LYSSA NEEDS A MOMENT TO COLLECT HERSELF

"How about you go in without me? I just need a minute to... prepare myself, you know?"

Jenny rolled her eyes and smiled. "Don't stay out here too long, its gonna get cold out tonight. The party wills till be here when you're ready!" And with that she entered, closing the door behind her, leaving Lyssa alone on the porch.

The shy girl took a few deep breaths, trying to steady her nerves. She paced back and forth for a moment, and when that didn't work either, she stepped down onto the sidewalk. Maybe a walk around the block would do the trick?

She set off down the street, deep in her own head. What was she even doing here? What was she trying to accomplish? She thought of the homework she had left back at home, which she had neglected when she decided to come to this party. It wasn't like her to blow that off in hopes of... what? Drunkenly hitting on her class crush?

Her shoes clacked against the pavement as she wandered from street to street, turning absentmindedly when she felt like it. Before long she had wandered outside of the suburban neighborhood the party house was in, and she suddenly looked up and realized she had wandered into a more dangerous part of town. She looked at the nearest street signs and realized with dawning terror that she had no idea where she was.

She turned around and tried to retrace her steps, but she had been so lost in thought that she couldn't figure out which way she had come from. She thought she found a familiar way, but then must have missed a turn, because she wound up right back in the sketchy neighborhood. And it was at exactly that moment that she remembered she had left her phone and her purse in Jenny's car.

Breaths came sharp and quick as she fought back the urge to hyperventilate. Now wasn't the time to panic. Sure, she was lost, but she couldn't be that far away. She hadn't been walking that long, had she? All she had to do was find someone and ask for some directions. How hard could that be?

The sound of loud music caught her attention as she passed another party, this one in a rundown old house with a messy lawn and boarded up windows. Some colorful graffiti marked the walls of the building, and a couple of tricked-out cars were parked outside. Surely someone in there would be able to help her, right?