The Dancer, Part 21
Part 21
I realized after about one second that the front door was a stupid idea.
What was I going to do after escaping the party in such a way? I was still buck naked, it was still winter, and my house was way too far away for me to just make a run for it. Definitely not wanting to linger in the foyer when so many people had seen me flee the previous room, I darted upstairs and back to the same room I had retreated to after my first round of stripping. Hastily closing the door behind me, and really wishing it had a lock, I quickly scanned the bedroom for my clothes. Breathing a sigh of relief when I saw that my skirt was still lying on the floor where I had kicked it off earlier, I wasted no time in grabbing the garment and pulling it on.
When I first stepped into the room, I had been mentally preparing myself to look through the drawers for something to wear in case Heather had hidden my clothes. Turns out there was no need; my top was still folded where I had left it back when it was me and Ashley up here. Not having underwear to go with the skirt was one thing, as it’s not like anyone would be able to see that when looking at me. A tight halter top without a bra, however, was a different story. I was just grateful it was black, as a lighter color would have been even more obvious. Speaking of borrowing something in the bedroom, maybe there was a bra that would somewhat fit me . . . ?
No, I needed to keep my eye on the prize. Though my New Year’s Eve outfit had been just where I had left it, the rest of my possessions were still nowhere to be seen. Honestly, I didn’t even care that much about my phone or wallet at the moment. If I could just find my keys, I could deal with the rest of it tomorrow. The problem was, they could literally be anywhere. In Autumn’s room, maybe? Or, worse, somewhere downstairs. I didn’t know the blonde or the house nearly well enough to make an educated guess beyond the obvious.
Deciding to stay where I was for a minute, mostly because the privacy was beyond refreshing, I checked a number of spots where a tipsy Autumn might have stashed my things. There was always the chance that she hadn’t been clever about it, and merely shoved them into the nearest drawer before following me out of the room earlier. Apparently I wasn’t going to catch a break there. There was nothing in the desk, or under the pillow, or in the dresser. That last one was an attempt to kill two birds with one stone, but there wasn’t a bra to be seen in one of the upper drawers. My best guess was that it was a guest bedroom that doubled as a storage room or maybe an auxiliary closet for the sisters.
Sighing to myself, I made my way over to the door and tentatively cracked it to make sure no one was waiting on the other side. Padding out into the hallway, not that there was really a need to be quiet when I could hear how midnight hadn’t really changed the vibe of the party below, I scanned the upper floor in an attempt to figure out which room was Autumn’s. She and I had walked in on a couple making out in the one I had just spent a couple minutes in, and I was hesitant to open any closed door with that in mind. Kissing was easily the tamest thing I could imagine at a rager like this, especially now that most people’s inhibitions would be lower than an hour ago.
Would anyone dare mess around in Autumn’s room? She was the host, but it was also such a big party. There had to be a number of people who had never been here before, and I doubted she was bothering with tours when there was drinking and socializing to do.
Still, I couldn’t just stand around and do nothing. Realizing there was a pretty easy way to figure out which rooms were safe, I went from door to door and listened for a few seconds at each. Awkward as it was, as there were a couple spaces that were currently ‘occupied,’ I caught a lucky break when one of the empty rooms ended up being Autumn’s. Though she was in college like I was, there were still plenty of old pictures around to signify that this was her bedroom, rather than Zoey’s.
Under normal circumstances, it would feel weird to be snooping in another girl’s room without knowing her that well or being invited in. But after everything she and Heather pulled, I didn’t feel particularly guilty. Plus I was stuck at this party until I found my keys, and everyone present would now see me as the ‘stripper’ that they had all seen naked. That all made it pretty easy to justify my current actions.
Of course, I still had absolutely no idea where to start. It had been one thing to settle on her bedroom itself, but it was something else entirely to actually be in there with no bearings. After taking a cursory scan of the space, I repeated my process from the previous room when I didn’t immediately see my stuff. Drawers first, followed by checking under outfit pieces and anything else a small collection of belongings could be hiding. Groaning to myself after a few minutes, I flopped down onto the bed and started considering other options. Could someone else drive me home? Ryan had technically offered, but there was no way in hell I would press him of all people to follow through. Preferably, I’d want a girl, and one who was actually sympathetic to my plight rather than all those female audience members who seemed more judgmental towards my little show earlier. On top of that, I obviously needed someone who was sober. Tall order, considering the types Autumn surrounded herself with.
Oh.
Obviously.
There was a better way. All I really needed was for someone to order me a ride; that was both easier and simpler than trying to find an individual who checked all the boxes I had run through in my head. Still required finding someone willing to spend New Year’s Eve prices on me, too.
No matter what, there was one thing that all my solutions had in common–I had to head back downstairs and brave the main floor again. It was a miracle Autumn or Heather hadn’t come looking for me yet, and I didn’t want to imagine what the former girl might do if she caught me in her room.
With that in mind, I stepped back out into the hallway and closed the door behind me like it had been before I let myself in.
Tentatively placing my hand on the banister at the top of the stairs and taking a deep breath, I took the first downward step.
Back towards the party, where everyone viewed me as a stripper.