Faith in his Faults

Chapter Two

Healey led us to the back of the house, towards the kitchen, saying hi to every person that we passed, some who I didn't even recognize.

"Who are all of these people?" I yelled to her.

"Some graduated already and others are from the university in the town over. I got there sometimes for a party here or there," she shrugged, clearly thinking it was no big deal.

When we reached the kitchen, Haley immediately went to grab us some drinks. I admired the room we were in, awed by how beautiful of a kitchen it was. The counters consisted of pure marble, and all of the appliances were stainless steel. Jacob's refrigerator even looked as though it had a touch screen on the front of it. I couldn't possibly imagine what that would be used for.

Haley handed me a drink and took a sip of her own. As I went to take a sip, I immediately smelt the alcohol mixed with soda. I glared at her.

"What?" she asked.

"I said if we came here there would be no drinking. You agreed to the conditions I made Haley," I said in a stern voice. She rolled her eyes.

"Come on faith. One drink won't kill you." As I attempted to argue, Haley just shrugged and walked out to the living room where the party was the loudest, and most crowded. I put my drink on a counter that we walked by. Clearly I was going to end up being the designated driver for the night.

As we walked into the living room, I lost Haley in the crowd. I stood on my tiptoes, trying to see over the dozens of heads blocking my view. I began to feel the panic rise in my chest. I took a deep breath, trying to keep my lungs from seizing. When I finally spotted Haley, she was dancing with a guy I didn't recognize in the middle of the floor, which had been converted into a dance floor.

As my heart rate began to increase, and my chest began to feel heavy, I started to mentally panic. I could feel myself giving into the anxiety, the feeling that has become all too common in my life.

Not here, not now.

I decided to leave the main party, and quickly made my exit. As I went the back door, which led to a patio surrounding a large in ground pool, I took a deep breath. Surprisingly, there were many people in the back yard. There were a few couples, scattered here and there throughout the outskirts of the yard. They were making out and were obviously not interested in the girl who just ran outside in a panic.

I put my hands on my knees, taking a deep breath and trying to even out my breaths. Although it was cool outside, I didn't feel cold. I felt as though my chest was on fire and I began to sweat. Walking over to the pool, I took off my shoes and socks. As I sat on the ground and dipped my feet into the cold, water, I started to feel some relief. Closing my eyes, I lifted my face up to the sky, allowing the cold evening breeze to cool off the sweat beginning to show on my forehead.

I knew that sitting outside by myself, was not what Haley had planned for me tonight. She wanted me to engage with the party, talk to people and drink. She wanted me to have a good time, laugh and be happy again. Although she had all of the right intentions, her hopes were not realistic. One party was not going to "cure" me of how I have felt since my mom died. It was not going to help the constant anxiety felt, but only made it worse. I was thankful that Haley was distracted by the stranger she was dancing with, instead of trying to further convince me to "have fun".

" Hey." As I sat with my eyes still closed, and my face directed up to the stars, I heard a deep voice appear next to me.

I hadn't even heard someone walk up, too focused on keeping my anxiety at by. Slightly jumping at the shock of hearing him, I looked up to see a large silhouette of a guy standing above me. Once I let my eyes adjust to the lights surrounding his head, I got a better, more clear look at who the voice had come from.