.❀。• *₊°。 ❀°。
—𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐍, 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐇 𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐀

—𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲

"Happy Birthday, JD!" Arabella's voice cut through the loud music as she entered the crowded club, specially reserved for Jonathan's party.

The room was packed with bodies, pulsing with energy. Arabella could feel the bass thumping in her chest, the air thick with the scent of sweat and alcohol. She made her way through the crowd, dodging dancers and waitstaff, until she reached Jonathan.

"You made it!" Jonathan exclaimed, his smile big as he wrapped Arabella in a tight hug. "Where's Noah?" Jonathan asked, his voice slightly raised to be heard over the music.

"Got stuck in some work," Arabella replied, shrugging her coat off. "He said he'll try to make it, but if he doesn't, then he wishes you a happy birthday."

Jonathan hesitantly nodded and offered Arabella a drink, which she accepted with a grateful smile. As they chatted, Arabella heard a familiar voice call her name. She turned around to see Madelyn, waving two bottles of champagne in the air, one in each hand.

"I guess that's a duty call?" Jonathan raised his eyebrows in amusement to which Arabella laughed and nodded her head.

"You already know. Well then, I'll see you around?" Arabella asked to which Jonathan smiled and nodded as he reached in for another hug.

As they pulled away, Arabella gave Jonathan a faux-salute before turning to walk off to join Madelyn.

"Madelyn, I hope you know you look like a crazy women swinging those champagne bottles." Arabella joked, taking a bottle from Madelyn's hand.

"Do not!" Madelyn scoffed dramatically, her words slightly slurred, indicating she had had a few too many drinks.

Arabella breathed out a laugh as she struggled to open the bottle of champagne. "Where's Madison and Ivy?" she asked, looking around the crowded club.

"Madison's somewhere sucking Mariah's face off and Ivy went to the bathroom, most likely going to suck Jonathan's face off after as well." Madelyn replied nonchalantly.

"Guess it's just you and me then." Arabella shrugged as she looked up and Madelyn, who had a frown on her face.

"Where's Noah?" Madelyn asked, scanning the room. It was clear to Arabella that Ivy didn't like Noah, and she was pretty sure Madison was getting fed up with him as well. But unlike Ivy and Madison, Madelyn had always tried to make an attempt to like Noah, even if she didn't like him as much.

The three friends often expressed their concerns about Noah's behavior, suggesting that he needed to work on his anger issues and learn to respect those around him instead of acting like a cocky rich guy. However, Arabella would always dismiss their comments, saying Noah's behavior is because of  the pressure he faces due to his family's business. She seemed to believe that there were underlying reasons for Noah's behavior, and she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"He's working late," Arabella spoke, smoothing out her skirt. Her words seemed to deepen Madelyn's frown even more.

"You sure?"

"Why would I lie about that?" Arabella huffed, her tone a little too harsh. As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt guilty. She hadn't meant to lash out at Madelyn. "I'm sorry, Maddie. I didn't mean to be so harsh."

Madelyn immediately shook her head, "Belle, no, it's fine. Don't apologize."

Arabella nodded, her expression guilty, as she nibbled on her bottom lip.

"Seriously, it's fine," Madelyn groaned. She placed her hand on Arabella's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "You need to let loose. How about you drink some of this champagne?"

Arabella smiled gratefully at Madelyn as she accepted the flute of champagne. She brought it to her lips and took a long, satisfying sip, feeling the bubbles tickle her throat.

"Let's dance." Madelyn wiggled her eyebrows.

The two friends made their way to the crowded dance floor, joining the crowd of people moving to the rhythm of the music. Occasionally, they would break away from the dance floor and head to the bar, where they would grab more drinks before returning to the dance floor.

After a while, Madelyn went off with Chase. But not before Arabella shot her a wink. Arabella made her way over to the bar to order another drink.

"Could I get a vodka cranberry?" Arabella ordered, leaning against the bar. The bartender nodded before making her drink.

"Bella boo bear!" a familiar voice called out, trailing off as it reached Arabella's ears. She didn't even have to look to know who it was.

"Ivy." Arabella said with a tight-lipped smile, not very enthusiastic due to the nickname Ivy would call her in 3rd grade.

Ivy bobbed her head to the music, dancing around Arabella. Suddenly, she came to an abrupt stop."Oh my god."

Arabella furrowed her eyebrows at Ivy's words, the sudden shift in mood making her wary. Before Arabella could question Ivy, Ivy spoke again."Don't look but Drew and Sadie are like five feet behind you—now four. Wait oh shit, they are walking here."

Arabella took a breath and grumbled knowing that Ivy definetly made it obvious to Drew and Sadie that she was talking about them.

"One vodka cranberry—" The bartender began, sliding the drink towards Arabella. However, the glass slid too far, and before Arabella could react, it was falling to the ground.

Ivy moved away, and Arabella was about to follow suit when a strong grip suddenly pulled her away, startling her.

She could recognize that touch from anywhere.

"Drew!" Sadie quietly shouted at the boy, which made Drew quickly let go of Arabella's arm, stepping back.

Arabella, feeling embarrassed by the situation, refused to look at Drew. Ivy stepped next to Arabella, taking charge of the situation. She told the bartender that it was fine and not to stress about the spilled drink.

Arabella looked down at the ground and noticed that the drink had splattered everywhere, including on her heels.

Ivy handed Arabella a napkin, and Arabella reached down to scrub the spilled drink off her leg. As she did, she heard a giggle that didn't belong to her, Ivy, or Drew.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" Ivy snapped her head towards Sadie, who had a grin on her face.

"Ivy," Arabella interjected, trying to calm her friend down. It was obvious that Ivy had had too much to drink, and Arabella didn't want the situation to escalate further.

Knowing Ivy, when she started a drunk fight, she was going to finish one. However, ever since she became a famous model, Ivy had become more conscious of her reputation and had calmed down, not wanting to tarnish her image.

"Nothing," Sadie defended, the grin still on her face. "Just that the drink spilled on Bella's heels. Must've cost daddy a fortune for those."

There was a moment of silence, during which you could probably hear the sound of Ivy's, Arabella's, and even Drew's jaws dropping. The comment had caught everyone off guard.

"Sadie—" Drew started, stepping forward and trying to calm his girlfriend down.

"First of all, Bella? Who said you could call her that?" Ivy laughed, cutting Drew off completely. "Secondly, she has a job that doesn't require her to rely on daddy's money. Which you should know since you like stalking her social media accounts, don't you?"

Arabella tried to resist the smile that came to her face when she saw how Sadie's face faltered. Her eyes then fell on the figure behind Sadie for a moment. Drew's eyes were already on hers, his expression blank.

Arabella's eyes quickly darted away from Drew, realizing she couldn't just stand there.

"Ivy, it's fine. Let's go," Arabella muttered urgently, her fingers tightening around Ivy's forearm as she tried to pull her away. Arabella didn't leave without glancing at Sadie, "Nice to finally meet you." She spoke with a smile but her tone was dripping with sarcasm.

As they walked aways, waiting until they were a good distance away from the pair, Arabella screeched quietly "Ivy, I haven't seen you go off like that since like 200 BC."

"It's different since she was coming at you," Ivy smiled, flipping her hair in a faux manner. "And could you please explain why Drew was eye-fucking you—the whole time?"

Arabella shrugged it off, not wanting to talk about him, especially not right now. "Don't know," she replied casually, hoping to change the subject.

Ivy gave Arabella a confused look before shrugging it off.

Arabella started to fan herself, feeling overwhelmed by the heat and the amount of people surrounding her. "Actually, Ives, I'm going to go outside to get some air," she said, raising her voice slightly to be heard over the music.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Ivy asked, concern evident in her voice. Arabella hesitated, glancing towards Jonathan, who was standing nearby. "It's fine, but I think you should go with him," Arabella giggled, nudging Ivy playfully and pointing towards Jonathan.

Ivy rolled her eyes playfully, "Arabella, I'm serious. Do you want me too?"

"Ivy, I'm serious. I'm fine. Go," Arabella urged, gently pushing Ivy towards Jonathan. Before Ivy could protest, Arabella raised her voice slightly, calling out, "And if you see Madison, tell her to call me since I haven't seen her all night!"

"I will, but she's probably still macking Mariah." Ivy yelled back before jumping in Jonathan's arms which made Arabella smile a genuine smile.

Arabella pushed through the crowd towards the back door leading outside, she was sweating like crazy. The glass breaking, the interaction with Sadie, and the eye contact with Drew were all apart to her current state. As she stepped outside into the chilly South Carolina night air, Arabella felt a wave of relief wash over her. The cool breeze helped to ease her nerves, calming her down.

Arabella leaned against the wall, the cool marble soothing her overheated body. She closed her eyes, taking a moment to just breathe and collect herself. The quietness of the back alley was a change from the noise in the club.

Suddenly, the door swung open again. Arabella didn't pay much mind to it, knowing it was often used by people exiting the club from the back. She kept her eyes closed.

But this time the footsteps came closer, making her look at the figure.

Drew.

©𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞