Coffee ~ON HOLD~

Coffee- 10

Frozen. Unmoving. Petrified. Immobile.

Faith is still in my arms while her brother stares on with confusion. How in the buttery name of popcorn am I going to fix this situation? Shit, shit, quadruple shit.

"What's going on? I didn't think you'd be here." Dean clutches a red solo cup in one hand, and seems to notice me for the first time. "Hey, Molly, right?"

"Yeah... Sorry. This is my fault." Faith extracts herself from my grip, her face pale and flushed all at the same time. I tap my hands on my knees. "We wanted to hang out, and I thought a party would be okay. But, well, she's a little out of it. I was helping."

"Yeah. I don't feel well." I glance at Faith who really does look ill. Dean looks skeptical.

"So it's just the two of you?"

"Well, no. She came with my friend, Jackie, and I."

"Wait, Jackie?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I'm baaaack!" Jackie bounds into the circle. "What's up, party people?" She sees Dean and grins. "Hey, you. Glad you could make it."

No.

I blanch and my stomach drops. This can't be happening. This can't be happening. There's no way this is happening right now. Dean, Faith's brother, who is also extremely homophobic, is Jackie's date? Pinch me, I must be having a nightmare.

Jackie grins over at me but it disappears when she sees our stricken expressions. "Mol? Are you okay? This is Dean, my date." I give him a forced smile.

"Yes. We've met." Jackie looks concerned before furrowing her brow.

"Wait, met like, now? Or before?" Dean wraps an arm around Jackie's shoulders and I bite my tongue to keep from gagging. He gives a lazy smile.

"I'm Faith's older brother. We met once when Faith was working." Jackie pales and she stares at me for confirmation. My lips thin and I nod tightly.

"...oh. Well. That's...uh, nice. Dean, come with me." She moves away quickly, tugging Dean behind her. She glances over her shoulder and gives me a look. I know what she means. When they're gone, I pull Faith up and lead her to the side of the house.

"Ohmygod, I cannot believe this. What do you think he'll do? I am in so much trouble, my parents are gonna kill me. Ohmygod, Molly, what do we do? He isn't gonna believe the whole too-many-drinks story, and he'll tell our parents and-"

"Shh. Stop talking." Faith looks around in confusion.

"Huh? Where are we?"

"Shh." I reach up in the darkness.

"Wha- ohh." I pull down a ladder and we climb up. "Where does this go? How do you know about it? Why-"

"Faith." I still and grip the metal ladder. "Do you know what 'shh' means, or were you never shushed as a child? Be. Quiet." Silence. "Thank you." Finally, we reach our destination. I hold out a hand and pull Faith up to a balcony on a guest bedroom. After pulling up the ladder and securing in it's spot on the wall, I sigh and lean on the railing. "Sorry, but basically no one else knows about this." Faith stands beside me.

"Where are we?"

"A guest bedroom in René's house. She showed me the ladder when she found me heartbroken once. She told me I could use it whenever party life got too much, and I don't abuse that privilege. But this is important." Faith is quiet for moment. Then,

"Heartbroken?" I shrug and glance down at the dark and silent yard below us. The party thrums vibrantly in the back, the lights seeming a world away. Music thumps, dull, echoing in the large courtyard-like lawn.