Chapter 39

Matt

The lingering scent of cologne hung in the air as I adjusted my collar, peering into the bathroom mirror.

It was another evening, and I had agreed to meet up with Sabrina. Why I did was still a mystery to me; perhaps it was the allure of unraveling another, more important mystery; the identity of the masked girl.

Sabrina had insisted we meet at ‘The Blue Lagoon’, a dimly lit bar at the heart of town. It was a dive bar, but it was only one of three in the entire town.

She had mentioned something about it being a suitable place for our discussion. Knowing her, ‘discussion’ could mean anything from genuine conversation to something far less dignified.

The moment I walked in, Sabrina, with her blonde hair cascading down her back, waved at me from the bar. A sly smile was stretched across her face.

“Over here, Matty boy,” she purred.

I made my way over, offering a half-smile in response to the bothersome nickname. I kept telling myself that this was necessary, that I just needed to put on a nice face and get her to tell me about my mystery girl. Nothing more.

“Sabrina.”

The freshman’s slim silhouette stood out dimly amongst the smoky atmosphere of the dive bar. She wore an insanely tight dress that barely covered even a sliver of her thighs, and leaned forward with her elbows on the bar, arching her back seductively. Below the bar, she sported a pair of absurdly high heels. The straps of the shoes seemed certain to cut off her circulation, but if they did, she showed no signs of it.

Holding in an uncomfortable sigh, I slid onto the stool next to her.

She turned, an almost impish smirk on her petite face. “What are you drinking tonight, Matty?” she cooed.

I let out an exasperated breath, willing myself not to overreact. “Actually, I wasn't planning on drinking tonight,” I replied. “And it’s ‘Matt’. Not… that.”

Sabrina’s laughter stood in sharp contrast to the bar’s soft ambiance. “Oh, Matty! You’re always so funny.” She signaled the bartender and ordered for me before I could protest. “Get him a double bourbon, on the rocks.”

I opened my mouth to protest against this overly strong drink, but the bartender was already gone.

“So, Matt, tell me,” she began, twirling a strand of her blonde hair, “what do you like in a woman?”

Taken aback by the sudden probing question, I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. “Why are you asking that?”

She leaned in, her eyes filled with mischief. “I’m just curious. Matter of fact, half of the school is curious about what the aloof and mysterious Matt likes. Do you like them tall, short, blonde, brunette? All of the above?”

I frowned, leaning back. “Sabrina, I’m not here to discuss my dating preferences.”

She chuckled, taking a sip from her drink. “Oh, come on! It's a simple question. You like them feisty? Quiet? Mysterious?” Her grin broadened at the last word, knowing it would strike a nerve.

A sigh escaped my lips. “Look, can you just give me the info on the mystery girl?”

Sabrina clucked her tongue, wagging a finger at me. “Not so fast. You have to wine and dine me first, darling.”

Resigned, I beckoned the bartender and handed over my credit card. “Fine, put it on my tab. I’ll play your little game, Sabrina.”

Her eyes sparkled with triumph. “Now we’re talking! And for the record, I always knew you were a player.”

Throughout the evening, Sabrina seemed determined to use me as her personal drink ticket. Every time I finished one drink, she was flagging down the bartender for another. It was as if she was trying to get me drunk, and in any other situation, I might've laughed it off. But tonight was different.

Whenever I tried steering the conversation toward the masked girl, Sabrina found an excuse to touch me, each time a bit more inappropriately than the last. It felt deliberate, manipulative, and with every touch, I became more uncomfortable.

“Hey,” I said sharply at one point as she ran her fingers along my arm. “Enough of that, Sabrina.”

She just winked, her slender fingers lingering on the skin of my arm. “Feeling tense, Matt? I’m just trying to help you relax.”

I sighed. “Sabrina, why did you ask me here? If you know something about the girl, just tell me. Haven’t you gotten your fill by now?”

Her grin grew wider, her gaze heavy. “Oh, Matt,” she murmured in a husky voice, her tongue thick from the alcohol. “Information has a price. I thought you would be willing to pay.”

“I am willing,” I replied, my voice laced with frustration. “And I have paid. How much do you think all these drinks cost? A hundred bucks? Two hundred? Unless you seriously expect something else from me…”

She laughed, taking another sip of her drink. “What? Prostitution? Oh, Matt, you’re so dramatic. I just thought we could have some fun later.”

“Then you thought wrong,” I replied, downing my drink. “Just tell me who she is.”

She leaned closer, her lips brushing against my ear. “You already know the price. Your body.”

My body froze. A shiver ran down my spine at Sabrina’s words.

This was it? Prostitution? The price that I would have to pay to find out who my mystery girl was?

In order to find her, I would have to… betray her?

“The choice is yours,” Sabrina said, leaning back. I watched as she reached across the bar, grabbed a wooden toothpick out of the holder, and then used it to fish an olive out of her martini. She popped it in her mouth, chewing slowly as she eyed me up and down.

A heavy silence fell. Even the bartender, who had just been coming to reprimand Sabrina for reaching over the bar, backpedaled and pretended to be doing something else when Sabrina shot him a warning glare.

“Sabrina, I…”

My voice faltered. The mystery girl wasn’t mine; she never was. We were just two passing ships in the night. Theoretically, I knew that I shouldn’t have been bothered about sleeping with another girl since the mystery girl and I were never together.

But it felt wrong. It felt sick to use my body to get information like that. And as I imagined the look in her blue eyes when she ultimately found out what I did to find her, it hurt my soul.

Sabrina’s proposition echoed in my mind. As I processed her words, something caught my eye—a flyer pinned to the corkboard by the entrance. The vibrant colors showcased a dance competition. They were all wearing masks.

She was wearing a different mask. She was wearing different clothes, and her hair was covered… But I recognized her immediately, standing off to the side in a pose. Her silhouette, although a little slimmer now… Her shoulders, her arms, her hands. I recognized her.

My mystery girl.

“I like to dance,” she said.

She was a good dancer. Amazing, really. Good enough to be on the team.

I abruptly stood, cutting Sabrina off. “I don’t need your help anymore,” I said, knocking back the rest of my drink. I signaled to the bartender to bring my credit card so I could close out my tab and leave.

Sabrina looked genuinely taken aback. “What? Where are you going?”

Ignoring her, I approached the flyer, taking it down to examine more closely.

“Matt!” Sabrina called out, an edge of desperation in her voice. “You’re really going to ditch me here?”

But her voice was background noise as everything else faded. I had a new lead, and it didn’t involve compromising my integrity or giving into Sabrina's games.

Before exiting, I turned to Sabrina, meeting her incredulous gaze. “Find someone else to play with.”

With that, I left the bar, the flyer clutched tightly in my hand and a newfound determination surging through me.

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