Chapter 17 Indie
Indie
I Told You Things - Gracie Abrams
Age Twenty-One
“Oh, come on, it will be fun! Pleaseee,” Jenna pleads, and I wipe an exasperated hand down my face.
“I’m supposed to be meeting Saint; I only have a couple days before he goes back to London,” I whine back at her.
It’s been two whole weeks since I last saw him, my finals unfortunately taking precedence over being with each other.
Jenna gives me a look as if I’ve set feminism back a hundred years. “Indie, you’re about to have your entire life free to bounce on that man’s dick. Tell him to meet us later?”
She’s like a dog with a bone, except it’s an apple sour shot she’s waving in front of me.
I snatch it from her.
“Fine! I’ll call and tell him to meet us there in a couple hours,” I say, finally admitting defeat.
“That was the easiest rollover I ever witnessed. Can we go now?” Regina calls from the kitchen in our apartment. The clanking of Absconditus bottles alerts us of her present as she stumbles through, heel slipping on the vodka Jenna spilled during her desperate plea for me to join.
I head into my bedroom to give Saint a call, closing the door whilst Jenna holds her shot glass, cheering me before handing one to Regina.
“Indie, darling.”
Saint’s deep, rough voice already has me regretting my decision even more, wrapping around me like midnight.
“Sainty, how are you?
“I’ll finally be seeing you soon, so I’ve never been better.”
I close my eyes and let my breathing go shallow.
Anything that comes out his mouth is like utter seduction.
He could be reading me my last rites, and I bet I’d still be squeezing my thighs in the afterlife.
“So, uh. Do you want to head to a party for a couple hours? Jenna has literally been on my ass all day to go. I said I was meeting you, but…”
“Indie, stop word vomiting.” He laughs. “Go spend your last night with your friends. I’ll pick you up after and you can stay at mine?”
Then his laugh turns darker. “You can get your punishment then.”
Saint’s punishments are the best, and I earn them so easily, practically begging on my knees for them.
The aftermath of them is the real bliss.
He might be dark and broody on the outside, but in those small moments, when his gaze locks with mine and he asks if I’m okay, the armour melts away.
I get to see a soft side to him that no one else does.
“I’d love that, I haven’t seen your apartment yet.”
He’s been in it for almost a month now, but with him working with his father, and me studying for finals, I haven’t had a chance to go into the city to visit.
“It’ll look better once I’ve got you naked in the bed.”
My eyes flutter shut.
“Saint.” I groan out his name.
I feel starved of this man’s touch. He’s my deadly addiction, one I happily overdose on every single time.
Even the slightest brush of his hand against my skin weakens me at the knees.
“Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll be crying out my name soon enough,” he says in a low voice.
I curse myself for falling over so easily to Jenna.
I love my best friends, but we’ve partied our entire four years at university. My liver can’t take much more.
But it is our last night as roommates, and I’ll likely move into the city to be with Saint. These nights will likely become rare as we get older.
“You’re evil,” I whine, feeling his smile through his words.
“Like you couldn’t imagine, darling. Call me when you want to be picked up.”
Thirty minutes later, the girls and I are stumbling through the campus, all three of us holding hands.
Jenna—who’s slightly more inebriated than Regina and me—bumps into me and causes us to veer off to the side. The courtyard fills with our shrieks of laughter when Regina almost takes a nosedive.
“How big did you”—I hiccup—“make those measures?”
Jenna’s mischievous laugh makes my cheeks hurt with a smile. “Fuck knows, but it was worth it.”
We’re heading to our final end-of-semester party. Whilst we’ve already had our graduation ball, tomorrow is the day we all leave the dorms.
The courtyard is littered with graduates, all heading to whatever party they deem will give them the best end to an era.
For four years, we’ve all worked our butts off. Jenna studied Literature, Regina Computer Science, and me?
Good old Business Management.
A broad figure I hadn’t even noticed steps out the shadows and into our direct path and causes my heel to buckle.
“Ladies, where are you three off in a hurry?” he says, and I don’t recognise his face.
Jenna huffs. “Where do you think, idiot?”
She tugs my hand, and I automatically grip Regina’s, who’s still fighting the giggles from earlier.
“Pfft, boring! You should be heading to the Archives,” the stranger calls behind us, and Jenna stops in her tracks.
“Seriously, Conrad? You need to be fucking royalty to get in there.”
The Archives is located just off campus; rumours are some secret rich kid fraternity own it, but looking at it from the outside, it looks like a derelict building.
So they can’t be that rich if it’s true.
Their parties are the stuff of legends. Only a select few people outside their group get to go. Most people say they were invited, so you can never actually tell who’s in, and who’s not.
The stranger I now know as Conrad strolls up towards us, tugging his phone from his pocket.
“Lucky for you, I have a way in,” he says, wiggling his eyebrows at Jenna.
She folds her arms and rolls her eyes, and I automatically cling to Regina, her sudden movement giving me vertigo.
“You’re lying, and you’re eating into my drinking time,” she snaps, glaring at him suspiciously.
I’ve never met this guy before, but Jenna seems to know who he is.
“When have I ever lied to you, Jenna? This is your last chance to join.” He folds his arms, matching her stance.
She huffs as she turns to look at Regina and me. “What do you guys think?”
I look over at Regina, who has that drunken smirk on her face. “Fuck it, you only live once, right?”
That brings one upon Conrad’s face.
“That’s what we want to hear! What about you, you in?” he asks me, and I sigh.
“I suppose?”
He slaps his hands together. “Sweet, let’s go.”
He turns his back and heads towards the main street. Jenna waits with me as I stare at him walking ahead.
“I’m not sure about this, Jenna. How do you know this guy?” I ask her, keeping my voice low so he can’t hear.
“Conrad Montgomery; I know his twin George better. Conrad acts like one of those entitled rich dicks. Their dad’s a judge in the city. Annoying as fuck, but he’s pretty harmless. Partied with him once or twice.”
I look over at him again, still feeling unsure.
“I think he wants to hook up with you, Jenna. He couldn’t take his eyes off you,” Regina adds, making Jenna scoff.
“Ew. No. Not interested.”
Unease trickles through me.
My friends are single—well, Jenna is to be determined. I don’t know how the logistics of her and Rex’s agreement works.
I don’t really want to cockblock them on our last night, but I also don’t want to be left alone if they hook up. At least at the party we were going to, I knew everyone—well, mostly.
We approach a black Audi, all blacked-out windows and gold alloys, and looking expensive as shit. Conrad opens the back door.
“Your carriage awaits the best night of your life,” he says, and each of us squeeze in the back.
I let out a yelp as someone turns in the passenger seat.
“Fucking hell, George. You scared the shit out of us!” Jenna laughs, playfully slapping his head across the seat.
“Sorry, J. Told you I’d be able to get you in.”
I look over at Jenna.
“Was this your plan all along?” I laugh nervously, but she rolls her drunken eyes.
“Fuck no, he’s been saying it for weeks. But he also talks a lot of shit.”
Conrad starts the car, and George turns around to face us. “Not gonna introduce us to your friends, J?”
Jenna holds her hands out.
“These are my best friends, Indie and Regina. Indie is strictly off limits, so paws off.” She squeezes my hand, giving me a wink.
“Who’s the lucky guy?” Conrad asks up front, and my gaze shifts to the rearview mirror, his eyes already on me.
“His name is Saint; he graduated last year,” I reply, breaking the unsettling stare-off and pulling my phone out from my purse.
One of them voices up from the front. “Oh by the way, it’s a no-phone event. You add it to a locker when you get in. You can go down and get it anytime, but you can’t walk around with it…so we’ve been told.”
What the actual fuck?
Despite the alcohol flowing through my veins, I feel apprehensive about this whole thing. I’m not one of those people who gets drunk and loses all sensibility. This is a bit shady, if you ask me. I’m not exactly as wild and carefree as the girls, but what choice do I have?
I can’t abandon them, and certainly not with these two.
“It’s fine,” Jenna whispers, giving me a reassuring smile. “We can stay for an hour then leave? Earlier if you really want to go.”
I subtly nod my head.
I can handle an hour.
I send Saint a text as we leave the car, telling him about the change of plans and that we should be heading to the original party after an hour, giving him the address and my phone’s location.
I only manage to type out ‘there’s a weird no phone rule’ before it’s swiped from my hands.
“Put it in this bag, or they won’t let you in,” Conrad says, sealing it and giving me a wristband.
I glare at him but secure the rubber band with the key attached to my wrist.
The Archives is huge; music rumbles through the parking lot, packs of drunken students litter the outside, and flashing neon lights pierce into the night from the cracks in the boarded-up windows. Some faces I recognise, some I don’t.
There’s a variety of ages of partygoers, and as soon as the front door opens, I’m almost deafened as “Pour It Up” by Rihanna blares into my ears.
The interior is deceiving from the outside, because inside isn’t like an archive at all. The hallway is huge, stretching into what looks like a kitchen and bar area.
To the right, a huge dance floor flashes ferocity with strobe lights, the haze from the smoke machine seeping into the corridor.
The left room is plunged into darkness, the faint outline of silhouettes and sofas scattered around the place.
Conrad leads us past the stairs, a row of lockers placed underneath it, shouting over the music, “Look for your number and throw your phone in.”
I find it weird that he already has these for us, but Regina and I scan the metal wall, find the numbers from our keys, and place the phones inside.
I glance up to look over the balcony on the second floor to see a couple of doors.
“What’s up there?” I call out, and he turns to give me a lopsided smile.
“Apparently, chill-out rooms and the club’s meeting area.”
I nod at his answer.
When we reach the back room, it does in fact open up to a large kitchen and bar. There’s no bartender, and bottles of liquor and plastic cups are scattered everywhere, people helping themselves to whatever.
George joins us with Jenna and pulls a bottle of whiskey from his bag.
“That shit looks expensive,” Regina howls, my eardrums already sensitive from the sudden burst of beats when coming inside.
“Fuck yeah it is,” Conrad chirps, taking the bottle and cracking it open. He places five cups across the island counter, filling them generously before adding in a chaser.
“Let’s get fucked up!” he bellows, each of us taking a drink.
A finger is tipped under my cup, and I gulp in way more than intended, causing me to choke. Liquid splutters from my mouth, and I notice he does the same to Regina.
“Lay off, asshole.” Jenna sneers at him, slapping Conrad’s hand away as he laughs it off.
“That’s fucking disgusting,” I groan, the burn lining my throat as I look for another drink.
“You’ll get used to it,” Conrad adds, passing me the chaser, and I pour a bit of my cup down the sink to dilute it.
Jenna leans on the counter.
“So, how the fuck did you two really pull this off?” she asks, eyeing both of them above the rim of her up.
“Unfortunately, we’re unable to trade such secrets.” George smirks, and I notice his drink is much fuller than ours.
She bunches her face up. “What, are you a part of the secret?”
Both of them smirk, a knowing look passing between them.
“Can neither confirm, nor deny,” George says, and I zone out their bickering as I look over the place.
Some guy is already chatting up Regina, and a weight rests on my shoulders, Conrad slumping his arm over me.
“So, where’s the boyfriend tonight?”
I shrug him off, putting a space between us. “He’s coming to pick me up soon.”
I really hope he reads my text right away. He always does, but this time I need it immediately, like yesterday. These guys are making me uncomfortable.
Something flickers over Conrad’s face, but it disappears as quickly as it came. “Party pooper. These nights last until the early morning. You guys should stay; you’ll probably never be here again.”
My brows dip as he chuckles, taking another drink before I answer.
“I’m good, thanks.” My words come out a little more slurred, and I place my cup down on the counter, but it’s more like I thump it.
Jesus, that shit hit me fast. Not a good idea to mix drinks.
“Indie? Regina? I’m going to the bathroom. You wanna come with me?” Jenna asks, and I look behind me to see Regina laughing with the guy she’s speaking to, completely oblivious to the question.
“I’ll wait here.” I tilt my head towards Regina, but the motion makes me feel dizzy.
Jenna turns her attention to the guys, eyeing them both with a frown. “Don’t be weird. I’ll be back in less than a minute.”
And with that, she plods down the hallway, disappearing as I see her feet stomp up the stairs.
“Shots, anyone?” George calls out, and I can already feel the room starting to tilt.
Jesus Christ, every time I blink it gets worse.
My lips are beginning to feel tingly.
I go to take a step forward, but stumble backwards and hit my hip off the counter.
“Whoa there, you okay?” Conrad asks, but his voice is starting to blend in with the thumping music.
Everything feels like it’s pulling in and out, like being hypnotised by a rapid tide.
A pressure is wrapped around my arm, and I think it’s someone’s hand.
“Let’s take you for a rest, huh?”