[015] a promise

                                                "Well, well, well... aren't you handsome?" Iris greets Gwen as she opens the door, leaning against it to get a proper look at her.

                                                 Gwen glances down at her outfit before back up at Iris. "Thanks. You look beautiful. But then again, you always do."

                                                "Tell me something I don't know. Oh, here you go," Iris replied, handing Gwen the mask so she'd be prepared.

                                                 Gwen gingerly takes the mask away from her, holding it up to her face which made Iris giggle.

                                               "Yeah, it suits you. It definitely makes you look a lot more mysterious than before," Iris replied as she grabs her own mask, closing the door behind her. "Alright, we're off. Try not to look so nervous. We're supposed to be having fun, remember?"

                                               "Pretty easy for you to say. You're not the one everyone else hates," Gwen's quick to remind the blonde.

                                               Iris rolled her eyes. "They don't hate you. They just don't know what to make of you. They don't understand you. But that's fine. No one needs to understand you except for me, Gwen."

                                              Gwen nods, figuring that Iris was the only one she cared about anyway. Iris holds her hand and everything feels truly right in the world. It's easy for Gwen to forget about the way her heart's nearly beating out of her chest from nerves. It's easy for Gwen to forget that she was walking into a party where rules simply didn't exist, and anything went. 

                                              Iris slips on her mask when they get closer and Gwen follows her lead, feeling her nerves slowly beginning to slip away. Even with her mask on, she still managed to look beautiful. Gwen finds herself staring just a little too long at her lips, forcing herself to look forward so she wouldn't end up tripping over herself or something.

                                               Maybe it was the fact that half of her face was basically being hidden but Gwen was now able to be someone else. Or at the very least, try and adopt an entirely new personality. 

                                             The party itself was spectacular. Chaotic, sure, but spectacular all the same. There were people doing drugs on one corner and then there were a couple of people either dancing or making out. Gwen couldn't tell if this was a party of just a black-tie orgy. But Gwen couldn't really tell who was who. Everyone was wearing a mask which allowed everyone to act out without a care. They could do whatever they wanted without any consequences being attached to their reputation.

                                           Gwen looks over, seeing two girls dancing together. They looked so free and careless, unashamed about the amount of intimacy they were showing in public. Gwen wished she could be like that.

                                           "Here, drink up," Iris remarked, drawing Gwen from her thoughts.

                                           Gwen looks over at the drink Iris holds out for her, wondering when she even managed to get her hands on it in the first place. But nonetheless, Gwen takes the drink from her and takes it all down with one large sip. Iris watches in satisfaction before she follows Gwen's lead.

                                          "You don't think your brother's here, do you?" Gwen questioned.

                                          Iris immediately laughs at the idea. "This is a bit too extreme for him. I do know that Farleigh's around here somewhere though. My cousin does love to live on the edge. It's why I love him a lot more than Felix."

                                           "I think this is the most partying I've done in... forever. I must seem so boring to you," Gwen mused aloud.

                                           "If I honestly thought you were boring, I would've never gotten this far with you," Iris remarked. "In case you haven't realized it by now, I think you're incredibly interesting. You're the most interesting person I've ever met, Gwen Hollow."

                                          Gwen chuckles, not quite able to allow herself to believe Iris's words. For so long, Gwen had been ignored and seemingly invisible. As much as she craved attention and to be loved, she was beginning to think that she didn't deserve it. Or that she wasn't interesting enough for anyone to take notice of. And yet, Iris managed to see something within her that Gwen couldn't see. Something that Gwen hoped to keep so she could keep Iris all to herself.

                                          But she soon falters when she sees that Iris was very serious.

                                          "Others would disagree with you," Gwen shrugged.

                                          "I'm not others. I'm Iris Catton, in case you forgot," Iris quickly reminds Gwen.

                                         Gwen cracks a grin. "As if I could ever forget."

                                          Smiling at her response, Iris was determined to take things up a notch. This was supposed to be a party after all, and she definitely planned on having some fun. As did Gwen. They would continue to drink after that and Iris would even go as far as pouring vodka into Gwen's mouth, both of them ignoring the fact that some of it would end up running down her chin and down her throat. They'd just giggle at the mess they made afterwards, feeling themselves growing even more intoxicated as the time passed.

                                          Speaking of time, it almost felt as though it didn't exist anymore. Gwen couldn't quite tell if she had been there for several hours or only a couple of minutes. All she could really focus on Iris and her wicked little grin, along with how nice her hands felt whenever they were on Gwen's waist as the both of them danced together. They were too intimate now but it was absolutely perfect and there was nowhere else Gwen would rather be.

                                         Iris was equally thrilled, happy to spend the rest of the night with only Gwen. But an unexpected hiccup would interrupt the good times.

                                           "Shit, I have to go and take a piss," Gwen groaned, reluctantly pulling away from Iris.

                                          Iris giggles. "Come on, you can have a golden shower right here. One of these sick fucks would enjoy it."

                                           "I can't just pee in the middle of a party!" Gwen laughs at the ridiculous idea.

                                           "This isn't a party, it's a debacle! The closest thing to debauchery that us rich kids will ever be able to engage in freely," Iris reasoned.

                                           "I'll be right back," Gwen giggles, walking off before Iris could attempt to hold her hostage.

                                           Gwen pushes and shoves her way through the crowd, even past a couple who she was ninety percent sure was having sex right there against the wall. Thankfully, the bathroom was available, and Gwen managed to relieve herself quickly. But as she washed her hands, Gwen would hear the bathroom door open and someone new come in.

                                           "Hey, the loo's occupied, asshole," Gwen complained, not bothering to look up to see who it was.

                                           "I hope you're pleased with yourself," Virginia remarked from behind her.

                                          Gwen whirls around, seeing Virginia glaring at her. She wasn't even wearing her mask anymore. "What are you talking about?"

                                          "You're Iris' special little toy now. You're even wearing Dana's shit now. You got what you wanted, didn't you? You wormed your way into her life and now, she won't let you go for anything, not unless you manage to disappoint her somehow. And if you commit that sin, then you might just end up like Dana," Virginia retorted.

                                          "Are you trying to say that Iris had something to do with Dana's death?" Gwen questioned.

                                          "Honestly? I think you did it. I don't have any proof. But knowing all of the freak accidents that seem to happen when you're around, I wouldn't be surprised," Virginia scoffed.

                                          Gwen balls her hands up into fists, her stare hardening the longer she looks at Virginia. She can feel her nails digging into her skin but the pain doesn't follow. She's too angry, her heart pounding so loudly that the noise fills her ears, to even feel it. How dare she come in here and try to threaten Gwen like this? How dare she try to ruin everything Gwen had worked so hard to build? First Dana and now Virginia. Gwen was getting really sick and tired of all the distractions being thrown her way.

                                           She wasn't about to let someone new try to tear her and Iris apart.

                                         "I'll only warn you once, Virginia. Leave me alone. Stay away from me. And stay away from Iris especially. She doesn't care about you anymore. She never did. You're nothing more than a boring, insignificant sidekick to her," Gwen retorted.

                                        "And you think she cares about you? You're just her pretty little puppet! As much as I hate you, a part of me feels really sorry for you. You're too blinded by whatever twisted love you have for her to see that you're just a pawn in her fucked-up game," Virginia continued.

                                        "Shut up!" Gwen shouts, grabbing Virginia by her shoulders and shoving her hard against the wall.

                                        Virginia's eyes widen in surprise as she looks up at Gwen, seeing the way her eyes turned dark. She had completely lost control of herself, letting more of her true self show. And if Gwen was being honest, it felt really good.

                                        "If you know what's good for you, you'll do as I say and never speak to either of us again," Gwen threatened, her tone low and threatening.

                                        "Or what? I'll end up like Dana?" Virginia asks, trying to not sound as scared as she felt. But she failed miserably.

                                        "No. It'll be much worse for you. That is a promise," Gwen responded.

                                         Virginia turned pale, looking absolutely terrified. Gwen smiles before she lets go of Virginia, leaving the bathroom so she could join Iris's side.

                                         "What took you so long?" Iris pouted.

                                         "There was a line. So annoying," Gwen lies with a shake of her head. The last thing she wanted to do was bring up the incident between her and Virginia. Besides, if Virginia was nearly as smart as she pretended to be, she'd move on with her life and not try to get in between her and Iris.

                                          Iris chuckles. "Well, I guess you shouldn't be allowed to drink anymore. But that's okay. We could have some party favors instead."

                                          "Sounds like fun," Gwen agreed. She knew she could use a high to help her forget about everything that had happened.

                                          The two girls find their own little table to go and get high at, snorting a line or two. The high kicked in relatively quickly, Gwen quickly latching onto Iris as the two of them made their way outside. For a moment, Gwen thought they would actually end up leaving which wasn't Iris's style at all. She'd stay at the party for as long as she could until she was ready to head back to her dorm. But outside, in the back of the school, the party was also still going.

                                          Outside, Gwen swore she could feel electricity in the air. People were wearing their masks and dancing around the fire as they chanted some sort of song. It reminded Gwen of the rituals she'd read about in history, one invoking a higher power. The soft lilt of music along with laughter could be heard and Gwen found herself absolutely magnetized by it all.

                                         "Let's go!" Iris shouts, giggling as she holds onto Gwen's hand and leads her so they could go and join the circle.

                                        Once they did, the two were separated amidst the chaos. Gwen found herself holding someone else's hand as they all spun around in the circle. The fire seemed to burn brighter the closer Gwen got to it. And everyone seemed to blur into one, except for Iris. Amidst the haze, Iris's face was the only one that Gwen managed to see clearly. Iris smiles at Gwen before she starts chanting. Gwen joins her and in that moment, she swear she can feel something else with them.

                                       Something dark and terrible, yet beautiful.

( 🍇🖤🔪 )

word count: 2023
notes: virginia just had to fuck around and find out, huh?