The Girl Who Saw Through Jem

Ellis: Dead Grandmothers and Parties [EDITED]

The party was petrifying. There was no doubt that I was infinitely uncomfortable, not just because I felt trapped to the point of suffocation and breathing in a smoky marijuana-addled living room was not doing anything to alleviate the situation but physically too. My wet pants made me appear as if I just pissed myself.

"Ellis!" There was a tortured scream rattling my bones and I pivoted sharply on the balls of my ankles, curious as to who was calling out my name and registered two familiar blonde heads diverging out of the crowd, waving madly at me. It was Calista and Astrid. "What are... you doing here?" The excitement in her voice faded into confusion as she noticed Jem was behind me, his hands on my shoulders as he steered me to avoid a girl and a boy attempting to do a head roll, probably high on whatever's invading the room.

"Jem made me go."

"Oh?" The delight was so lucid that Astrid didn't even bother masking it.

Uncharacteristically, I nervously tugged at the silk blouse I bought from a warehouse sale ages ago and dismissed Astrid hastily, "It's not like that. We're just..." It's like there was a disconnected gap between my brain and tongue and teeth and mouth. What do I say? Friends?

I sucked in a deep breath."Carpooling."

Jem's idea of a proper rescue was not any better but it was something I could work on. "Yeah," I nodded excessively, kicking Jem in the shin to continue. He yelped and bit his lip from crying out more, shot me daggers as if to say you owe me.

"And- uh- we were working on the project...uh English...and pretty much we decided to go straight here together."

Smooth delivery there, Jem. Real freaking smooth.

Calista's icy grey eyes swivelled back and forth from Jem and me, trying to detect the lie. She chugged down her beer and crumpled the red plastic cup into her fist. "Sure," she exchanged glances with Astrid before marching away, her hair flying in a cascade of bone white blonde as she dragged away Astrid, who wiggled her fingers suggestively at me and winked at Jem.

"I'm so sorry for my friends," I apologised, scratching the back of my prickling neck.

"It's okay," he replied, amused to a certain extent. "They're kind of entertaining. And it's funny for people to assume we're dating because-" he looped his arm around my shoulder, shattering all sense of control I manage to retain. I shoved him off but I couldn't stop a grudging smile from cracking apart the stoic hostility- "we were written in the stars anyway."

I scrunched up my nose in mild disgust. "You wish, Leighton."

"You're right," he nodded, seeming serious for a while. But I knew he was kidding: "I'll settle for higher."

"Oh please!"

"That's what I'll have you screaming by the end of tonight," he winked. I felt the heat rising to my cheeks, splurging a deep crimson glow on my skin for reasons unbeknownst to me. I was relieved Jem didn't notice.

I punched him in the arm good-naturedly and he rubbed it, massaging his sore area, as I retorted: "I've heard more impressive from you, Leighton. Sharpen your wits. It appears you become dull."

"I'm sorry I couldn't hear you over your incessant blabbering-"

"I do not blabber, you-"

"You two again!" Caleb called out, swaggering his way over, surprisingly and unnervingly drunk. He had about five beers cradled under his arms and he was pretty much swinging down the burning amber liquid down his throat. "Hey, Ellis! You look pretty." He giggled in a very un-Caleb manner.

It was extraordinary to see Caleb caught up, bubbling like a little kid with a childish aura so infectious I can't help but shake my head, beam and heave out a soft sigh but let a grudging smile escape me anyways. Sometimes, talking to a drunk person made you appreciate whatever brain cells you had left.