The Midnight Whisper

The Rebel.

It’s 1A.M. and I tiptoe downstairs, being careful as to not make any noise.

‘You outside?’ I text my best friend Vanessa Anne as I slip on my high heels and exit my parents’ mansion.

‘Yup, I see ya.’ She replies, and I spin around in my garden to spot her leaning against Ian’s car. I grin as I observe Vanessa. She’s clad in a sleek black dress with a daring side slit that stops at her left thigh, paired with stylish black strap sandals and her long curly bronze hair cascading freely. She embodies ‘Badass’ and I couldn’t be more pleased. The guys jump out of our ride for tonight with Ian going to Vee’s side and Cameron cutting the distance short between us in 2 long strides as he cups my face and captures my mouth in a kiss.

Ian Conrad? He’s got rage baked into his bones. Grew up catching beatings from a father too drunk to remember he had a kid, while his older brother peaced out and left him behind. Now he drinks, fights, and screws to forget. Sometimes it works. Usually it doesn’t.

‘Ready to get drunk babe?’ Cameron asks, his voice husky and I nod, not trusting myself to speak right now.

‘Come on love birds, Max isn’t the type to wait for you while you decide to get naked in Vivienne’s garden. Get it movin’ before her parents wake up, and our plan goes south.′ Ian shoos us to the car, and I unlink my hand from Cameron’s’ to bring Vanessa in for a quick hug.

‘I missed you,’ I whisper, fighting back tears.

‘Me too, sunshine.’ Vee says. You might believe I’m overreacting, and maybe I am, but I’ve avoided parties for 3 years after being caught hosting one at my house while my parents were on vacation. They decided to return home 3 days earlier because they were worried me and my elder brother David would try to set up pranks for when they arrive as we usually do. And well, you have an idea as to how that might’ve gone. Following that event, they installed a tracker on our phones and monitored us constantly. I couldn’t socialize with my friends without my mother trailing us, and I was restricted from visiting anyone’s home due to concerns about common activities like drinking, music, and relationships. While I understand their worries, there are moments where I simply need to alleviate the stress caused by this hospital on my fragile mind.

So, this is how I found myself at Max’s mansion with my burner phone in hand.

Vanessa screams something in my ear as we walk inside, the music polluting our ears, reminding me to stay close to either her or Cam. ‘Okay!’

I hold onto Cameron’s arm as he steers me in Max’s direction. ‘Sup dude?’ He does that clap and hug thing guys liked to do so much. ‘Vivienne,’ Max nods and I shake his hand. ‘Nothing much, just arrived. Where’s your girl?’ Cam asks as I take in my surroundings.

We stood in his expansive lawn, flanked by a forest on the left and the mansion on the right. At the far end of the lawn, a bar offered a variety of high-end drinks. I’m excited to join Cam and Vee there for a memorable time. The booming sound of Chase Atlantic filled the air from the large speakers outside. In the center, a spacious pool hosted couples enjoying the cool water. It seems like the party spot, with a clear ‘no entry’ sign on the mansion. Not my scene. The crowd was already getting wild, dancing like there was no tomorrow. After Cameron finished his conversation with Max, he turned his focus back to me.

‘Drinks are on me,’ he whispers against my jaw, and I smile, nodding. We walk over to the bar, and I spot Vanessa making small talk with the bartender. Cameron orders our drinks as I take a seat next to my best friend.

‘Where’s Ian?’ I ask her as she finishes her drink, setting the fancy glass back on the counter and ordering another one.

‘Probably getting wasted with the other girls. Told me to wait here.’ Ian and Vanessa weren’t dating yet, but it was hella obvious to understand that Vee has a massive crush on him, so it was my job as her best friend to make her dreams come true. Cam joins us as I start brainstorming different ways to get him to ask her out on their first date. ‘Can you look after my drink as I go find someone?’ I ask Cam. ‘Who are you lookin’ for babe?′ He asks, and I bite my bottom lip to come up with someone’s name. There’s no reason for me to hide Ian’s identity from his best friend, but I have to, or else Vanessa will literally tie me down to my stool and not let me leave until the party is over.

‘Bethany’s here. Just want to go over and give her a taste of her own medicine, ya know.’ I plaster on a bright smile as I mention my high school bully’s name and Cameron smiles in return. ‘Well babe, if you need me, I’m one text away.’ I nod and step off the stool, adjusting my red silk dress. Running my hands through my caramel locks, I flash a fake smile, strut toward Bethany’s group—then swerve at the last second.

Ian is seated on a red velvet couch with a blonde girl on his lap. He’s caressing her thigh as she chuckles at something he’s said, tilting her head back over his left shoulder as he seizes the moment to kiss her exposed shoulder.

The whole action sends my heart shattering into a million pieces as if I was the one getting affected by Ian’s actions. Nonsense.

I don’t think. I move. My heels hammer the grass as I zero in on him, every step louder than the music in my ears. I shove Blondie off his lap, eliciting a surprised look from him and a yelp from her. I place my right hand on his chest, my fingers clenching his shirt as I fix my gaze on him. His legs are trapped between mine, and I’m in such proximity that the scent of his cologne nearly overwhelms me. Simultaneously, my burner phone vibrates., letting me know of a text message that I don’t give a shit about right now.

‘What the hell do you think you’re doing, scaring off my prize?’ He asks, and I scrunch up my nose in response, disgusted by the smell of his breath. He’s clearly drunk. ‘Doing what I should’ve a while ago, Shakespeare.’ I reply, anger blinding my sight to see red and only red.

‘What the hell do you think you’re doing over here getting all cozy with Blondie after you tell my best friend to wait for you?’ I ask, the words almost rolling off my tongue, but I make every word make sense. He flinches, backing into the couch, but I tighten my grip on his shirt collar, bringing him closer to me again. “You left her waiting, like she’s just another name in your rotation. You think women are disposable? That their pain’s your entertainment?”

Crack.

“Guess what, asshole—some of us hit back.”

He releases a pained cry that resembles that of a young girl, and I elegantly step away from him. ‘Bitch!’ he shouts, and I click my tongue in disappointment. ‘It’s disheartening that men like you still exist. I had hoped that during my three years of isolation, things might have changed, but it appears that my closest male friend is the culprit. Ian, I trusted you more than I trusted myself. Now, I recommend you start brainstorming plausible excuses to regain Vanessa’s trust, and this time,’ I move closer to him, pressing my index finger against his chest. ‘Make sure you do not shatter her heart again, or the consequences will be dire for you and any future women you bring home.’

I hadn’t noticed all the eyes that were now trained on us and for a second, I feared Vee and Cameron might’ve seen it all.

I assert, ‘No one mentions this to Vanessa,’ before raising my chin and straightening my posture as I confidently exit the group seeking gossip. I wasn’t one to stir up trouble without reason. If necessary, I would provide them with the unexpected drama.

I find my way back to the bar and take a seat. The bar is empty, and I don’t know where Cam and Vee went.

‘A glass of red wine, please.’ I tell the bartender as I slip the burner phone out of my purse, checking my messages when my eyes land on an unknown number. The text from earlier, it was this unknown person.

Unknown: Still out past curfew, huh?

Me: Who is this?

This is dumb. They obviously won’t tell me who they are. If it’s a creep from this party, I swear I’ll blow their head off. It’s probably a prank.

Unknown: “Let’s just say I know what your dress feels like.”

Me: “Try again, creep.”

Unknown: “No need. I’ll show you in person. Soon.”

What the hell? The bartender returns with my drink, and I thank him, downing the entire drink in 3 big gulps. I do not have time for this teenager prank bullshit thing going on right now. Today was not the escape I had imagined I’d get...

I shut off my phone and put it back in my purse. I order another glass of red wine and as soon as the bartender puts the glass down, Bethany approaches me. I won’t be surprised if she and Ian are in this together.

‘Oh, hey Beth...’ I observe her as she sits beside me. She wears all white, with her blonde hair styled in tight curls and her pink glittery bag placed beside her.

‘We need to talk.’