Represent

Chapter 21

To prepare for the party, Dorian took Nia and me shopping at the Water Tower for an appropriate swimsuit. Of course, we had to be accompanied by a security guard since she was starting to become more popular. Even though we protested, Dorian insisted that she pay for our purchases since we were dealing with the University of Chicago tuition and she wouldn't be anymore. Dorian bought a shining gold swimsuit with a high-waisted bottom. Nia bought a red and white polka-dot suit with shorts for bottoms. I bought a strapless tribal print top and orange bottom. The other thing that we did was call our favorite hair salons for appointments tomorrow so that we didn't have to walk around nappy.

Dorian had a limo drop us off at the party, which was on the edge of a more affluent area of the Chicago neighborhood. It was clearly a new development, perhaps custom made for the up-and-coming star duo, with a lush front yard. The yard was not large, though, because the house seemed to be built too close to the sidewalk, like it really served to protect whatever was occurring in the back yard. The actual building curved around the property and enclosed the backyard rather than a fence. From an angle, the house looked out of place amongst the more common places of residence. From the opposite angle, looking onto the more ritzy property, it seemed to belong perfectly. And the music could be heard from the curb even though the party was supposed to be in the back.

It was about sunset when the limo pulled up to let us out. I felt a bit silly stepping into the night wearing only a swimsuit, but Dorian assured me that I wouldn't want to keep up with anything extra while I was here. Since the first floor of the home was almost even with the ground, we only walked up two steps to knock on the front door. I rang the doorbell, since the door was locked. We waited a few moments, and then finally Louis opened the door for us. He had his arm around the waist of a girl I'd never seen before. She looked like she was too drunk to see much of anything.

"Ladies, Ladies!" he said grandly. He was barefoot and wearing some black swim trunks. His eyes were hidden from us by his large black sunglasses. "Glad you could make it!" He took a step back and gestured toward the party. The house was shaped like a horseshoe. A glass sliding door directly across from us led to the backyard, while people danced in either leg of the house. Most of the party goers were women in swim suits that seemed to be too small, as well as a few rough looking men smothered amongst them. The scent of loud hung in the air.

"Where's Liam?" I asked, already becoming overwhelmed. I didn't want him lurking around all these women who were probably seasoned video vixens. It wasn't that completely distrusted him, but it would just be more reassuring if I knew where he was.

"What? We're all in the back!" Louis yelled, apparently not hearing my question. "Come on!" With that, Louis turned around and started walked toward the glass doors.

"Why do I agree to this stuff?" I heard Nia complain from behind me. I looked ahead at Dorian for her response, and of course she seemed to love the whole scene. I sat in the middle of their outlooks. This whole hardcore party stuff wasn't my thing, but I couldn't help myself from being fascinated by it. This was the sort of party I'd only seen on music videos, and now I was getting a chance to be a part of one. Whether or not I liked it was still in question.

When we stepped outside, I had to readjust my eyes to the brightness. Not only was the backyard lit up by strobe lights, but all the furnishings were pearly white. Once I was able to see, I gasped at the size of the immense yard. The full sized pool planted in the middle of the yard only took up a third of the space. Around it were bars, a DJ booth, dance floors, and beach furniture all that same pearly color. I imagine it probably looked even bigger when it wasn't overcrowded by intoxicated partygoers.

"Zayn and Harry must have renovated since the last time I was here!" Dorian exclaimed as she looked around.

"I'm gonna need a drink," Nia commented. She looked to her right and saw an alcohol keg, but before she could reach down to get a drink, some girl with a 24-inch and a thong bikini crawled over and began sucking the alcohol right from the nozzle. "But not from there."