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𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒘𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒚-𝒔𝒊𝒙: 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒚
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𝐇𝐈𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐉𝐄𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐒𝐘 𝐒𝐇𝐄 𝐅𝐄𝐋𝐓, the utter disappointment, was so much more challenging than she had thought. Thinking that she would forget about how this woman had looked at him, his hand on her arm, the rather fancy restaurant they'd chosen to meet up in, Grace forced herself to simply go about her day. It was finally Halloween, and the Pham sisters had made some big plans for the night, of course involving both Peter and Jake, who seemed to take part in almost all group activities now. 

And though the young student felt like the Golden Trio was no longer just that, she was still happy to have new friends to be able to go to when she needed advice or comfort. Unless, of course, it concerned her secret affair with the damn history professor...

The night was young. This particular Saturday, the sun had begun to set quite early, another sign that the glorious long days of the summertime were a thing of the past. Grace stood in front of her floor-length mirror, twisting her hips to test how far the short dress would ride up her hips. The green, silky fabric was laying smooth over her curves, ending just in the middle of her thighs. The neckline was low, held up by two incredibly thin straps over the young blonde's shoulders. 

"It's gonna be fine, Gracie," Linh said for the tenth time, smoothing out her ponytail once more as she checked herself in the small mirror on the desk. "You're gonna be the hottest Tinkerbell anyone has ever seen."

"Eh, okay," Grace sighed, still a little insecure about the low neckline. The dresses she wore to clubs and bars were never that revealing. "And you're gonna be the sexiest cheerleader those frat boys will ever lay their eyes on."

Linh smirked, raising a brow. 

"We're gonna have such a great time," she grinned, getting another drag of beer out of the bottle. Starting to drink before even leaving felt almost weird to Grace, but she'd just accepted that without any discussion. She took a sip herself.

"Hopefully."

Her phone chimed, and she swapped the beer for her cell, unlocking it quickly. 

"Who is it? Don't tell me Mai and Jake are late again. They can't expect us to be so oblivious to the fact that they're just horny 24/7..."

"Ew, Linh, no. It's a mail from school..." Grace tapped on the notification. Upon seeing the sender of the mail, her jaw dropped, but she managed to play it off. She couldn't believe what she was reading there. 

A mail from Mr. Barnes, addressed to only her. Only three lines of text. Three lines that made her heart skip a beat, and for once, it wasn't out of excitement. Not after seeing him on that date.

"School? What's your business checking school mails on a Saturday night?" Linh mocked her, ready to snatch her best friend's phone out of her hands. But Grace held onto it tightly, walking backward to her windowsill where she leaned against, going over the same three lines over and over again. 

Ms. Williams, I would very much like for you to come to my office after next week's class.
... The secrecy adds to the thrill, doesn't it? ;)
JBB.

She gulped and closed the mail app quickly. He couldn't be serious. Sure, he didn't know that she had seen him with that other woman yesterday. If she was his girlfriend, he would be the biggest asshole on this planet, cheating on his love with a student so much younger than him... 

"Grace, what does the mail say?" Linh ripped her out of her thoughts, and Grace winced, locked her phone, and shook her head.

"Nothing. Just some ridiculously comprehensive reading assignment for that one class I have on Thursdays."

Linh stared at her friend and nodded slowly as if she wasn't buying this explanation. Grace smiled, her lips pressed together. 

"Grace," her best friend said slowly, "If you can still use words like "ridicolisly comprensive", you didn't drink enough."

"Probably," the young woman instantly gave in, picking up her beer bottle and chugging it down in one go, leaving Linh startled and wide-eyed. The alcohol, as small as the amount was, soothed Grace instantly. Warmth spread through her chest, and she ran her palms over the fabric of her dress to get rid of the clamminess. Drunk or not, she was still slightly anxious to go to such a big party. 

"Okay, well, do you have everything?" she asked, almost hectic and impatient as she looked at her best friend who now got out of her chair. 

"Are you okay there, Grace?" 

"Yup. I'm great. Now let's leave before I overthink too much," she replied harshly, getting her purse off her bed and stuffing her phone in with shaky fingers. Just as she got to her coat, sliding her arms into the sleeves, Linh was also checking her phone one last time before putting it away.

"Pete asks where we'll meet," she mumbled, her eyes glued to the screen as she typed a quick response. Grace didn't miss the slight blush on her best friend's face and hid a smile. God, how much better it was to experience someone else's romance than your own...

She made herself a promise. To not think about the mail, about the Professor, about the mysterious woman. To have a great time at that party, no matter how stupid she found it to celebrate Halloween at a frat house. 

"Do you know what Pete's costume will be?" Grace asked as casually as possible as the two left the dorm and she locked the door carefully. Linh chuckled.

"Actually, I do," she grinned, "I helped him choose. He's gonna be a football player."

"The football player and his cheerleader," Grace said, only half-joking. Linh punched her best friend, pretending to be shocked by that statement. But, much to the blonde's joy, the young Viet didn't retort anything. Only the increasing redness that peeked through her layer of makeup indicated her thoughts about it. 

"Well, let's go then," Grace changed the topic. Linh took a deep breath and nodded, pulling her jacket closer around her body. 

"This party is going to be legend— wait for it—", she paused dramatically just like Barney Stinson always did, "—dary. It's gonna be life-changing, Grace, I just know it."

Oh, and it would be. But neither of the two tipsy girls knew that yet.

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♡𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒗𝒐𝒕𝒆♡