Status: First story! Hope you enjoy :)

Sanctuary

"Let Me Show You a Few Things"

"Play Suit & Tie!" Hallie exclaimed, touching up her eyeliner. Taryn obliged, turning up the volume on her iHome a few notches.

"I am so beyond excited," she gushed, popping a stick of gum in her mouth. She couldn't wait to see what the night would hold. That's what she loved best about going out. The fact that she had no idea what was coming. It could literally go so many different ways, and it was exhilarating.

"Time check," Hallie said, popping the cap back on her mascara and tossing it in her canvas makeup tote.

"10:43," Taryn said, glancing at her computer screen. And with that, she heard three quick knocks on the door, followed by a loud fist pound.

"That's the knock!" Hallie squealed, running to the door and looking through the peephole. She opened the door, letting her five friends in.

"Damn," Parker joked, obnoxiously looking Taryn up and down. She blushed, adjusting her short black pencil skirt and glancing at herself in the mirror across the room. Her hair was curled to perfection, and her eyes shone. She took a breath, ignoring Parker and smiling at the rest of them as they all made themselves comfortable around the room.

Hallie clicked the lock on the door, turning back to face her roommate. "I need a drink, love."

Taryn bent down to the bottom drawer of her dresser, pulling out a handle and a few of her shot glasses. Hallie did the same, adding a few glasses to the tiny collection on the desk as Taryn poured and distributed them.

"To our first night out!" Audrey said, holding up her shot glass. A few more joined in.

"Wait!" Jocelyn exclaimed. "I need a chaser!" She quickly grabbed a bottle of Coca Cola from Hallie's desk. Hallie followed suit, pulling a Gatorade from the fridge.

"You wusses," Matt joked as they waited. The group clinked glasses and downed what would probably be the first of many.

"We should probably leave at 11:30 or so," Maggie said, glancing down at her text messages. "Apparently the baseball house is having something, so we can check there first."

***

By 11:30, Taryn (and each of the others) was feeling pretty tipsy. She made her way to the mirror to check her reflection. Hallie had suggested keeping a shots tally on the inside of her wrist. At this point, she'd had seven - maybe eight, if the smudged ink was any indication. She pivoted on her heel and made her way over to Matt, throwing her arms around his neck.

"You have to make sure I don't die tonight, okay?" she giggled.

"I got you," he said with a sweet smile as she let go and reached for her clutch. Hallie poked her head out into the hallway, making sure the coast was clear as Taryn shut off her music. The group headed for the elevator, keeping quiet as they made their way out of the building.

"He had no clue," Audrey laughed, referring to Radnor's old security guard. She hiccuped, galloping to keep up with Maggie as she led the group towards town.

"Dude, I heard Theresa's going to be there," Matt joked to Parker. Parker sighed, adjusting his dark green shirt.

"Forget her. You guys can do so much better," Hallie interjected.

"Hey, you can mind your own business," Parker said, swiping Hallie's short hair. She turned around and smirked at him.

The group traipsed along towards the edge of town in search of the baseball house. Taryn smiled to herself, marveling at how captivating town was at this time of night. Maggie strolled ahead confidently, expertly avoiding cracks on the sidewalk.

Eventually, they approached a Victorian-style home at the edge of town, the windows dark. A few guys loitered on the front porch, eyeing Maggie and her friends as they climbed the steps. "Maggie," one of them said, giving her a hug. "What's up? You guys have cash?" She nodded, and he motioned to the front door.

Once inside, each handed another guy three dollars in exchange for a cup. "Beer's in the basement. Try to stay down there if you can," he said in a gruff voice. Maggie led the way to the basement, the music growing louder with each step down. Taryn's heart raced in anticipation.

"Meet outside at 2:30?" Maggie said confidently. The group nodded, suddenly taking off in separate directions. Hallie grabbed Taryn's hand and pulled her toward the giant keg at the back of the room. The beer was foamy and watery, but Taryn downed it all as she tried to make her way toward the music. She was pressed up against sticky bodies, drenched in sweat and reeking of beer and body odor. She found Jocelyn and Audrey dancing near the front of the room, and she quickly joined in. Hallie appeared soon after, handing her a different cup with a new mixture in it. She accepted it graciously - she didn't question it - and downed it, throwing her arms in the air as she lost herself in the music.

She must have danced for almost two hours, numerous guys pressing themselves to her back as they grinded against her. Some brought her more of the "magic juice" - that was what one of them had called it, she remembered. The most recent one had stuck around for a while. He was taller than her, pretty muscular. She pushed him back toward the wall, stumbling a bit as she leaned back against him. He laced his arms around her thin waist, pulling her closer. He leaned down, trailing his lips down her neck. He stayed there for a while, kissing and biting her neck as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back on his shoulder in delight. She brought her arms up, turning herself around to come face to face with him.

"Shane." She gasped and took a step backward, yanked from her drunken dream world. He said nothing, his face frozen. She couldn't read his expression, and she didn't stick around long enough to try to.

"Shit. I'm sorry." She turned her head, catching a glimpse of Hallie's blond hair. She reached out, grabbing her roommate's arm and disappearing behind her into the crowd.

She quickly made her way upstairs and out onto the porch, inhaling deeply.

"Hey, girl," Audrey said from her perch on the first step. She stood upon seeing Taryn. "Oooh, sweetie, your clothes."

Taryn looked down, blushing furiously as she pulled her skirt down and her tank top up. "Sorry."

"You're fine! No one's judging you," Audrey said nicely. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. I'm just...feeling kinda tired. I'm going to head back, okay?" She rubbed her tired forehead, already feeling an oncoming headache.

"Okay, I'll come with you!"

"No, no it's fine. I don't want to keep you from your fun."

"Please. I haven't had fun in over an hour. These people are lame," she said, gripping Taryn's arm comfortingly. "No worries. Let me just text everyone and tell them we're leaving." And with that, she looked down at her cell phone. Taryn bit her lip, turning to face the front door and praying that maybe, just maybe, Shane hadn't decided to try and follow her out.
♠ ♠ ♠
Chapter 5! Finally something interesting happens. At least, it's interesting to me :) I haven't decided how big of a role Shane is going to play yet, but I definitely want to keep him around. He's based off of someone I know, so I haven't decided if I want to maintain his similarity to his real-life counterpart or just have him do something totally different.

Hope you guys like it! Thanks to anyone who's been reading - feel free to comment, subscribe, and recommend! :)

Song: 'Suit & Tie' by Justin Timberlake feat. Jay-Z