Chapter 2
CHAPTER
TWO
I dropped my duffel at Rae’s apartment downtown using the key she gave me and made a quick packet of Top Ramen for dinner, making sure to clean up my bowl and fork after.
I didn’t want Rae thinking I was going to be a bad roommate.
The apartment was small but neat, the kind of place where every piece of mismatched furniture had been scavenged from thrift stores or roadside freebies.
A faint scent of dryer sheets hung in the air, mixed with whatever Rae had last cooked… something garlicky.
After eating, I got ready quickly, then took the bus to the Riverfront Park area before walking to my meeting spot with Rae.
Crimson was an eighteen-and-up dance club that Rae worked at, and tonight she was throwing me a small birthday party there.
I didn’t have many friends, mostly group home kids who had aged out and a few girls from my high school.
I usually threw myself into books rather than partying.
My ninth grade math teacher once told the entire class that our ticket to success was good grades and a working brain.
I had both. But I did like to let loose every once and a while. What better time than on my birthday?
“Stop it, you look ah-mazing!” Rae catcalled as I crossed the street, grinning.
I was wearing black leather shorts, a red silky top, and my black combat boots. I wasn’t into dresses or heels, so this was about as fancy as I got. My long brunette hair hung in a braid down my back, and I was feeling good about myself.
The streetlamp above us flickered, shining across Rae’s face as she took me in.
Rae was five feet tall and filled with spunk.
She had an arm full of tattoos and a blond spiky pixie cut that made her look edgy and gorgeous.
She looked tough as all hell on the outside but was a gooey marshmallow inside.
As I reached Rae, she kissed my cheek once because she was currently going through a French phase. She wanted to save up money to move to Paris. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that in Paris, they kissed once on each cheek.
“Bonjour, birthday girl,” she greeted me with a really bad French accent.
There was a line forming around the block as Rae hooked arms with me. The music from inside vibrated faintly through the brick walls, a steady thump you could feel in your ribs even from here.
“Did you sign the papers?” she asked.
I nodded. “Linda got all mushy and said nice things.”
Rae scoffed. “Lucky. My caseworker basically kicked me out of her office and probably had a party after I left.”
I grinned. Rae was known for breaking all the rules when we were in the group home together.
She snuck out in the middle of the night, smoked behind the dumpsters, and even stole makeup once from a drugstore.
But I knew Rae was a good person. Whenever someone at the group home was feeling down, Rae baked something.
It didn’t matter if it tasted awful and was made with whatever janky, stale ingredients we had, it cheered them up.
She stood up for kids who were bullied and always had your back.
Rae was loyal, and I knew I could trust her.
We stepped away from the curb and walked past the line of people as we neared the door to the club. Neon lights reflected off puddles on the sidewalk, splashing color across everyone’s shoes.
“She’s with me, Matty,” she told the door guy.
A hulking man held out a hand to stop us. “This little baby girl? I need to see her ID. We can’t have trouble. Cops were poking around last night.”
Baby girl? Pshhh.
Rae rolled her eyes, and I grinned as I pulled out my ID, confirming I was in fact eighteen.
The bouncer looked surprised. “Happy birthday.”
“Thanks,” I said.
Rae gave him a see-what-I-mean look, and we passed through the double doors.
As we entered the club, my senses were assaulted by loud music, flashing lights, and a smoke machine. The air was thick with the scent of sweat and cheap perfume. It was jarring coming from a quiet street, but by the time we’d squeezed our way to the back VIP section, I was feeling the vibes.
I stopped in my tracks when I noticed that the corner table had a Happy Birthday sign hanging behind it, a small cake in the center of the table, and a half dozen of my friends grinning as they waited for my reaction.
“Happy birthday!” they screamed in unison over the blaring club music.
It was like in Linda’s office all over again. Emotions swelled within my chest as everyone came forward to greet me. Heat climbed my neck, and the mix of strobe lights and affection made the whole moment feel unreal in the best way.
“Stella!” Melanie screamed and was first to run over to me. Melanie was twenty-two now, but I met her at the group home when I was twelve and she was sixteen. She was like an older sister to me at the time, but I hadn’t seen her in a few years. “Happy birthday!” She hugged me.
“Thank you.” I squeezed her back, noting that I was getting more hugs today than I had all year.
Three girls from my school were next to greet me, along with one guy from my group home. It was sweet to see the turnout of all my old group home roomies, and I knew it was all because of Rae. I wasn’t good about keeping in touch with people, but she made an effort, even when life was messy.
“Thanks for coming, guys!” I screamed over the music. Then I turned to Rae. “And thanks for letting me stay with you. It will only be until I can get my own place.”
She nodded. “Once I save enough for Paris, I’m out of here anyway. I applied to culinary school there and sent in everything for my student visa.” She was grinning, and my heart overflowed for her.
Culinary school in France was perfect for her. Rae had been talking about getting out of Spokane since I met her. Paris was the dream, and it sounded like she was finally doing it.
“Rae.” My voice caught. “I’m so happy for you.”
She looked pleased with herself. “Now I just need, like, five grand to get my ticket and get started over there. I’ll be working doubles for a while.”
I nodded. I knew that struggle. “You’ll get there.”
Rae grabbed my hand. “Okay, enough chitchat. Let’s dance!”
I laughed as she dragged me to the dance floor and Melanie and the rest of the people in my party followed.
The music was trancelike with deep bass, and we carved out a little spot on the dance floor as Rae threw her arms into the air and twirled around me.
I laughed, thinking of how much this day meant to me.
Eighteen.
Adult.
Freedom.
My entire life fit into a faded blue duffel bag I got at Goodwill for $3.
99, and it felt so freeing. I was finally excited to make something of myself.
There was nothing wrong with getting a handout, and I was grateful for the support I’d had until now, but I didn’t want it anymore.
It felt transactional. I wanted to pave my own way.
I wanted to sit on a couch I bought with my own money in an apartment I rented with my own name and say that I got myself there.
“Are you having fun?” Rae screamed over the music, and I snapped out of my super not-fun thoughts. Today is my birthday!
“Totally!” I lied. I thought I would be more excited about today, but it turned out I was just going over all my childhood trauma in my head.
I spun around while dancing, and suddenly a well-dressed dude in a three-piece suit appeared behind Rae.
His dark hair was slicked back, showcasing a chiseled jaw, and his alabaster skin practically glowed in the black light as he peered down at Rae with half-lidded eyes.
He wrapped his arms around her, and she went slightly limp, gyrating into him but with a robotic look on her face.
What the hell? Where did this guy come from? Did she know him?
He leaned into her neck and started to kiss her as her arms flopped at her sides and she stared at the wall with a glazed expression.
My inner alarm bells went off then. This wasn’t right. I didn’t want to tell Rae who she could and couldn’t hook up with, but this felt off. She seemed…drugged or something. Rae didn’t do the hard stuff, but had someone slipped something into her drink?
“Hey!” I barked at the guy, but he never took his lips off her neck.
I turned around to see if maybe Melanie could help me out with this situation when I noticed a redheaded chick behind Melanie, kissing her neck. Melanie had the same glazed expression on her face as Rae, and now I was starting to panic.
I spun back to Rae to see that her skin was waxy and pale.
“Rae!” I bellowed, but she didn’t look up at me.
Okay, this was wrong. Something was very wrong.
I peered around in horror to see that nearly every person on the dance floor was coupled with someone, and they were all… neck kissing . The person being kissed had a zombielike expression, like they were lost in a trance.
Where the heck had these people come from? It looked like the club had doubled in size almost instantly. A cold prickle raced along my spine as I realized how many strangers had appeared without me noticing, blending into the flashing lights before my brain could track them.
Dizziness washed over me as panic set in, and I did the first thing I could think of.
I stepped closer to the guy who was attached to Rae.
Then I reached out with my arm and grasped the dude’s slicked-back hair, knotting my fingers into it to get a good grip.
With a forceful yank, I ripped him off my friend, bringing his face up to mine.
Big mistake.
A scream tore from my lips when I came face-to-face with his bloodstained lips and glowing red eyes. And they weren’t just normal pupils. Aside from glowing red, they were…pulsing, like a heartbeat.
I let go of him, stumbling backward as he snarled at me. His upper lip curled, and the ramen noodles threatened to come up when I saw his bloodstained teeth. A sour taste hit the back of my throat, the kind that comes right before you actually puke.