The Illusion of Us

Chapter 7

Khalil had had to make up an excuse on the spot as to why Mina couldn't come to pick him up at his own house, and he doubted he had been very convincing, but if Mina was suspicious she kept her thoughts to herself and met Khalil in the parking lot of the school like he'd asked without any further questioning.

Khalil was surprised to find Mina's navy blue Lexus empty when he climbed in and he couldn't stop himself from looking in the backseat over his shoulder a couple times to make sure Noah or her boyfriend weren't hiding stowaway waiting for the perfect moment to jump out and yell "April Fools!"

Though Mina had been the one to invite him and had even been the one to offer a ride, he still felt guilty.

He still felt as if he were doing something wrong.

Maybe it was the fact that he had neglected to tell her who he really was, or maybe it was his angst at being trapped alone in a car with her.

Either way, the closer they drew to their destination the more nervous Khalil became, until his entire body was drenched in his anxiousness.

It wasn't hard to spot the party in the neighborhood, and from three blocks away they could already hear the deafening ambiguous sounds that was the music blasting through the two story house.

Khalil couldn't believe the monstrosity that awaited them as Mina turned onto the street, and he felt like he would pass out before he even made it up the stone front steps.

The house resembled something off of an HGTV show, something that Khalil had only dreamed of or seen in movies and he fought the urge to pinch himself.

Made mostly of glass just like school, the entire floor plan was open and, from the street, they could look in upon the horde of teenagers jumping around wildly with cups of obscure looking liquids toasted up towards the sky.

There were people on top of tables, people on top of chairs, and people on top of other people.

Just watching the scene unfold made Khalil's head hurt.

Mina noticed his rising discomfort beside her, the way his legs were shaking a mile a minute and the way he began to fidget in his seat, and she laughed aloud as she parked the car parallel on the street behind an even more expensive looking SUV.

"Have you never been to a party before?" She asked laughingly.

Of course he hadn't.

He had been too busy trying to find somewhere to sleep at night to concern himself with parties but, gazing upon the chaotic scene unfolding in front of him, he would rather find himself back on the street than walk through those doors.

Khalil shook his head slowly in answer to Mina's question, his eyes never leaving the house towering in front of him.

Another laugh reverberated from beside him.

"You'll be fine." She shook her head without a thought, clearly misunderstanding the severity of the situation and removing the key from the ignition.

"Yeah." He let out a forced chuckle, his eyes the size of hubcaps.

It was ironic that out of all the trauma he had endured in his life, a high school party was what he feared the most.

"After I throw up." He really hoped that he was exaggerating, but the aching in the pit of his stomach was becoming too painful to ignore.

Mina only giggled, repeating her mantra to him all the way up the abnormally faux green lawn, and again as they merged into the sea of teenagers rambling their way up the paved stone pathway and onto the front steps.