Bad Reputation ; s.m.

8

Just as dusk fell people began to show up. By eleven o'clock cars lined my driveway, my backyard was covered with an assortment of people. To my surprise people were swimming although it was mostly people who had been pushed in by other party go-ers. Someone kid I had never seen before had a whole dj table set up on my porch. The speakers blared rap music, cuss words were yelled often. There was upwards of one hundred people here. In my backyard. Most people I recognized from school, not that I was 'cool' enough to talk to half of them.

I weaved through people trying to make my way to the booze table. A girl wearing her bra and underwear screeched as a buff guy pushed her into the pool, a group of people jumped in after her. I jumped out of the way careful not to get wet. Finally I reached the table, I grabbed a blue solo cup and was just about to pick my poison when I heard my name.

I turned around to see a guy that was quite a few inches shorter than me, his spiked up hair gave the illusion that he was maybe 5'8. He was wearing a cut up band tee shirt paired with black skinny jeans and obviously new Nike tennis shoes.

"What's up? The names Dommy D," the stranger slurred. He clutched my hand in his and wrapped his arm around my shoulder before patting me on the back. "You're that guy that beat up Gilinsky right?!"

I nodded not quite sure what to say, "I guess so.."

"Good that guy was a douche bag," a guy standing behind Dom yelled. I recognized him, his name was Keenan, or something along those lines. He high fives me before turning his attention to his curly headed friend who was now being grinded on by a girl with long black hair. The guy with blond hair introduces him self as Kian, like I said along the lines of Keenan.

"I can't believe you, of all people, beat up the quarterback," Dom eyes me up and down.

"Well he started it," I mumbled.

"Is your cup empty?" Kian aggressively snatched the cup from my hands. "What the hell." I watched as he took my cup to a random keg and filled it to the brim. Kian handed it to me, some of the booze sloshed over the side and onto my shirt. He had an apologetic look on his face before being pulled to the dance floor by one of the girls that was in the pool earlier, Dom followed.

I spent the next hour walking around the party looking for Jack or at the very least Andrea. Occasionally stopping and talking to people who were getting too routy. I can only imagine how many things have been broken at this point but I try to brush it off and soak up this feeling. The feeling of been 'popular' for one because once school starts again on Monday G will beat me up and things will go back to normal again. I will be back at the bottom of the food chain.

"Please don't take that with you," I say as I grab a cup from a girl who is about to jump in the pool.

The repetitive rap music was starting to piss me off. "Hey can you turn that down a little bit," I politely ask the DJ.

"Guys that's really unhealthy," I yell to a group of people who were stabbing their beer cans then drinking them as fast as possible.

"Can you stop being a little bitch," an annoyingly familiar voice yells.

"I just don't want anyone to get hurt."

Andrea rolls her eyes, "Oh come on. No ones going to get hurt, they're all just having fun. You should try it sometime." She took a drag from her joint that I no longer had mistaken for a cigarette. She hands it to me and I take it between my fingers without even thinking. I take a long drag then blow it back out before nodding and handing the joint back to her.

"Better right?'

"I suppose," I mumble hating to admit that she might be right.

"Ooh lets do shots!"

I looked at her, my eyes wide with judgment.

She shot me the same look back, "maybe it will loosen you up." Andrea grabbed my hand and led me back to the table of assorted booze.

Andrea waved her arms, displaying the different types of alcohol. "What would you like tonight sir?" I looked at her with uncertainty. "Fireball it is," she picked up a bottle with a dragon logo and grabbed a shot glass. Filling it to the brim she handed the glass to me, holding another one in her hand.

"Ready," I nodded. "1...2...3," we both threw our heads back letting the booze run down our throats. My whole mouth burned, the look on my face expressed how unpleasant it tasted.

Andrea grabbed my glass while slamming hers on the table and filling them both up again. She looked completely unphased, this made me question how many times shes done this before. Had she done so many shots that her body was immune to the foul taste?

"I am not taking another shot Andrea," I protested as she handed me the glass.

"Oh come on the first one is always the worst," Andrea nonchalantly knocked the second one back.

I did the same, attempting to keep a straight look on my face as it felt like my insides were being microwaved. I coughed a few times before handing her the shot glass back. This cycle continued a few more times before I felt completely unbalanced.

"Alright I gotta stop," I held my hand in the air. The bass of the music picked up and I started bobbing my head. "Come on lets dance," I grabbed Andrea by the arm and pulled her to the middle of my lawn where a dance floor had formed. We danced for a while, my head becoming dizzy. All of the sudden everyone stopped moving, the backyard filled with people oohing.

"Thought you'd throw a party and not invite me?"