It was a cool Friday night and Jae was prepping for the biggest event she would have ever attended in her entire high-school career. She would never admit it aloud but secretly she loved parties. She loved the thrill of choosing an outfit or going shopping two days before as her best friend Kailin would insist even if her closet was already bursting to the brim with party clothes.
Stepping out of the steaming bathroom, wrapped in a big, fluffy and white robe, Jae instinctively checked her phone for any new messages. To her dismay she did not see any but brushed it off. Jae turned on some music and got to dressing.
Two hours later, Jae had completely transformed herself into a goddess. She looked stunning. She donned a short gold sequined dress which fell to mid-thigh, accentuated by black and gold high tops and a gold clutch. She had left her black hair down with her natural curls but tamed it so she would not look like she came from the forest. She did her make up simply, consisting of light brown metallic eye makeup, eyeliner and mascara which made her brown eyes seem warm. Her lips sported a gentle pink colour that gave her a princess aura. All in all, she was ready for the night, at least she thought so.
Her music cut off and her ringtone blared from her phone. She did not have to look at the caller ID to know who it was. The song was enough. Grinning, she put the phone to her ear and answered.
"Hey"
"I'm outside. Hope you're ready to get your groove on girl."
"You bet I am" and with that she grabbed her gold cutch and raced out the door since she did not want to keep her friend, Kailin waiting.
The minute the car door slammed shut and without being able to put on her seatbelt, Kailin backed out the driveway and took off. Normally, it would've taken a normal person twenty minutes but since Kailin drives like a crazy lady, they arrived there in ten.
Jae placed a hand over her hammering heart and took two, no three, maybe four deep breaths before she turned to Kailin and glared at her. Kailin only grinned back, her grey almond eyes gleaming mischievously in the dim streetlight they were parked under.
Jae heaved a sigh and was mentally preparing herself for letting loose tonight when she heard the unmistakable clanking of glass bottles. Low and behold when she peeked her best friend was holding two miniature bottles of vodka. Hesitantly, Jae stretched her hand out to receive the tiny bottle that her friend was so eagerly pushing in front her face.
At the same time, they unscrewed the caps, tipped the bottle back and chugged it all. The liquid burned its path down her throat leaving a bitter after taste on her tongue. She began to feel woozy but strangely conscious. Of course it wasn't in her plan to get full out drunk but she didn't expect the first shot to be before she stepped through the door.
Minutes later, upon arriving at the front door, Jae slipped but Kailin caught her though she didn't miss the hint of a smile threatening to break through. That raised her suspicions but she shook it off since she was here to have fun. The door was answered by Daniel Bradely the school's golden boy. He wasn't surprised to see either of the two girls however, his green eyes carefully scanned Jae from head to toe. He smirked and stepped aside to let the girls enter.
Hours into the party, Jae was now sitting on the couch near the calmer side of the party compared to the raging dance floor near the kitchen. She couldn't find Kailin fifteen minutes into the party and decided to not risk drinking anything without her friend nearby. Currently, she was chatting with Ash Ronnald her lab partner in chemistry. They were just about to kiss when suddenly, the front door was kicked down by a man in a blue uniform.
Both of their eyes widened upon recognizing the uniform to be the police. Ash grabbed her hand and the two fled for the back door which led to a huge pool with pool chairs. Ash lay down on a pool chair and pulled Jae on top of him to make it look like they were sleeping.
They door barely drowned out the utter chaos emanating from inside the house. Jae was glad Ash had brought them outside. Unfortunately, that joy didn't last long when a police officer nudged both of them and placed hand cuffs on their hands. They were appalled to see the cuffs there. Then their attention turned to Daniel and Kailin who were both struggling against police officers until cuffs were placed on their hands too.
Jae was very confused by this. Even all the way to the station where they were all detained and interrogated. During the interrogation, all four of them were questioned, first individually, then in pairs and lastly all together. Jae's felt uneasy relaying to them the same explanation over and over. She was disappointed to know that only one officer showed a signs of believing her.
She was sitting in her holding cell, staring at the wall devoid of emotions. Ash was set free a few hours before so now she was alone in the cell. Worst case scenarios kept playing in her head but she refused to believe them. She still had a sliver of hope. That sliver seemed to come through, as an officer opened her cell and told her that it was time to go. She feebly nodded at him and followed him out to where her mom was seated anxiously awaiting her daughter's arrival.
They embraced each other tightly and were readying to depart when Jae decided she didn't want to be kept in the dark about being arrested. She turned around, narrowed her eyes, squared her shoulders and marched to the deputy's table.
"Why was I arrested? I didn't do anything wrong! Last time I checked it was never a crime to relax or attend a party"
The officer sighed not really wanting to destroy her friendship with Kailin but was going to tell her if she so desired.
"There were traces of cocaine in your system. We've been tracking your friend for months now along with that boy of hers since they've been smuggling drugs for students and got themselves in a really bad place. Because you tested positive, we detained you longer than the other boy just to be sure you weren't involved with the two of them."
Shock coursed through her veins but a small part of her brain understood what the officer was saying. It all made sense. Kailin's strange behavior after parties, made sense. Why Daniel knew her so well. It was like a jigsaw she was finally able to solve. Still, it bothered her. She knew somehow she was never going to see Kailin or Daniel again after tonight.
However, Ash kept checking on her every day and soon they started dating. They casually dated for two years until they became exclusive during summer vacation. They stayed strong in college despite their ups and downs but that was life. Jae couldn't be happier with where she was in her life right now. Some days, she would remember Kailin and think about her. She had never expected that the trouble her best friend had caused would have led her to a happy life.
THE END