Societa Oscura

RUBY

“Tell him,” Melanie states her opinion, and I widen my eyes, giving her that one expression that shouts, “Help me!”

Not having any luck, I try to gather myself for rejection, being laughed at, my name all over the school, and utter humiliation.

I stare at the message, unsure of whether to send it, and Melanie presses the send button. I quietly squeal and close my eyes briefly.

Opening them, I look down, realizing the teacher is speaking, but also, if my life couldn’t get any worse, Kai’s staring directly at me.

If you don’t think Kai staring at me is uncomfortable, then add the fact that he’s taking each and every small detail in.

He twists himself back around to stare at the front and then turns to face me again. I wave my hand. Why the hell did I do that? I am the stupidest girl who ever lived I swear. A text comes through again.

I stare at the screen feeling sudden relief. But why? Because I didn’t want to face rejection maybe? Nobody does, though, do they?

How the hell am I supposed to get through the night now! Sometimes I hate my friends, but I haven’t failed a dare yet, and they got me good this time!

***

The wind whips against my face, the air is ice cold, and my lips are quivering. If today hasn’t been bad enough with lessons all day, now I have to go and meet a boy who I always promised to avoid.

Here I am entering the most expensive restaurant in our entire city with my full week’s money and an extra one hundred from my parents. This is half of next week’s allowance, for what? One night.

I don’t have much hope considering my friends have dragged me into awkward situations in the past, especially during school, but I have my fingers crossed tightly as I approach the front door to the restaurant.

Saying hello to the security guard, I enter and almost rip my deep-purple dress on the door handle. Walking across the wooden flooring in my heels, I take a seat inside a booth and wait patiently.

I can just about walk in these heels, and they are killing my feet. I’m an eighteen-year-old girl with average grades, and I couldn’t be prouder of who I am becoming. Not that this date counts.

If anything, this was the worst decision I have made in a lifetime, but I won’t allow a dare to beat me. Why has my life got to be lived as though I am inside a book?

I check my phone to make sure I don’t have any important messages from Melanie or Blake telling me to retreat, which I’m currently begging for inside my head.

I look up at the waitress who towers above me, smiling with her notepad.

“Hi, miss. Can I get you a drink?” she kindly asks me, and I nod my head, rooting through my bag and passing her enough money for the night. That should be good for me and Kai. I hope.

I’ve given her at least three hundred. That should cover us. I will never allow a boy to pay for me on a date, and I will always pay when I arrive to avoid any arguments once we have finished our meal.

“Fruity soda water, please, hon,” I tell her, and she nods her head, walking away to go and retrieve it for me. There’s nothing better than good customer service in my opinion.

I look at the clock on the wall and notice that Kai is running late. Typical! Why do I always get sent on dates with boys who cannot arrive on time? It’s frustrating.

Needing the toilet, I stand up, and the waitress comes back over to me, placing the fruity soda water in my hands.

“Thank you,” I tell her, and she smiles, walking away.

“You are so welcome, my lovely,” she states. Picking up my bag and throwing it over my shoulder, I walk toward the toilet and look around in case he’s entering the restaurant.

As I’m walking, I feel a hand touch my bum cheek and twist around quickly to see Kai with his gray eyes staring back at me.

Oh, if life couldn’t get any worse right now, then let’s add this problem to the list. How inconsiderate of him to make me feel like an item and not a person with emotions.

“What the hell! Do you mind?” I take a sip of my drink and cross my left arm over my chest, stumbling slightly on the spot. He looks down at my feet and slowly raises his gaze until he’s staring at me straight in the eyes.

“Well?” I try to ask him again, and he throws a pile of money into the center of the table, followed by poker chips, not taking his eyes off me.

I look around the table and see multiple men with him staring back at me with black pants, black suit blazers, black shirts, black shoes, and black ties. He’s also wearing the same exact thing.

What the hell is going on here? I thought you had to be at least twenty-one to play poker. I take a small step back, and he rises from his seat, standing up to tower over me as my eyes widen in surprise.

“You know what? It doesn’t matter.” I raise my hands, trying to get as far away from Kai as I possibly can. I have a gut-wrenching feeling that what he’s doing here isn’t any good at all.

Turning on my heels, I make my way over to the toilets and do my business, before washing my hands and applying some purple lipstick.

Arranging my hair in the mirror, I check my phone. It’s been twenty minutes.