Two Of A Kind

Chapter Seven

The smell of licker and heavy heat. The booming music and the hogging in the corners. The drunk kids and the lonely invites. The crying victims and the guilty cheats. Parties.

At school, everyone had a title, a division you couldn't pass nor leave. You belonged where you belonged and you could but only accept your fate. Yet here, in the midst of jumping in the air with a half empty bottle of beer and a guy you'd almost met ten minuets ago, you are but another person that comes for a break from the dress up and faking.

But you couldn't do so, if you were me. Such a high spot couldn't be left with no surveillance for a single minute to go get freaky. It was risky, even for me. High school parties had their own paparazzies. If I'd been caught doing something ridiculous, I'd be on the front of the school's newspaper.

I like parties. I just like my reputation more, I'd tell Connor as we'd walked in the party. Mel and Taylor followed behind.
Liam's house had been wider than I'd expected. Enough to handle almost all juniors. As the wide gates opened Mel had already tumbled towards her chosen one as she'd like to call it. I'd been left with Connor and Taylor who didn't seem particularly interested in the wreckage of this place, but more in joining it.

I'd gasped over my surroundings. People didn't even notice most of what went around. They were way too busy steaming away through hours of stress free life. It seemed yet tempting as I tapped my heels against the already vibrating floor. Today I'd dressed more decent than casual or deviant. I had to play the role of the supportive friend. I couldn't do flashy, so I'd stuck with the good friend look.

"I'll go get us some drinks" Connor kissed my temple and had left me with Taylor by the living room.
Before he'd returned I'd opened my purse to retrieve two Aderral pills. I popped both and ingested the fruit punch, that followed with Connor's return.
Alcohol was still a no-no during medication, I've learned it the hard way.

"I'm gonna go look for Seth!" Taylor had yelled over the loud music and I'd nodded before she'd fled the scene. I'd caught Connor looking at her a bit longer than I had. Puzzled by the look I had ignored it, finding much bigger tasks at hand urgent.

"Connor Aye!" Lloyd, a friend of Connor's from Varsity football had snuggled between us gripping his shoulders with all his power. Connor smiles back and lets out a little laugh grabbing his hands for a slight greet.

"A game of Two Truths and a Lie? The team's waiting for you" He encourages Connor to go play with the other boys, with fear that he might actually decide to go I give him the don't abandon me yet look.

Him having understood, sighed and pats Lloyd on the back. "Can't man, I'm on duty" he shrugs, and I furrow my eyebrows. Duty? I'm a duty?

As if.

"Don't be such a buzz kill! Sadie is fine wi-oh" Lloyd couldn't finish his statement as my face made it clear that I was indeed not fine with it. How could I just let him leave me stranded at a party? It wouldn't look good for my image, neither for him. It wasn't a matter of buzzkill or not, it was a matter of staying in the safe zone.

"Join me?" Connor whispered to my ears. He was still a gentleman, polite enough to still ask me to join him. What did I ever do to deserve him, I wonder? And when I thought about it a little more, I really do not. I don't deserve it. Yet there he stands, as if I did. As if I am is first priority. But I, as the Sadie I am, never appreciated that. Which of course I cannot simply do at normal circumstances, because affection plays its own cost. Though now, it seems like I have no option.

I shook my head. "Go along, without me. I'll be fine" I mouthed and he'd nodded as he'd left.
I normally didn't fantasize being alone at a party. Not looking good on my image wasn't even the slightest of my worries, but the possibilities of interaction are numbered. Don't get me wrong, I do like talking just not to people that didn't match my standards.