"Don't Let Him Find Us"

Friday night, the guys drag me to a party venue near Rockefeller Center.

And yeah—drag is the right word.

I didn’t even get the chance to say no.

It’s been a while since I’ve been back in New York City. Part of me is actually excited to see the lights again… but even that doesn’t settle the knot in my stomach. Just thinking about being surrounded by this many people in a place like this makes me feel like I might throw up.

I know.

I said I’d try.

But I also said I’d take it slow.

Clearly, they didn’t get that part.

Despite my resistance, they practically dragged me out of the house—half-joking, half-threatening—to get me here. And honestly, I don’t even know why they picked this place. We’re definitely pushing our limits. We all know we’re not supposed to be out past curfew.

Especially now.

People are still going missing.

In Dutchess County, they’re actively investigating those cases, and in Putnam County, more people have disappeared.

No one knows what’s going on.

And that makes everything worse.

I have no idea how Josh convinced my grandma to let me go out tonight.

He probably begged on his knees.

That idiot is a genius when it comes to manipulating people.

Even me.

One time he literally cried just to borrow my car.

I paid for that mistake.

My wrecked convertible says it all.

Damn you, Josh.

“Come on, hurry up! I’m dying of thirst!” Edward shouts as soon as we step out of Aaron’s truck.

The place in front of us is huge—lit up with neon lights and black balloons at the entrance. Hip-hop music pulses from inside.

“And I need to pee!”

He takes off running, flashing something to the guard before being let in instantly.

Gone in seconds.

The rest of us follow. Aaron shows the guard something too, and just like that—we’re in.

Of course.

The noise hits me immediately.

A crowd moves across the dance floor, blue lights sweeping over bodies in rhythm with the music. Others sit at tables, laughing, drinking, acting like nothing matters.

It looks… good.

Too good.

But I don’t feel comfortable. I haven’t liked places like this in a long time.

Still, they do.

And tonight…

I don’t want to ruin it.

“So your friend’s got influence here too, huh?” I say to Josh as he stops at the bar.

He shrugs.

“What did you expect? With his rich daddy?”

I smirk.

Aaron’s always known how to use his father’s power—not just in Cold Spring… apparently all over the city.

He’s connected to Dorian Ziegler, and there’s something about that name that’s always felt… off.

Josh hands me a drink.

I take a sip. Sweet.

Just soda.

I glance at him.

He meets my eyes and immediately starts shaking his head like a disapproving parent.

“Don’t look at me like that. You know I’m a good cousin, and alcohol—”

“Yeah, yeah… I get it,” I mutter.

It’s not the no-alcohol rule that bothers me.

It’s the reason behind it.

Annie thinks even coffee could set me off… like last time.

Josh agrees.

Now he doesn’t trust me with alcohol either.

Great.

Honestly, I should probably stay away from both for a while. I can handle not drinking. But coffee… That’s what’s really killing me.

Josh nudges my shoulder.

“Hey, I’m sorry. But I promise—you can drink whatever you want at Aaron’s birthday party. It’s coming up soon.”

“So it’s gonna be somewhere like this, right? Yeah… I hate it already.”

“Oh, come on. You shouldn’t. Look at all the effort that idiot puts in just to get us together.”

“He does it to show off, like always… but whatever.”

Our attention shifts as the others join us, crowding around the table. Within seconds, the conversation turns into overlapping voices and laughter.

I try to jump into whatever Josh and Edward are arguing about…

but it’s pointless.

They’re fully locked into a dramatic debate over which Spider-Man villain is the best.

They won’t let it go.

The new movie starring Tobey Maguire is supposed to come out soon, and ever since the news broke, everyone’s been obsessed.

I used to be too.

When I was a kid… that character meant everything to me.

My dad bought me comics, and because of him, I grew up admiring Spider-Man… wanting to be like him someday.

A hero...

But after what happened to my dad... that feeling faded.

Still…

part of me wants to see that movie.

Maybe it’ll make me feel close to him again.

“And they call us the nerds, right, Chris?” Marcus says beside me.

I roll my eyes with a faint smile.

Then I notice Josh and Edward staring at us like we just committed a crime.

Josh points at us dramatically.

Here we go.

“No, you’re the nerds because you ace every class. We’re nerds because we actually care about superheroes instead of those boring books you devour like library rats. So technically… we’re still cool.”

“And idiots,” I add.

Josh gasps in mock offense and flips me off.

We all laugh.

I stand up, pulling my hood over my head.

“I’m grabbing another drink. Anyone want anything?”

They all shake their heads.

Josh narrows his eyes at me.

“No alcohol for you, Smith. Consider yourself warned. That bartender looks like a snitch anyway.”

I wave him off and head toward the bar.

Getting through the crowd is a nightmare—people bumping into each other, dancing like they’ve lost their minds.

There are even older people here, drinking, laughing, moving like nothing matters.

I adjust my hood, trying to block out the noise.

Doesn’t help.

The music still pounds through me.

I scan the room, tense… alert… like something could go wrong at any second.

And then—

I bump into someone.