I spent the remainder of the party scrolling through it, just as I anticipated—yawn-worthy. There was this odd guy at the far end of the table casting me glances, but I couldn't care less.
It was getting late, so I had to find the girls. I couldn't bear to be here any longer; it was suffocating!
I got up to see if I could spot them, and fortunately, I saw Lisa chatting with a guy who looked vaguely familiar.
I hurried over, brushing off the guy who had been staring at me the whole time. He probably wanted to engage in one of those tedious conversations, but I wasn't interested. All I wanted was to head home and crash.
Lisa noticed me approaching and swiftly wrapped up her chat with the guy.
"Hey, Bloom! How did it go? Please tell me you got at least one guy's number!" I just rolled my eyes at her. "Why would I need a guy's number? I came here to help find Samantha and Riley, and honestly, we should start making our way home." I continued scanning the crowd, unable to spot them.
"Same here, I'm really worn out. I saw them go in there," Lisa said, pointing to a door that was hard to see due to the throng of people in front of it.
"Alright, but how are we supposed to get through that crowd?" I asked, motioning towards them.
"We just walk through!" Lisa exclaimed, tugging at my hand. This night was getting worse by the minute.
We maneuvered our way through the crowd, with a few thoughtful individuals stepping aside for us. When we finally reached the door, we were confronted by two towering figures blocking the entrance.
"What do you want?!" one of them in shades barked.
Seriously, who wears sunglasses at a party? Where's the sun?
I pulled Lisa back and whispered, "Are you sure this is the right door? What are they doing in such a secluded spot?"
"Trust me, I have no idea!" She pulled us back to face the giants again.
They appeared utterly devoid of life, capable of snapping our necks on command without a moment's hesitation.
Lisa took a deep breath, puffing out her chest slightly, and said, '
"We're searching for our friends; we saw them heading this way, so we'd like to take a look around."
"Wow, Lisa, that was quite smooth," I whispered, laced with sarcasm. At least she was more composed than I was, standing there like a drenched monkey.
"I'm afraid we can't let you in," the same towering giant replied. I glanced at the other giant, wondering if he was mute. As if reading my mind, he waved us off. I was feeling drained by now.
Lisa pulled out her phone to call Samantha, but there was no answer. She dialed again, and this time, Samantha picked up.
"Samantha, where are you and Riley?!" Lisa exclaimed, sounding like an annoyed mother reprimanding her kid.
"We're in a restricted area... and I think Riley's had a bit too much to drink," Samantha replied in a high-pitched voice, with giggles coming from a familiar background voice.
"We're here, but those giants won't let us through!" Lisa glared furiously at the Giants. I was frustrated too, but I supposed they were just doing their job.
"Okay, I'm on my way!" she said before hanging up.
Moments later, the door swung open, revealing little Samantha, who looked completely drained. She motioned for us to come in. Lisa and I exchanged glances with the Giants before stepping inside, though it didn't seem to faze them at all.
As we passed through a narrow hallway into a spacious room, it was sparse yet still populated. I noticed Riley at the counter, fiddling with something invisible.
Suddenly, I felt a pair of dark eyes fixated on me.
It was him—the menacing figure who had taken Rion from me. But Rion wasn't there; why was this man so significant? Regardless, he wasn't my concern, so I brushed it off and headed straight to Riley, with Samantha and Lisa in tow.
"I believe it's about time we head home." I held Riley back, preventing her from bashing her head against the counter.
A guy wrapped his arms around Samantha from behind, and judging by the vibes and my instincts, it was Andrew. He looked better than I anticipated, to be honest.
He sported long black hair slicked back, clearly Korean, with tattoos on his neck and arm, and he had a bit of muscle to him.
Still not a fan.
"Where did you run off to, babe?" he inquired. Samantha giggled, then freed herself from his embrace to face him. "I went to grab my friends," she replied, giving him a playful pat on the head. He then turned his gaze to Lisa and me. "Lisa! How's it going?" He pulled Lisa into a hug, then looked at me, confusion written all over his face for a moment before glancing back at Samantha, who made a strange gesture.
"Oh, and you must be Blossom!" he exclaimed, extending his arms toward me. "That's right!" I responded while shaking his hand.
Lisa and I headed over to assist Riley in getting up, while Samantha was busy with her affectionate farewell to Andrew.
I took hold of one of Riley's arms, and Lisa grabbed the other as we made our way toward the exit. Naturally, that menacing guy was watching us the entire time. What a creep!
**************************************
I rolled out of bed at noon, and, unsurprisingly, everyone else was still asleep.
I decided to whip up something to eat, and as soon as the delicious scent wafted through the air, they all woke up immediately. Fantastic, now I have to cook for the entire family.
Riley proposed a shopping trip since it was the weekend, and I was all for it—I love shopping, after all. Hehehe.
After we finished our meal and got ready, we found ourselves at the mall just minutes later. It was enormous, and I appreciated that it wasn't too crowded, yet it still buzzed with energy.
We started off shopping for clothes and accessories.
I thought it would be nice to get something for the girls, considering all they've done for me, apart from that wild party they took me to.
So, I decided on matching Tiffany necklaces and rings. Thankfully, the money I earned before heading to Canada was more than sufficient to cover the cost.
I made sure they didn't catch me while I was buying them. After finishing up our grocery shopping, which included my favorite drinks and other essentials, we headed to a nearby restaurant.
As we waited for our food, Samantha began to chat about the party from last night. Oh, please let this be a short story.
"Bloom, did you see Rion at the party?" Of course, it's Riley, aiming her question at me.
"Yeah, we talked a bit, then he took off." I drummed my fingers on the table, trying to play it cool.
Riley gasped in surprise, making it way more dramatic, while Samantha and Lisa looked genuinely astonished. Why is his departure such a big deal?!
"No way he did that! I'll show that guy what's what, just wait and see." Riley yelled with a protective edge in her voice.
I chuckled nervously. "Honestly, it wasn't really his doing. There was this intimidating guy staring at me, and I think he knew him or something because he motioned for him to follow. The guy came over and seemed to apologize with just his eyes."
Everyone looked taken aback, but it wasn't the same surprise as before; it felt different somehow. They remained silent, and just then, the waiter arrived with our meals.
I'm too worn out to dwell on it; at least I won't have to deal with that guy again.