Lucas looks happy when he opens the door and sees me. But his smile fades away just as quickly when he notices Frank, who is standing behind me.

"Why is he here?" Lucas says grimly without looking at me, but straight at Frank.

"Don't work yourself up, pretty boy, or you'll start getting wrinkles." I feel myself sink through the ground. Jeezus Christ, Frank...

I aim my attention at Lucas, who has a scar above his left eye. "I'm sorry, I had no saying in it." I try to smile the tension away. "But I brought you some wine!" I show him the bottle, like that could make up for anything.

Nonetheless, he looks at me in a warm way. "I'm happy you came." His look shifts to Frank. "Just keep him on a leash, would you? I don't want any guests leaving with a black eye." Lucas steps aside so we can enter. Before I do, I cast a look at Frank. He has put on a poker face, but I suspect he's just hiding anger towards the host.

I follow Lucas through dancing teenagers holding red cups to a long table with snacks and drinks .

There, a tall guy with brown hair waves at us when he sees us coming. "Hey Lucas, what's up, man?" He gives Lucas a brofist, before noticing me. "Oh, is she that tomato chick you told us about?" Lucas looks a bit frustrated. "This is Giselle, Pete." Pete grabs my hand and shakes it weakly. "Nice to meet you, pretty lady."

I'm not sure if he had too much to drink or if he's just always like that. "You can call me Ell, if you want." He smiles at me with his eyes half closed. Then he just takes off.

"Listen, I'm sorry, that's just Pete." I put my wine bottle on the table. "Oh, so you mean he's sober right now?" Lucas laughs. "I wouldn't be so sure about that." I can see him look for someone. "Where's your tough babysitter?" I look around as well, but I can't spot Frank amongst the dancing people. Maybe he went home after all. "I don't know..." Lucas smiles a half-smile.He grabs my hand and leads me to the imaginary dancefloor. "Let's start partying then!"

I had to adjust to the loud music at first, but I quickly did and just enjoyed the evening. I have to admit, this isn't a small party: at least a hundred guests are present. Lucas introduced me to a lot of friendly people, including a girl named Victoria. She has shoulder length red hair and a tough look. We talked for a while and apparently, she and I are the same age. I find that notable, because a lot of the people present here are at least a year older: Lucas' college friends.

While I was talking to Vicky (she said I could call her that), I noticed a lone boy with rings under his eyes staring from a distance. His dark clothing and dark messy hair contrast with his light skin. He quickly looks away when our eyes meet.

Vicky has seen him as well. "That's my big brother right there. Don't worry: he looks scary, but he's just really shy." When he notices that we're talking about him, he walks away. Okay.

Vicky and I continued to talk a bit about music, until Lucas appeared. He asked if we were having a good time, etc. But I did become aware of something: he was flirting with Victoria. A lot.

After a while, I had enough of it and excused myself. I went to the bathroom.

Why did I suddenly feel bad? I've seen Lucas flirt with a lot of girls tonight, it's his way of talking to them, letting them feel good about themselves. I didn't see any harm in it. But I can't be blind about this one: he is genuinely interested in Vicky. I was standing aside them and boy, it was obvious. But why do I feel jealous? It's not like I had a crush on him. Right?

After I've visited the lavatory, I again walk through the crowded hallway. I'm catched off guard when out of nowhere, a mysterious-looking entity appears right in front of me.

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