"God, Jen, it's a joke."

***

Stiles was right about Melody Lane; it definitely wasn't a club. There were only two clubs in the town, and one of them was a gay bar. You didn't even need an ID to get into Melody Lane. The bouncer just let anyone who looked old enough to drink inside.

At the door, the bouncer tatted their hands with a black marker. He drew a large cross, allowing them entry. "I cannot wait until we're old enough to get wasted at bars. It'll be hilarious."

"Yeah, but one of us will have to be the designated driver," Jennifer mentioned, imagining that it would have to be her.

They strolled past a gaggle of high school boys, including Ethan's twin brother, Aidan. "Hey, Lydia. You look really pretty."

"Thanks, Aidan." She responded. Once he was out of earshot, she whispered to her friend. "Ugh, I banged him months ago, and he still thinks that he can get with me."

Jennifer surveyed the room, spotting a lonesome boy nearby. "Hey, it's Ahmet from India. He's that foreign exchange student."

"I wonder if he's circumcised. I've always wanted to try a sea cucumber." She joked. Though, in response, Jennifer glared at her in disgust. "God, Jen, it's a joke."

"Well, well, well. Lydia Martin." Jordan Parrish, the Sheriff's deputy, approached the two. "What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"

"I could ask you the same thing." She retorted.

"Got the night off." He smirked at her, looking Lydia up and down. "You doing anything after the gig?"

"For your information, Parrish, I'm taken now," Lydia smugly informed him. "And, by the way, we had a fling during the summer. It's January and I'm over it."

Before he could argue or configure a comeback, Jennifer observed the band emerge from backstage. "Look, there's the band."

They spun around, acknowledging three young men setting up their instruments on stage. Every member was dressed in black and wore eyeliner, it made them look cool in the girls' eyes. "You can definitely tell they're from the city."

"Their eyeliner sucks," Parrish commented. "It looks like someone ripped them out of the 2000s."

Lydia scoffed. "Well, you would think that, Parrish. You're just jealous that they look hotter than you."

Finally getting the message, Parrish soon discarded the scene and left the girls to their own accord. As Jennifer took a closer look at their faces, her eyes widened. "Oh, my God. That's Donny!"

Her best friend raised her eyebrows. "Who?"

"Donny! Donovan Lance!" She exclaimed in shock. "He's the lead singer. I knew him when I was a kid."

"You did?"

"Yeah, and that must be his brother, Tony." Jennifer pointed out the younger brunette who appeared to be the bassist. "I don't know who the drummer is."

"Kai Griffin," Lydia remembered. "I guess that explains their band name."

Jennifer fondly smiled. "Donovan was my first kiss. I was seven and he was fifteen."

Although her friend seemed happy to see him, Lydia was suddenly weirded out. "Okay, that doesn't sound legal."

"Oh, it wasn't sexual or anything. It was just playful, like a dare." She blissfully pushed it aside, thinking nothing of it. "Besides, you literally just admitted that you slept with Deputy Parrish."

That was true; she shouldn't judge her friend for a kiss with an older boy that meant nothing. "Well, let's say hello then."

Lydia grasped onto her hand, yanking her towards the band. "No, I can't go talk to him. He probably remembers me as an annoying kid."

"Yeah, but that kid has grown up to be a woman now, hasn't she? Come on, take off your sweater. You'll never catch boys wearing that." She encouraged.

She nervously sighed; however, she did what Lydia told her to. Jennifer removed her puffy coat and her sweater, settling them on a nearby stool. Underneath, she wore a tightly fitted vest that stuck to her skin. 

Lydia nudged her forwards, the girls arriving at the edge of the stage. "Hi." Jennifer croaked, catching Donovan's attention.

He smirked at the young girl. "Hi there."

"You probably don't remember me but it's Jennifer." Donovan stared blankly at her for a moment. "Jennifer Check?"

"Oh! Yeah, Jenny, I remember you!" he declared.

Her smile brightened. "You do?"

"Yeah, totally!"

Lydia narrowed her eyes, sensing that he wasn't being entirely honest. "This is my friend, Lydia. We just wanted to say hi or something. I can't believe you're in a band."

Donovan nodded. "Yeah, it's been a dream of ours for years. Hopefully, we'll become huge soon if everything goes to plan."

"Hey, can I ask a question?" Lydia wondered, catching his attention. "You live in the city, right? So, why are you playing in your hometown?"

"Well, you know, we like to reach out to our fans in the shitty areas." He stated, clearly judging where they came from.

"That's... awesome." Jennifer was entranced by him, losing her focus and babbling whatever came to mind. "Um, would you- would you like a drink? I can buy us some if you want?"

"Sure, what are we having?"

She was surprised by his answer but continued anyway. "I think there's this 9/11 tribute shooter. It's like red, white and blue, but you have to drink it really fast. Otherwise, it turns brown..."

Donovan accepted the offer, grinning. "All right. We'll drink it fast then."

"Okay, I'll be right back..." She started to walk away, stunned that another guy was interested in her. Jennifer was certainly having the best day ever.

Nonetheless, Lydia grabbed onto her arm and halted her. "How are you going to buy alcohol?"

"I have no idea. I just hope the bartender will go along with it." Jennifer confessed, soon freeing herself from Lydia's grasp.

Not wanting to speak to the band on her own, Lydia wandered over to a jukebox as she waited for her friend to return. To her astonishment, she could still hear the band talking. "Tony, what about her?"

She had her back to them, yet she could feel them staring at her. "Who? The redhead?" His brother wondered.

"No, man. I'm talking about the one who went to get me a drink. The one who says that she knew me." He showed him. "That's the one."

From the tone of Tony's voice, he sounded uncertain. "I don't know, man. Are you sure she's-?"

"Listen, I know girls like her. They try to act all confident around men, even though they've never done it before." described Donovan. "I'm telling you that this girl is a virgin, okay?"

"I don't know, dude." He replied, still uncertain.

Lydia's eyes widened, a feeling of outrage boiling within her. These guys weren't cool at all, they were skeezes who wanted to have sex with virgins. It made her sick.

In the midst of their conversation, she stormed up to them with a stern glare. "Excuse me."

Donovan glanced at her, bewildered. "Yeah?"

"That's my best friend you're talking about." She affirmed. "And you're right, she is a virgin. So, that beats sleeping with creeps like you."

Lydia marched away, heading towards Jennifer, who had managed to buy some drinks. In the background, she could not see Donovan smirking at his bandmates. 

Jennifer stopped in front of her, observing how uneven the drinks were. "Oh, that tower isn't full enough." She groaned.

"Those guys are rank, Jen. Just forget about them." Lydia advised her.

She frowned. "But I think Donny wants me though."

"Only because he thinks you're a virgin. I heard them talking." She mentioned.

Jennifer's mouth hung open. "He thinks I'm a virgin?"

"Well, you are," Lydia said. Although, a faint awkwardness floated through the air as she acknowledged Jennifer's hesitant expression. "Aren't you?"

She dug her teeth into her bottom lip. "Well..."

Immediately, Lydia straightened up. "Okay, when did this happen?"

"Earlier today at school..." she started. "With Isaac Lahey..."

"Isaac Lahey?!" she exclaimed in shock. "How?!"

Jennifer became tense. "We were talking, and it just happened."

"And you didn't tell me?!"

"You never told me when you lost your virginity. I just assumed you did it!" argued Jennifer.

To her surprise, Lydia quickly calmed down, softly smiling. "Well, I'm proud of you."

Jennifer returned the simper. "Thanks, Di."

The girls turned around, hearing the instruments being tuned. Jennifer discarded the drinks on a table. Slowly, they stepped closer to the stage as the band was about to perform. Electricity hummed and hissed as Donovan Lance leaned into the microphone. "Good evening, Lantern Hills!"

"Beacon Hills!" An audience member shouted.

"Fucking right it is." He retorted. 

Lydia squinted. "How does he not know the name of the town he grew up in?"

"Who cares!" Jennifer replied, watching Donovan in awe.

They began to play, the lead singer strumming his guitar as the song began. "All alone in an empty room, nothing left but the memories of when... I had my best friend."

A small crowd began to form around them. Jennifer's hand intertwined with Lydia's, bouncing in excitement. "And I don't know how we ended up here. I don't know but it's never been so clear. We made a mistake, dear."

His eyes landed on Jennifer, gazing only at her. Swiftly, the naive girl was mesmerised by his looks and his voice. "And I see the broken glass in front of me. I see your shadow hanging over me, and on your face, I can see..."

It was then that Lydia realised that her friend was no longer focused on her. As they entered the chorus, her hand slipped out of Jennifer's without the other noticing. It was like she was in a hypnotic trance of sorts, purely concentrated on the lead singer.

"Through the trees, I will find you. I will heal..." Lydia wasn't having as much fun as she had hoped. She thought it would be a good experience for the both of them, yet it just didn't work out for the strawberry-blonde teen. Maybe she should have stayed home with Stiles. Being with him was better than being surrounded by drunk men.

Her focus on the song soon drifted away, especially when she noticed a faint spark from the curtain that surrounded the stage. She observed as a small fire occurred, spreading fast through the bar. It climbed the wooden posts, causing flags to burn and fall to the ground. 

Lydia was frozen in place, watching chaos incur. Once everyone else realised what was going on, it was too late. The bar was falling apart, the posts were falling and people were being trampled on. Glass shattered, the alcohol being used as gasoline to the fire. She heard bones being crunched and the crowd screaming in fear as everything turned to shit.

Ultimately, the band ceased playing but Jennifer remained entranced by them. "I know where to go!" 

She yanked at her hand, pulling her friend to safety. They entered the only bathroom in the bar. The toilet was grubby and covered in band stickers from previous gigs. There was a small window that could just fit them. Lydia ascended through it first, reaching the outside world. 

Jennifer glanced back at the turmoil, gradually seeping out of her daze. She eventually followed her through the window, Lydia helping her squeeze out of the tiny gap.  

They tumbled out of the building, escaping the fiery pits. Jennifer crouched on the ground, lost in confusion. "Hey, Jen. Jennifer?" She cupped her face, checking that she was all right whilst the survivors sprinted out of the bar through the main entrance. Some of them were still on fire, others collapsed due to their injuries.

All Lydia cared about was her best friend's wellbeing. "Jennifer? Look at me, Jennifer."

"Oh, thank God, you guys are all right." A voice spoke. Lydia looked up to see Donovan Lance chugging a jug of beer, seemingly unharmed. "I've been looking everywhere for you two. Listen, it's really dangerous out here. You wanna head someplace safer, like my van?"

"What?" uttered Lydia, disgusted by him.

He squatted, addressing the girls. "I'm in survival mode right now, and I want us to get to a familiar place. Right now, I feel like that's my van."

"Okay..." Jennifer muttered, drowsily nodding.

Lydia scowled at her, shaking her head frantically. On the other hand, Donovan appeared pleased. "Okay, you're clearly in shock. Here, drink this." He handed her his beer, forcing it down her throat. 

She coughed as the alcohol stung her throat, yet still chugged it willingly. Then, Donovan took hold of her hand and hauled her back onto her feet. "Hey! Wait!" He ignored Lydia's cries, dragging Jennifer away. "Let's go, Jennifer!"

"Let's go to the van." The lead singer twisted Lydia's words as she clambered to her feet.

"I wanna see your really cool van. Di, let's go see his van..." she stumbled.

"Why? Why should we?" Lydia shouted, attempting to stop her. "What about your mom's car? We have that. Let's just get out of here! Please-!"

"Lydia, stop it!" she yelled. "Just shut up...!"

She froze as her best friend hopped into the van and sat down by the drummer. Donovan shut one door, Lydia witnessing the interior begin to disappear. The world moved in slow motion as the girls shared one last horrified look. When she understood that Lydia wasn't coming with her, the swift terror on Jennifer's face was adamant. 

Then, she vanished as Donovan slammed the second door, trapping her inside. It was at that moment that Lydia realised something awful was going to happen to her. Donovan Lance happily shrugged in her direction before walking away. He was skinny, twisted and evil. It reminded her of a petrified tree she had seen when she was little.

Behind her, an explosion ensued as the band sped away. Soon enough, Lydia was on her own, still frozen in place. She should have stopped them, and now her best friend was gone.

***

Now remember everyone: Boys can be hot, but creepy vans are not!

I hope you're all staying safe out there because this is still a very serious issue today. Please be careful, otherwise, you could end up being sacrificed.

Also, I have another idea for a Jennifer's Body AU, but I don't want to do it myself so I was wondering if anyone else would like to do it. I kinda want it to be set in the world of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina because I think it could work there. If anyone's interested, just DM me and I can help you.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

- Alice ❤