Ravan's POV
The day before formal, I received a text from Rylan inviting me to an afterparty. Although I usually would have said no unless a certain someone pestered and bribed me, I decided to go because Rowan would be there.
A small part of me was also looking forward to Rylan's company away from maths class, but I elected to ignore it.
Around the popular groups, Rylan had become the host of many parties but he'd confessed to Rowan and I that he just wanted to enjoy himself tonight so had left the organising and venue to someone else this time.
One of the other popular boys, Tobio Eatto, had declared that he could throw a better party than Rylan and took the initiative instead. Everyone knew he wouldn't be able to even though he was going to be school captain next year; no one can beat Rylan in anything.
On my way to Tobio's house with Rowan and Rylan, my feet began to ache and I regretted not accepting Josefeen's offer to drive me with Muun and Jayn. Rylan had wanted to walk, however, insisting that it wasn't too far and that the moon was too beautiful to miss. Like a love-sick puppy I had followed Rowan and therefore him too.
I suppressed a wince with every step and tried my best to disguise my limp, but both boys noticed anyway. With a gentle smile, Rowan offered me his arm and I took it gratefully.
On my other side, Rylan did the same wordlessly and I appreciated his chivalry. Maybe, for all his snobbery, he wasn't so bad after all.
Then I remembered that walking a kilometer in heels was his idea in the first place, and I was grumpy at him all over again.
Clearly all of Rowan's pleading hadn't tempered his personal vendetta against me. He seemed especially uptight as we walked, and I watched him curiously.
His eyes kept flicking up to glance at the moon, which wasn't quite full but still glinted off all of our glamorous accessories and Rowan's glittery eyeliner. The wind brushed grey clouds across it like strokes from a painter's palette in monochrome. The sky's canvas was speckled with lonely stars, too many obscured by the light pollution from the amber streetlights.
I shivered and hunched into myself, grateful for the warmth of the bodies bracketing me as a gust of wind buffeted the trees, sending their skeletal branches skittering against the powerlines. My dress billowed, and a possum darted overhead. A distant siren crescendoed before fading back into the distant rush of cars.
The empty street was beginning to give me the creeps but as we turned a corner, I caught a glimpse of the flashing coloured lights of our destination. With a sigh of relief, I silently reassured my swollen toes and shook off both boys to start up a brisk pace towards the house, eager to get inside and out of the frigid night air.
There was a sudden exclamation from behind me and it shocked me enough to make me stumble in front of Rowan, momentarily blocking his path. My brain managed to register the roar of plastic wheels on concrete and a freeze-frame glimpse of a figure in all black briefly illuminated by a streetlight before the random skateboarder narrowly missed running me over.
I yelped in surprise and fell backwards onto the nature strip, but the stranger was already too far away, even as Rowan yelled obscenities at them.
I barely heard him, or processed his warm arm attempting to guide me back to my feet. My mind was a million kilometers away, watching the world through my doorbell camera and filling in details that had previously been missing; a scratched Starry Night sticker on a pure black board, wisps of midnight hair escaping a hoodie, and eyes like two dark mirrors.
"-Avan! Babe, are you okay? I swear I'm going to get that moondamned eshay..."
Rowan's sweet, concerned face filled my vision and I shook off my PTSD attack.
"Y-yes, I'm fine," I lied, curling into myself, not strong enough to stand yet and still shaking.
Rylan came over to me and gave me an interesting look before grabbing my arms and lifting me up. I could feel his rigid biceps under the sleeves of his button up and couldn't help but imagine how they would feel if they were around me in a hug again. Butterflies stormed in my stomach.
"Are you really okay Ravan? You have the appearance of someone who has just seen a ghost," he murmured in my ear. The sound of his hushed voice so close reminded me of the day at the sushi train.
My breath caught in my throat and constricted, a hand cutting off my airflow. The sensation was so realistic that I could feel the slight scrape of the pads of the fingers, five indentations pressing my windpipe closed.
It was just my imagination, though, and with Rowan and unfortunately Rylan at my side the feeling passed much more easily.
"I'm... fine, really," I gasped after only a second's hesitation. Rowan shot me a knowing and sympathetic look and put his arm around me. I relaxed into his chest easily, and instantly felt better.
After I had calmed down, the boys talked me into going to the party after all. I was resentful originally but was hoping that maybe with some sort of drink in me I'd be able to forget about the skateboard.
After about five more minutes of walking slowly and talking about nothing of importance, we arrived outside the party.
I could hear 'I Can't Get You Out Of My Head' by Kylie Minogue playing on the speakers, muffled slightly by the walls and the crush of enthusiastically dancing bodies. A smattering of dark figures intermingled with the gaudy crowd and I gulped as I had another flashback.
Still, with my boys by my side, I steeled myself and found myself marching forward, once more unto the breach.