WORD COUNT| 2.8k+
After months and months of grieving over your failed relationship that ended a little over a year ago, you were now in a better place. Due to that, one of your very dear friends had convinced you to go to a party with her tonight. Ailish. She was a firecracker with her box dye red hair, her wild choice of clothing and her bubbly personality. But after your breakup with your ex-boyfriend, she was there for you. You had actually met her the day of the heartbreaking split. You were crying your eyes out on a street corner, and as if by fate the sparky girl came bouncing out of a shop a few doors down. She didn't even take a second look at you before she introduced herself and sat on the curb with you for several hours, just listening to your problems. From that day on she had become your only best friend in your sad little, broken world.
"This isn't like a college frat, house party, right? It's not going to be like walking into a high school mix and mingle where all they do is drink beer and hit on girls until the cops get called by neighbors?" You ask, putting your shoes on. Flats. You never understood how girls could wear heels to an event where they knew they'd end up getting wasted. "No y/n this is a legit party. Plus, I know a lot of the people there. They're nice and you won't have to worry about getting roofied or played." She says, impatiently waiting for you by the apartment door. After your friendship blossomed you wanted nothing more than to move away from your old place. Ailish was quick to offer you the spot as her roommate, and honestly, it was probably one of your better decisions in life.
On the way to the party, you guys discussed how you would get home. Although Ailish was crazy, she was all but reckless. "If I get drunk- which we both know I will, my brother is a phone call away." She explains, nodding her head towards her phone on the console. You'd met her brother once or twice before when he and his wife and their daughter would come by to visit. He was kind and it was obvious that he cared about his sister very much. Ailish was pretty secretive when it came to her past, but from what bits and pieces you'd been able to uncover you understood that their parents weren't the kindest people in the world, so it was basically his job to make sure she was taken care of and stayed a humble, genuine person. He certainly did too.
You were actually surprised when you pulled up to the address. All the lights were on, the music wasn't blasted to full blast, and there weren't people passed out in the grass. "Where is everyone?" You ask looking around. From what you could tell, there were only 10-15 cars, which was unusual for any party. "This is usually the number of cars, a lot of people uber too. I promise you it'll all be fine." She reassures, patting my hand and grabbing her phone off the charger. You took her getting out of the car as your cue to do the same. Following close behind like a dog on a very short leash, you walked into the house. Now that you were actually surrounded by a plentiful amount of strangers you got even closer to Ailish if that was even possible. You knew you were probably slowing annoying her with your closeness, but she didn't say anything and grabbed your hand, pulling you through the mob into what you were assuming was the den.
"Ailish! You made it!" A male voice booms, coming closer. "I wouldn't miss it!" Ailish speaks, dropping your hand momentarily to hug the stranger. "Y/n this is my childhood friend Luke. Luke this is my best friend Y/n." Ailish introduces. Luke was an attractive guy with a clean hair cut, perfectly trimmed facial hair and a welcoming smile. You shook his hand and followed them as they introduced you to more of the party goers. Everyone was as nice as she had made them out to be which made you more comfortable than you thought you'd be.
Before long Ailish had expertly sniffed out the collection of assorted alcohol. "Drink?" She asks, pouring a pink-ish liquid into a plastic cup and holding it towards you. "What is it?" You ask, taking it and sniffing it. It smelled of strong alcohol and mixed fruit. "Social juice." She jokes, ushering you to take a sip. So you did, and it didn't have the sting, and it left a pleasurable aftertaste. "You like it don't you?" She asks, still not telling you what it was. You nodded, not being able to lie. "That's my girl!" She laughs, making herself something a bit stronger.
