Chapter 27 Let's party
Lila smiled faintly. “You know me too well.”
“I’ll trade you,” Ruby said, holding up a glossy book titled The Joy of Photo Chaos.
“That’s not real.”
“Page 23 says, and I quote, ‘If it’s blurry, it’s emotion.’”
Lila laughed. “You’re kidding.”
“Dead serious. See? I’m learning to justify my mistakes.”
They spent the rest of the afternoon sprawled under a tree near the lake, reading and talking. The breeze rippled through the water, carrying the faint laughter of students from the pier.
Ruby read aloud from her photography book in an exaggerated, dramatic voice until Lila begged her to stop.
“I can’t breathe,” Lila wheezed between laughs.
Ruby flopped down beside her, grinning. “Mission accomplished.”
For a while, they just lay there, silent. Clouds drifted above like slow ships. Lila felt something soft unwind inside her chest, a fragile peace she hadn’t realized she’d been craving.
“You know,” Ruby said quietly, “you look different now.”
Lila turned her head. “Different how?”
“Lighter.” Ruby smiled. “Like you finally stepped out of a painting that was too dark.”
Lila didn’t know how to respond. She smiled instead, small and real. That was the second time Ruby was telling her she looked different
By the time they got back to the dorm, the sky was streaked pink and orange.
Lila dropped onto her bed, exhausted in the best way. Ruby sat cross-legged across from her, scrolling through her phone.
“Okay, so,” Ruby said suddenly, “don’t freak out.”
Lila looked up warily. “Why do people always say that before something freaky?”
Ruby grinned. “Because it’s fun. Anyway there’s a party tonight. At the studio loft behind the student union. There will be lots of music, lights, and actual food. We should go.”
Lila groaned. “You know I don’t do parties.”
“Correction,” Ruby said, wagging her finger, “you haven’t done parties. Yet. This is research for your mysterious campus girl aesthetic.”
“I don’t have an aesthetic.”
“You so do. It’s tragic-romantic-core.”
“Tragic what?”
Ruby laughed, flopping onto her back. “Please, Lila. One night. We’ve been hermits all week. No murder, no mystery, just loud music and bad dancing.”
Lila hesitated.
The idea of noise and people made her nervous, too many eyes, too many shadows but something about Ruby’s enthusiasm was infectious.
Ruby leaned over, eyes wide and pleading. “Come on. Do it for me?”
Lila sighed dramatically. “You’re really impossible.”
Ruby squealed. “So that’s a yes!”
“I didn’t say yes.”
“Your tone said yes.”
“Did not.”
“You did.”
“Fine!” Lila laughed. “Yes. We’ll go.”
Ruby jumped up, clapping her hands. “Best decision of your life.”
Lila shook her head, smiling despite herself. “If this ends with me regretting everything”
“It won’t,” Ruby said, already digging through her closet. “It’ll end with glitter and bad photos. Which is kind of the same thing, but prettier.”
Later that night, as the dorm filled with the sounds of students getting ready, laughter in the hallways, doors slamming, distant music pulsing from somewhere down the block, Lila stood before the mirror.
Ruby was behind her, fixing her hair into loose waves. “You clean up nicely,” Ruby said, pinning a stray lock.
Lila studied her reflection. She looked almost normal and human again.
Ruby caught her expression and nudged her shoulder. “Hey. No ghosts tonight, okay?”
Lila smiled faintly. “Okay.”
“Good,” Ruby said, turning toward her own reflection. “Because I plan on making this the kind of night people write bad poetry about.”
Lila laughed. “You’re ridiculous.”
Ruby winked. “That’s what makes me great.”
As Ruby slipped on her jacket, she grinned at Lila through the mirror.“Ready?”
Lila nodded, her reflection steady for once. They walked out of the room and Lila turned off the lights.
The bass from the loft could be heard from halfway down the street, a steady, pulsing rhythm that made the air feel alive. Ruby practically bounced with excitement as they neared the building, her red hair glowing under the streetlights.
Lila, on the other hand, hesitated at the entrance.“Remind me why we’re doing this again?”
“Because,” Ruby said, grabbing her hand, “we’re young, not haunted,.old librarians.”
Lila laughed. “I might prefer the librarian part.”
Ruby rolled her eyes. “Come on, philosophy girl. No one overthinks at parties.”
“I’ll do my best,” Lila muttered but she followed her inside.
The loft was alive with light and movement.Students crowded around the makeshift dance floor, the air thick with laughter, perfume, and the faint smell of beer. Colored bulbs hung from the ceiling like constellations.
Ruby waved at a group of photography students, who cheered her over. “You too, Lila!”
Lila hesitated only a moment before joining them. Someone handed her a cup of soda. Someone else shouted, “To surviving midterms!”
They clinked plastic cups. The music surged.
And for the first time in a long time Lila felt good and alive.
She laughed as Ruby dragged her into the middle of the crowd, spinning and shouting along to songs neither of them knew.
Every time Ruby twirled, her hair caught the light, streaks of crimson and gold like fire.
Lila couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this free.
When the song changed, Ruby leaned close to yell over the music, “See? You can have fun!”
Lila laughed. “Don’t get used to it!”
They danced until they were breathless, until the heat of the room and the rush of sound blurred everything else.
For a few hours, there was no Beckett, no roses, no ghosts. Just the blast of music, Ruby’s laughter, and the faint sweetness of spilt cider on her wrist.
Around midnight, they escaped to the balcony to breathe.
The night air was cool, sharp against their flushed faces. Below, the city stretched in streaks of yellow and blue.
Ruby leaned on the railing, sipping from a bottle of soda. “Okay, confession time,” she said. “You’re way cooler than I expected.”
Lila snorted. “I’m not sure that’s a compliment.”
“It is. When I found out I was getting a roommate who studies philosophy, I thought you’d quote dead people in your sleep.”
“I do that sometimes,” Lila deadpanned.
Ruby burst into laughter. “Oh my God, you’re actually funny.”
“I have layers,” Lila said, smiling.
They stood there a while longer, the city humming below them. For a moment, it almost felt like the world had made space for them just two girls existing without fear.
Ruby turned toward her, a mischievous grin forming. “We’re getting food after this. I’m starving.”
“You just ate nachos and half a brownie.”
“That was an appetizer.”
Lila rolled her eyes but nodded. “Fine. Let's eat real food, but nothing with neon cheese.”
“Deal.”
They left the loft sometime after one in the morning, weaving through laughing clusters of students spilling into the streets. The cool air carried the scent of rain.
They stopped at a small diner that glowed like a lantern at the corner of the street. Inside, it was nearly empty, just a couple of late-night stragglers and a waitress humming to the radio.
Ruby ordered pancakes. Lila ordered fries.
They shared both.
Ruby talked about her dream of traveling. “I’m going to take photos in every country with a red flag,” she said. “There’s symbolism there.”
Lila smiled tiredly. “You just want to travel everywhere.”
“Also true,” Ruby said, grinning. “What about you?”
Lila stirred her milkshake. “I don’t know. Maybe finish something I started.”
Ruby studied her face for a long moment, but didn’t push. She just said, “You will.”
When the check came, Ruby paid before Lila could argue. “Think of it as a celebration,” she said, smiling. “You survived your first fun night.”
They walked back to campus under streetlights that flickered softly. Ruby looped her arm through Lila’s. “Admit it, you needed this.”
“I’ll admit nothing,” Lila said, but she was smiling.
They reached their dorm around two-thirty. The hallway was quiet, most doors were closed, the hum of the building was deep and steady.
Ruby yawned. “Okay, I’m officially done for the night. Tomorrow, we will do nothing but sleep and watch trash TV.”
“Sounds perfect,” Lila murmured.
They said goodnight with Ruby collapsing into bed almost instantly, Lila sitting by the window for a while, watching the streetlights shimmer through the rain.
For once, her mind was quiet.
The next morning came softly, sunlight filtering through thin curtains.
Ruby was still asleep, one arm dangling off the bed, hair spilling across her pillow.
Lila smiled faintly at the sight, feeling oddly protective.
She showered, dressed, and made her way to class with coffee in hand, listening to music through her earbuds. Everything felt normal.
Until she reached her locker.
It was slightly ajar.
She frowned. She never left it like that.
Pulling the door open, she froze.