One Night

Chapter 87

Audrey & Third Person

Audrey’s POV

I found Tina huddled over the bathroom sink, her shoulders shaking with **bs.

“Tina? Are you okay?”

“I just… I can’t keep lying anymore,” she murmured, quickly swiping her tears away from her cheeks.

“What is it, Tina? What’s going on?” I took a step forward

Tina looked up at me, her eyes red and misted over with tears. She opened her mouth to respond, but all that came out was a strangled s**. I quickly rushed over to her and pulled her into my arms, feeling her form tremble against me as she cried into my shoulder.

“Tina, it’s okay. I’m here.” I whispered, rubbing her back gently. “If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. But I’m here.”

She clung to me for a long time, her tears soaking into the shoulder of my dress. Finally, she pulled back just enough to wipe at her damp cheeks with her gloved hand. “T-I’m sorry, she hiccupped. “I shouldn’t have run off like that. I ruined everything. And I ruined your dress.”

I pulled back slightly so I could look into her tear-stained face. Her mascara had gotten smudged from crying, leaving dark streaks down her cheeks-and my dress. Shaking my head, I pulled my handkerchief out of my pocket, dampened it in the sink, and began to dab at her face.

“Don’t apologize,” I said gently as I worked. “Those people were jerks. But why did their comments hurt you so much?”

Tina took a shaky breath, avoiding my gaze for a moment. Her fingers fidgeted with the hem of one of her gloves. “They hurt because… because they’re true.”

My eyes widened in surprise. “What do you mean?”

Tm… I’m g***y, Audrey, Tina whispered, her soft voice barely audible over the m**ed music floating in from the ballroom,

“You’re g**y?” I blurted out. It wasn’t that I was disapproving of her revelation, but rather that I hadn’t expected it in the slightest. Throughout our entire friendship, as far as I was aware, Tina had only ever shown an interest in men.

She nodded. “I only realized it recently, and I’m still trying to come to terms with it. So those comments really cut deep.” I swallowed, gripping her arms tightly. “How long have you known for certain?”

She sniffled, wiping her eyes carefully to avoid smearing her makeup further. “I’ve had my suspicions for years, but only realized it a couple of weeks ago now,”

“Does anyone else know?” I whispered.

Tina quickly shook her head. “No. Just you,” she murmured, inhaling sharply as another choked sob bubbled throat. “I can’t tell my parents. They’d disown me.”

“Your parents are homophobes?”

up in her

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Chapter 87

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“Unfortunately, yes.”

As she said those words, her shoulders began to tremble once more. Without saying anything, I pulled her in and hugged her tightly again, feeling her body shake against mine as she tried to hide her s**.

I’m so sorry. Tina,” I said gently, rubbing large, slow circles on her back. “I’m here for you, even if they aren’t.”

“Forever?” she murmured into my shoulder.

I nodded. “Forever. It’s what best friends are for, right? **d and thick when she spoke again. Thank you for being such a good friend, Audrey. I don’t know what I would do without you. You’re the only person I feel I can trust with this

“You can trust Avis, Betty, and Gavin,” I said gently, not wanting to pressure her but also wanting her to feel safe in our friend group. “When you’re ready, I mean.”

“I know. I just… need some time.”

“Take all the time you need. Your secret is safe with me.”

After a moment, she pulled back again, and this time there was a nervous look on her face. Her eyes darted around, not quite meeting mine.

There’s something else I should tell you,” she said, shuffling her feet nervously.

“What is it?”

She swallowed hard, almost as if she were steeling herself, before she spoke. “I… I’ve always had the tiniest crush on you Even though I know you’re straight. I hope that doesn’t upset you or make things weird between us; I just wanted you to know

I smiled softly, gently kissing her on the cheek and wiping away a stray tear with my thumb. Her face reddened ever so slightly as I did.

“No, I’m not upset at all,” I reassured her with a chuckle. “I’m flattered, actually. And I’m sorry that I can’t return those feelings, but I know someday you’ll find someone who’s perfect for you. Someone who’ll love you for exactly who you are.”

Tina let out a watery laugh and hugged me again. “Thank you for not taking my confession too seriously,” she said. “I think I just sort of latched onto you a bit since we’ve been friends for so long now.”

I grinned and flipped my hair over my shoulder. “I mean, I can’t blame you,” I teased. “Just look at me.”

Tina gasped and smacked my arm playfully, then shook her head. “You really are the best friend I could ask for. I was so scared to tell you

“You never have to be scared to tell me anything.” I assured her, giving her hand a squeeze. “When I call you my best friend, I mean it. Best friends don’t judge each other.”

Nodding. Tina turned to face the sink and began to dab at her tear-streaked face. I watched her, staying by her side and rubbing her back

bathroom vent.

But then, suddenly, I noticed something strange; over Tina’s shoulder, there was a whitish gas starting to seep through the

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Chapter 87

“Tina.” I stammered, pointing.

“What?” Tina tumed, and her eyes widened when she saw it, to “What the hell..?”

What happened next was so fast that it was handly more than a blur, the gas, seeping out of the vent faster and faster, began to fill the room far more quickly than I had anticipated. It stung ny eyes and made my throat burn, and I took a st**ng step backwards, clamping my hand over my nose and mo

“Tina, we need to get out of here,” I coughed, my eyes already filling with tears. “Now!”

I didn’t need to tell Tina twice. Grabbing her hand, I pulled her through the haze, both of us coughing and sputtering as we

We burst into the hallway just as the gas completely filled the bathroom. I slammed the door shut, coughing and gagging as I leaned against it. The cool air of the hallway was a relief for my burning eyes and throat, although it took a good thirty seconds before either of us could speak or see clearly again.

“What the hell was that?” I gasped once I was able to speak.

Tina’s eyes were wide and red now, although not from tears this time. Whatever that stuff was had burned her eyes, too. “I don’t know, but if we had stayed in there any longer.

I shuddered at the thought. “Come on,” I said, grabbing her hand. “We need to report this to the chaperones. There must be some kind of air vent issue or something. This is dangerous.”

Tina nodded, and we made our way back to the ballroom.

Third Person POV

Max cursed under his breath as he watched the man in the dark blue and silver mask remove the broom from the bathroom door handle. The man paused, muttering something under his breath, before he suddenly turned toward the corner that Max was hiding behind.

Before the man could find him, Max quickly ducked behind a nearby curtain, his heart pounding so loudly he was sure someone would hear it.

This wasn’t part of the plan. Everything was falling apart.

Fumbling with his phone, his fingers shaking slightly, Max began typing out a frantic text to Linda:

“Tear gas idea failed. Some guy in a mask removed the broom at the last second. What now? Need new plan ASAP.”

Just as he hit send, Max felt a strong hand grab his jacket and yank him out from behind the curtain. He looked up, gulping, to see the masked man looming over him, his eyes glowing yellow with fury. The man’s grip was like iron, and Max could feel the brute strength in those long fingers.

1-Let go of me,” Max hissed, although his voice sounded weak, pathetic. The man merely growled.

In the distance, Max could hear coughing and sputtering, followed by Audrey and Tina’s voices. So the tear gas had affected them, but they had still escaped before the full extent of the damage. *m**t *the area where Audrey and Tina were before tightening his grip on Max’s shirt.

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Chapter 87

“Come with me,” the man growled quietly. Before Max could respond or fight back, the man dragged him in the opposite direction of the ballroom.

et what you

As they moved down a dark, deserted hallway, the man’s gruff vilce hissed in Max’s car, “You’re going to regret just did, boy. What were you thinking?”

Max’s protests died in his throat as the man roughly shoved him through a door and out into a dark, empty courtyard. He stumbled, falling onto his hands and knees on the damp grass. The cool night air was a stark contrast to the warmth of the ballroom, and Max shivered, partly from cold and partly from fear.

Looking up with wide, terrified eyes, Max watched as the man’s tall form stepped into view, his silhouette blocking out the crescent moon overhead.

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