Bittersweet // Complete

15

Chapter 15

"- and then they absolutely trashed the fucking ground!" Daniel was retelling his favorite moments of the soccer match on Thursday, including his one goal and three assists during the first half of the match, after which he fell down pretty hard and had to be benched for the rest of the game, "But you know Noah, man. He's a fucking beast on the field, and there was no way he would let Caleb try and steal the match from us. You should have seen his face when-" Daniel stopped short when Eleanor showed up to join us, wearing a sparkly silver dress with tassels all over. I had seen it in a boutique when we went shopping after classes on Thursday.

Eleanor's excuse? Noah wasn't anywhere to be found on that day, and she needed something to cheer her up. I had accompanied her only on the condition that I wouldn't step into a trial room, but she sneakily managed to convince me to buy a nice pair of earrings anyway. Seeing me wear the golden droplets on my ears, Eleanor squealed, "Girl those look amazing!"

"This dress is gorgeous," Sophie complimented her, as Eleanor gave us a twirl. The back was incredibly low cut, and I was sure I would have to spend a large chunk of my night babysitting her.

"Why isn't Finn here?" Eleanor asked and Daniel eyed Sophie, "He wouldn't be convinced to go near her if she was drinking tonight."

Sophie's cheeks coloured red, "I told him I'm sorry! I'll even buy him a new shirt, I promise!"

"We'll see about that," Daniel rolled his eyes, "let's go in, shall we?"

Standing at the curbside in my red shorts and flimsy shirt, I couldn't have agreed faster. As a tradition for winning their match against Eastwood Eagles, the Ravens had organised an absolute blast of a party at a local club named Vortex. It was one of those high end places that you could only ever get reservations at if you tried months in advance, but I guessed when you had Noah Sterling on your team, such things weren't exactly a bother.

I could see Alex standing near the entryway, accepting congratulations and praises from everyone, my eyes immediately looking over at Sophie.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" she shrugged, even though her eyes looked a little sad. At least she and Alex had some clarity. Sophie had broken up with him, and now they were only keeping things civil. If there was any animosity between them, I didn't see it. She hugged him, albeit awkwardly, and congratulated him on his first win as a team captain.

"Great job man," I hugged him too, and his chest swelled with pride as he deferred the compliment to his team. What a gem. I couldn't understand why Sophie and Alex couldn't try and make things work again, but it was ultimately their decision not mine so I stayed mum about it.

Inside, Vortex was like being transported to another world. The area was pitch dark, only lightly illuminated by the small LEDs on the ceiling, that did little to help me see anything around me. Only the bar was lit properly, which is exactly where we all headed, dragging each other by the hand.

"In case we lose each other," Eleanor pulled out some folded sticky notes from her bra, handing me and Sophie one each. I unfolded it to find all possible contact numbers. Sophie, Eleanor, Daniel, Noah, me. On the back of the sheet she had also listed Nathan's number. Smart woman. I didn't have to remind her that I was least likely to lose anyone if I wasn't drinking, so I kept my mouth shut and did the smart thing. Copying Sophie's lead, I tucked in in my bra, returning to take over the drink she was handing me. "One virgin mojito for the little virgin of the house," she squealed, grabbing Dan's hand and stealing him to the dance floor.

I shook my head at her, finding empty stools for myself and Sophie.

"She's something else, huh?" Sophie watched as Eleanor placed herself perfectly in Noah's sight, dancing like she belonged on a stage rather than the club. The deep cut of the back and the plunging neckline of her dress was doing a lot already, and she didn't necessarily have to sell herself with those moves. Boys swarmed around her like moths to a flame, and Sophie rolled her eyes, "I'll take over bodyguard duty for tonight. Go have some fun for a change." Finishing the rest of her beer in one swig, Sophie hopped off her stool, waving her hands in the air and tactfully lodging herself between those thirsty guys and Eleanor. I sipped on my mojito again, only to find sheer ice water remaining in it.