Chapter Four

Sage.

It had been a while since I went out at night, my mother was always against it and Nick never really liked me taking, he said it was beneath me. 

But tonight, I wanted it all, the experience. The night was alive, pulsing with bass and flashing lights as I pushed my way through the crowd. 

My heels clicked against the sticky floor, the heat of the packed club pressing against me from every side. 

Smoke curled around my head, mingling with the scent of perfume, sweat, and alcohol.

Nick had been waiting for me near the bar when I arrived, a crooked smile on his face that made my stomach knot. “Finally,” he said, pulling me in for a quick hug that lingered just a second too long. “I missed you so much.”

I tried to steady my nerves, tried to remind myself why I was here, but the memory of Andre in the backyard, the way he looked at me, the way my body had betrayed me, was still burning in my mind. Nick noticed, of course. He always did. And that was the problem. He knew me too well. 

“Let’s get you a drink,” he said, waving at the bartender like he owned the place. “No excuses tonight, little saint.”

I froze. The nickname made my skin crawl and flush at the same time. Little saint. Andre had said it first, but Nick, Nick had a way of twisting things into his own game.

“Okay” I muttered, letting him drag me to the bar.

The drinks started flowing almost immediately. A shot for me, a shot for him, another for me, another for him. 

My head began to swim as the alcohol slid down my throat, warming me, loosening the careful walls I had built around my thoughts.

Nick leaned close, his breath smelling faintly of whiskey. “Relax,” he said. “It’s just us tonight. No rules, no judgment. Just fun.”

I nodded, too drained, too confused, and too caught up in the intoxication to argue. The music hit my chest, a heavy pulse that seemed to echo the frantic beat of my heart.

I moved to the dance floor, swaying to the rhythm, letting the heat of the lights and the crowd blur the edges of reality. 

Nick was behind me, hands brushing lightly against mine, whispering encouragements that made my head spin even more.

“You are amazing,” he murmured. “Just let go, let me take care of you tonight.”

And he was right, I let go. I danced harder, twirled faster, letting the alcohol and the bass override every thought of Andre, every pang of guilt, every internal voice screaming this is a mistake.

Nick was relentless. Another drink. Another round. He kept topping me off, encouraging me to keep drinking, laughing at my tipsy giggles, and pressing shots into my hand whenever I even hesitated. The alcohol blurred my edges, made me lighter, more pliable, more careless.

Somewhere between the third and fourth drink, I realized my body was responding to the music, to Nick’s touch, to the warm haze clouding my mind. My cheeks were hot, my legs weak, my thoughts scattered. I wanted to go home, wanted to leave, but I couldn’t. Not yet.

Nick grabbed my hand as the song shifted to something slower, drawing me into his chest. “Come on,” he said with a grin, guiding me through the crowd, “let’s get out of here for a bit.”

Before I could protest, we were at the parking lot. The cold night air hit me like a slap, a cruel contrast to the stifling heat of the club.

I leaned against the car, trying to regain my balance, trying to remember why I had even agreed to come.

Nick’s hands were everywhere now, brushing against my waist, lifting my hair, his lips dangerously close. “You like this, don’t you?” he whispered. “You like teasing me, pretending you are all innocent when we both know you are not. Just admit it Safe, you want me as bad as I want you, that's why you called me today.”

My stomach churned. My head spun. I tried to push him away, my fingers digging into his chest. “Nick, please stop,i don't feel so good,” I pleaded, voice slurred, words thick with intoxication but desperate with fear.

But he didn’t stop. His hands moved lower, gripping my hips, trying to pull me closer. I stumbled back, tripping over my own feet, heart racing, lungs burning as I screamed, “No! I said no!”

The world tilted. My vision blurred. Panic clawed at my chest as I tried to fight him off, tried to scream over the pounding of my own heartbeat and the distant echo of the club bass.

And then, I heard a loud, deafening bang ripped through the night.

Nick froze mid motion. His grip loosened. My eyes widened, a shiver running down my spine.

Before I could even process what was happening, a force yanked him off me, yanking him violently back like a rag doll.

"She said no you bastard." i heard a voice say that as he threw him on the ground. 

I stumbled backward, breath hitching, my chest heaving, heart pounding as adrenaline replaced the fog of alcohol. My hair stuck to my face, my hands shook uncontrollably, and my mind raced, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

Then, a second loud bang rang out, echoing across the parking lot, sharp and terrifying. My knees nearly buckled. I could barely see through the haze of lights, sweat, and panic.

I froze, every nerve in my body screaming, as the silence that followed pressed down on me like a weight and I lost it, I almost hit the ground when someone held me and carried me off and then I saw darkness. Total darkness.