Behind

Chapter 55

Needless to say, planning an actual party (one not consisting of goodie bags being handed out at the end) was quite difficult to a bunch of amateurs like us.

We had gathered a list of people to invite, the Magcon family, and even, extensively, the O2L group. Along to the listed gang members, we added a few cuties from school. 

I had a feeling this would be a drama infested party. Nevertheless, a piece of me was inconsiderably careless and I couldn't stop it from taking over. 

"Who could get us drinks?" Kelly asked, digging into another slice of pizza.

I cackled out loud and so did Nicole. 

"What?" Kelly asked again, clearly unaware of one of the most obvious answers.

"Taylor and Cameron both have fake ID's."

Kaitlyn crunched a chip. "That's considering they'll even be willing to buy us alcohol."

"Being the badasses they are, they won't hesitate." Nicole scribbled something onto the notepad. "Especially if it means getting into drunk girls' pants."

"You're insane." Kaitlyn deadpanned.

"Trust me on this one," Nicole said, almost too sure of herself.

We had Kaitlyn text Cameron to get assurance that this party would be infested with alcoholic drinks. And nobody texted Taylor, as no one ever went near him or his number. Taylor tended to be an, oh what's the word, asshole. Twenty-five hours of the day, eight days a week.

The aforementioned guest list seemed to grow within minutes as each of us put in names of people we knew or crushed on previously. 

Then Nicole asked the most important question that we all, ignorantly enough, seemed to be forgetting about: "Where are we even going to have it?"

"Uh," I stuttered. "I'd have it here, except for the fact that I don't want to be here."

"My parents are home and on patrol," Kelly added.

"My house," Carmina sputtered. "We can have it at my house."

We all stopped and turned to face the most innocent girl of the group who opposed the idea of the party in its entirety.

"Carmina, you're kidding." Kaitlyn laughed.

"Maybe I want to party for once, and you know, host." Every word that came out of her mouth looked as if it tasted bitter and was hard for her to say. "Plus my parents went to Miami for the next three days. As long as we can clean the place up after, we could, uh, do it."

On the other hand, Carmina had a huge house. She lived around the corner in the nicer side of town where the houses were quite large with a lot of grass area. Along with the large house factor, she had a crazy party-worthy basement, complete with a bar and a seventy-two inch flat screen television, not to mention the huge, leather sofas. People could crash downstairs and in any one of the four guest bedrooms. A part of me insisted that we take advantage of this situation and hold the party at the least expected habitation.

I grabbed the piece of pizza with the biggest dough bubble in the crust. "Carmina's house it is."

***

I fell asleep that night with Nash on my mind, and also in my phone conversations. He had texted me long after the girls fell asleep, asking to talk. 

I kindly told him no, that now wasn't the right time. And I was hesitant to even invite him to the party. He said he'd think about it, but I don't think I'd be too hurt if he just didn't come. 

Or maybe it would hurt. I don't know.

***

Cameron arrived twenty minutes late with the booze. Taylor followed close behind and announced that he had brought weed to possibly share. He made darn sure to let us know that the possibility of his drugs being shared was slim. 

Carmina watched as Cameron, Taylor, Aaron, and Carter walked in the door. She was clearly and anxiously awaiting the end of the party.

It recurringly hit me throughout the night that we were actually having a party. Like a party party. I truly never believed that we were capable of it. God bless Nicole's spontaneous, and potentially stupid, ideas.

The party had already started to begin at the starting point we had set forth on the invitations via text messages: eight thirty. I noticed a group of girls growing larger outside the perimeter of Carmina's house. Sometimes I forgot that my group of friends had grown to be a little well-known and the boys themselves were famous worldwide. 

Cameron had obviously held parties before, because when he arrived, so did these big men, to serve as bouncers. 

"This is so legit," Nicole spoke to me loudly over the music. She handed me a red plastic cup and smiled while sipping from her own.

I grabbed the cup and stared at it for a moment. I'd never drank before, or done anything inappropriate in that matter. I didn't even know what was in this godforsaken cup.

But there's always a start for everything. 

I took a sip of the kook-aid tasting drink and felt a slight burning in my throat. My face twisted and Nicole laughed.

"This is going to be a great night."

***

Time seemed to become nonexistent. It became one large party that seemed neverending. The sky never got darker or lighter than black. It was a drunken paradox.

About three hours in, Kaitlyn came stumbling to me and leaned heavily on my arm, her dark brown hair flying over my shoulder. "This party. Is. Faaantastic," she choppily slurred. She was so drunk. I had never seen her like this.

"Kaitlyn, maybe you shouldn't drink anymore." I knew I was drunk as well, I felt the warmness inside of me, but I was not nearly this drunk. I grabbed for her cup. 

"No!" She yelled, yanking the cup from me. Alcohol toppled over the lip of the cup onto the lenoleum of the kitchen floor. "Oops." She laughed obnoxiously. 

"Maybe you should at least go lay down." 

Kaitlyn stared forward for a few seconds. Her expression was totally blank. All of a sudden her eyes lit to life and she smirked. "Yeah I'll goooo lay down."

I watched her stumble toward the stairs that lead to the bedrooms. I thought that I should follow her, but just as quick as the thought popped in my head, it vanished.

I turned around and saw Shawn standing by the kitchen door, chatting with some dudes from my school. He was drinking a bottle of water. Why was he so responsible?

I walked over to him, which I suddenly realized was a stumble. Maybe I was more intoxicated than I thought. 

"Teal," he smiled, grabbing my arm. "You seem a little.. drunk."

"I've had a few drinks." I smiled. "Do you want one?" I asked, pointing toward the kitchen counter as well as the downstairs, where the bar is.

"No no," he put his hands up. "That's not my thing."

I went to walk the other way, but I stepped on my own foot and tripped forward. I fell into another figure and I gasped as I dropped my cup on the floor, but was caught by the guy.

"S-sorry." I slurred. 

Taylor looked down at me and chuckled. "You're drunk as fuck."

"No shit." I rolled my eyes and pushed myself off of him. I never liked Taylor and his condescending attitude would get him nowhere tonight. 

He held onto my arm, which, tonight, seemed to be a handle for the drunk and those attempting to stabalize my balance.

Taylor smirked and brought me close to him. He leaned down in my ear and I felt his hot breath tickle the lobe. Loud enough so his voice was superior to the loud noises around us, yet only to a frequency I could hear, he whispered: "Come downstairs and dance with me."