LEAH's POV.
Every girl looked forward to her 18th birthday.
It's supposed to be the night of your coming of age, a night that marked one's transition into adulthood, and most times, there was usually a big party but I knew better than to expect that.
Today I turned 18 and the day went by like any other day.
But there was a party tonight, only not mine. It was the night of the school formal and I was only excited for one thing. Ethan had promised to finally introduce me as his girlfriend to the hockey team and the rest of the school.
We'd been seeing each other for a couple of months but he decided to keep things private. Although, my patience started to grow thin, he insisted on saving the announcement for a special night. "I promise you baby, I'll show you to the world soon." He said.
Today was finally that day. I would get to walk out in the arms of the most popular guy on campus. Ethan was every girl's dream, star hockey player with a stellar academic record. I couldn't believe how lucky I was to have caught his eye.
I changed into my party outfit and looked in the mirror. I wore light makeup and the sexiest black dress in my wardrobe. My life was going to change tonight and finally, I could be more than just the awkward girl on campus.
I grabbed my purse and walked down the stairs but the stench of booze soon hit me in my face and I turned around to find my father lying drunk across the couch. I heaved a sigh, clearing away the bottles and tossing him a blanket. I hadn't even gotten a happy birthday from him—I would be surprised if he even remembered.
He spent most days blackout drunk and incapacitated, I started to wonder how long until his liver gave out. It had been just two of us since my mother died when I was young so even though he wasn't the perfect example of what a father should be, I still didn't want to lose him.
When I was sure he was okay, I finally left for the party.
The drive to school was short and the cab arrived in the parking lot filled with students. I took one last look in the mirror, reapplying my red lipstick and adjusting my hair before I walked out. The hallway was packed, everyone was divided into sets and cliques and I scanned the crowd for Ethan but he was nowhere to be found.
Even though I saw the rest of the hockey team in a section of the court dressed in fancy black tuxedos, Ethan wasn't there. It was the first time that night my stomach tied into a knot.
Where was he?
"Hey! Happy birthday!" I felt a hand tap my shoulder and I turned around to see Hazel. "Hi, how are you?" I greeted.
"You look gorgeous," Her eyes adored my dress.
Hazel was my roommate when I briefly stayed on campus the year before my father got sick and I had to move back home. We'd clicked immediately and had been best friends ever since alongside our other roommate Julia. It was usually just the three of us.
They were sort of my only friends.
"Thank you," I beamed. "Where's Julia?" I looked around and Hazel shrugged her shoulders.
"I don't know, she just disappeared after a while," She said.
"Have you had something to drink?" She asked, handing me a glass of whatever was in it. I looked her dead in the eyes and knew she wasn't about to take no for an answer so I downed the glass in a jiffy, feeling lightheaded quickly.
"I have to find Julia," I said to Hazel before excusing myself but the actual person I was looking for was Ethan. But of course, Hazel had no idea about both of us. No one did.
The strobing lights flashed in my eyes as I weaved my way through the crowd. I pulled out my phone to call him but his line wasn't going through. Finally, I made my way upstairs where it was a lot quieter and I could only hear the whispers of students who had been sneaking around in the dark fucking.
"Shhh...Someone's coming," A voice whispered.