The Fallen Angel

Prelude

Teal

I bounced on the balls of my feet. My house sparkled, lights glinting off of every surface. Glancing around, I noticed the brightness might've been coming from other sources. Smiles, laughter, and kissing was rampant. I stood awkwardly at the front entrance to my castle. My fingers twitched and I pulled my lip in between my teeth. I bit down on it harshly, drawing a bit of blood. I quickly wiped it away just as another hoard strolled in.

A silver Mustang drifted into the dirt circle in front of the mansion. The occupants dangled out of the car, breathing in the night air without the obstruction of the roof. I scanned their faces quickly. Driving, junior boy Benjamin Yan tossed a smirk over his shoulder, winking at me. The car hissed to a stop as he cut the engine. Despite being captain of the Varsity baseball team, Ben still found time to perfect his NASCAR skills. 

Riding shotgun was Zachary Weater. He pounded the roof of the car along to the bass from the radio, his blond hair flopping around like a wave. Zach let out a long cry of excitement as their clown car pulled up.

Crowded in the back, five people screamed the lyrics to a vulgar song into the night. From left to right, Beverly Ramierz (who was crying out to Zach over the radio and her own laughs), Maleah Thompson (who was struggling to keep her black baseball cap over her braids), George Zimmer and Milfred Rot (George had his hands encircling Millie as she teetered on his lap), and finally Stephanie Stratford. Steph waved and almost tumbled out of the car when she saw me, her bell like voice calling out to me. I took a deep breath and forced out a phony smile.

The crowd bounded out of the Mustang, wobbling up the cobblestone stairs to the large wooden door. George trapped Millie between his body and one of my marble columns, kissing her strongly and passionately in public. I chuckled and greeted the guests, my chest jittery. 

"Teal! Damn!" Ben whistled, tugging gently at the fabric of my shorts. I blushed slightly. 

Rolling my eyes, I smirked at Maleah. "Girl, you know this is more or less a pool party?" I gestured to the hat she had struggled so much with and the fancy mini skirt adorning her legs. She scoffed.

"I got my swimsuit underneath but there isn't anyway I'm going to sacrifice this gorgeous look for chlorine," she flipped one of her long braids over her shoulder, "I'll be at the bar if you need me." Taking Bev with her, Mal strode past the rest of us, immediately being dragged into the chaos inside.  

Eventually, Millie & George came back up for air and also retreated inside. Zach and Ben each grabbed one of my hands in theirs and directed me into my own house. I tried to wiggle free, but they had a death grip. Zach managed to tug me a bit closer to him, much to Ben's dissatisfaction. In return, he pulled me into his chest, his other hand caressing my face. I giggled. Zach gasped, nearly ripping my arm out of the socket as he flung me into him. Slowly, he lowered his head. Asking permission with his eyes, I nodded and his lips slid to mine. We both bubbled into laughter as the nearby crowd clapped wickedly. 

I shoved them both off of me at that point. "Alright, get off of me you fuckin ogres," I teased, smoothing out the kinks of my hair. 

"We better see you by the pool!" Ben said.

"I'll be pissed if you aren't my beer pong partner!" Zach repeated, trying to overshadow his friend. Ben playfully pushed Zach, sending the two out of my view as I walked away.

As the night wore on, more and more people decorated my halls. I knew most of them. There were exceptions though, names that my tongue couldn't find. But they knew my name. I had never heard the word 'Teal' said so many times in one night. Everyone at the party knew me by name, often describing how they knew me through some long drawn out story where they had seen me or spoke to me through one of their friends. I pretended to remember and nodded, patting them on the back or hugging them. It was always easier to just go with it.