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“The non-stop buzzing was irritating me. But now you can enjoy yourself.” I stand, holding my hand out to her. “You coming, Sis?”

She shakes her head, laughing to herself as she takes my hand, pulling herself up to stand. “You’re crazy, you know that?”

“And you love me for it!” I reply, heading to join Naomi and Maeve on the dance floor. We take turns, alternating between dancing with the sisters near the DJ booth and heading to the bar for drink refills. Now that the drag show was over and it was approaching midnight, the club was packed. Thankfully we still had our booth, but it was getting harder and harder to track down our waitress for drink orders.

I had all but given up and decided to just come straight to the bar myself. Thankfully, I’m extremely tall, and with these boots on, I easily exceeded six feet. I had no problem making eye contact with one of the bartenders over the crowd of people that’s formed around the bar, signaling to him for two more. I had switched to Vodka Sprites once the crowd started filtering in, so he was able to make them quickly, sliding them off to the side close to the back of the bar. I grab the cups, bumping fists with the bartender and sliding him a twenty, telling him to keep the change.

As I make my way back toward the girls, I see a familiar head of blonde hair making its way through the crowd from the entrance.Oh fuck, fuck, fuck, he’s here. How the fuck did heknow where we were?I pick up my pace, reaching Theia and Naomi quickly, passing Naomi one of the Vodka Sprites. “Theia, don’t freak out, but Aaron’s here, and I’m guessing he’s looking for you.”

Theia does in fact freak out, her eyes going wide and her chest heaving as her heart begins to race. “How the hell did he find out we were here?”

“You didn’t tell him?”

“No, I specifically left that out. I just told him I was going out tonight with the sorority for bonding with the newbies.”

Aaron spots me and then Theia, his eyes narrowing. He ispissed. His face is mottled, various shades of red, and that vein in his forehead is bulging as he stomps over to us. “Theia, what the fuck? Why is your phone going straight to voicemail?”

Theia grimaces. “Not here, Aaron, we can talk about this later. Just please go.”

“No! And what the hell are you wearing? I thought this was just ‘bonding with the girls,’ so why are you dressed like a cheap whore?”

I gasp, taken aback by how my sister’s boyfriend speaks to her. “You have no right talking to Theia this way!”

He gets into my face, the two of us eye to eye with me in my heels, and I can smell the alcohol on his breath. “What the fuck, did you drive here drunk?” I ask, my tone dripping with disgust.

“Stay out of this, you stupid bitch,” he growls. I pull back to really let him have it, but I feel a pair of hands on my wrists, holding me back.

“Sage, don’t, it’s not worth it. I’ll talk to him,” Theia says, pleading with me with her eyes. I step back, nodding, giving her space.

“Don’t cause a scene,” she says to Aaron through clenched teeth.

“We’re fucking leaving,” he demands, grabbing her wrist tight and pulling her, practically dragging her out of the club with him. I go to follow them, and Maeve stops me. “Sage…” she warns.

“I’m not going to do anything, I’m just going to make sure my sister is okay,” I say, shrugging her off and heading toward the exit. I haven’t even made it outside yet and I can already hear their screaming match.

“Aaron, you can’t just show up here like this!”

“You stupid bitch, I wouldn’t have come if you picked up the phone when I called you!”

“I should be able to have a night out with my sister and friends without having to be at your beck and call!”

“I’m sure you’d like that. I bet you would’ve gone home with someone tonight if I hadn’t shown up. Dressed like a slut!”

“I’m just wearing clothes, Aaron, for Christ’s sake! God, when did you become so insecure? Just because I went out dancing doesn’t mean I’m trying to pick up anyone tonight. I’m with you!”

“Then fucking act like it! Come home, and stop with all this nonsense.”

“Are we back on this shit again? I don’t know how many other ways I can tell you I’m not dropping out of the program.”

“If you really loved me, you wouldn’t make me do long-distance!”

“It’s not about you! I’m doing the PhD program for me because it’s whatIwant! I’m sorry your small dick ego can’t handle that.”

And that’s when I hear it, a sharpcracksound. I round the corner to see Theia cowering away from Aaron, holding her face, and him still standing over her with his arm raised.

“Get the fuck out of here, Aaron!”

He turns on me now. “Stay out of this, Sage!”