The Freshmen Orientation Party had finally concluded, and the Seniors of Rosemary were more than ready to get the real party started. With all the freshmen now gone a herd of Uber and Taxi drivers surrounded the perimeter of Rosemary high.
"Hey, Mitchell. Aren't you going to Maze's party?" Nami asked the blonde man. He turned with a snarky smile on his face before saying.
"And here I am thinking you've had enough of my pretty little face?" Nami rolled her eyes in response.
"You're right, thanks for reminding me." Nami said sarcastically.
"Parties aren't really my thing, especially when Maze hosts them." Nami looked at him curiously.
"And what is that supposed to mean?" She asked.
"Maze's parties have a tendency of going overboard. Though she never gets in trouble for it. Which leads me to believe she has a special relationship with the principal." Mitchell said unknowingly speaking his mind.
"I don't believe in rumors, I'm the type who needs evidence before making assumptions." Nami remarked.
"Okay miss detective. I gotta head home, so I guess I'll see you next week." Mitchell said as he began walking away.
"Oh, and Imma leave you with Greg next week so enjoy!" He called out to her.
Nami was about to protest, but he turned away before she could get a word out. She sighed in annoyance, taking out her phone to check the location of her Uber.
________________________
"So, tell me again how you got an invite?" Moe asked as he and Nami were making their way to Maze's house.
Moe wore a neon orange shirt with black patchy jeans and Shoes.
"It was from Duncan. He didn't explain why he gave me the invite but it's not like I will deny a free party." Nami said with a prideful smile on her.
Nami wore a black crop top with long sleeves, a pair of long baggy beige pants and white sneakers and twisted her short hair for added measure.
"I gotta feeling that guy likes you."
"Yea I know, but he doesn't seem like the type to take a hint, so I'll just let him do what he wants." Nami said nonchalantly.
"I never took you for a player, really changes my perspective on you." Moe said squinting his eyes.
"Tell that to the free party invites I got us." Moe rolled his eyes as Nami flashed the tickets in his face.
" Have you ever been to a party before? You seem too excited for someone who received an invite at the last minute." Moe asked, noticing the little spring in her step.
"I've never been to a high school party before. Mostly because I was too young to..." Nami instantly covered her mouth realizing she had just disclosed information she didn't want to get out.
"How old are you exactly?" That was a question she was afraid he would ask. She sighed and thought.
[It's Moe, I could at least trust him.]
"First promise me anything I tell you when we are alone stays between us. If I so much as hear a rumor from someone else, then I swear you will regret it." Nami said very serious about her threat.
"I promise whatever we talk about when we are alone will only stay between us." Moe said extending his pinky. Nami looked at him questioningly.
"This pinky swear solidifies my promise with you." Moe said sounding weirdly optimistic.
"I know it just seems rather childish."
"Just do it and stop whining." Moe said as he was getting impatient.
Nami wrapped her pinky around his and completed the pinky swear.
"With that out of the way, I feel comfortable to announce that I Namibia am 16 years of age." Nami said with her chin up.
"Your full name is Namibia?" Moe asked.
"Your full name is Mohammed?" Nami asked in retaliation.
Moe sighed having no way to respond to that.
"Just know that you're the only one that knows this in the entire school, possibly in the entire world, so don't go spreading it." Nami said pointing at him.
"Chill dude I'm under oath remember. And besides that, is a name I was given exclusive permission to use so no one else is getting that privilege." Moe said sounding a little proud.
"Anyway, Namibia, I have a question for you." Moe said loving the way her name felt on his tongue.
"What is it, Mohammed?" She retaliated with his own name.
"Have you ever dated anybody?" He asked with a sleazy smile on his face.
"I believe that information is too personal even for you." Nami said calmly.
"But I'm under oath."
"Hey, look I see the party venue we are supposed to go to."
"You are being unfair. Namibia I am your elder, so you better get talking."
Nami punched him in the ribs which got him to hug his chest in pain.
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Chris had finally reached the venue of the party and saying that he was overwhelmed by the whole setup was an understatement. Upon entering the venue, you would hear music so loud that you'd feel your body vibrate every time the beat dropped, the lights were so bright that your eyes would squint every time they'd pass your face, the scent of weed and other narcotics polluted the air and the atmosphere was warmed by the sheer mass of people in the venue.
Chris froze on the spot not knowing what to do or where to start. Luckily, he was saved by Tiffany who pulled him out of the madness.
"Chris! I'm so glad you made it!" She shouted over loud music.
"Where is Maze?!" He asked, attempting to make his voice sound over the music.
"What?!" Tiffany asked, not being able to hear him.
"Where is Maze?!!" He asked even louder. Tiffany pulled him by the arm upstairs where the music was not as loud.
"Sorry, I couldn't hear you because of the noise. Do you mind repeating what you said downstairs?" Tiffany asked seemingly out of breath.
Chris could now get a good look of things since the lights weren't all that crazy on the second floor. It had more of a chilled vibe compared to the first floor. It had a pool and a jacuzzi. A bar could be spotted at one corner of the room with a bartender tending to some customers.
"Chris, Chris can you hear me?" Tiffany tapped him on the shoulder to snap him back to reality.
"Sorry Tiffany I just needed some time to process everything. It's just that I didn't know parties can get this crazy." Chris explained sounding worn out.
"You sound like you need a drink can I offer you anything?" Tiffany asked with a kind smile on her face. Only then Chris noticed what she was wearing.
A strapless black top with white jean shorts that hugged her thicc chocolate thighs, but that was not what concerned Chris. No what concerned Chris was her cleavage that stood out like a sore thumb. He averted his gaze elsewhere to not look perverted.
"Uhm, yeah, I don't drink alcohol because y'know underage. So, a Coke would do fine." Tiffany rolled her eyes.
"I'm not stupid y'know, of course I wouldn't force you to drink anything you are not supposed to." She said slapping him on the shoulder.
"C'mon I don't trust you here on your own so let's go together." She insisted. Chris agreed and they both made their way to the Bar.
"Hey there Tiff, anything I can get you?" The bartender asked.
"I would like a few shots of Grey and my friend here would like a Coke." The bartender nodded and went to go get the drinks.
"You guys know each other?" Chris asked.
"Yeah, he's family. He owns his own Bar in the city, and he is now here to pay back a favor. Handsome, isn't he?" She asked, getting a little closer to Chris.
"Uhm, well he doesn't look too shabby, so yeah I guess." Chris answered.
"Hey Chris, what women is your type?" Chris jumped in his seat as an image of Cindy clouded his thoughts for a second. He shook his head to get the thoughts out.
"U-U-Uhm aren't I a little too young to be answering that?" Chris asked trying to dodge her question. Tiffany rolled her eyes.
"Screw that ageist nonsense, age is not what determines someone's maturity. It's the way you think that determines your maturity. For example, I think you way more mature than half of the seniors in our class easy. You're smart and more thoughtful than those meatheads." The bartender placed their drinks beside them and went to go tend to more customers.
[Question successfully averted.] Chris thought
"Now drink up my friend the night is still young!" Tiffany said downing a shot.
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On the same floor was Moe. Who sat all by his lonesome at the Bar. It all happened so quickly. The minute they stepped into the venue Nami got lost inside of the huge crowd of people. He looked around for her but to no avail. He decided that he was gonna wait for the party to be over so he could walk her home at the very least.
[Maybe I should call an Uber for us.] Moe thought as he was finally beginning to feel the effects of the bottle and a half of Vodka he was consuming.
The only reason he did this was because he knew he had a high tolerance so he tried to get drunk so time would go by faster. Unluckily for him it only did the opposite. Seconds turned to minutes and minutes turned to hours. He was close to dosing off, but he reminded himself that he might miss his chance to walk home with her.
"Hey mister why you look so sad?" A woman in a bright rainbow-colored dress asked. She was seated next to Moe and had her head on the Bar table mimicking him.
"I'm not sad, I just lost my friend." He explained.
"Ncawww you sad little boy come here let me give you a hug." The lady proceeded to wrap her arms around him.
"Do you feel better?" She asked with her face buried behind his back.
"A little." Moe said in a drunken slur.
"Oh shit. I need to go pee." The woman said getting off of him.
"Noo don't leave me alone please. I'll get lonelyyyy!" Moe cried as his hand landed on her thigh.
"Noo sweetie I don't want you to get lonely. I have an idea. Follow me to the toilet." Moe stood up happily.
"Thank you so much.... I'm sorry I didn't catch your name."
"It's May Sweetie. What's your name?"
"I am Mo…Mohammed b…but you can call me Moe." The two stood up barely able to walk on their two feet as they began their drunken trek to the bathroom.
"Moe sweetie! I can't walk!" She panicked.
"You have to walk or else you'll piss yourself!" Moe said trying his best to remain balanced. He stopped for a second and took a deep breath in. He held it in for a little while and let out a breath of steam. He was able to regain most of his balance now and think a little clearly.
"C'mon let me carry you." Moe said bending down to give her a piggyback.
She flopped on his back, and he stretched his hands back to lift her up by her thighs. He then walked across the room to where the bathroom was and entered it.
"Yay we made it!" May Celebrated. She got off and made her way to the toilet. Moe turned around to let her do her thing.
"Moe sweetie! Can you hold my hand?" Moe gave her a crazy look at first, but he ended up complying.
"You are such a good person Moe. Why is a person like you here at a place like this?" She asked.
"I came here to hang out with my friend but the second we came in I lost her."
"She sounds like a bad friend." May had an obvious frown when saying that.
"I don't know I don't want to come to any conclusions yet."
May stood up and wiped herself.
"Listen Moe I am a professional friend, and no friend is supposed to leave the other on their own." The toilet seat closed and she used her drunken strength to force Moe to sit on it. She then proceeded to straddle on his lap. Her arms wrapped around his neck and then she pulled him in for a kiss. It was rough and sloppy, not really Moe's cup of tea but that soon changed when she began nibbling on his neck.
His body then began to feel electricity all over.
"Moe am I a good friend to you?" She asked, resting her forehead on his.
"No, you aren't." He said with a straight face.
"Can I be your friend?"
"Do what you want."
"That's a yes to me." She proceeded to kiss him on the neck and the shoulder.
He then proceeded to return the neck kisses he was receiving. May let out a light moan feeling satisfied with his advances.
"I wanna try something." She said. She didn't even wait for his response and began unzipping his pants.
_________________________________________
Nami stood outside of the venue to catch her breath. Dancing in public had never been her forte, but she couldn't help herself. It was as if the DJ knew her favorite songs off by heart. The number of eyes that fell upon her were enough to freak her out, but she got motivated when they cheered for her. Now she was outside taking in the night sky and letting the nighttime breeze brush past her skin. It felt amazing and the thought of how her night started once she entered the venue made her giggle.
Immediately upon entry she was taken by the arm and pulled past the large crowd to a place that was not as crowded or loud. It was Duncan.
"Hey Nami, I can't believe you actually came!" He was obviously drunk or tipsy by the very least.
"I couldn't turn down the offer. This is my first ever Highschool party so thank you for making it happen." She said with a smile on her face. In a way Nami's thankfulness nearly sobered him up because he could tell it was genuine.
"Hehehehe, aww shucks, I just wanted to apologize in Brian's behalf and all." Duncan said scratching his head. At that moment Tiffany and Chris showed up and Tiffany went immediately into teasing the two.
"Oh my God Duncan is this your new Girlfriend? She is so pretty. Duncan and his girlfriend sitting in a tree. K.I.S.S.I.N.G." She sung and then proceeded to laugh.
"Shut up Williams! Go mind your own damn business." Duncan said agitated by her teasing. He noticed that she was being supported by Chris and instantly softened up.
"She had a little too much to drink, didn't she?" He asked Chris.
"Yeah, about six shots of Grey. After that a bunch of dudes started flirting with her, so I had to make an excuse to get out of the situation. I thought I should bring her to Maze, but she pointed at you, so I knew you must've been one of her friends, am I right?" He asked for assurance.
"Unfortunately little man, I am. Give her to me I'll find a quiet place where she can rest."
"Oh my God guys look!" Tiffany called out pointing to the crowd that was circling.
[Could it be a fight? Not on my watch.] Duncan thought as he rushed over to the circling crowd.
He pushed his way through the crowd but when he got there, he noticed it wasn't a fight they were just watching someone dance. What surprised him though was who was on the dance floor. It was Nami.
And it looked like she was having a lot of fun. She was an incredible dancer, and he could see why the crowd would gather around her.
Nami sighed feeling slightly exhausted. Her peace though was soon interrupted when two people were kicked out of the party. Nami had a good look at the two guys and saw one of them was Moe.
"Y'all better leave before I beat the shit outta you myself!" Brian warned as he was the one standing at the door. Nami got pissed but decided to calm down and assess the situation.
"Yo Brian! Why are you kicking these two out?"
"What who's asking?!" He asked, feeling agitated.
"Oh, it's you." He sighed as he saw Nami approach him.
"Tell me what happened." Nami said wanting to get straight to the point.
"You lil bitch would it kill you to be a bit nicer!?"
"I have no time for this Brian, we can be at each other's throats later. Just tell me what happened?" Brian sighed at her persistence. It honestly annoyed him.
"The two bozos were in a fight and it was Maze's strict instruction to kick anyone who wants to fight out." He explained.
"Do you know what started the fight?"
"Now how the fuck am I supposed to know that?!" He asked, raising his voice at her.
"Damn, I should've known there is a limit to how useful you can be."
"Instead of pissing me off you could go help your friend get home!" Nami turned to see Moe and that other guy had already left.
______________________________________________________________
Moe fell on the ground with a bloody nose as his aggressor looked down on him. He was surrounded by a large group of the man's followers. The second they left the venue Moe was suddenly punched out of nowhere and then was taken to a dark alley. He was outnumbered and didn't really have anywhere to run so he stood his ground.
"Yo boss looks like he is willing to take us all on so what do we do?" One of the members asked.
"We can't leave him waiting men, that's rude. We should give him what he wants, like a true gentleman." The boss said as he began approaching him. Moe threw a fist at him, but he blocked and returned with his own nailing him on his abdomen. Moe fell on his knees gasping for air. The boss wiped his fist on his shirt.
"Somebody remove this guy's shirt, its got vomit on it." A member came close to Moe and removed his shirt. He was instantly shocked right after he saw the sheer number of scars all over his body. They were deep and long scratches and cuts that spread throughout his entire back and front.
"This guy's a freak!" He said once he stepped back.
"Probably the scars daddy gave him. I don't think he would mind If I added one extra."
Moe's eyes shot open filled with rage. He felt his blood boil in his veins as he began to see red, his eyes glowing like lanterns in the dark. The henchman stepped back as Moe's body began to glow. Then suddenly his entire top half burst into flames.
"That's it. You bastards are dead." Moe said in an enraged whisper.
"Oh shit, he's a Mage!" The boss said as he gestured for his gang members to make a run for it.
"Where do you assholes think you're going!?" Nami shouted standing in the only escape route the thugs had. Moe saw her and his flames began to dwindle.
Without a second word she approached the gang, cracking her fist. About eight of them in total. Before they could even process what's going on Nami had already begun laying waste to their numbers. In a flash three of them were flying to the wall and the rest quickly began to follow. In no more than 2 minutes all of the members except for the leader were out cold. Nami approached him slowly with a stoic look on her face. Although she was shorter than the man, he felt absolutely terrified of her.
"I think my friend deserves an apology, or else I won't stop him from slow roasting you." Moe caught the hint and summoned a ball of fire on his hand.
"You think I'm scared of you kids? You must be stupid if you mess with..."
"Marauders. A gang trying to make it big in the South. If that's the gang that you're affiliated with then you should know the name Ahamed Binyam." The man's face paled in shock. He gulped a big ball of spit out of fear of the name.
"You were right when you said that my dad wouldn't mind another scar on my body. He also wouldn't mind if a little gang like yours were to be wiped out." Moe's eyes had nothing but ferocity in them. The fiery amber glowed in the light of his flame starring deep down the man's soul.
"No wait I'm sorry! I have a sick mother and my two brothers are still in school so please don't do it!" The man bowed in fear, sweating bullets.
"Get out of my sight, before I change my mind."
The man quickly got on his feet and ran.
"For a second there I thought you were actually gonna do it." Nami said sounding relieved.
"For a second there I actually was. Let's go before these fools wake up."
____________________________________
Brian walked back inside the party after an extensive time of thinking outside. He walked past the dancing crowd and to a room in the furthest corner of the house. The room led to the basement where Maze and the others were relaxing.
"Did you sort the fight out?" Maze asked.
"Don't worry I doubt those two light weights are coming back." Brian said confidently.
"Look whose acting cool all of the sudden." Maze teased. Brian sighed with a smile on his face and went to go sit next to his girlfriend.
"Where's Tiffany?" Brian asked, giving her a peck on the lips.
"She said she was sick, so Duncan took her to the ladies room."
"She always drinks way more then she can handle. I swear that girl has some issues." Brian commented.
"And this is?" Brian asked, looking at the boy who sat awkwardly on the other side of the room.
"Oh, shit I forgot to introduce you guys. Brian, this is my classmate and co-parent Chris. Chris, this is my boyfriend, Brian." Chris raised his hand to say hi.
"Why are you so far away dude come over here so I could get a good look of you." Maze slapped him on the chest.
"Speak properly or you might scare him." Maze reprimanded.
Chris didn't want to be rude, so he stood up and walked towards the couple.
"You must be new then. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance." Brian said extending his fist for a fist bump.
"Good to meet you too Brian." Chris said, giving Brian a fist bump.
Maze's phone rang and when she picked it up, she saw a message from the DJ of the party.
"Sorry baby but the DJ wants to talk so I gotta go."
"C'mon babe I've been busting my ass all night trying to keep assholes in check, can't you just give me five minutes with you?" Brian asked a bit frustrated.
"Let's not do this now Brian, you will get your five minutes just wait."
"Aargh fine." Brian said, sitting on the sofa like an angry child. Maze walked out leaving the two men to each other.
"Couple drama, huh?" Chris asked in an attempt to strike up a conversation.
"Keep your dirty nose out of my business you lil shit." Brian shot back, breaking Chris's confidence. The two sat in silence as Brian chugged his Hudson's beer. After a vile 10 minutes of silence Duncan walked in with a drunken Tiffany on his shoulder.
"Let me guess, Maze left you dry?" Duncan asked as he dropped Tiffany off on the sofa across Brian.
"Shut the fuck up Duncan, I'm not in the mood." Brian said chugging more of the bitter liquid.
"You aren't doing your liver justice buddy." Duncan joked.
Brian violently stood up and held Duncan by the collar.
"I said I'm not in the mood Reynold. So shut the fuck up!" He screamed, causing the whole room to go quiet.
"I think you've drank enough, Leclue, I think it'll be best if you'd let me go before I put your ass to sleep." Duncan said with a firm grip on Brian's arm.
The two men stared at each other intensely, waiting for the other to make the move.
"Guy's stop fighting." Tiffany said in a drunken slur, with her face buried deep into the cushion of the sofa.
"Nah screw waiting I'm outta here." Brian began walking for the door with the rest of the room watching him leave. He was stopped by Maze on his way out who had just returned from the DJ.
"Leaving so soon?" She asked and Brian sighed in response.
"Listen babe, I'm a bit tired so I think it's best I head home." Brian rubbed his eyes to get the haze out of them.
"But Brian, I worked my ass off trying to organize this party. It's the last one we'll ever get together as seniors, so can't you stay even just a little bit? Not even for me?" She asked in a very seductive tone. Only for Brian to push her off.
"It seems that every single thing I do nowadays is 'just for you.' You don't even consider how I feel about the matter." Brian argued.
"Brian, you're being an asshole." Maze replied.
"Oh, now I'm being the asshole. Clearly Brian is the one at fault here." Brian exaggerated.
"Yes, you are. All of us are trying to have a memorable night with each other and yet here you are throwing a fit!" Maze shouted, getting slightly irritated with her boyfriend.
"I'm sick and tired of you not listening to me when I speak! You always do this to me!"
"Brian calm down." Maze said, trying to defuse the situation.
"I am calm. Heck, this is the calmest I've ever been! Y'know what, now that we're in the mood how about I tell you how I feel about a certain Mr. Fry."
"Don't you dare bring Mr. Fry into this. You know God damn well that he's my tutor!"
"Must be learning a lot from those 'Private lessons' then? No wonder you get straight As."
"Brian that's enough!" Duncan said as he came to stand in between the two.
"First Nami, now my girlfriend. You damn sure are Rosemary's own Jigga---" Brian was cut off by the sucker punch he had received from Duncan.
The room went quiet as Brian was processing what just happened. He looked at Duncan first, before looking at Maze.
"Y'know what, we're done." He stormed out of the room slamming the door behind him.
__________________________________
Brian stood in Maze's backyard staring deep at the pool. He took a big swig at the bottle of beer he had in his hand trying to wash out the pain he felt in his heart. He emptied the bottle's contents and angrily threw it to the wall and it shattered on impact. For a second everything went quiet. The wind stopped whistling, the trees were still and the background noises coming from the party ceased.
[You're so fucking pathetic]. He thought to himself.
He stood there looking at his reflection. Wondering how it got to this point. He untied his bun and let his hair fall to the sides of his face and then suddenly he felt someone's hands wrap around his waist. A warm embrace from behind. The wind whistled past him blowing some of his hair out of his face. His hands clasped on the stranger which only made the stranger tighten their grip. He then immediately knew who it was.
He placed his hands on that person's hands.
"You don't need to make me feel better, Tiffany." He said with a light smile on his face.
"I hate her." Tiffany said with her face buried in his back.
"I hate her beautiful face, her pretty smile, her beautiful eyes, her soft skin, everything. She hurt you and I hate her." She said tightening her embrace as if frustrated.
"No Tiffany, she's your friend. I'm the one you should be hating." Brian said with a soft tone.
"We've known each other for quite a while now, haven't we? You used to tell me everything before she came along. I became her friend because I didn't wanna lose you dude." Her grip around his waist had softened up and Brian used that as an opportunity to turn around to face her. His icy blue eyes fell upon her ocean blue ones. He stared deep into her soul, but Tiffany couldn't help but feel secure in his arms. He noticed that she was still intoxicated but the look in her eyes was sincere.
"I didn't mean to push you away. It's just things couldn't stay the same between us anymore, I wanted her to trust me, I wanted to make her happy." Brian whispered the last part, feeling a sting of pain in his chest after saying it.
"You wasted your time!" Tiffany said harshly. Brian was surprised by her sudden outburst.
"You focused so hard on making her happy. You…You forgot about me." She said, while dropping her head.
He lifted her head by the chin so that their eyes would meet. He slowly closed the distance between their lips being ever so hesitant. When only millimeters away from her lips she tilted her head closer catching his lips on hers. Brian's grip tightened as if he didn't want to let her go. He pulled away from her and whispered ever so gently. "I'm sorry."
Tiffany smiled and just as he was about to kiss her again, she pushed him off of her and with one misstep his body fell backwards, he tried to catch himself but the floor he fell on was nothing but the pool of water below him. He quickly swam up feeling the cold water all over his body. He was completely soaked.
"The fuck was that for!" He shouted as his body reacted to the sudden change in temperature. Tiffany giggled relentlessly.
"Oh God did you see your face. You were so serious and then boom! Splash! You're cold! HaHaHaHa!" She laughed. She didn't notice how close she was to the water. Brian pounced at the opportunity and pulled her into the frigid water.
"HOOOLLY SHIT THAT'S COLDDDD!!!" She said as she swam up.
"Bitch that's what you get." Brian said with a vengeful tone.
"BRIAN!!" She shouted splashing water at him.
Brian splashed water back at her. This went on back and forth until Brian grabbed her from under the water and threw her back in.
"OKAY…Okay UNCLE!" She shouted as she tried swimming away from him. They both exploded in laughter.
"Ahh shit. How am I supposed to explain this to my parents?" He asked still in a fit of laughter.
"Noo. Don't go!" Tiffany said swimming into his arms. She wrapped herself around him with her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.
"Well then if you want me to stay.... make me." Brian said in a sly tone.
Tiffany smiled at the challenge and planted her lips on his.
Brian's vision was blurry, and he felt out of breath, but he was able to see a silhouette of someone standing in the distance. His vision cleared only slightly but it was enough to cause his eyes to burst open at the realization of who it was.
Maze stood there with her mouth agape. A dead look in her usually cheery eyes. Everything stood still for her, every sound or movement was completely still. The only sound that was remotely present to her was the slow beating of her breaking heart.
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