SINGLE DAFFODIL

[MUSIC RECOMMENDATION: BECAUSE I'M STUPID ~ BOYS OVER FLOWER OST]

Lily didn't need to be told that they had arrived when the car parked in front of a fully illuminated building. Boldly was the name of the clubhouse placed right at the entrance, with people lined up waiting to be ushered inside. Lily wished she could run back home and sleep; she wasn't feeling comfortable, the air around the place was different and it felt choking.

"Let's get checked in," Victoria pulled out her key and stepped out of the car.

Lily inhaled deeply before joining her friend outside, as they walked to the entrance where two buff-looking men checked people in.

Ten feet away from where Lily stood in the crowd, two men sat inside their car looking at the girl.

"She looks different now, see? I told you something was off about her. This is who she really is," Shadow tapped the car dashboard like he just discovered something very important.

Raven, who was busy on his phone, did not care about what was going on outside; it was already tasking that he would be in the midst of people, now he was supposed to watch a girl because his foundation thinks she might be a pusher.

"What's that?" Shadow asked, "She's talking to the cops?"

Raven raised his face finally to see the girl talking to a young police officer.

. . .

"Lily?" Lily was startled when she heard a familiar voice.

"Officer Jeffrey?" She replied in small voice.

"Lily, I didn't know you come to places like this?" A young police officer whose uniform was sharply ironed with serious attention to each part, asked Lily with a warm smile on his face while looking at the young girl in front of him.

Lily tried to hide her body; she didn't expect to see anyone she knew in the clubhouse, and she hadn't expected anyone to recognize her. And of all persons to see her first, it was Jeffrey, someone she was well familiar with.

"Good evening Officer Jeffrey," Lily greeted shyly with her eyes on the ground.

The young man touched Lily's shoulder playfully, "There's no need for the formalities between us; You can just call me Jeff." He said to the young girl still wondering what she was doing in a front of clubhouse dressed so unclad.

Lily blushed when she felt the man's hands on her shoulder; if he was removing formalities, then that means he no longer saw her as a child, their relationship was finally changing. Lily danced in her head, "Jeff.." she said shyly.

The officer named Jeffrey nodded his head in approval, "So... I didn't know you enjoy this kind of place." He pressed on trying to hear what the girl had to say.

Lily shook her head, "No, I don't. My friend Tori invited me; I just decided to hang out with her. What about you?" She asked in sweet tone, it didn't need to be heard twice to know that the young girl had a deep crush on the police officer.

"I have a business around here." Jeffrey replied.

Victoria who had gone to talk to the security men at the door returned to get her friend when she noticed the uniformed man. Her steps faltered, followed with the excitement on her face, "Good evening officer" the young girl greeted, pushing the lolipop in a mouth to a side.

Jeffery narrowed his eyes when he saw the girl that was Lily's friend, "Oh, you." That was his only words.

"Lily, I'll be waiting for you inside." Victoria said, disappearing from where the policeman was standing with her friend.

Now alone with Jeffery, Lily played with her fingers, as her face turned crimson by just standing in front of the young man.

"Lily, you should be careful with the friends you keep, your friend's bar was raided last week and we found some harmful substances in there." Jeffrey advised dutifully.

Lily shrugged her shoulder, she knew the type of work Victoria did, and she also knew that Victoria would never do anything to harm people. "If it's about Tori, she might come off as crazy but it's safe to say she's a great person." The young girl reassured the policeman.

Jeffery nodded, "But it's never wrong to play safe, I'm just saying anyways." He paused before he asked, "What about your father? I gave him restraining order, hope he hasn't showed up since the last incident."

Lily shuddered when she remembered the last time her father showed up drunk and hit her for not having enough money to give him. "Thank you so much for looking out for us; also, my brother and I are now free from my father's abuse." She replied gratefully.

The young man nodded, dipping his hand inside his pocket he retrieved a card and gave it to Lily. "I changed my number; you can call me with this if anything should happen. Be careful while partying." Jeffrey said in a caring tone.

Lily reached out her hands to collect the small rectangular card, in the process her fingers brushed lightly with that of Jeffrey and she blushed again, "I'll be careful, you too stay safe."

Jeffrey turned to leave, with a smile on his face. He stopped in his tracks and said, "By the way Lily, you look pretty tonight." He complimented before walking away.

Lily felt her heart skip with the sweet words, without thinking twice about her environment the young girl jumped up blushing profusely because of the comment.

"Oh my god, he thinks I'm pretty." Lily whispered to herself, jumping up and down happily. When she realized what she was doing, she ran to where Victoria was waiting for her.

Victoria had a small frown on her face, "Lily, you should be careful if people find out you're with the pigs they would avoid you."

Lily sneered at her friend, "I've told you Jeffrey is not a pig, respect his job. He serves the civilians."

Victoria waved her hands dismissively, "Whatever, I don't just like him, what do you even see in him, I don't care....I don't care." The girl raked her fingers through her ginger curls.

"What is he even doing here, snooping around to ruin the party?"

"Tori! You should cut him some slack; well, he said he has business around here." Lily nudged her friend playfully.

"You're so naive my friend; what other business would a police officer have with people in a club if not getting them arrested at the slightest whim, even if it's a false alarm. Let's go in and enjoy our night," Victoria said dragging Lily inside before someone like Jeffrey would ruin their party spirit.

. . . 

Raven tilted his head as he watched everything unfold between the girl and the police officer. He saw the girls actions and her face, having lived for a long time he knew that expression very well. The girl had a cr-.

"She's working as a spy, that little fox is a two-edged sword." Raven's thought was cut short when he heard Shadow's words, he turned to look at his partner with his brows raised by default.

"Do you think she wants to get Adolf arrested tonight? Maybe that's why she has been working in his shop, getting information about him. Adolf would be damned when he finds out." Shadow didn't stop talking his words continued to roll freely as he concluded the whole situation that just played out in front of them.

"Did you see the police guy even handed her something? That girl is something else, I always suspected her, my guts would never lie to me." Shadow continued to talk.

Raven rubbed his temples, the mission was yet to start but he was already tired and exhausted. He wanted to go home already; he sighed.