There are probably studies on that. Somewhere.
I’m fine.
Except my brain keeps circling back to it like it’s poking a bruise just to see if it still hurts.
The cold brick at my back and his blade along my flesh.
The pause that felt intentional before his breath across my lips.
I shove that thought down hard because if I let it fester, I’m going to goddamn spiral, and spiraling is not the vibe tonight.
I end up back with my friends before I even remember deciding to.
Which is probably the pills doing their thing—time slipping sideways, thoughts skipping tracks, my body moving before my brain finishes arguing with it. The rave feels thicker now. Louder. Like the music is inside my skull instead of just hitting my ears. Lights smear when I turn my head too fast, colors bleeding into each other like everything’s just a little too bright, a little too much.
I blink hard and push through another group of people, finally spotting Luna and Harper near the edge of the dance floor.
Both of them look at me at the same time and immediately clock the lack of drinks in my hands.
Shit.
Harper squints first. “Bitch. Where are the shots?”
Luna gasps dramatically. “You ditched us for ten minutes and came back empty-handed? Who are you and what have you done with Aeri?”
“I got distracted,” I say, which feels like the safest possible answer.
Harper’s eyes flick over me, sharp despite the sweat and glitter. “Oh yeah? Distracted by what?”
“Or who.”
“She does look flustered,” Harper corrects, grinning. “Guilty even. Like…she spent the whole time making out with some rave weirdo in the bathroom instead of getting us the drinks she promised.”
I snort. “I wanted him toseeme tonight. To know how bad he fucked up by losing me. I just didn’t want to actually have to acknowledge his existence.”
It’s not Mark that has me all wound up though. It'sthem. I can feel it humming under my skin, that restless buzz that makes everything feel like a dare. The pills didn’t mellow me out, they sharpened me. Edges tight. Everything feels more intense. My emotions are loud but slippery, like I can’t quite hold onto any one thing long enough to deal with it properly.
Harper leans closer, lowering her voice. “Mark? You saw him? Did he say something to you? I will kick his ass.”
That name makes my jaw tighten immediately because right now, I don’t want to think about him. All I want to think about is the mask. The cool blade, and how fucking wet he made me from barely touching me.
“It doesn’t matter,” I say, flicking my wrist like I’m swatting a fly. “Mark can choke. Preferably on his own bullshit.”
Luna laughs immediately. “As he should.”
Harper grins. “Men really hate it when you stop giving a fuck.”
“Especially when they didn’t deserve it in the first place,” I add.
Luna claps once, decisive. “Okay. Enough oxygen wasted on trash. You didn’t come out tonight to think about him. You came out to forget him.”
“Correct,” Harper says. “Which means dancing first, drinks second.”
She points at the bar. “I’ll grab us something strong since you,” her eyes fall on me as she smirks, “can’t be trusted to not disappear again.”
“It wasn’t my fault,” I tell her. “I swear. This place is wild.”
Luna laughs, and Harper disappears toward the bar, already weaving through bodies like she’s on a one woman mission.Luna grabs my hand and tugs me toward the floor without waiting for permission.
