Lexi's In A New City

Chapter 15

The night before Halloween, DeShawn decided to hold a party at his dorm for his closest friends and some classmates from his program. Everyone was excited to have an excuse to wear costumes, get drunk, and dance for hours on end. It would be the perfect chance to have a small break from the stress of school. Everyone was looking forward to tonight— except for Lexi.

"I'm not going," she insisted the night of the party. She was sitting on her bed with her laptop in front of her. She had anticipated on a low-key evening away from any potential craziness, but that looked to be in jeopardy.

Nikita frowned at her roommate. "But we bought costumes just a few days ago!"

"Yeah, against my will."

"C'mon, Lexi! Don't be lame. I told you I was gonna drag you to a house party eventually! Just go to this one, please?"

"No. All I want to do is sit on my ass watching scary movies and eating junk food. Is that too much to ask?"

"You can still do that tomorrow, though."

Lexi raised her right eyebrow. "If I do go, will you promise to let me stay home tomorrow night?"

"I promise," Nikita confirmed.

With that, Lexi let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh, alright. Just give me an hour to get ready."

Nikita couldn't help but let a devilish grin slip. "Yes! Thanks, Lexi. I owe you one."

"Yeah, no shit."

That remark made Nikita laugh as she returned to her bedroom to get ready.

Lexi groaned at the idea of being stuck in a cramped dorm with drunk people and loud music. Still, she got ready for the evening despite every part of her wishing that she hadn't agreed to go. She curled her hair and applied on a heavy layer of makeup while blasting music to force herself to get excited for tonight. It didn't really work, as she was still dreading the party by the time she changed into her sailor costume. The only good thing was that her costume wasn't provocative or revealing; if Cassie spotted her, she couldn't claim that she looked slutty or trying to impress Isaac.

God, I hope nothing bad happens tonight, she thought as she left her bedroom.

Lexi entered the living room to find Nikita waiting for her. She was dressed as a New York Yankees baseball player, complete with messy eye black. She studied her roommate's costume for a moment.

"Looking good."

"Thanks. Now let's go."

The two left their dormitory and soon arrived at DeShawn's dorm. They could hear deafening music from more than a few dorms in the same building, but they found his place with ease. He let the girls in amidst thumping beats and the gagging scent of alcohol.

"Glad you guys could make it!" he shouted over the music. He ushered them to the small kitchen inside his dorm and offered them drinks. Nikita was quick to grab a beer, but Lexi declined— she had no desire to drink tonight.

"I'll see you later," she said before she left the kitchen for the living room. She sat on a small loveseat, frozen in such an uncomfortable place. She was beginning to regret giving into Nikita's seemingly innocent request. The idea of trying to leave undetected seemed more appealing as the minutes ticked by.

No, I shouldn't do that, she thought. That'd be rude of me. I might as well stay for at least an hour.

With that in mind, Lexi began to quietly watch everyone interact. She first spotted DeShawn greeting Mariana with the most awkward hug she'd ever seen. DeShawn— who was dressed as a zombie— almost seemed scared of approaching her. Lexi couldn't hear them speak, but she sensed that DeShawn was trying to flirt with Mariana. If that was true, it seemed to leave the redhead a nervous mess. She fiddled with the fringe of her brown vest as DeShawn seemed to compliment her hippie costume. They went their separate ways a few minutes later, with him going to the kitchen and her heading further into the living room.