🔥 Chapter 7 — When the Night Broke Open
1727 Words
🔥 Chapter 7 — When the Night Broke Open
Luka’s birthday party was the kind of event everyone talked about days before it happened — partly because Luka was loud enough to advertise it himself, and partly because when the son of a wealthy family throws a party, the whole school shows up.
But that wasn’t why Amani was nervous.
She was nervous because this was the first social party she’d been invited to in years, and the invitation hadn’t come through rumor or pity.
It came from Zariah barging into class, announcing:
“Luka said if you don’t show up, he’ll cancel the whole party. His words, not mine.”
Luka, sitting behind her, confirmed loudly,
“YES! If Amani isn’t there, I’m not turning sixteen!”
Amani had blushed so hard she nearly melted through the floor.
Elias didn’t say anything at first — he just watched her reaction the way he watched everything she did, like he was trying to learn her heart piece by piece.
When she finally whispered, “I’ll come,” his lips curved slightly upward.
Not a smile.
Something deeper.
Something that made her chest warm.
—
The Party Night
The party was held at Luka’s family estate — a wide compound with high walls, security lights, and a courtyard decorated with strings of warm fairy lights that made everything glow softly.
Music thumped through the air, laughter drifted everywhere, and people were dancing, eating, and screaming Luka’s name like he was a celebrity.
Amani stood at the gate, clutching her small purse nervously.
“You ready?” Zariah asked, appearing beside her like a guardian angel with lip gloss.
“I… I think so.”
“No thinking. You already look like a goddess. Let’s go.”
Zariah linked her arm with Amani’s and dragged her inside.
Lights sparkled against Amani’s brown skin, making her glow. She wore a simple dress — soft peach, knee-length — borrowed from Zariah, but it fit her like it was meant for her alone.
People actually stared.
Whispered.
“She’s so pretty.”
“Is that the new girl?”
“Elias’s friend?”
“Damn—who is she?”
Amani fought the urge to run back home.
Zariah squeezed her arm. “Ignore them. Trust me — they’re staring because you’re stunning.”
Before Amani could respond, someone shouted:
“THERE SHE IS!”
Luka practically jumped through the crowd, wearing a neon crown and ridiculous sunglasses.
He hugged Amani so fast she squeaked.
“You made it! Best birthday EVER!”
Amani laughed nervously. “Happy birthday, Luka.”
He held her shoulders dramatically. “You are now officially my favorite human.”
Zariah snorted. “Calm down, clown.”
Then Luka winked at Amani, leaned closer, and whispered:
“Elias is going to lose his mind when he sees you.”
Amani’s face burned. “Stop.”
As if summoned by her embarrassment, a shadow fell over them.
Elias had arrived.
He wore a black shirt and dark jeans, looking effortlessly powerful and impossible to ignore. When his eyes landed on Amani, he stopped walking completely.
Stopped breathing, maybe.
His gaze softened instantly, the intensity fading into something warm.
“You look…” His voice caught, surprising him. “Beautiful.”
Amani’s heart nearly burst.
Zariah whispered loudly, “Someone’s falling in looove.”
“Zariah,” Elias muttered, glaring.
She raised her hands. “Fine, fine. Continue being in denial.”
Amani laughed shyly.
For a moment, it felt perfect.
Warm lights.
Music.
Friends.
Safety.
But peace had a habit of slipping away from her when she least expected it.
—
Trouble Arrives
Around 10 PM, while Amani was sipping fruit punch and talking with Zariah about school drama, the gate opened.
She didn’t notice at first.
But her body did.
Her heart dropped into her stomach before her eyes even turned.
Ethan Kelvin walked into the party.
He wasn’t invited.
He wasn’t welcome.
He wasn’t wanted.
Yet he strolled in confidently — expensive shirt, sly smile, hands in pockets — as if he owned the place.
Amani froze.
Zariah saw the change in her instantly. “What’s wrong?”
Amani didn’t answer.
She couldn’t.
Her breath was stuck.
Her hands shook.
Zariah followed Amani’s gaze… and her face fell.
“Oh hell no.”
Ethan spotted Amani within seconds — he always found her too fast, like a predator tracking prey. His expression flickered with something ugly when he saw Elias standing nearby laughing with Luka.
But his smile returned when he saw Amani alone.
He began walking toward her.
Amani took one step back.
Elias wasn’t with her — he was across the courtyard. Too far.
Zariah grabbed her hand, but Amani’s panic surged like a wave crashing over her.
“I can’t— I can’t be here—”
Zariah tightened her grip. “Amani, breathe. It’s okay—”
But Ethan took another step forward.
And Amani shattered.
“I have to go,” she whispered.
“Amani—wait!”
But she was already moving — slipping through the crowd, heart pounding, the lights blurring as tears burned her eyes.
Ethan called after her,
“Amani! Don’t run! We need to talk!”
People turned to look.
Students whispered.
And Amani fled out the gate, her breath sharp and painful, running down the dimly lit road toward home.
—
The Fight Breaks
Inside the party, Zariah spun around, fury lighting her entire face.
“Elias!”
He turned immediately.
“Amani,” Zariah said breathlessly. “She ran.”
Elias didn’t hesitate.
He didn’t ask questions.
Didn’t look at anyone.
He shoved through the crowd, his expression darkening dangerously as he headed toward the gate.
But before he got far, someone grabbed his arm.
Ethan.
“Where are you rushing off to?” Ethan smirked.
Elias turned slowly, his jaw ticking.
“You,” he said quietly, “have about five seconds to remove your hand.”
Ethan raised his eyebrows. “Or what? You’ll embarrass yourself in front of everyone? Again?”
Zariah rolled her eyes. “Boy, you’re about to die.”
Elias stepped forward, towering over Ethan, every muscle wired like a loaded weapon.
“You made her run,” Elias said, voice low and deadly. “You scared her.”
“I didn’t touch her,” Ethan snapped.
“You don’t have to touch someone to hurt them,” Zariah countered sharply.
Ethan scoffed. “She’s being dramatic. Running away like a guilty—”
He didn’t finish.
Elias’s fist connected with his jaw so fast the sound cracked through the party like lightning.
People screamed.
The music stopped.
Phones came out instantly.
Ethan stumbled backward, blood at the corner of his mouth.
“You psycho!” Ethan shouted, wiping his lip.
“You’re lucky that’s all I did,” Elias growled, stepping forward.
Ethan swung back — wild, untrained — and Elias dodged easily.
Zariah shouted, “Elias, don’t kill him! This is Luka’s house!”
But Elias wasn’t listening.
Ethan tacked forward again, grabbing Elias by the collar.
Elias slammed him into the ground.
Students gasped.
Luka yelled, “NOT ON THE LAWN!”
Elias pinned Ethan with one knee on his chest.
“You don’t get to look at her,” Elias hissed.
“You don’t get to speak to her.”
“You don’t get to exist in the same space as her.”
Ethan struggled, but Elias didn’t move.
“Next time,” Elias snarled, “I won’t stop with warnings.”
Zariah rushed forward, tugging Elias’s arm desperately.
“Elias! ENOUGH! Amani needs you — not this fight!”
The words cut through his anger like a blade.
Amani.
He released Ethan instantly, standing up and wiping his bleeding knuckles on his shirt.
Ethan groaned on the ground.
Elias didn’t spare him a glance.
He turned to Luka. “Watch him. If he leaves this party, don’t follow.”
“Trust me,” Luka said, “I’m not moving anywhere near him.”
Zariah grabbed Elias’s wrist.
“Come on,” she said urgently. “We need to go find her.”
Elias nodded, breath heavy, eyes burning with worry.
They ran out the gate.
The night swallowed them.
And all Elias could think was—
Please let her be safe.
Please let her be home.
Please let her not cry alone again.
—
Amani
By the time she reached her street, her chest ached and her legs trembled, but she didn’t stop.
She reached her door, opened it with shaking hands, and stumbled into the silence of her small living room.
Then she slid down the wall, curling into herself.
Tears she had held for years poured out of her.
She hadn’t cried this hard since that night.
She didn’t know if she ever would again.
A knock sounded on her door minutes later.
“Amani?”
Elias.
Her breath hitched.
“Amani, please… open the door.”
She pressed her forehead to her knees.
“Amani… I’m not leaving.”
Zariah’s voice joined his.
“We’re here. Both of us. You’re not alone. Not anymore.”
Amani swallowed a sob.
She wanted to open the door.
She wanted safety.
But fear still clung to her like a shadow.
Elias knocked again, softer.
“Amani… whatever happened… whatever he did… it’s not your fault.”
Silence.
Then—
“I’m not going to let him hurt you again,” Elias whispered.
“Not while I’m alive.”
Amani’s fingers trembled on the lock.
For the first time in a long time…
She wasn’t running alone.
She unlocked the door.
Slowly.
Gently.
And when it opened—
Elias stepped forward and caught her shaking body before she could fall again.
She cried into his chest.
His arms wrapped around her.
Zariah placed a hand on her back.
And for the first time since her world had shattered…
Amani let herself believe she might be whole again someday.
Not because her past disappeared.
Not because she was magically healed.
But because she finally had people who cared enough to stay.
People who fought for her.
People who loved her — even if they hadn’t said the words yet.
The night had broken open.
But something new had begun to grow in the cracks.
—
- Writer
