" Jess exclaimed with a whisper and a girly giggle at the end of her sentence. "It's not her fault she has a huge crush on Mike," Lola chewed her bottom lip into her teeth, her eyes drifting over towards Mike, and to her surprise, he was already looking at her. Her eyes snapped back to the rest of the group; immediately.

   "Hannah's been making moves on Mike, I'm just looking out for my girl Em," Jess told them all as she held onto Emily, the two of them smiling at each other with their 'genius' plan.

Emily held her hands in the air, "Just because he's class prez doesn't mean he belongs to everyone, Mike is my man!" She explained before hooking arms with Mike. "Hey, Em, I'm nobody's man," Mike told her before he let his brown eyes wander across towards Lola, admiration growing over him as he noticed the bite of her lip, the curls of her locks, the way her hazel eyes made her look so innocent.

   "Whatever you say, darling!" Emily trailed her words off before they all walked off together, Lola walking back into the kitchen. A wave of nausea landed within her stomach of now-butterflies before she hit her head against the cool tiling of the kitchen side, taking a seat next to Josh again; feeling the heavyweight of his head lean onto hers.

She didn't bother to lift her head as she heard Beth make her way into the kitchen, humming a gentle tune before Josh practically cuddled Lola in his unconscious state. "Jeez, Josh, once again brother, you've outdone us all," Beth chuckled as she tapped on his back, Lola hearing his snores and groans of detest to waking up full her ear.

The next couple of seconds was silent besides footsteps and a piece of paper being lifted, the stupid prank, "Oh, my God. What did my naive sister get herself into now?" Beth's tone in her voice was laced with worry as Josh's breathing become heavier. Another silence was heard before the rushing footsteps of Beth raced towards the main doors, Lola lifted her heat to see what was happening.

Worried, Lola jumped from her seat and grabbed Josh's coat as she began to tread her way outside. "I fucking tried to tell you," Lola told them all, her finger waving in the air at them as her other hand gripped onto Josh's coat that warmed her body slightly. Her eyes filled with water as she watched Beth run into the dark night of the forest ahead of them.

The crisp, cold air nipped at her skin and Lola began to shiver under the icy temperatures before taking a few steps forwards to chase after Beth, but, she felt a familiar and gentle handgrip onto her waist as she tried to do so.
Turning around, Lola watched as the others went inside but Mike gripped onto her, reframing her from stepping into an inch of the forest. "You're shivering, Lo. I don't think you want to be going after them; you'll freeze. I promise you, they'll come back," Mike explained before his thumb rubbed up and down on her now-exposed waist.

   "You better fucking pray they do, Munroe!" She remarked, reminiscing her hand above his before she shoved him away, making sure to nudge him as she walked back into the lodge, her heart beating in her chest with regret to listening to his words as she only waited for the twins to return back.