WARNING: TOUCHES ON THE TOPIC OF SEXUAL ASSAULT

The room is dark with different coloured strobe lights flickering in all directions. Bodies covered in glowing paint dance together as music pumps through the club. My mouth stretches into a wide smile as I take in the whole thing; the music, the vibe, the people... everything. I immediately start swaying to the song that plays and Chris chuckles at me.

The long bar that stretches across the whole left side of the room has various people doing shots at it and another bouncer controls the movement of the people in the VIP lounge which is upstairs, looking over the dance floor. Courtney says something to the bouncer who simply nods and lets us in without question. Once we're upstairs, a few other people take up the room as well but it is still not nearly as crammed as downstairs.

Whatever Courtney really did to make Geoff let us in worked because I don't believe that Geoff made a mistake; our names weren't on that list.

The VIP lounge has its own bar which is a lot smaller than the one downstairs but still offers the same alcohol. We head there first and when the waitress turns around, revealing the shirt she has on which basically covers nothing, Tyler looks at her seductively. She smiles at him, fluttering her eyelashes, causing her thick layer of makeup to crinkle at the sides of her mouth.

"What can I get you guys?" She asks us, having to speak a little louder due to the music.

Tyler leans on the bar table. "A glass of Hennessy, please." He grins, showing off his dimples. "And maybe your number?" He asks her casually and she giggles before winking at him cheekily.

"Maybe I can help you with that," she murmurs to him before taking the rest of our orders down. I order a cocktail where as everyone else orders more intoxicating drinks to get drunk off their asses. I don't see where's the joy in getting drunk and not remembering anything about your time but, hey, I'm not going to judge.

After the waitress is done taking our orders- and passing her number to Tyler- she gets to making our drinks.

"Boys." Ashleigh rolls her eyes and Kelcy looks at her coldly.

Once we all have our drinks and are seated in a large booth in the corner with the boys preoccupied, Courtney turns to us with a smug smile.

"Why do you guys think?" She asks, taking a sip from her glass.

Everyone comments and when she looks at me expectantly, I smile wryly. "It's what you always manage to get us."

She laughs. "Oh Sophie, you identify my abilities too well."

I resist the urge to roll my eyes.

Just then, a phone goes off, catching all of our attention. Ashleigh places her drink on the round wooden table and digs through her bag with a frown. In the process of her trying to find her cellphone, a few things drop out of her seemingly very full bag; including a box that falls closest to Courtney.

When Ashleigh takes notice of that, she immediately stops looking for her phone and- in a panic- tries to reach for the box. However, Courtney notices her movements and is quick to reach for the item and hold it up to her face. I look between Ashleigh and Courtney curiously, watching how Ashleigh's lips straighten into a firm line. Courtney's lips, however, lift into an amused smile and she puts her drink on the table before reading the item in her hand with what seems to be feigned interest.

"Really Ash?" Courtney looks over at Ashleigh. "Extra thin, lightweight?" Courtney shakes her a head with a laugh that sounds evilly malicious.

"Could you please just give it back?" Ashleigh stresses, trying not to seem fazed but failing miserably. Pink dust creeps along her cheeks and she agitatedly moves a lock of her blonde hair behind her ear. It then begins to click in my head what Courtney is holding in her hands and why Ash is blushing.

"What is it?" Megan asks, taking it from Courtney. Courtney simply raises her drink back to her lips again and takes a sip, a twisted smile playing on her lips.

"Guys." Ashleigh stresses just as Megan gasps. No sooner is Kelcy snatching the item from Megan and scowling in what seems to be in disgust and hurt. "Oh my go-" she is cut off by Megan who lets out a laugh.

"You guys have been having sex?" Megan cackles and Courtney lets out a low laugh that makes my hairs stand on end. Ashleigh manages to roll her eyes but doesn't comment on what Megan says. I keep my mouth shut, not having any input into the conversation. As much as I'm kind of grossed out at the thought of that- I'm not entirely shocked. Kelcy however, most certainly is. And she most definitely looks hurt, avoiding eye contact with Ashleigh all together.

"Give it back." Ashleigh demands, leaning over and snatching it back from Megan.

"Oh, don't feel embarrassed Ash. We aren't that surprised." Megan smiles. Ashleigh tries to smile in return.

"Yeah. It's not that big of a deal. However, I would recommend another type if you really want some enjoyment." Courtney says patronizingly.

I decide to finish the rest of my cocktail before standing up and dusting my dress off. "I'm going to go dance." I inform them, making a move to walk away when both Kelcy and Ashleigh shoot out of their seats as well, simultaneously saying "I'll join" and making their eagerness to get away from the tension obvious. I give a curt nod just as Courtney sighs, throwing her head back and downing her glass of alcohol.

"Since you're all running away, let's all just go down." She states, standing up and fixing her curls. She then calls the boys out. "We're going to go dance. You guys coming?" She asks and they all murmur before rising from their seats. Soon enough, we're all making our way onto the dance floor where bodies glowing in ink are dancing, pressed together. The minute I'm between everyone, I start swaying. I take note of how the room is only illuminated by the strobe lights that flicker, the pink lights above the bar table and the glowing ink people have splattered all over themselves. It's an amazing vibe and I can't help but grin widely. When I start to feel the music, the Elite dance close around me but I don't focus on them.

I focus on the music that flows through my feet like blood flows through my veins. The way the lights make me feel like I'm in another world where everything is okay and I don't have to worry.

As I close my eyes and dance while laughing when Chris winks at me, I don't stop for a second.

I just keep dancing.

****

One and a half hours later, I'm leaning back on the couch, trying to calm my erratic heart, after dancing for so long, and feeling the adrenaline surface my entire body. The guys ended up doing a round of shots at the bar downstairs while Courtney and Logan stalked off to do whatever they couldn't do in front of us. That leaves the rest of us girls to sit back at our original table. However, there's now a stranger sitting beneath Megan while she takes his lap and giggles when he says something. She plays with his pony at the nape of his neck, talking softly to him. This further leaves Ashleigh, Kelcy and I to sit alone awkwardly. I sigh.

This was not my idea of a fun and enjoyable night.

If this was in normal circumstances, Kelcy and I would have probably been laughing together, passing jokes and possibly even still dancing. But since it isn't normal circumstances, we don't do any of that. Ashleigh eventually gets up to go back to the bar while Kelcy avoids eye contact with me. When a tall figure enters the room again, I can't help but snap my eyes to him in hopes of it been Chris.

Geoff looks around the VIP area, trying to look for somebody in particular. When he doesn't find the right person, his eyes settle on me and I feel a wave of discomfort come with it. His blue eyes are so cold. He walks up to me, looking down at my face.

"Are you Sophie?" He asks and I frown, nodding my head apprehensively.

"Uh, yes. Why?" I ask and he shakes his head.

"I needed Courtney to do something for me but since she's, uh, busy," he states with a low chuckle. "She said you could help me out?" He says more like a question. I frown, not understanding how I could be of any use but I don't think too much of it. After I look between Kelcy, Megan who's currently smooching the guy, and Ashleigh whom is now nowhere to be seen, I realise how I don't want to sit here in this awkwardness.

"Uh, sure." I shrug and he gives me a wide smile that seems almost too wide.

"Great, follow me." He tells me and I stand up, not even casting Kelcy a glance. I follow him back downstairs where he leads me to the bar and out a door right besides it. On the way, I notice that the boys are still at the bar and I hear Tyler shout "let's go check out the vintage mustang outside" just before the boys get up and leave. However, before I can think too much of it, we're away from the music and walking down the brightly lit hallway. I continue following Geoff's large form, beginning to grow antsy.

"Where are we going?" I ask.

"My office." He shoots back over his shoulder. Before I can say much more we turn right and he opens the door which has the words 'GEOFF LAWSON' stuck on it. He moves out of the way, allowing me access and I grant him an awkwardly polite smile. I notice the rich mahogany wood his desk is made of and how dimly lit the room is in comparison to the hallway. However, I'm quickly woken up by my observations when I hear a door close and click behind me. I turn around with a frown, eyeing him suspiciously when he starts to take his jacket off.

I take a step back as he places a few of his gadgets on a nearby desk that has a bottle of whiskey on it as well.

"What are you doing?" I ask. He merely ignores me, grabbing the whiskey bottle on the same table he left his gadgets and pouring himself a glass. He holds it up to me in a silent offer and I shake my head. He shrugs, finishing off his glass in a few seconds.

"Geoff," I stress. "Why do you need me here?" I ask. When he looks back at me, a dangerous look glints in his eyes and when he begins stalking towards me, I can't help but take a step back. It goes on like this until my back hits the wall and he's directly in front of me. He chuckles, twirling a strand of my hair around his finger.

"You know why," he says with a cheeky grin. I gulp, feeling completely uncomfortable with this whole situation. He's invading my bubble, my personal space, and I don't like it one bit. I push his hand away.

"No, I don't." I say and he laughs again before leaning into me, placing a kiss right by my ear, making my eyes widen. I push him back with urgency.

"I don't know what Courtney said I could do for you but I assure you, I can't do it." I tell him. "Now if you excuse me, I'm going back to my friends." His eyes narrow dangerously as I try to push pass him. However, I don't manage to as he pulls me back, making sure I turn around to face him.

"Courtney said I had an hour with you in order for your group of pals to get into the VIP, I want my end of the bargain." He explains venomously. I'm not able to focus on how fucked up it is that Courtney would sell me out like this, betray me just to keep up her pathetic reputation, because Geoff pulls me to him, holding my waist in a painfully tight grip as he kisses my neck.

Tears spring to my eyes as my mind considers all the possibilities.

He has one whole hour with me.
So much can happen in that time.

"Stop Geoff." I say, but he doesn't listen. He holds me tighter as I squirm in his grip and I find all the strength I have to push him back. He stumbles, seemingly shocked at my reaction. I gulp.

"I'm going, this was a misunderstanding." I run to the door, only to have the man grab me by the hair. I let out a shriek of pain before turning around and hitting him sharply in the trachea. This makes him let go and start gasping for air. I grab the doorknob only to yank the door and realize it's locked. I fiddle with the key, my hands trembling and panicked tears leaking out of my eyes.

I'm roughly thrown against the wall, hitting it with a loud thud and praying someone heard it. He stalks up to me, hitting me against the book shelf and I groan.

"You little bitch!" He sneers. "Who do you think you are?"

I let out a whimper as Geoff closes his hand around my throat, making my vision become littered with black dots. I gasp for air just as he pushes me against the table he left his whiskey bottle and glasses on. I drop to the floor, the glasses sent crashing down before me. I feel a sharp pain on my cheek, as the alcohol seeps into my dress and flows to his carpet.
I push myself up onto unsteady legs only to feel a sharp pain shoot up my leg. A long cut is vertically down my calf and with the alcohol seeping in, it burns like a bitch.

The pieces of glass make a crushing sound beneath my heels and my hands curl into fists. He backhands me and I let out a cry as it begins to throb. He looks down at me.

"That's right! Cry you little slut!" He yells and I close my eyes, willing myself to calm down and think logically. I'm interrupted when he makes me stand again by gripping my hair in a fist. I let out a cry of pain, tears streaming down my face. He sends a punch to my side that makes me want to vomit and I gasp for the air that was knocked out of me.

"Nobody cuts a deal with Geoff Lawson," he laughs maniacally. I stand up straight again, wheezing. I swallow the lump in my throat managing to croak out a few words.

"You should learn some respect." I  say just before hitting him where it hurts most. He immediately drops to the floor, groaning in pain and clutching the area between his legs. I run to the door and manage to unlock it. As soon as the door is open, I look down the right of the passage to see a door leading outback to the club and I limp as fast as I can to it. I don't know where the Elite are and I wouldn't be surprised if Courtney let Geoff hurt me again if he came after me. Maybe I could ask someone for help but I don't trust anyone working here. Are you seriously telling me that nobody else in the other offices heard me? The music is not loud enough in this passage to warrant that it was too noisy. As soon as I stumble outside, I notice cars, which I assume belong to the workers, and a gate that's open. I grit my teeth through the pain as I pull off my heels and run, half limp, to the gate. I run across the road and lean against a tree to catch my breath, doing so in a way that Geoff couldn't see me if he looked in my direction.

I try to calm my erratic heartbeat as I sob.

I need to get home now.

But who is going to take me? The Elite? The people who don't care about me, or my damn life?

Suddenly a heart crushing thought sends me into sobs.

I'm all alone on this one. They don't care...

I pull out my phone that I left in my dress pockets, scrolling through my contacts with blurry vision. There has to be someone I can call. However, I can't seem to find one which only makes me cry harder. What's the point of having friends when you can't even rely on them, nevermind trust them?

I take a deep breath before I continue swiping, reaching the end. I whimper.

"No, no, no!" I cry, wiping my tears away with my wrist. I look through the list again.

"C'mon." I tell myself, reading through the names. "Abigail, Ace, Aline, Alex, Austin, Ashl-" I pause reading the names out loud.

Alex.

He must've added his number one day when he stole my phone. I let out a shaky breath, my finger hovering over his name.

Do I really want him, a Rebel, to see me in this big of a mess? So vulnerable?

I close my eyes.

I don't have a choice.

I press his name and bring the phone up to my ear, shaking from fear and now the cold. It rings five times and I find myself beginning to panic again.

"C'mon." I say impatiently.

It's three in the morning, if Alex doesn't pick up, I won't be surprised; he's probably asleep. I'm about to end the call when the ringing stops and a voice cuts through the silence.

"Hello?" He says.

"Alex?" I say breathlessly.

"Sophie?" He asks in surprise, and I let out a relieved sigh.

"Alex." I whisper.

"Are... are you okay?" He asks in concern and I blink away the tears, swallowing hard.

"Can you, umh, do... do me a favour?" I ask with a shaky voice.

"Yes." He answers immediately, alert.

"I need you to pick me up from the club. Right now." I say tensely and I hear silence on the other end.

"Is the Elite there?" He asks and I almost want to laugh. Is he really going to let that be a problem now? Then I realize that I can't expect him to put his reputation on the line for me; we aren't even that close. This is selfish of me to expect him to drop what he's doing and come help me. For all I know, the boys could be in the parking lot right now and see Alex pick me up. Then what? Neither Alex or I can make an excuse for that.

"I never thought of that, I'm sorry." I say.

"Don't apologise Sophie. I'll be there. There's a park across the club, meet me there. I'll be in a silver Audi." He says, the sound of shuffling audible over the phone.

"Okay, thank you." I say, my voice cracking and I kick myself for sounding so weak.

"I'm coming, alright? Just hang on." He says tersely before ending the call. I sigh and look at the park a few meters away from me, hoping that I can even walk that far.

I think it's disgusting what Courtney did. Can you believe she would stoop that low? Honestly... 

Please let me know what you think and don't forget to do the usual :)

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