Violet wasn't exactly sure what taking a shot of vodka did to the body. What she did know was that she was feeling dizzy and her heart was pounding against her ribcage. Sal was nowhere to be found, not even the bathroom. She did, however, find Todd and his boyfriend Neil, who said that they'd last seen Sal standing in a corner by himself. But after searching every corner of the house, Violet was still wandering around without him. She was beginning to worry.

Fortunately, a familiar face stood out to her in the crowd. It was Chug. He seemed to be talking with Maple while eating from a family-sized bag of potato chips.

"CHUG! HEY!" Violet called to him, causing him to turn to her.

"Hey, Violet! Nice costume!"

"Have you seen Sally? I can't find him."

"Are you okay?" Maple asked. "You don't look well."

"Listen, Larry made me take a shot and I've never drank before. I've been looking for Sal for over an hour. I really need some help here."

"We'll check outside," Chug told her.

"If we find him, we'll bring him to you."

Violet let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you guys so much. Please hurry."

Another hour went by. Chug and Maple never returned with Sal, meaning that they probably found a quiet spot to make out in the woods. Violet had no choice but to hunt down Larry and Ash again and ask for their help. The two of them stayed close to where the drinks were for the entirety of the party, making it easy to find them.

"Little duuude," Larry drawled, waving a plastic cup at her, "how's the partayyy?"

"I can't find Sal," she said.

"Have you been looking for him this whole time?" Ash inquired, worry lacing her tone.

"Yes. I don't feel well and I'm worried about him."

"Go outside and take a breather. I'll find him."

"Promise?"

"Pinky promise. Go outside."

Violet did as she was told. She was really beginning to feel sick. Her head hurt from all the noise and she felt as though she'd throw up. The mixture of alcohol and overstimulation was making her lose her mind. Maybe she was looking for Sal earlier because she wanted to show him her costume and dance with him, but that wasn't the case anymore. She just wanted her friend. She was so confused and tired. It was a mystery to her how people partied like this multiple times in a week. She was sick and exhausted after only 2 hours.

Not knowing what else to do, Violet pulled out her phone and dialed Sal's phone number.

Riiinnggg...

"Come on, Sally. Please."

Riiinnggg...

"Come on."

Riiinnggg...

"Pick it up, Sally."

Riii— "HELLO?"

"Sally! Where are you at?"

"I'M AT THE PARTY! WHERE ARE YOU?"

She huffed. "I've been looking for you for 2 hours! I was worried!"

"WHERE ARE YOU? I'LL COME FIND YOU!"

"I'm outside. I'm sitting on the steps."

"I'LL BE RIGHT THERE!"

"Bye, Sally."

"BYE!"

A wave of relief washed over Violet as she waited for Sal. All she had to do was sit there and try to calm down and then he'd be there. She stared out into the trees, shuttering at the thought of what could be lurking within them. Violet didn't like the woods, much less the woods at night. Too many horror stories about cults and murders and ghosts that take place in the woods. Given the mysteries of Nockfell, she could only imagine what secrets these woods held.

Chug and Maple were leaning against a tree off in the distance shoving their tongues down each other's throats. Violet grimaced at the site of them and turned away. So much for helping her find Sal.

The door opened and closed behind her, causing her to look up. Sure enough, Sal was standing over her with two water bottles in his hands. Based on the fake blood splattered on his prosthetic and the plastic axe strapped to his back, she guessed he went with the axe-murderer idea. "Hey," he greeted her, taking the vacant spot beside her.

"Hi, Sally," she grumbled.

"Are you grumpy with me right now?"

"Yes."

He chuckled. "I'm sorry, Vi. I was in there the whole time. I'm not sure what happened. But I brought you some water."

"Larry made me take a shot."

"Oh...how was that?"

"It hurt my throat and now I don't feel good."

"Here." Sal opened one of the water bottles for her and put it in her hand. "You need to hydrate. It'll help."

Violet took a few sips before placing the bottle down beside her. She sighed, massaging her aching temples. Even though they were no longer inside, the music still felt too loud. All she wanted was to go home, but she didn't want to ruin anyone's fun.

"I like your costume," her blue-haired friend complimented. "It's very nice."

"I like your costume too. You wore your hair down."

"Heh, yeah. The pigs didn't go with the whole murderer thing, you know?"

"They're not very sinister. But I still like them."

Sal grabbed her water bottle and held it to her mouth. "Keep drinking, okay?"

She obliged, closing her lips around the spout and tilting her head back. The boy couldn't help but smile as he held the water bottle up for her, letting her drink as much as she needed to. He liked taking care of her. He liked that she trusted him to be doing this for her even though she wasn't feeling well. For once, Sal felt needed by someone and he loved it.

"It's cold out here, Sally," Violet said, gently pushing the water bottle away. "I wish fairies wore coats."

"Come here." Without thinking, he slipped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. For a brief moment, he scolded himself for acting so suddenly. But when Violet leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder, he thanked his instincts.

For nearly 30 minutes, the two sat together in a comfortable silence. Well, aside from the blaring music coming from inside. Sal slowly swayed to the beat of each song. If it weren't for her nausea and the bitter night air, he could've put Violet to sleep. Instead, she merely stared out into the night, enjoying the presence of her dear friend. His body heat felt so lovely in this weather. Occasionally, she'd turn her head just the tiniest bit so that she could smell the cinnamon scent lingering on his clothes. None of the chaos of the party mattered anymore. It was just her and Sal.

"Sally?" She finally spoke up.

"Hm?"

"I really wanted to dance with you tonight."

He paused. "Y-You did?"

"Yeah. Everything got crazy though."

"Do you feel too sick to dance?"

"I don't think so."

"Well," Sal released his hold on her and stood up, sticking out a hand for her to take, "let's dance. We can do it right here."

Violet's eyes lit up. "O-Okay!"

With her arms looped around his neck and his around her waist, the pair began swaying back and forth to some 80's song they'd never heard. Violet gazed into Sal's cerulean eyes with a small smile on her face. Sal looked at her differently than the boys at the party did. Their eyes were full of hunger and lust, whereas his were gentle and showed nothing but kindness. She didn't like when other boys looked at her in such a way. She didn't want their eyes on her anyway. Just Sal's.

"You wanna try to twirl?" He asked her, amusement lacing his voice.

"Yes, please."

Sal reached back and grabbed one of her hands, lifting it over their heads. Violet attempted a sloppy twirl, but ended up stumbling over her foot and tightening her grip on his hand to stabilize herself. Fortunately, she felt comfortable enough around Sal to be able to laugh at herself. He did the same.

"It was only one shot, goofball," he chuckled, helping her put her hands back in their original position.

She giggled. "It was my first one ever. Plus, these shoes are uncomfortable."

"Oh, so now it's your shoes' fault, huh?"

"No! It's the shoes and the vodka and my poor dancing skills."

"I happen to like your dancing skills."

"We'll dance together again another time, right?"

"Of course we will, Vi."

"Good."