Bitter Blood (BBi)

Chapter 7: Party Girls

Chapter Seven
Party Girls

Thursday arrives and passes in the blink of an eye.

Everyone at school was talking about the party, discussing what they're going to wear, what their going to drink and who their going to go with.

Being the second last day of the school year, barely anyone came. So Avery's audience was much smaller than it was the day before.

I refuse to take my car and leave it out on the street all night with a house full of drunk teens nearby, so Stacey offers to drive me to the party. I know by the end of the night she's going to be plastered, so I plan on taking her keys the moment we get there.

Avery drags me over to her house right after school and I decide it's about time I check out her closet. I find a pair of strappy blue high heels and Avery says I can borrow them for the party. We agree that I'll wear her shoes and she'll wear my grey silk blouse, benefit of a second hand store in Lochton.

I hear the front door open and Rhys call out for Avery.

"Up stairs!" she hollers back to him.

A moment later he appears in the doorway to her room.

"What are you doing?" he asks as he glances around her messy room.

"Getting ready."

He frowns. "For what?"

"A party." she answers as she digs through her closet for a pair of shoes. "I'm going with Parker."

Rhys switches his gaze from his sister to me. I give him a little wave but he only stares back at me for a long minute before turning on his heel and disappearing back down stairs.

"He really hates me after that whole mint-spray-to-the-eye thing, huh?"

She laughs. "He doesn't hate you. And even if he did that wouldn't be a good enough reason. He's just... worried about me."

"Why would he be worried?" I frown.

She doesn't answer but instead shouts "Ah-hah!" and shows me the pair of shoes she's found. They're heeled black boots that'll match perfectly with the rest of her outfit.

Nearly an hour later, after picking thorough mounds of jewellery and playing around with our hair, we're ready to go.

I'm wearing a dress the colour of ice I bought last summer, Avery's high heeled shoes and some light make-up. The dress exposes a slither of my ribs on both sides and allows cool air to brush my skin. My wavy brown hair has been brushed and left to hang freely down my back.

Avery has gone in a completely different direction. She's wearing the black boots, a pair of dark skinny jeans and my grey blouse with the long sleeves pushed to her elbows. Her hair, like mine, has been styled to hang around her shoulders and she's applied dark make-up around her eyes. All together, she looks pretty damn hot.

I tell her as much as she closes the front door and she beams with pride. She returns the comment.

As we head towards Stacey's idling blue Honda civic in the drive way, I wobble on my feet. God, now that I think about it, these shoes are going to kill me tonight.

We climb into the back seat and Lara turns to look at us from the passenger side.

"Remember our deal, Parker."

It takes me a moment but then I recall the promise I made to take her home if things get too boring for her.

"You're such a snooze." Stacey jokes.

Lara punches her shoulder and settles back into her seat as Stacey puts the car in drive. We head towards the party.