Tales from the Darkside (Currently Being Rewritten)

7

I'd decided on a simple beige off the shoulder long-sleeved top paired with skinny jeans and a pair of white slip on sneakers for the party. Nothing fancy but also nothing that could be classified as underdressed.
My dad was hunched over the wooden desk in the study, frowning intensely at the three pieces of paper layed out before him.
"That can't be right." He muttered, his hand reaching for the nearby calculator.
"Hey, Dad." I started, watching as he fumbled with the calculator at the sound of my voice.
"What's wrong?" Dad said immediately meeting my eyes, taking note of my outfit, not what I'd usually wear at 6:00 p.m.
"Nothing." I replied, waving off the question. "I was just wondering if you could drop me off at the Diner at 6:30."
"Ah." He nodded as I frowned....why was he nodding like that? "Dinner with Liam?"
I froze, my mind racing as I tried to process what he'd said. "No." I shook my head, "He's working tonight. I'm meeting him later."
"Ok. Just give me 10 minutes."

At 6:30 at night, the Diner was bustling with activity as my dad pulled out in front. "So, a party huh?" I nodded as he continued, "I want you to be safe, don't accept anything from strangers, pour your own drinks and I know it's a Friday but I want you home no later than 11:00."
"Ok, Dad." I replied, nodding in agreement.
"But if you're going to stay at Liam's house, I want you to text me as well."
"I will." I nodded, starting to climb out the car. "Bye, Dad." I leant over to him, kissing his cheek in farewell.

Paige was sitting at one of the booths, a half-finished strawberry milkshake in front of her, out of habit I scanned the people in the diner trying to see if there was a chance that Ben, Sam, Abby or Jake were here. They weren't.
"This is one of the best milkshakes I've ever had." Paige exclaimed in greeting as I slid into the seat across from her. She was wearing a long-sleeved floral mock-neck top with a pink checked pleated skirt and black kitten heels. "Is all the stuff on this diner's menu, this tasty?"
I shrugged, "It's the most popular restaurant in town." Watching as Paige sipped her strawberry milkshake. "So, where is this party?"
"It's a 20 minute drive from here." She informed me, as my brain tried to compose a list of places 20 minutes away from the Diner that could hold a party. "It's in the woods."

I'd heard that the woods were a popular place for parties... especially one that involved under age drinking. The woods, rumour had it, were also a popular place for murderers to dump bodies.
"You've never been to a party before, have you?" Paige asked, studying me with a curious expression as I shook my head. No. No, I hadn't.
"I've never had time." I answered, my eyes once again scanning the diner for any sign of Liam and/or co. When I found no sign of them, I turned back to Paige. "So, how long do these parties usually go for?"
Paige shrugged, starting to stand up as I shot to my feet. "It depends on how long people feel like staying or if the police show up."

Paige's White Toyota Corolla looked as though it had recently been through a car wash and the seats looked brand new as well. "I don't mean to pry -" Paige began, briefly checking in her rear view mirror as we pulled to a stop at the traffic lights. "But I thought you would be going to this party with Liam or your friends." I stayed silent, tucking some hair back behind my ear and scratching an itch I had on the side of my leg. "You all seem very close."
"Very close." I echoed numbly, nodding along as the car went turned onto a dirt road, the woods a few metres ahead. I didn't want to talk about Liam or Ben and Sam or Abby or Jake. I didn't want to talk about anything tonight.

For a small town, there seemed to be a large amount of people attending this party, maybe 100 people? All of them looked to be between the ages of 16 and 20. A bonfire in the centre of the clearing was the only source of light unless you counted the moon or the glow sticks that some partiers were waving around as they danced to the music, blasting from a speaker, sitting in the back of a Ute. People were laughing as if all their worries had evaporated, some even came up to me to say hi, but I couldn't work up the courage to do anything but nod and give them a small...half-assed attempt at a smile.

"Having fun?" Paige appeared suddenly, holding out a red plastic cup to me as I took it, wondering why I hadn't noticed that she had walked off earlier.
"It's different." I shrugged, struggling to think of another word to describe it: overwhelming maybe? I sniffed the drink as my dad's words echoed in my mind as I took a small sip....only to find that it was just Pepsi.