Lily
I push through people as they dance, making my way to the kitchen. I can hear the music, but at this point, it's already just a vibration in my body.
Finally, I make it through, tightening my thin camisole straps around my neck. Feeling my body become loose again, I reach for one of the bottles on the table.
I only had two drinks so far, one of them being a cooler. Yet somehow I was feeling completely plastered. Not in a good way, either.
Although I should be concerned, I can't help but be pissed off about Craig, still. I'm not enjoying myself, but at least if I'm not sober, I can pretend. He seems to be pretty happy about everything, anyway.
As I finished making my drink, I take a few sips, turning around to face the party.
Just when I think I'm alone, I see Stella, shoving through people, asserting her way to the kitchen now. I swirl my drink around, examining her outfit. Stella was always one who had a sense of style. Tonight, I couldn't take my eyes off of her shimmery tube top. It seemed to really highlight her chest. Something I wouldn't know about.
I wonder if she's got ahold of Beck yet, tonight. She always seems to weasel her way into boyfriend stealing, somehow. That was one thing I hoped I had control over, regarding Craig. I'd simply lose my shit if I saw him with another girl. Especially Stella.
I feel awful for Penelope, having to deal with her always at the back of her brain. Wondering if it's the same for Beck, probably. Stella doesn't exactly have sympathy for any other woman, other than Danielle, maybe.
I continue to stare at her, my vision becoming more distorted. "You were late," I say, talking over the music.
Stella glances at me, sipping her drink. "What are you talking about?" she says, nonchalantly.
"To help set up. You were late tonight." I say, a little louder this time.
"I wouldn't say it like that." she smiles, being obviously sarcastic. "We both know how she feels about me," she says.
I sip more of my drink, taking in a bigger amount this time, "She doesn't hate you."
"Nice." she says, looking around the room, "I don't give a shit about her, or her stupid love boat with Beck." she looks at me, "I don't know her, Lillian. So why does it matter?"
"If you don't care, stay away from Beck. Penny has him, he's off-limits. I know how you play, Stella." I saw, beginning to slur my words now.
Stella smiles again, clutching her cup, "Yeah, well, Beck isn't an object. So don't worry." she says, filling her cup once more before beginning to walk away.
"Besides. If he wants me, he already knows what I have to offer." she continues.
"What does that mean?" I say, sort of disgusted as she stands facing me.
"Figure it out." she looks me up and down. "And sober up. You look sloppy," she says, now walking away.
My jaw drops a little as I watch her leave me standing there alone. Huffing, I start rushing through the crowd again, attempting to get to the stairwell. I try to squeeze through bodies, feeling them grind on each other.
Successful, I begin walking up the stairs, looking down at my chest as I try to dust it off, after spilling some on it. I groan as I'm stopped in my tracks by a familiar torso. Looking up, my eyes are met with Craigs, as he stands above me at the top step.
I look at him, stepping up so that we're both at the top now. I sigh in relief.
"Do you know where Penny is?" I say, annoyed now. For Beck to be so excited, he was ironically, very late with our birthday girl.
"No. I texted and called. Nothing." Craig says, waving his phone as he talks.
I roll my eyes before starting to walk away. Before I can, I feel a large hand grasp my arm, gently. I turn around, only for my body to be pressed against his.
"Talk to me? Please? We can go be alone." he says, looking down at me. His face was so sincere it made me sick.
"Craig, c'mon.." I say, gently pulling my arm away.
"What? You're been avoiding me for the past week or so. You can't stay away forever." he says, smiling.
I shake my head, "I can't... but we aren't together anymore. I really don't know what to do, actually." I say, drinking my drink.
"Do you really expect me to leave you alone?" he chuckles. "Really think about that. I haven't left you alone since we were sixteen, Lily." he takes a step closer to me me.
I tilt my head up, looking at him as he steps closer, "I don't.." I say softly. "I just know that when you're around, I can't resist any temptation," I say, softly biting my lip as I look down.
"Then don't." he practically whispers, tilting my back up to him.
He starts to lean down, clearly going for a kiss. Suddenly he sighs, as his phone starts going off. He takes it out of his pocket before looking at it.
"It's Beck. They're here," he says, looking at me. "You're so lucky." he shakes his head, smiling as he grabs my hand to take me downstairs with him.
It was moments like this that would make me feel like I did when our relationship first began. It was spontaneous. He always surprised me with some fresh way of flirting. Like it was the first time, every time. I always found that so exhilarating and sexy.
His hand, gripped mine, protectively as we swept through people. Lights flashed, fluorescent lights flashes at us making the moment feel like slow-mo.
When we stopped moving, my body felt delayed. I felt dizzy, even. Bumping into Craig, I hold a hand out, grabbing his arm with both of my hands.
"What? What's wrong?" he says, turning his body toward mine.
"Nothing. I think I just drank a little too fast." I say, beginning to rub a hand on my forehead.
"Lily, you're sweating... like really bad," he says, sounding worried.
"I'm fine," I say, shaking my head as Beck and Penny approach us.
"It's about time, bro, what the hell happened?" Craig says to Beck.
"I know, I'm sorry. Traffic got bad and I got a ticket." Beck says, sounding frustrated.
"Happy birthday!" I say to Penny, hugging her tightly. "Let's dance." I insist.
Penny smiles and then looks at Beck. He nods, insinuating that it's fine. I pull her away, hurrying to an open spot to join everyone else as we both begin to dance.
Stella
I make the same mistake, at every party. I hold my piss until the literal last second, to the point that I'm dancing like an idiot. I washed my hands, finishing up in the bathroom.
As the music blares in the background, I look around, finding my vape and picking it up before taking a double take.
"Where the fuck is my drink.." I mumble to myself before sighing.
I grab the door handle, yanking it open as I start to feel annoyed. It took me forever to make that drink.
When the door opens, I see my drink on a table that sat outside in the hallway beside the door. The hallway was filled with a haze from all the weed smoking. That alone almost took me to another world. Grabbing it, I chug the rest, wiping the corner of my mouth right after.
"Hey." I hear a deep, raspy voice behind me, making me turn around slowly. It was Chase.
I eyeball him for a moment. "Hey," I say, setting my empty cup down.
He holds up a rolled blunt, raising an eyebrow. I look around, then back at him, pursing my lips before nodding. I walk back into the bathroom, Chase following.
Suddenly I felt like the room was warped. My legs began to turn into noodles. I grab the sink, turning myself around to lean on it.
Chase lights the blunt, the flicker of the lighter making me jump.
"Why are you acting like you don't know me?" he says, chuckling.
I rest both of my hands on the sink on each side of me, "I don't. Not outside of dance squad." I say, shrugging as he starts to toke on the blunt.
"You know me well enough to smoke with me though?" he says.
"I'm bored. And I'm drunk." I say, looking at him in his eyes, "Don't flatter yourself."
He walks up to me, taking the space I made between us as he holds the blunt to my mouth. I continue to look into his eyes, hitting it.
I inhale a cloud, letting my body relax as I exhale. My vision was now nearly nonexistent. Letting my eyes close, I start to lean back.
"You really are fine as shit," he says, watching me as he steps closer. "I'm tryna see what everyone is talking about.." he whispers, leaning his head into the crick on my neck.
I place a hand on his arm, trying to find the strength to push him back but I can't.
"What is everyone talking about..?" I say, barely getting my words out.
I feel his cold hand, resting on my stomach. "Take your shirt off.." he rasped, lifting it slowly.
My eyes still closed, I begin to pull my tube top down, my breasts falling out as I'm revealed. I feel his hand again, helping me do so.
As my shirt comes down, he brushes his lips against my ear. He begins to kiss my neck, causing me to let out a small moan. He takes a handful of them now, cupping and squeezing them.
"They're even prettier than I thought," he says. I open my eyes, slowly, watching as he takes his phone out. The flash turns on, causing me to squint.
He looks at me, his eyes full of lust. At this point, I felt like my body was only a shell. Whatever he wanted, we were going to do. Just like almost every other guy I've been with. It was never about me.
Chase continues flashing his phone light at me. He presses his body against mine, making me lean my upper body into the sink. Suddenly he's kissing me again. This time I wish it would stop.
Unable to make words, I struggle to stop him. He then places a hand on my thigh, hiking my skirt up. His hands are clammy now.
Tired of trying to lift my arms, I give up, leaning back. Quickly, he grabs my face by my chin, shoving his fingers into my mouth. Looking up, take it, starting to gag. He slowly pulls his fingers out and I watch his hand fall.
My body begins to shiver. He smiles, menacingly, not taking an eye off my face. Straight away, I feel the pressure of his fingers begins to push at my entrance.
Feeling him shove them in me, I cry out, letting my head fall back. Stunned, he growls lowly, biting his lip as his fingers begin to penetrate me.
Unsure of what to do, I continue to coo, closing my eyes again, and feeling my body bounce.
"Am I sexy?" I whimper.
"Smile for the camera. The team is gonna love this," he says, ripping his fingers out of me.
My legs start to tremble as they grow weak, making me almost fall to the floor. Holding the sink, I start to hear a pounding on the door. I look up at Chase as he scrambles to put his phone away before yanking the door open and flying out. Watching him go, I stand there, trying to cover myself and process what he had done. I felt like I didn't know where I was.
Trying to gain balance, I try to stand up straight, but I'm unsuccessful. Then, a familiar face steps into the bathroom, immediately taken aback, covering his eyes. It was only getting worse.
Beck
I felt bad for being in a terrible mood after getting pulled over, so I excused myself from Penny. Even though she probably knows why I'm upset, I wouldn't want her to see me as a nervous wreck. Not only that, but I'd hate to be a jerk to someone on their eighteenth birthday.
When we arrived, I didn't hesitate to let her go dance. I happened to bring my anxiety medication, already having the hitch that I was gonna need some. I hadn't been having the best night, to begin with. I just needed to mellow my mood and take some shots before it got worse.
I started up the stairs, heading toward the bathroom. It seemed to be less crowded upstairs, which I wasn't mad at. As I made my way to the bathroom, I start to hear faint moaning. I slowly creep up to the door, standing close.
"Smile for the camera. The team is gonna love this." I hear a deep voice come from inside.
Something about it didn't feel right. I then bawled my hand into a fist and start to pound on the door.
"Yo, I need to use this!" I say, then grabbing the handle, and trying to turn it. It was locked.
I go to pound on the door again but before I can, it swings open. It was the Chase kid. He pushes past me, making me stumble backward slightly. The door stayed open, but nobody else comes out.
I lean in, slowly. When gazing around the room, I'm immediately met with Stella. Topless and pulling her skirt down.
I cover my eyes quickly, "Woah, Stella. My bad." I begin to turn around and shut the door but then I stop and turn back around.
"Wait, are you good?" I say, covering my eyes again.
"I'm fine... you can look now." she stammered.
My hand drops and I look at her. She actually looked really good. Too good. Starting to let my eyes wander, I notice a bruise on her arm.
"What's that? Was that him?" I imply.
"No...I need to go," she mumbles, starting to stumble towards me.
In a situation like this, I'm reminded that I'm just a guy. A guy who's struggling to control his hormones consistently. But it was something about this situation that just didn't sit right with me. Stella's face was extremely flushed and she looked like she had been sweating. Not to mention the way Chase just ran out.
I quickly grab her arms, looking around as I feel myself begin to panic.
"Stella, you're not sober in the slightest," I say, sternly.
"I'm gonna get a ride, don't worry.." she says, barely able to look at me.
I bite my lip for a moment before speaking again, "Did you and Chase... y'know?"
She suddenly placed a hand on my chest, shaking her head, "No. Stop."
I let my hands drop, freeing her of my grip, "You have my number. Just text me." I say.
"Yeah, don't wait up..." she grumbles, stumbling past me and down the stairs.
I sigh, watching her walk away. I couldn't help but feel worried for her safety, but also guilty about Penny. I turn around to walk into the bathroom and shut the door.
Finally, I was able to take my medication, which I did faster than I thought I could. I managed to clean myself up in the bathroom, then I headed back to the party. Which, unfortunately, had only gotten more crowded.
I pushed through some groups before making my way to the kitchen, where Craig was pouring a drink.
"Hey, do you know where the girls went?" I say, standing beside him to make myself a drink.
"No, I was gonna ask you," he says, sternly.
"Lily's in the backyard. I saw her red highlights from the window upstairs." I chuckle softly. I let my smile drop not too long after, "Penelope?" I ask.
"Not sure. Last time I checked, she was with Danielle." He says, glancing out the kitchen window at Lily.
He looks at me again, talking, "Shit..." he sighs, "This night keeps getting worse. I didn't intend on this many people to come. Lily is drunk out of her mind, and I'm pretty sure some people are roofied and I don't know how.." he sets his drink down, "I gotta go." he then heads toward the backyard to get Lily.
I stand there with my drink, watching, now seeing Penny walk over, smiling.
"Hey," I say, smiling back.
"Hi." she says, coming close to me, "I'm having fun. It seems like you're a bit stressed out though," she added, looking up at me, endearingly.
I look down at her, pushing my glasses up with my wrist, slowly, "No, I am. I'm sorry, I just had a long day..." I claim.
She looks at me, pursing her lips as to say I'm lying. Which was so true. I was worried bout Stella, and I would never admit that. Not now.
"I swear." I smile. "Let's dance?" My eyebrows raise and so does my drink as I suggest my proposal.
Happy, She pulls me into the crowd of people to dance. I'm just hoping I can rid my head of what happened before this.
Craig
The minute I saw Lily, I had to go grab her. For one, she can't swim. She never could. While that's reasonable, being drunk by a pool, isn't.
Darting outside, I go straight to her, making sure I slow down to approach her. As I did, I started to hear her crying quietly. She was also sitting in the grass, drink in hand and joint in the other. It was really odd of her.
"This isn't fun anymore...he's probably so happy. Having the time of his life..." she muttered to herself. She hadn't noticed me in the slightest.
"I mean, everyone knows we aren't together anymore. He's practically soaking it in right now..." she stammered.
I had to chime in. "Hey..." I said, sitting down beside her. "You, okay?" I glance at her drink. I really wanted to take it. I knew she was probably one of the people that got roofied. That by itself was already upsetting me.
She looked at me, her eyes red and tearful, "What do you want? You need to go away!" she yelled, but it wasn't as loud as I think she intended it to be.
"Listen to me. You need to chill out. You're really messed up right now. What are you even doing out here? Everyone is mostly inside." I presume, slowly taking her drink away.
I started with just taking the joint, which I didn't think would bother her so much.
"Wait, I need that. I was looking for a lighter," she states, then going to lean over me to grab it from my hands.
"We can smoke it together. Just come inside." I say, wrapping an arm around her small frame.
She began to cry more, now leaning into my chest, grabbing my shirt, "Why are you crying like this, Lily? I can't help you if you don't communicate with me." I say softly, looking at her as I hold her up.
Refusing to look at me, she shakes her head, "You..." she uttered.
I sigh, lifting her up as I stick the joint in my ear, "I'll walk with you, c'mon." I vocalize, now standing us both up.
Now I was just confused. "What? What did I do?" I continue to speak softly.
"Nothing. You never do anything. You're perfect." her voice got more assertive.
I shake my head quickly and say, "That's not true at all, Lily."
"Well, it is to me! I miss you and you're just fine without me," she yells, yanking her arms away.
"That's not true either, stop! This has been awful for me!" I finally let myself get upset back at her.
"We need to go inside." I go to try and take her hand again but she pulls it away before I can, stumbling back.
"No, I don't need to listen to you!" she started to chug the rest of her drink. I stepped closer, attempting to grab the cup from her hands now.
"Stop, you're gonna be sick." I huff, starting to feel myself getting anxious at our sudden closeness with the pool.
"No..." she mumbles, trying to push me away. I wasn't taking any other answer now. I just needed to get her inside to ease my nerves.
I start to grab her again, but now she was fighting for real. She wasn't okay and I couldn't let her embarrass herself. The one thing she always cared about was her image. And maybe I don't care, but I care about her.
Losing grip, her arms get loose from my grasp as she pushes me once again, this time, stepping back a little too far.
"Lily, no!" I scream, reaching for her, unsuccessfully as I was her fall back into the pool.
I didn't hesitate to jump in after her. I could feel my heart in my stomach.