Absolution and Fragility

I

Watch yourself. You're swimming in deep waters.

The evening was warm and soothing with the sun just hitting the horizon. The sky was shooting different hues of pink that caused the darkening blue in the far east to pale in harsh comparison. The moon had even made its presence known in a manner that was unforcedly all-encompassing in the most calming of ways. The whole world meant nothing in this moment where the sun met the horizon, but at the same time, it meant so much. The beauty was so appreciated by those able to.

Especially by a gray-eyed beauty making her way down the sidewalk with her bag full of different bottles of alcohol. There was a hint of a smile on her red-painted lips as she thought about the freedoms she would allow herself tonight before she was required to go back. Her last night in California had to be exceptional, and after much begging, the friend she had made finally agreed to a wild house party in which she could get shockingly wasted and not be Miss Alexia Drakos.

She could just be Lexi.

She just wanted to be Lexi.

Lexi who walked to her friend's house; Lexi who drank at house parties; Lexi who went to public schools; Lexi who could be friends with anyone without a background check; Lexi who could shop after school; Lexi who had a summer job; Lexi who was normal. But, she wasn't Lexi, and she needed to know that.

With a swift turn up the pathway to her friend's front door, she noticed a burly man standing outside the door in board shorts and a tank top. His arms were crossed to puff out his chest and make his arms look bigger than he was. This was one of Diane's friends she hadn't met yet. That was plenty okay with her. As far as Lexi cared, she didn't mind who was here if they weren't from her country or her father's tirade of comrades.

"And you are?" he hummed out. His facial hair puffed and billowed as he moved his mouth.

"Lexi," she replied with more surety than she should have.

The man looked her over with probing dark eyes from her open-toed wedged sandals, up the long expanse of her tanned legs that were barely hidden away by a jean skirt that had been cut a little too high on the front of one thigh, to the inch of tanned mid-rift that was quickly hidden away but an off-shoulder dusty rose top. Her dark curls were lazily half-way tied up.

Lexi jutted her chin up in an act of defiance as she noticed him blatantly eying her as if she were some sort of produce at the meat market – out of place but somehow extremely exquisite. She had no idea whether to be flattered or disgusted, so she tried to retain her dignity in her defiance to be a bone for him to pick at.

"Well, if you'll excuse me," she almost snarled.

He opened the door for her and allowed her to pass through without another word. Cautiously, she stepped through while keeping an eye on him to entire time until the door had closed behind her. When she was finally able to evaluate she surroundings without having to worry about the hulking man, she had found a party had started before she had expected it to.

People were crowded in the entry way, stairwell, and as far as she could see chatting or drinking. Nothing had gotten too wild yet, but she was well-aware it was too early for things to get as crazy as she was hoping. No one near her looked familiar.

Another good sign.

She smiled as she waded through in an attempt to either find Diane or the kitchen. People pushed her back or even grabbed her as she pushed and said a trail of 'excuse me's. Eventually, she stumbled on the kitchen, or rather, in the kitchen and she hardly stumbled.

Diane was leaning against the counter with a cup in her hand that had a smiley-face sticker stuck to the bottom which was only noticed when she tilted back with the rim pressed to her lips. The redheaded girl she was chatting with wore a large smile and barely anything else. This did phase Lexi for a second before she took a breath and realized this is how Americans were.