One Night

Chapter 47

Audrey & Third Person

Audrey’s POV

1 woke up carlier than usual for the announcement ceremony-too excited to s. -p any longer. Over the course of the next hour, I painstakingly dressed myself in a sleek black mini dress, curled my hair, and did my makeup.

I wanted to look perfect; because today was the day that my friends and I might be crossing the stage in front of all of Grayspring Academy to accept our badges and move to the next portion of the fashion show competition.

“Audrey, are you ready?” Tina asked, her voice echoing through my door. “If we’re not all there to collect our badges, none of us can move to the next part of the competition.

Checking my appearance in the mirror one last time, I nodded to myself and swung the door open. “How do I look?” I asked, striking a pose in the doorway.

O

Tina and Avis, who were both dressed to the nines themselves, giggled and fawned me. “You’re gonna make Max so jealous when you walk across the stage wearing that,” Avis cooed.

Tina smirked and nudged me. “Or someone else will be jealous,” she said, shooting me

a wink

My face flushed as the events of last night came flooding back-walking up to the bar, touching Edwin’s arm, asking him to buy me a drink. The way he had **ked his thumb through my belt loop and tugged me just a little bit closer, a soft growl playing on his lips.

It had all been too much. When I had returned to my friends at our table, my face had been so red that no one even dared to ask what had happened. I had given up playing any drinking games after that.

“I doubt it,” I retorted, looking away from Tina’s piercing gaze as though that would somehow hide the fact th my face was as red as a fresh beet.

As we made our way out of the dorms and toward the auditorium, the fresh morning air hit my skin and relaxed me a bit. Up ahead, Gavin and Betty were already waiting. The five of us.

the throng of people toward the main campus h…

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Chapter 47

crowd bustling with excitement for today’s announcement.

“You guys go ahead,” I said as we pushed our way into the main building. “I just need to use the restroom really quickly.”

My friends nodded and scurried off to save our seats. Finding a nearby restroom, I pushed my way inside-and it was only then that I let out the breath I hadn’t even realized I had been holding. Rubbing my hand over the back of my neck, I walked over to the sink and turned the faucet on.

So this was it: the day that we would find out if all of our hard work had paid off or if it was all for nothing.

Well… Not for nothing, I supposed. I had made three new friends since the start of all this, and even if we didn’t make it into the next round, I was glad to have met Gavin, Betty, and Avis.

Even if-

Mid-thought, a strange sound suddenly caused me to stop and turn toward the row of bathroom stalls behind me. Somewhere toward the back, I could hear the unmistakable sounds of sniffling and… Crying?

Frowning, I quietly walked over toward the source of the sound, pr**king my ears to get a better listen. Just as I thought, someone was sobbing quietly in the furthest stall.

“Hello?” I called out, knocking softly on the stall door. “Are you okay?”

The sniffling suddenly stopped, leaving a deafening silence in its wake. I heard a soft rustle from behind the door, and I stepped back just in time for it to swing open.

My eyes widened when I saw the malicious grin staring back at me.

“Linda,” I breathed, taking a step back. “What are you-”

Before I could even move away, I stumbled into a rigid form behind me. A pair of strong arms wrapped around me, one holding my own arms down against my waist and the other coming up to cover my mouth before I could scream.

“Do you really think you’re going to attend that assembly?” Linda giggled, folding her slender arms across her chest. She nodded toward another person that was just out of view. “Get her phone.”

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No matter how hard I kicked and wriggled, it was no use; the massive arms around me were practically strangling all of the air out of me, and as they did, another pair of hands dug into my pocket and retrieved my phone. My wild eyes darted over, a m**ed scream reverberating in my throat just as I say one of Linda’s friends smash my phone beneath the heel of her boot.

“There.” Linda said, stooping down to pick up the destroyed phone. “Is the coast clear?”

The girl who had smashed my phone quickly scurried over to the door, peered out into the hallway for a moment, and then nodded. “Everyone’s gone.”

“Perfect. Take her.” Linda snapped her fingers, and suddenly the arms around me were lifting me off the floor. I kicked hard, my heel connecting with a shin, but the girl carrying me just grunted and continued to walk out of the bathroom like I weighed nothing.

“This will only be temporary, Audrey,” Linda cooed as her friend carried me down the hall. Up ahead, there was a utility closet with the door swung open. I kicked and tried to scream even harder, but it was no use; the girl carrying me just tightened her grip even more, causing me to lose my breath and nearly black out. It was all I could do to stay

conscious.

Why? I thought to myself as that utility closet drew nearer. Why was Linda doing this?

Linda, as though reading my thoughts, giggled as her friend thrust me into the closet. “You can’t move on to the next round if you’re not there to collect your badge, huh, Audrey?” she purred. “But don’t worry; once this is all over, we’ll finally be even.”

Π

Suddenly, the world tilted around me. Linda’s friend practically threw me to the floor, the door slamming shut behind me before I could even scramble to my feet. My head hit the hard tiles, my vision flashing momentarily.

Through the ringing in my ears, I heard the sound of a lock click from the other side, and the m**d sound of Linda’s voice through the wood.

“Be a good girl and wait there,” she said. “Someone will find you eventually.”

And with that, she was gone. Gasping for air, I scrambled to my feet and lunged at the door, kicking and pounding on the wood.

“Help!” I cried out in a **se voice. “Someone, help!”

I tried the handle, but it was locked; even a folding chair, when chucked at the door, did

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16.13 Sat, Sep 14 G GG.

Chapter 47

nothing to even splinter the wood.

I was trapped.

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Third Person POV

Tina, Avis, Gavin, and Betty sat together in the auditorium. The lights flickered, indicating that the announcements were about to begin.

Frowning, Tina leaned over to see that Audrey’s seat was still empty.

“Where’s Audrey?” she hissed, looking around worriedly. “She should be here by now.”

By now, all four friends were growing concerned. Audrey’s phone went straight to voicemail, and the announcements were about to begin. If Audrey didn’t arrive in time. to collect her badge, then none of them would be able to make it to the next round of the competition.

Where was she?