Ride or Die

3. I Will Follow You Into The Dark

~ WILLA's POV ~

On Saturday night, I was ready and dressed to kill.

One of the perks of being a model was the designer freebie. After fashion shows and fittings, designers would give away clothes like they were candy. This was good for me, especially that I needed something to wear to this party.

I didn’t know what it was gonna be like, but I researched the place well in advance. The Garrison was an old established pub in the heart of Greenwich Village. It was an elegant place with moods like a speakeasy bar, often frequented by famous celebrities and rich Wall Street guys. I had to look the part if I wanted to blend in. So thank God for my Prada dress and Louboutin shoes. 

“Wow! Are you going out?” Mom passed by my room and saw that I was dressed to the nine. Her eyes were wide open as she stared at me, looking like a movie star suddenly and out of nowhere. 

“Only for a few hours,” I smiled at her.

“Well, don’t be home too late,” she said. Her tone was laced with worry.

With Wes still unconscious in the hospital, I was all that my mom had. She was looking at me like I was a little girl, she was afraid to lose me. 

“Of course, mom,” I said reassuringly. “Don’t worry, I’m just going to a party,”

“Okay, baby… be careful. I love you,” she pulled me down and kissed me on the cheek.

“Aw, mom, I love you too,” I replied, hugging her back.

As mom stepped out of my room, my eyes darted back to the mirror, studying my reflection. I put a lot of work into looking good tonight, hopefully it was gonna lead me somewhere. 

Seeing Wes’s journal on the edge of my bed, I turned around grabbed it. Call me crazy, or whatever, but my gut was telling me something. Wes’s accident was not normal and I believed the things that he wrote about in his journal could give me the answers I was looking for.

I flipped the journal open randomly and it landed on the page filled with the word “HELP’. I swallowed hard and closed the book. Wes was going through something difficult and he was asking for help. I wasn’t there to help him before, but not now. Not tonight.

Shoving the journal into my purse, I picked up my phone and checked the notes.

- - - - - - - -

The Ride or Die Annual Gathering.  

Meet at the Garrison. 7 pm.  

Saturday, September 15th, 2018. 

Mask On.

- - - - - - - -

What kind of a gathering is this? So far, to me it sounded like a secret club. I tried Googling them, but nothing came out. So if I wanted to get to the bottom of it, I’d have to see it for myself. I was convinced that this secret club, whatever it was, had something to do with Wes’s accident.

Feeling determined, I walked towards my closet and pulled out a box filled with old junk from my high school years. I opened the box and pulled out a black masquerade mask. It was the mask I wore to a Halloween party years ago. This would be perfect to match my black dress and heels.

Something weird happened as soon as I put on that mask and saw my reflection in the mirror. I felt strong. I felt powerful. I could be anyone and everyone. And tonight, I was gonna get to the bottom of things.

Wes, whatever it is that happened to you, I’ll figure it out. Just wait. I’ll protect you.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I arrived at the Garrison a little over 7 PM. To the outside world, the place looked like any other normal pub. But the moment I stepped in front of it, I knew this place was full of secrets.

For instance, there was a hostess standing next to a bouncer looking guy in a suit at the front door. Pubs didn’t use bouncers. I decided to wait outside and staked the place out for more information, pretending to have a smoke.

A few seconds later, I saw a pair of an older couple walking in. They looked like an elegant couple, but they weren’t wearing a mask. The hostess took their name and gestured for them to come in. After the older couple, came a younger couple that was around my age. They were wearing masks. I was immediately intrigued.

“Are you here for the gathering?” the hostess asked the couple.

“Yes,” the guy replied, his smile was brimming with excitement. 

“Then please answer this question. I will break if you don’t keep me. What am I?”

“Uh, what?” the guy gaped.

“A… bottle? A glass…?” the girl stammered. “I don’t know,”

“Sorry, that’s not the right answer. I can’t let you in,” the hostess smiled sinisterly.

“What? But we’ve come all the way out here, we wore a mask and everything!“ the guy yelled in frustration.

“Is there a problem?” the bouncer spoke up and stepped forward. The young guy looked at him and staggered back.

“N — no,”

“I’m gonna have to ask you to leave,” the bouncer said again.

The guy was absolutely humiliated. “f**k this s**t!” he spat and turned away. “This is stupid!” he pulled his mask and threw it to the ground.

“Hey, wait —“ the girl called out and chased after him.

Interesting, so that’s why they need a bouncer.

I finished my fake smoking and threw the butt away. Walking confidently up to the hostess, I told her, “Hi, I’m here for the gathering,”

“Sure, but please answer the following question,” she said firmly. “I will break if you don’t keep me. What am I?”

“A promise,” I replied.

The hostess blinked and a small smile curved up her face. “Right this way,” She pulled a curtain revealing a side door that was different from the front door.

Guess that means I’m in?

I turned to my heels and pushed the hidden door back, revealing a dark hallway. Suddenly, the hostess closed the door behind me and everything went dark.

Shoot. What did I just get myself into?

I pulled my phone out and used the flashlight to guide my steps. The long dark hallway finally came to an end and a thick velvet curtain stood in front of me. I could hear music and the sound of people talking behind the curtain.

Pushing the heavy curtain to the side, my eyes were hit with bright flashing lights and it took me a second to adjust my sight. I was standing in a room with large chandeliers, gold wallpaper, leather booths, and hardwood floors.   

Guys and girls in suits and dresses walk around, dancing, talking, and drinking — all of them with masks on. A few of them saw me walking in and they had a weird look on their faces. I didn't wanna draw attention to myself, so I quickly turned off the flashlight on my phone and glided down the floor as if I belonged there. 

I made my way towards the bar as my eyes scanned the room, searching for details. All the people in this place looked extravagant. I walked fashion shows and I’ve been to parties with models, but this was on another level. Everyone was soft spoken and eloquent. There were no loud basic bitches or rowdy frat guys like I had anticipated.

“What can I get you?” the bartender greeted me as I grabbed a seat on the bar.

“Champagne, please,” I replied. “Thank you,”

The bartender had a stoic look on his face as he poured my drink. He didn’t seem friendly enough for a conversation, which means I’d have to find someone else to do some digging. Turning my face to the side, I spotted a guy in a dark blue suit and matching mask. He was leaning against the bar, alone, with a glass of whiskey in his hand.

“Hi,” I greeted him politely.

“Hey,” he replied rather curtly.

I knew I had to do better to get his attention, so I crossed my legs and pulled my dress up a bit, so the slit would show my long slender leg. “Great party, huh?” I said lowly.

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool,” he gulped. That seemed to have gotten his attention. He turned his body towards mine and looked from side to side. “Who are you with again?”

“What do you mean?” I asked him.

“Your date. Who’d you come with?”

“I came alone,”

“They let girls do that?”

What does that suppose to mean?

“Of course,” I replied, sounding as casual as possible.

“Oh,” he chuckled. “Times have changed, I guess,”

By this short interaction, I realized that this secret club was probably male-dominated. A girl couldn’t come to a party of theirs without a date? What century were we in?

“So, do you know what’s going on with the whole troll guarding the door with a riddle thing?” I said in a rather cheery tone. Guys liked girls who sounded… blonde, if you know what I mean.

“Ha-ha,” he laughed. “Yeah, it’s their way to weed out the prospects. See which ones actually have brains,”

“Prospects?”

“It’s the start of the school year. They’re hunting,”

“Babe! Come over here!” before I could say anything else, a girl shouted over us and waved at him, gesturing for him to come.

“Oh, I gotta go,” he said quickly. “It’s nice talking to you,”

“Sure,” I replied as I watched him leave with his date.

Prospects, huh? So the purpose of this event was to find new members for the club. Interesting. Now if only I could see who’s the leader here…

My eyes scanned around the room again, and this time I was able to pick up on more details. For instance, when a guy or a girl lifted their hand up to their nose, it wasn’t because they were trying to smell their fingers, it was because they were snorting cocaine. 

Having lived as a model in Paris for the last three years, I was well accustomed to the world of drugs. No, I didn’t take them, but I had a lot of friends that did. These people were very discreet about it, though. If you blink, you might just miss it.

Something else that was discreet was the ass grabbing. I was just walking back from the ladies’ room when I felt a hand squeezed my ass. I turned around but there was no one there. Weird. It was like these people wanted to do bad things, but they had to be discreet to keep a certain image up. An image of fake elegance. 

It was clear to me that there were probably plenty of illegal activities going on at this party. I couldn’t help but wonder, did Wes go to a lot of parties like this? Was he one of the prospects for future members?

I heard stories about hazing and fraternities before. Girls got r***d and some guys actually died for pledging. I wondered if Wes’s accident had something to do with that. Suddenly, I felt a shiver as the thought crossed my mind.

Were they the reason Wes jumped off the bridge?

I needed to do more digging, and I had to be alert and on my toes at all times. But before I could even reach my seat at the bar again, I saw a hand coming from my side, about to squeeze my ass.

Not again.

Quickly, I slapped the hand away before it could reach me. I gripped his fingers and pulled it back in one swift move, elbow-locking the perpetrator in place. Oh yeah, I took Krav Maga and Muay Thai lessons for two years, these things were a piece of cake.

“Whoa,” the guy behind me gaped. “Your hands are fast,”

“What do you think you’re doing?” I hissed as I tightened my grip on his hand. Normally guys would flinch at the pain, but he remained calm.

“Reaching for my drink?” he said.

“Oh,” I now realized there was a glass of drink in front of me and his hand was reaching for that and not my ass. I quickly let his hand go and muttered in embarrassment, “Sorry,”

He let out a soft laugh and shook his hand a little. Reaching for his glass, he was standing only an arm’s length away from me and I saw him in a brighter light.

He was tall, probably around 6’2” and his hair was jet black and slicked back neatly. The smile on his face only accentuated his jawline that was as sharp as a knife. Behind the mask, I could see that his eyes were this shade of bluish green, and it was intense yet calming. They were one of most beautiful eyes I’d ever seen. And I’ve seen a lot of beautiful eyes being a model working in the fashion industry. 

Who is this guy?

He seemed to have the same question about me, because he said, “I feel like I haven’t seen you around. What’s your name?”

“Eleanor,” I said. “Or Elle, for short,”

Eleanor was my middle name. Seeing that I was a spy infiltrating this secret meeting, I thought it would be best to keep my identity hidden. It was instinctive.

“Nice to meet you, Elle. I’m Connor,” he reached out his hand and I took it politely.

It was a short and polite handshake, but as I pulled away from him, I felt a little electric spark. 

Whoa. What was that?

- - - - - To Be Continued - - - - -