Page 40 of When Darkness Calls

One. First day of college. Stressful, but went great.

Two. Grayson has started acknowledging my existence again. Randomly. Almost like nothing happened and he did not ignore me for almost an entire year after our last conversation technically led to getting the shit kicked out of me.

Three. The Founder’s Fest, which was so much fun…until it wasn’t. Don’t really need to say much more on that because I can’t handle thinking about it too much right now without feeling like I’m going to throw up.

Four. Issac’s douche-sona reached its peak.

Which leads to…Five—Liz broke up with him and is a mess, even after Cade’s surprisingly badass pep talk. I think it helped some, but I don’t know. Liz feels things really deeply. All of her emotions are dialed to ten. It’s going to be a little while before she’s truly okay, I believe.

Six. The masked man made another appearance. Then, again, at my house?! And I wasn’t very upset about it.

Lastly, seven, the first football game today.

I’m tired.

And I still haven’t figured out what the fuck I’m doing this photography project on.

“I’m sorry, sir. Dani—” Issac’s voice breaks my train of thought.

Huh?

“—isn’t feeling great today. She would probably have a way better response and actually use all the terms right, but I can give it a shot, if that’s alright?” He continues, glancing at me.

Thank you, I mouth.

Issac's smile is small, but he turns back to Professor Logan who gestures for him to continue with his answer.

“Right, so, I was thinking that an example of this could be applied to the way hockey games are filmed and televised. Like the Grims differ from other teams in how…”

Maybe I’m not really a sports fan, but I can’t deny the appeal of being in the stands, surrounded by the raucous excitement and buzzing energy of hundreds if not thousands of fans, cheering, chanting, and screaming their support and love for the team.

There’s something about the atmosphere in situations like this. Whether it's watching football, like right now, or at a concert or some kind of live show. It’s a kind of magic that sucks you in.

And I’m thankful my migraine was swiftly and deftly shown the door once I got home because the volume only continues to rise every few minutes. The coffee and painkillers worked their magic. Also, probably the shower…and the nap…

But that’s neither here nor there.

With only two minutes left on the clock, it’s looking like West View University will be taking home the win. Everyone seems to have realized the same thing. Shirts have been ripped off, waving in the air, bells are ringing nonstop, and the cheerleaders and dance team have been throwing out flags and more t-shirts like they’re candy.

The infectious euphoria has seemed to even take hold of Liz. After I gave her Issac’s letter, she spent most of the time in my room as we got ready in a quiet, thoughtful, forlorn stupor. But right now, though, the haze has been cut through with the brightness of her smile and joyful whoops! as the players take the field again.

From my seat, just over the edge of the stadium, the rest of Shadow Grove is shrouded in a void of darkness. As if the rest of the world has faded away, the loud music, bright lights, and animated chatter become a beacon of hope and elation in the black of night.

Before I know it, the clock ticks down and the horns blare marking the end of the game and the first win of the season. And the party begins.

Fans filter through the exits in waves. A flood of bodies filling every gap and trickling out into the halls leading out to the parking lot, or in our case, the street that backs the stadium. Some are off to find their cars, others are bypassing the parking lot all together and making a beeline for the few restaurants that are still open, and the rest break off into clusters, following the same path across the street towards campus.

I hope the latter are going back to their dorms and are getting ready for a chill night in, but my brain, ever the pessimist, can’t help but to be like, “Nope! They’re heading to the party!.”

God, I hate when my brain’s right.

Liz skips along beside me, talking about the dance and cheer routines, and wondering what their competition sets might be like this year. I listen, answering at the right times, just happy to see her a little livelier than she has been the last couple days. If it was any other time, she’d have my full attention, and I’d ask a dozen questions, but the large mass accumulating ahead of us has my stomach sinking.

It’s only getting bigger with each new cluster of people pressing their way into the middle of the crowd.

And when the guy standing just on the edge with about five coolers filled to the brim with dozens of beers and drinks asks what we want, I get a really bad feeling.

She leans down, plucks up a spiked tea, and pops it open, taking a long drink. With a satisfied smile, she reaches for another tea and tilts her head toward the center of the chaos. “Come on, let’s see what all the hype’s been about.” And she’s gone.