Tomophobia

1

AliBear- hey, you said the address was (insert address), right?

eniloraC- yup. That's the one!

AliBear- ok. So who did you say Derek invited?

eniloraC- His name is Harry Jerstar. He's pretty cute. I think you'll like him. He's even studying to be one of those forensic people.

AliBear- ok lol. See you there bruv.

eniloraC- aight boo.

I sigh and put my phone down. It was 6:32 pm and the party didn't start until 8:30 pm. I got up and decided to take a shower. Once I got out, I blow dried my hair and started to get ready. I slipped on a loose, maroon, dress that went down to my knees. It didn't have sleeves and was plain. I thought it was pretty cute. Taking one last look in the mirror and brush a strand of my shoulder length black hair behind my ear, I was ready to go.

It was about 8:00 so I waited a bit since it would only take me about ten minutes to get there. I left at 8:35. Why didn't I get there when the party started? Because I definatly didn't want to be the first person there. That would be awkward, considering I don't know the house owner. Caroline knew the owner and she invited me. Since it was such a short distance, I decided to walk. When I got there, you could tell there was at least 35 to 40 people already there. The house was HUGE. Whoever's house this was had to be making some big bucks. There was 3 floors. The very top had a beautiful balcony. You could see people holding drinks and partying up there too. The LED lights were flashing different colors and you could hear the music from outside.

   I sighed and walked in. Parties weren't my favorite thing, but I still enjoyed them, as long I knew a few of the people that were there. When I opened the door, the music blasted in my ears. I scrunched my face a bit in discomfort, but quickly got used to it. Spotting Caroline and her boyfriend, Derek, I decide to quickly walk over to them.
"Hey! You look so cute!" I tell Caroline. She was wearing a skin tight strapless dress that went down to her mid thigh. She smiled.
"Thanks! You do too!" She says. I look up at Derek and say hi. But then I notice the guy standing next to Derek. I would be lying if I said that he wasn't cute. He was probably a solid 7/10. He had black hair that was slicked back with green eyes. He was about 6'3 and he was fit. But... The aura he gave off gave me the chills. I brushed it off though, considering I don't know his personality. He might not be that intimidating. Derek introduced us.
"Harry, this is Ali. Ali, this is Harry."
Harry smiles and holds out his hand to shake. I take it and shake his hand. "Caroline has told me so much about you." He says suavley. What caught me off guard was his British accent. I gave him an awkward smile and chuckled. "Oh, she has?" I say.
"Yes, all good things of course. You look lovely." I smile, a genuine one this time. "Thank you." Caroline watched the conversation with a goofy grin. Me and Harry exchanged a few more words before he left to go get something to drink.

As soon as he left, Caroline turns to me.
"Sooo... Do you like hiiiiimm???" She asks obnoxiously.
"I don't even know him that well." I say, my face getting red.
Caroline chuckles. "He's super sweet. I'm sure you guys will get along."
"Caroline, you know I don't want to be in a relat-"
"Hey, I'm back." Harry says, walking up to us with a red solo cup in his hand. Caroline smiles mischeciously and taps me on the shoulder, gaining my attention. "Ali, me and Derek are gonna go and get some food and drinks. Be right back." She says as she grabs Derek's arm and they walk to the kitchen. I sigh, annoyed. I knew what she was doing. She was trying to get me and Harry alone so we could get to know each other better. I didn't really want to talk to him, but I guess now I have to. It couldn't hurt to make some new friends. I turn to Harry.

"So, where are you from?" I ask.
"I'm from West Whales, I moved here with my parents when I was 15."
    "Wow. Why did you guys come to Jersey, of all places?" I ask.
"I'm not quite sure... But I'm happy we did, or else I wouldn't have met all the people who I am now friends with." He said, smiling. Maybe he wasn't all that bad?

Suddenly, we started to hear people start to chant. "Do it. Do it. Do it..." Harry and I both looked at each other then looked at the strange scenario happening in front of us. A shirtless man was running up the stairs. Once he got up there, he looked over the railing and put one foot up on to it. That's when I kind of realized what was about to happen. Below the railing was a pool table. Everyone's chanting got louder and louder. He held up his cup, took a swig, and set it down. He put his other foot up onto the railing and jumped, belly flopping onto the table and breaking it in half. Everyone laughed and asked if he was ok, but he wouldn't get up. He was just laying there. Everyone started to get serious and walk over to him to see if he was ok. "Is... Is he dead?" Someone said. There was a crowd around him.

He grunted and slowly pushed himself up. He held up his arm up and yelled "THAT WAS AWESOME!" Held was breathing heavily. Everyone laughed and cheered. People were clapping and patting him on the back. I rolled my eyes. "He could have seriously hurt himself." I say. Harry chuckles. "Yeah, but it was kinda funny." I smile and laugh lightly. "Yeah. I guess it was." We talked a bit more and danced a bit. They were mostly playing bbno$ and Post Malone, which I didn't really have a problem with.

The house owner, you assumed, walked down the stairs and saw what had happened. He went over and shut the music off. Everyone stopped what they were doing. The owner pointed to the pool table. "WHO DID THIS." he yelled. One girl pointed to the shirtless man. "It was him" she squeaked out."
"Dude, you're gonna have to pay for that! My parents are going to be back in 3 days! Oh man... How am I gonna get it fixed?" The owner seemed to be having a mental breakdown. "They're gonna kill me! Everyone, out! Now!"
"Whoa dude, I'm sorry man. I didn't know it would make you mad." Shirtless guy said.
"Just get out of my house." The owner said, rubbing his temple.
As people walked out, they glared at the shirtless guy for ruining the fun. People were getting into their cars and leaving. It was only around 9:05. I walked out to the front yard and hugged Caroline goodbye. I didn't see Harry anywhere, so I assumed he left already. He must have gotten swallowed by the swarm of people walking out. I started to walk home. About five minutes into the walk, I heard footsteps behind me, I stopped and pretended to grab my phone out of my bag. The footsteps stopped when I did.When I turned around, there was nobody there. So I brushed it off, thinking it must have just been me. I walked for another minute, still hearing the footsteps. But when I stopped to listen again, the footsteps stopped, but they were a little bit late in stopping. Like they got caught off guard and they didn't expect me to stop. My heartbeat started to quicken. I panicked. Why would someone be following me? What did I do? I picked up the pace. I was almost home.

Just then, the footsteps started to sound closer. I started to run, but someone grabbed my torso, along with my arms, and covered my mouth with a cloth. I let out a muffled scream, flailing around, but whoever was holding me was holding me tight, so couldn't move very much. My vision started to go blurry and I started to feel weak.

   Then I passed out.