Before It Ends • Hessa • Emery Scott

ꫀⅈᧁꫝ𝕥

Fucking Tailey's sarcastic smile vanishes, and she rolls her eyes. "Yeah, it must've." She mumbles and I look down at my cafeteria tray full of shit. I can only slightly tolerate Tailey. She used to be nice to me until she did something unforgivable last year, and ever since then we've both been harsh towards one another. It's not like I can quit hanging out with her either.  She's my source to the parties. And I have some unfinished business at those stupid fucking parties that I can't just leave.

I pick at the disappointing excuse of mashed potatoes, looking up as another girl sits beside us.

"Hey guys." Marisa Adams places her plate down, and I smile at my red headed friend. Marisa is nice. She actually seems to genuinely care about me sometimes, and she doesn't totally flip in disgust at what I'm wearing, which is a bonus. Tailey is a bitch.

"Hey Mar." I smile. Marisa scarfs down her mashed potatoes as if they came from a famous barbecue restaurant. Tailey and I scrunch our noses in disgust. We both 'Eww' at the same time before laughing.

"How can you eat that shit?" Tailey asks after holding back her giggles. "It smells like garbage."

Marisa rolls her eyes before taking a sip of her water. "I didn't have breakfast today." She smiles for a split second before frowning. "My mom and dad were fighting again."

I furrow my eyebrows in concern. "Aw, no. What happened?"

Marisa rolls her eyes, crossing her legs carelessly as if it wasn't a big deal. "My dad's just a dick to her sometimes." Marisa has an aggressive family. Her dad is a drunk, and hits her mom. She sometimes has to skip to either cover up a shiner, or take care of her mother.

Tailey pouts her lip as she reaches over to touch Marisa's hand. "We're really sorry. If there's anything we can do, we're here." Marisa nods, looking over at me with a half smile. Tailey is the most fakest piece of shit ever.

I nod, agreeing with Tailey, which is rare. The thing with Tailey is that she is always mean to me and only me. She doesn't get all disgusted with Marisa's white clothes and pink jackets. I don't understand it. I think my dad being a professional famous book writer has something to do with it, because when I bring up my dad she completely goes batshit crazy.

Soon, everyone from our group is here. Eric Mullen, Bobby Graze, Aryona McCurry, and Elena Daniel. The schools worst students, and best drinking buddies.

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"Woah, woah, woah. What are you doing?" I ask as I approach my car to find Neighbor boy sitting on the back of it. He's totally going to dent the trunk.

He quickly hops down, noticing my discomfort with him. "Oh, I thought I'd take a ride with you home."

I scoff, "okay, fine. But I don't want you to be around my car unsupervised. You could've just came to the gym and waited for me there." I take my keys out, unlocking the door.

"I didn't know you were in the gym." He replies and I roll my eyes. He hops into the car.

"Well, now you know, neighbor boy." I open the car door.

"So, are you saying you're going to drive me tomorrow then?" He asks expectantly and I sigh.

"Do I have a choice?" I sit in the drivers seat and buckle myself.

"Nope."

"Then I guess so." I roll my eyes, for what feels like the hundredth time today, as I back out of the school parking lot. Neighbor boy has a sweet smile on his face, his cheeks lifted up to make him look like a stupid ass chipmunk.

"Okay, so you have two options here. Either you tag along to the party I'm headed to right now, or I go out of the way to drop you back off at your boring ass house. Your choice."

"Uh... the latter." He replies, and I look over at him with furrowed eyebrows.

"You'd rather sit at your boring ass house?" I ask. I thought I made the party sound much more fun than his house.

"No! Uh- I meant the former—" he stutters

"Just fucking talk like I normal person!" I interrupt, getting frustrated with his stuttering words.

He answer immediately, "Take me to the goddamn party, woman."

◉‿◉

I park the car, sighing as I open the car door. I look back to check on neighbor boy, to see he's rubbing his hands on his jeans, breathing in and out like he committed a fucking murder. "Hello, neighbor boy." I sing, "Whatcha doin' in there?" I tease, tapping on the car's roof to catch his attention.

He turns his head to me, his eyes going wide and his eyebrows raising. He looks so funny. "What?"

"We're here, buddy!" I cheer sarcastically and he lets out another breath, hesitantly climbing out of the car. "What's up with you?"

He shrugs, shaking his head. "Just really excited." He says quietly, and I decide to ignore his small voice crack.

"Alright." I grab the sleeve of his hideous light brown jacket, tugging him with me up the house's steps. There are cars littered all over the grass and sides of the road.

I open the door without knocking. I don't need to knock, this house is practically mine. It takes an extra tug of neighbor boy's arm to actually get him inside the small house. Bodies are everywhere, and all the lights are off besides the hue lights going with the music lining the ceiling/wall crease. This house was practically made for house parties. I don't know whose house it is. Tailey knows someone, who knows someone, who knows a college kid who owns this house or something.

I tighten my grip on neighbor boy's arm so I won't lose him, and push off into the kitchen, nudging open the swinging door and gesturing my hands out to as many coolers, bottles,  and red cups you could imagine.

"Welcome to heaven, Neighbor boy!"

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𝙰𝚞𝚝𝚑𝚘𝚛'𝚜 𝙽𝚘𝚝𝚎

Thank you for your votes! What do you think of the story so far?

Chapter eight: Oct. 12, 2020