A Night Out

☁4☁

Pure euphoria is in the air of this hot hotel room, sweaty bodies crammed together on a dance floor, an ocean of strangers grinding on each other and chasing a high they won't reach without a push from drugs in the bathroom. A second ago I saw Sunny, maybe she's lost with Tom, I'm not that much a partier, and this party explains to me why I'm not. I need to escape, I walk to the bar and grab some drink I didn't quite like on a tab that had grown far over my budget.

"Heyy..." I hear for behind me, slurred with alcohol and the breath matching behind my ear.

"Excuse you." I say, stepping to the side and forcing the stranger to gain balance by himself. He takes a step forewards and I set down my drink, muttering something about the bathroom. I then run into the chest of another guy, his cologne strong in my face.

"Uh, sorry." I say, looking down as he grabs one of my shoulders.

"Someone bothering you?" He asks, the voice vaguely familiar.

"Uhh, yeah, but I just need to go." I say turning towards the crowd blocking the exit.

"Ok, let me get you out." He grabs my hand, I'm tipsy but not drunk enough to let some man take me away from a crowd in the middle of Las Vegas.

"Hey, no... I don't know you..." I say, "I need to find my friend, she was... just here." I say, looking around me and not spotting Sunny.

"What is their name? I will help you find them." He says, leaning in to hear my voice better.

"Sunny and Tom, I don't know where they've gone. I just need to head home." I say, feeling a surge of anxiety fill my chest and making me want to cry.

"Hey, I know them Tom is my neighbor. I will call him real quick and even put you on the line, I promise I'm not no kidnapper" He laughs, the music drowning out the sound of the chuckle, even though I watched it leave his lips.

"O-okay, thank you so much..."

"Ryan."

"Melanie, it's a pleasure."

"No problem." He says dialing a vaguely familiar number on his phone and then speaking quickly as Tom picks up. He then hands it to me, catching me zoned out, I was watching Ryan's hands, a fascination I've had after hitting my teenage years.

"Hey Melanie, this guy you met is my good friend and neighbor. He'll take you home safe, I trust him. We took a hotel room, sorry for the ditch." Tom's voice wavers over the noise of the party, ecstasy embroidered in his voice.

"Okay, thanks Tom. See yall tomorrow." I say, handing the phone back to Ryan as he shuts it off and grabs my hand to lead me through the crowd. Walking towards the parking deck, I see his car, I remember it from seeing it parked next to Tom's on their shared car lot.

"Get in, we can grab taco bell or something if you'd like." Ryan says, hopping in the car seconds after me.

"Yeah... that sounds great."

I start awake, blinking rapidly as I take a few seconds to remember where I am. I can hear the sounds of whistling air outside the airplane cabin and No Worries by Lil Loski bounces through my fallen headphones, the product of a long nap. I struggle to stretch in the cramped airplane seat, Sunny next to me half- watching some Netflix series while texting Tom. I check my phone and see an upload from Scrubs, some story about a crazy lady stealing skateboards. I click on it and watch it, smiling and chuckling softly as he cracks jokes over his past.

*Time skip to the Las Vegas airport brought to you by Ryan's adorable beagles*

Sunny and I stand outside the airport, waiting for Tom, Sunny's friend, to pick us up. Just then a red Subaru whips into place infront of us and the window roll down, showing a handsome blonde boy smiling cheekily at us accompanied by a pair of sunglasses.

"Come on losers, we're going shopping." He laughs, Sunny grinning and automatically claiming shotgun, throwing her small suitcase in the trunk. I follow close behind, chucking my backpack into the car and hopping in, introducing myself to this new friend.

"My name is Melanie, but I'm sure you already new that." I laugh, Tom nodding and Sunny chirping something about how 'it was all good things.'

"Tom, your hot uber driver and comedian." He laughs at his own joke, Sunny giggling along with a swooned look in her eyes. I smile to myself and open my phone, scrolling hough instagram to pass time on the ride to Tom's house. I check the time, 11:23 am, I set down my phone and watch the passing city with a playlist of music bouncing through my headphones.

I don't remember when I drifted asleep, but I jerk awake to the sound of a car door chime, the car is parked on a driveway facing a tall town house.

"Good morning sleepy head." Sunny laughs from the trunk, them slamming it shut as I open my door. I catch a glimpse of some boys riding skateboards down the street, one really tall one who even from a distance caught my eye as a cutie.

"Hey Tom, who are they?" I ask, pointing back at the boys racing down the street.

"Oh yeah, that's my neighbor Ryan and his friends."

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I am so sorry, I'm having writers block and I'm kinda stressed out about school. I know this one isn't as long as promised but it had a glimpse of Ryan :). I'll hopefully update next week :) bye ya'll <3