Brothers Best Friend (Vinnie Hacker)

Chapter 23

As we arrived back at the house, a rush of memories flooded my mind like a slap in the face. "Hey, Riley, it's gonna be okay," Dixie reassured me, her eyes full of empathy. "Thanks, Dix," I replied, embracing her in a hug.

We busied ourselves with locating all the alcohol, setting up beer pong, and arranging other party essentials while blasting loud music. By 6:30 pm, we had everything sorted out. When the doorbell rang, I hurried to answer it, greeted by Chase and Noen.

"Hi, Chase," I greeted him with a hug, then turned to Noen, giving him a welcoming hug too. "We thought it was okay to be a little early," Chase explained.

"That's completely fine," I assured them, stepping aside to let them inside.

Time Skip to 10:00 pm

The party was in full swing, everyone having a great time. I danced with some of the girls, making sure to only drink a little tonight. Suddenly, Noen approached me and took my hand, leading me away from the crowded living room.

"Hey, Riley," he began, his expression serious. "Have you seen Chase tonight?"

"No, have you?" I responded, a note of concern in my voice.

"No, how much have you been drinking?" Noen inquired.

"Just a beer, so I'm still pretty sober," I replied.

"Okay, wanna go look for him?" Noen suggested.

"Sure, if you check all the rooms over there, I'll check over here," I agreed, and we split up to search.

"Chase, you here?" I called out as I entered Ryland's room. Spotting light coming from the bathroom and Chase's customized Air Force Ones, I realized something was wrong.

"Noen, he's in Ryland's room!" I called out, my heart racing as I saw Noen entering Kio's room.

"How is he?" Noen asked urgently.

"He's laying down, so I don't know," I replied, and we rushed to Ryland's room.

"Do you think he's drugged?" Noen questioned anxiously.

"I don't know. Can you call Griffin?" I asked, my hands trembling as I searched for my phone.

Following Griffin's instructions, I attempted to help Chase. But in my panic, I dropped my phone on the floor, feeling overwhelmed. Noen's cold hands on my cheeks brought me back to the present.

"Hey, Riley, it's gonna be okay," he reassured me.

After calming down, we managed to get Chase to sit up, but my attempts to induce vomiting were unsuccessful.

"No, no, no, come on, Chase," I pleaded, resorting to choking him in desperation.

"Riley, calm down," Noen urged, gently removing my hands from Chase's throat.

"He's not dying, Riley. He still has a stable pulse and is breathing perfectly. It was probably just some Viagras and a sleeping pill," Noen reassured me.

As I looked at Chase's disheveled clothes and noticed the scratch marks on his body, the realization hit me like a ton of bricks. "Holy shit, Noen, he was raped," I exclaimed, my voice trembling with shock.

Taking charge, Noen and I quickly decided to secure Ryland's door to ensure Chase's safety for the night. With Chase draped over my shoulder, surprisingly light, we made our way to Ryland's bed.

"Can you get a bottle of water and some headache pills if he wakes up?" I requested as Noen hurried to fetch the supplies.

Returning with the items, Noen and I made Chase as comfortable as possible, hoping he would wake feeling better. "Now, let's go back down and enjoy the party," I suggested, and we descended once more.

Throughout the night, I checked on Chase every hour, but he remained unconscious.

Time Skip to 2:00 am

The night was wearing on, and the party began winding down, leaving only Noen, Chase, and Jaden awake.

"Okay, Jaden, you can take Kio's room, and Noen, you can sleep in Ryland's room with Chase," I directed, as everyone dispersed to their respective rooms.

Before turning in, I made one last check on Chase. He looked seriously pale, and my worry for him deepened.

Unable to sleep, I kept calling Noen for updates, even though there wasn't much change.

Time Skip to the next morning

By 10:00 am, I still hadn't managed to get any sleep. "Chase," I called out, gently shaking him awake. Noen stirred beside me as Chase slowly opened his eyes, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Where am I?" Chase mumbled, disoriented.

"In Ryland's room. Do you remember anything from last night?" I asked, concern lacing my voice.

"No," he replied groggily.

"Can I borrow the toilet?" Chase requested, and I nodded, watching him rush to the bathroom. I could hear him vomiting, and my heart went out to him.

"Hey," Noen said, sitting down beside me. "Poor Chase," he remarked.

"Yeah, when he's done, I think we should try giving him some water and a pill," I suggested, and Noen agreed.

As Chase emerged from the bathroom, I handed him water and a headache pill. "Be careful," I cautioned, and he nodded gratefully.

"What happened last night?" Chase asked, his memory still hazy.

"Me and Noen found you unconscious on the floor. Do you remember anything at all?" I inquired.

"Wow, I don't remember anything between hugging you and now," Chase admitted, prompting a worried glance between Noen and me.

"Are the boys awake?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, they're eating breakfast downstairs. Do you know when your brother comes home?" Noen queried.

"Yeah, between 8 pm and 10 pm," I replied.

"I'm seriously starving. Can we go down and get some food?" Chase requested eagerly, and we laughed.

After a hearty breakfast, all the boys left, and I took the opportunity to relax with a bath and a change of clothes.

After freshening up, I tackled the aftermath of the previous night's party, cleaning up the mess and airing out the house to rid it of the lingering scent of alcohol.

As I busied myself, Zack sent me a text, inviting me to the skatepark. Eager for a distraction, I slipped on my shoes and headed out, spotting Kio's skateboard in his room and deciding to borrow it.

While en route to the skatepark, my phone rang, displaying an unknown number. Zack suggested putting it on speaker, and to my surprise, it was Nailea on the line, sharing unsettling details about the rumors involving Vinnie.

Feeling foolish for ever entertaining the idea that Vinnie would cheat on me, I sank into a wave of regret.

"Is that the girl TikTokRoom claims Vinnie cheated on you with?" Zack asked, breaking through my thoughts.

"I'm so dumb, Zack," I confessed.

"No, you're not. You're just confused," Zack reassured me.

"I didn't even hear what he had to say," I lamented.

"Hey, it's okay. Let's skate to clear your mind," Zack suggested, and I nodded gratefully.

Time Skip - 4 hours

After spending hours skating and chatting with Zack, I received a notification that Stormy and the others were landing soon. Zack and I decided to head to the airport to welcome them back.

We took Vinnie's car and made our way to the airport, eager to reunite with our friends and put the events of the past few days behind us.

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hey peeps

to thank you all for 2,3 k readers i have wrote a pretty long chapter today

remeber to vote and comment

<Laura>