Getting Wilder ✔️

issue seventeenth: a cocktail of emotions

"They have a date planned," I rolled my eyes and chuckled.

"Oh," she said, raising her eyebrows. "Isn't it awkward for you?"

We were on the front porch and I could hear the music blaring from inside, making the floor vibrate underneath my soles. My heart started racing in familiar anxiety and I took a deep breath before answering her. "A little bit, but we're making it work."

She nodded and knocked on the door. A few seconds later, the door opened to reveal Brad. His cheeks were flushed, his eyes glassy and his words slurred. He seemed to be rather drunk. "Ah! The Evans!"

I stared, bewildered as he hugged Kay and beamed at me.

"Um...hi," I said, awkwardly shuffling my feet, not knowing where to look.

Heaven and hell interchanged places. The sun stopped burning. The earth split into two and the banshees from the underworld sang in a melodious chorus.

He leaned forwards and hugged me warmly. "Good to see you, Nico!"

I had expected slimy, writhing, slithery skin but was stunned to find that he seemed pretty much human-like. Warm and firm. Even his scent wasn't like a sewer rat but more like expensive cologne mixed with the heady tang of alcohol.

He leaned back and I gaped at him, wondering exactly how drunk he was. He seemed as surprised by his own actions as I was and his eyes widened before he shook his head. His cheeks burnt a dark red and he took an unsteady step backwards.

Kailey giggled and shook her head. "Excuse him. He's just euphoric."

Not wanting to expand the awkward moment into more 'I'd-rather-swallow-sand-minutes', I decided to follow her as Brad led us inside. I stopped dead in my tracks, my head throbbing from the arrangement in the building.

The main light of the house was out, the entire corridor bathed in flickering, colourful lights that seemed to stab my eyeballs. Heavy bass music played from somewhere deep in the living room. I could smell alcohol, sweat, food all mixed together in a pungent blend. Several sweaty bodies were writhing, grinding together to the music as the light reflected off their skin in glistening hues.

I took a sharp breath, feeling suddenly nauseous as my anxiety increased ten folds. Maybe it was a bad idea after all.

"Come on, Nico! Let's go inside!" Kay yelled and grabbed my hand firmly, leading me through the tangle of bodies and into the living room. 

Here, things seemed to be a little better, although the music was making my eardrums vibrate. There was a cacophony of noise, yelling, laughter, shrieking. I barely mastered the impulse to shut my ears. Delicious smelling food was kept on the table, fruit drinks, some much more sinister-looking drinks, tons of empty glasses all toppling over the table, chips, some fritters and a number of things I couldn't even place a name to under the dim lights.

"Nic," Brad said as Kailey slowly started moving to the music. I gaped at him as he smiled drunkenly, handing me a glass of a pungent-smelling liquid. "If this is overwhelming to you, this should help!"

Since when had he called me 'Nic'? It felt almost blasphemous. 

I stared at him curiously for a while and he seemed to get flustered, blinking rapidly. 

I gaped at the glass which was glistening malevolently under the dim lights. The surface was rippling slightly with the catatonic music. I looked at him again just as he opened his mouth to say something but I stopped listening when my heart jolted violently. My eyes had shifted behind him and my breathing ceased when I spotted a familiar figure at the corner of the room.