29. Frankie

"Frankie!"Tori stumbles into our dorm, laughter spilling around her like confetti, the sound a vibrant contrast to the silence of our room. She collapses onto her mattress, her face buried in a pillow as her body trembles with giggles.

I glance up from the cipher I'm working on, my eyebrows raised at the whirlwind that is Tori. The papers on my desk flutter slightly from the breeze she brought in with her. "Victoria," I greet cautiously, watching as she pops up from the bed with a giggle, her eyes sparkling with unspoken stories.

"I did a thing," she says, blowing her bangs off her forehead before popping up and whipping off her shirt. The movement is fluid, a testament to her carefree spirit. Since our heart-to-heart yesterday, Tori's been like a live wire, and it's both endearing and bewildering, like watching a storm in its element.

"What did you do?" I ask, settling back in my chair, content to watch her bounce around the room. Her energy fills the space, pushing against the stagnant air of our usually quiet dorm.

Tori swings around to face me, her cheeks flushed and breaths heavy from her recent sprint. "First, spill about Matteo last night," she demands, reaching out to boop me on the nose. No one has ever booped me on the nose before, and the gesture feels surprisingly intimate, a tiny bridge of affection in our burgeoning friendship.

I clear my throat, disappointment simmering from last night, a subtle ache I hadn't expected to feel. "Nothing happened. He rode back to campus with me and then went to his dorm after walking me to ours."

Tori giggles, undeterred by my subdued tone. "And?" Her curiosity is a living thing, almost palpable in the cramped space of our room.

"And nothing," I reply, feeling the weight of her excitement press against me.

"No goodnight kiss?" she presses, her enthusiasm infectious.

"No goodnight kiss," I echo, my response flat, a stark contrast to her vivid anticipation.

"Huh," Tori says, crossing her arms and tapping her foot impatiently, a rhythmic thud that fills the silence. "Well, we're going to surprise him and Leo tonight!" She grabs my hands, excitement practically crackling in the air between us like static electricity.

It's almost unsettling how eager she is. "How?" I ask, already anticipating the answer won't quite match my eagerness.

"You and I are going to the rugby away game tonight!" she exclaims, her words tumbling out like they are trying to keep pace with her thoughts. "But we have to leave, like, twenty minutes ago to make it on time."

My jaw drops. "What?" The word escapes me before I can think better of it, a lone soldier against her barrage of plans.

"Yeah, I already cleared it with Aunt Andy!" Tori pulls two jerseys from her bag and tosses one to me. "I stole these." The shirt slaps me in the face before landing in my lap, the name "Reddy" emblazoned on the back. I didn't even know Matteo had a last name.

"Wait," I say, the realization slowly sinking in, "you got me out of work?"

Tori pauses, blinking at me. "Yes," she says slowly, uncertainty flickering in her eyes for a moment. "Is that okay?"

Is it okay?I stare at her, feeling a mix of gratitude and unease. Despite the abruptness of it all, there's something oddly reassuring about Tori's unwavering support. Maybe this impromptu adventure is exactly what I need to shake off the doubts creeping into my mind.

"Come on, Frankie," Tori urges, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "It'll be fun! A night out, cheering for the team, and who knows? Maybe we'll even get to hang out with Matteo and Leo after the game." She wags her brows at me with a salacious smile on her face, her enthusiasm a beacon in the dimly lit room.

I hesitate, uncertainty gnawing at me. Going to a rugby game wasn't exactly how I envisioned spending my evening, especially with the events of last night still fresh in my mind. I was supposed to work, but Tori's excitement is contagious, and there's a part of me that craves the distraction.

Plus, I've never actually gone to one of the games here, and Matteo and Leo would appreciate it. I chew on my cheek as I waver on my decision. Do I go?

"Okay," I finally relent, a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips. "Let's do it."

Tori squeals in delight, practically vibrating with excitement. "Yes! This is going to be epic!"

She grabs my hand, pulling me toward the door with an energy that's impossible to resist. I barely have more than a second to grab the jersey and my backpack. As we make our way out of the dorm room and into the bustling hallway, I feel a sense of anticipation building within me, a flutter of excitement mingled with nervousness.

"Are you sure Matteo won't mind?" I ask, a flicker of doubt creeping into my voice as we navigate the crowded corridor.

Tori waves off my concern with a dismissive gesture. "Nah, he'll be thrilled to see us there. Trust me."

I nod, trying to push aside the lingering doubts and insecurities that threaten to cloud my mind, focusing instead on the possibility of an unexpected, memorable night ahead.

I can step out of my comfort zone.

The dorm is bustling with excitement, a lot of students dressed in our school colors of black and red. The air is thick with the scents of perfume, sweat, and the fresh ink of game day banners. Tori and I navigate through the sea of students, their chatter and laughter adding to the buzz of anticipation in the air. It's as if the entire campus is alive with energy, pulsating with the promise of the night ahead.

As we step outside, the cool evening air wraps around us like a comforting embrace, the scent of freshly cut grass mingling with the faint hint of excitement. I pull the jersey over my head, the fabric soft against my skin, and adjust the strap of my bag on my shoulder. The jersey feels like a shield, a layer of camaraderie in this new, thrilling chapter of the night.

Tori flashes me a grin, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Okay, so the stadium is in the next town over. I figured I'd drive." Her voice is light, but there's an undertone of determination, as if she's ready to take on the world.

Nerves bubble in my belly as we work our way through the swarm of people. It's loud, even outside, as Tori leads me through the throng toward the parking lot. "Alright," I answer hesitantly, because I don't like going places without an escape plan. My voice trails off into the din, a small testament to my lingering anxieties.

"It'll be fun, I promise." We pause at her little red car, which looks more like a vibrant adventure capsule than a vehicle. She presses a button to unlock the door, and at the same time, the top slowly rolls backward.

"This is a death trap," I mutter as I slide into the passenger seat.

"Lies," she retorts playfully as she starts the car. Her excitement bubbles over as she pulls away. "Alright, so here is the thing…" She draws the last word out as I struggle to get my hair under control and weave it into a braid.

"That sounds ominous," I mutter to her as I finish my twist. "What's the thing?"

"This team is one of their biggest rivals." She glances at me as she chews her bottom lip to within an inch of its life. "And it'll be pretty crazy."

I snort. "Aren't all rugby games crazy?" Not that I'd know. I've never actually been to one.

Tori crosses the bridge, following a trail of cars out of campus. Her head tilts from side to side as though she is weighing her words and thoughts. "No," she drawls after thinking on it for a long few minutes.

"So is this the final game of the season then? Like a playoff thing?" I ask as she drives the car out of town.

"No." She glances at me as she stops at a light. Grumbling to herself, she begins to put the top up. "Can't have wind for this conversation."

I just raise an eyebrow as the top clicks into place. She only had it up for a mere few miles, and all of a sudden, she's getting insanely serious.

Not only that, but she also puts all the windows up, turns the heat on, and locks the doors.

"Are you going to murder me?" I ask as the locks click into place, the question a half-hearted attempt at humor that masks my rising unease.

"What?" she shrieks, her reaction bordering on comical. "No, no, nothing like that." She shakes her head back and forth while licking her lips, clearly nervous. "So um... Shit. I don't know how to have this conversation."

"Tori?" Something inside me begins to teeter toward panic. I don't know why, and I'm not entirely sure what the trigger is. Maybe it's being locked in the car, or maybe it's blindly trusting this woman who only chose to befriend me yesterday.

A thousand reasons flash in my vision, each more sinister than the last.

"Right, right." She pulls away on green, her thumbs tapping a rhythm on her steering wheel. "You know how you got mad at me for taking over the cove?"

I snort. "You guys had a bonfire after following me and never cleaned up after yourselves."

"Yeah, sorry about that." She winces. "But the cave…" Her voice trails off, suggesting a deeper revelation is about to unfold, hinting at secrets that could change everything I thought I knew about tonight and possibly about Tori herself.

I think of spending the afternoon in the cave with Leo, and I feel my cheeks heat. The memory sends a warm flush across my face, mixing excitement with a touch of nervous anticipation. "What about the cave?"

"So you know how when you go in, it's super dark, right?" Tori glances at me then looks away to focus on the winding road. The car's headlights carve a path through the twilight, casting eerie shadows that dance just beyond our sight.

"It's a cave." I laugh nervously. Does she know about my secret chamber? "Of course it's dark."

"Yeah, but it's like devoid of all light," she presses and clears her throat, her tone serious.

"What does this have to do with the game, Tori?" I adjust in my seat, feeling a prickle of unease. It's like she's trying really hard to tell me something without telling me something, and it's confusing the hell out of me.

"I'm messing this all up." She shakes her head, frustration etched across her features. Then, as if struck by a sudden realization, she nods to herself. "Oh! You know how in Alice in Wonderland, she falls down a hole and lands in Wonderland?"

I just blink at her, the comparison throwing me off even more.

"She's in Wonderland," she says, as if that explains everything.

"Are you telling me the game is in Wonderland?" I cock my head to the side, trying to decipher her cryptic hints.

"Yes!" she exclaims, her face lighting up with excitement. "The game is totally in Wonderland. I knew you'd get it." I don't,but her enthusiasm is infectious. She beams at me as she pulls onto a highway. "It's a crazy game every year when we have to play against Aurora, and they go back hundreds of years."

"I don't think I've ever heard of Aurora University." I frown, my curiosity piqued.

"It's a town over in the mountains," she says as she navigates the car off the highway, following a line of other cars. "It's said that Aurora isn't just a school, it's a gateway to unexplained things out of fairy tales or nightmares, depending on who you ask."

I cock my head, intrigued and apprehensive. "So you're saying the game... isn't just a game?"

"Exactly." Tori beams. "It's part of the lore. The rivalry isn't just about sports, it's about the clash of hidden worlds. Tonight, we might see more than a rugby match."

What is she implying?

Silence settles over us as music plays softly in the background, a soothing melody that contrasts with the growing tension of our conversation. My eyes stray out the window as I watch the world pass me by in shades of green and gray. It's beautiful here. Trees and mountains pop up, just like the one that stretches ahead of us.

It's always striking how much the scenery can change from mile to mile. I focus ahead, squinting as signs for tunnels pop up. I've never gone this way, and tunnels under mountains aren't uncommon, but something about this one causes a strange flutter in my stomach, a whisper of foreboding that I can't quite shake.

The light from the setting sun fades as we approach the tunnel's mouth, its entrance looming like a portal to another world, echoing with the mystery and unknown of Alice's Wonderland. As we drive into the shadowy depths, the sounds from outside dull into a hush, enveloping us in a cocoon that seems to pulse with secrets, heightening the sense of an impending revelation. Tori's earlier words about Wonderland echo in my mind, blurring the lines between reality and fairy tales.

As we emerge from the dim embrace of the tunnel, the landscape transforms dramatically. The car bursts into the fading light of the evening, and ahead of us, perched majestically on the mountainside, stands Aurora University. It looks nothing like a modern educational institution, but rather like an ancient castle rising directly from the rugged stone of the mountain itself. Its towers, sharp and imposing, cut a dramatic silhouette against the twilight sky, while the old stone walls appear to hold countless stories whispered by the winds.

My breath catches at the sight, the university's grandeur both awe-inspiring and slightly intimidating. It looks like a fortress, isolated and majestic, guarding ancient secrets and legacies. The architecture is a blend of Gothic spires and rugged stonework, creating a picture of a realm pulled from another era—or perhaps, as Tori suggested, another world entirely.

The road curves snugly against the mountain, with thick forests crowding close to its edges, their branches stretching toward the stony base of the university like curious spectators. The last rays of the sun paint the scene with a golden hue, highlighting the castle-like features of Aurora University and enhancing its mystic allure.

Tori slows the car as we approach a quaint stone bridge that arches over a stream, leading toward the main gate of the university. She turns to me with a grin, her eyes reflecting pride and excitement. "Welcome to Aurora University," she announces, her voice imbued with a hint of ceremony, as if she's revealing a long-kept secret.

I stare up at the imposing structure, feeling wonder and nervous anticipation. The scene is so perfectly surreal, like stepping into a page from a fantasy novel. Tori's earlier words echo in my ears, blending with the mystical view before us—Wonderland indeed.