AllFreeNovel
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I’m diving through the sea of students now. Every second drags, heavy as chains.
“Fuck!” I spit out when a couple stumbles into me, sloshing their drinks. I don’t have time for this.
I push their drunk asses back, heart racing. Each corner I check, every empty space, sends a new spike of panic through me. Where is she? Why can’t I find her?
Then I spot Alex, his lips locked with some girl who’s definitely not Ever. His hands roam over her like he’s got no care in the world. Rage boils in my gut, hot and vicious.
“Alex!” I barrel through the last few feet separating us. He doesn’t hear me, too lost in the kiss.
“Where the fuck is Ever?” I grab his shoulder, yanking him back.
His eyes meet mine, confused at first. “Charlie?—“
“Ever!” I shout over the noise, my voice cracking with the terror of what might be happening to her right this second. “Where the fuck is she?”
14
EVER
My eyes dart from face to face, searching for that familiar mop of dark hair, those piercing blue eyes – but Alex is a ghost in this crowd. I shove through the swarm of bodies heading for the back garden, where the party is growing more raucous by the second, the beat of the music thumping against my chest like a second heartbeat.
“Ever! Hey!” I jerk around at the sound of my name as I reach the kitchen. It’s Jade from English Lit, her red curls bouncing around her. Relief floods me. At least I’m not alone in this chaos. I weave my way over, forcing a smile. “Hey, Jade.”
“You came with Alex?” Jade’s voice slices through the thumping bass as she leans in.
“Yeah. Have you seen him?”
“He’s inside somewhere with Verity. He has his tongue stuck down her throat. Sorry, girl.”
My cheeks heat up with annoyance and the sadfeeling of betrayal. It’s ridiculous. I don’t own him. We aren’t even dating.
I shrug, trying to appear nonchalant. “Good for them.” My hand tightens around the cool surface of my drink, the condensation slippery against my skin. I take a sip. The bitterness of the tonic laced with vodka burns my throat. This is my second one, and I’m feeling the effects already.
“God, it’s so packed in here,” Jade complains, scanning the room. “Want to head outside for some air?”
“Yeah, I was on my way out when you called me.” The room tilts a fraction, and my stomach lurches.
Shit.
I try to steady myself, my fingers fumbling for the wall.
“Ever? You okay?” Jade’s voice seems distant, concern etched into her brows.
“Fine,” I lie, gripping the wall like a lifeline. My vision swims, colours and shapes blending together in an abstract painting that refuses to hold still. I blink hard, willing the dizziness to pass. But it clings to me, persistent and growing stronger by the second.
I’m spinning. The room, a blur of laughing faces, feels like a carousel cranked up too high. Panic claws at my throat, raw and suffocating.
“Bathroom,” I mutter and shove through bodies that seem to move in slow motion, their laughter distorting into something sinister.
“Excuse me,” I slur, but no one hears—or cares.
The staircase looms ahead, a mountain I have toclimb. Each step feels like wading through molasses; my limbs are heavy, detached from my command. I can’t shake the fog in my head or clear the mist from my vision.
“Fuck.”
My hand skims the wall, searching for stability in this tilting world. I need to make it upstairs, lock myself in the bathroom, and splash cold water on my face. Anything to feel real again.
Someone brushes past, their shoulder knocking into mine. It sends me reeling, but I catch myself before I fall.
