were going to conquer every competition, obstacle, and final exam with the Witchling Games as a sweet bonus to the ultimate finale: the graduation stage.
This was why I wanted this moment to be focused on me and Connor. We weren't going to have another opportunity to do so until we held our diplomas.
As the music continued to boom around us, we moved in perfect synchronicity. The world around us grew hot, which was expected when all of us were moving our bodies to the hype sounds of the dance playlist. Adding the alcohol that already increased one's temperature, we were sweating with ease.
It didn't matter at this point. Nothing honestly mattered. I was with Connor and that's all I cared about.
The music finally went to a slow song, and we moved to a smaller bar across the dance floor to get some glasses of water.
"I need to piss," Connor voiced. "I'll be back quick."
"Okay," I replied and drank more water to calm my parched mouth. I requested another glass as I decided to lean back against a pole right next to where I stood, my eyes looking through the crowd in absent wonder.
It felt good to shake it out for a hot minute, but standing here alone also made me feel like I didn't belong. Sure, I had money like these people did. My family was loaded, and I certainly could afford to attend this club whenever I wanted, and yet I somehow felt a tad below them.
Maybe it was a feeling that was quietly shimmering since we discovered how rich Connor's family was. Megumi, his mother, was loaded, from the successful hotel that was once a run-down wasteland and the number of investments and other successful businesses she'd launched to grow the wealth under her name.
With Connor rekindling his relationship with his mother and the takedown of his father's mafia madness, he was literally set financially. I knew money didn't matter between us, and yet it felt like it did here and now among these peeps that didn't give off the typical business vibes.
Sure, they all wore suits from luxurious brands, but their auras felt more tainted in comparison to ours. They did business in a way that didn't allow for failures, and probably carried big pockets - some of them probably bottomless pits.
It was such a random thought in my mind, and yet it seemed to dampen the mood as I continued to wait patiently. It led to me thinking if Connor would stick around in the future. If he'd be getting offers to join the business world.
He was good with reading people thanks to his gift, which in the areas of business could make bank because he'd know how to gamble the proper cards with any deal. Adding his family background - particularly his mother who was really good in the business side of things, he could easily walk in her footsteps and travel the world while earning all he needed to support such a lifestyle.
I hadn't decided what I wanted to do. Not because I didn't have my own ambitions, but because, like Brianne, I couldn't determine if I was ready for a career. There was so much to learn and see, and we honestly hadn't been able to do that. Our vacations were always interrupted or disturbed, or something would occur beforehand that made it difficult to just live.
If we dedicated ourselves to our careers after graduation, who knows. Maybe we'd drift apart, and though I knew I may have Brianne around, I was scared of losing Connor and the others. For us to drift away until we were just acquaintances and nothing more.
Lifting my hand, I stared at the tattoo on my wrist. None of us had tested out the power this tattoo could deliver to us, but the sight seemed to aid in taming the whirlwind of negative thoughts.
"Notorious Five," a deep voice read. I blinked and looked up at the man who was holding a glass of water in offering to me. With a frown, I acknowledged him from head to toe.
He was tall with red hair that shifted to black and held a bit of orange and gold highlights. His hair reminded me of flames that shifted into black ash, which blended perfectly with his caramel skin and molten lava eyes that were filled with wisdom.
He was in a sharp red suit with a black tie and he definitely looked rich at first glance. With him staring at my cup, he