Georgia Peach - Book One

Chapter 1-Heartache

We strut out to the front porch to wait for our ride. A few moments go by, and Aaron pulls up in his red Camaro, impatiently honking his horn. Lacy and I dash for the car, meeting him on the road; she gets in first. "What up, dude?" She greets him while crouching down to climb in the backseat.

"Hey Lace," He replies as his eyes linger a little longer than usual at her as she adjusts her skirt. I pretend not to notice where his eyes were drawn. As his eyes are diverted to me, his lip curls in disgust, "What the fuck are you wearing, Mariah?!"

I look down at my attire, trying to determine what is upsetting him so much, "Umm...What's wrong with it?"

"You know I fucking hate it when you wear shit that shows every mother fucker your goods, Mariah!" he barks.

I climb in the front seat of the car, "Sorry, I didn't think you'd mind since we are going to a party."

"Yeah? Well, I do! Are we engaged, or aren't we? You looking to get laid by someone other than me?"

Lacy interrupts, "Oh Christ! Would you two stop being such a drag?!"

His face turning red as a beat, he glares at us before speeding off down the road as he reaches down, turning the volume to the music on full blast—the vibration of the speakers piercing our ears as Nine Inch Nails plays.

I glance back at Lacy. She eyes me with a stony-faced expression, arms crossed in front of her, shaking her head side to side. Her eyes say it all; he's your problem, so deal with it, kind of look. I keep my mouth shut on the way there, keeping my head down and praying that Aaron doesn't flip out and embarrass me in front of everyone tonight.

We finally pull up at the frat house where the party is. I quickly climb out and move the seat forward for Lacy. Aaron comes around and heads right up to the party without saying a word, leaving us behind to fend for ourselves. Lacy and I hurry to catch up, walking behind him up the front porch. Once we weave through the crowds of people outside and enter through the front door, the music is so loud; I feel overcome with anxiety as if I want to crawl out of my skin the minute I walk in. There are crowds of people as far back as I can see in the house.

Aaron engages in conversation with a couple of his frat buddies the minute he walks in; he doesn't even acknowledge my presence near him. Lacy laces her fingers around my arm, "Let's go see what's going on back here." She suggests as she leads me to the back of the house through the back door.

We walk outside amongst the groups of people sitting around smoking and drinking. A familiar aroma lingers in the air, one that college kids know all too well – cannabis. What else do you expect at a college frat party?

We grab two beers from the cooler outside and plop down on the empty porch swing. A couple of guys approach us, "Damn, you girls are fine. Want some company?" one of them asks.

Lacy shrugs, "I'm down, but my friend here is engaged."

"Ahh, too bad," The other one says.

The boys grab two lawn chairs and set them up on the porch next to us. Being overly flirty, Lacy engages in conversation with them for a bit; meanwhile, I stay silent. I wouldn't dare speak to them for fear of upsetting Aaron if he were to find me.

After a while, one of them asks Lacy, "Hey, you wanna go smoke one with us?"

She smiles, "Sure, why not."

She gets up before turning to look back at me, "You gonna be okay out here alone?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Go have fun," I tell her reassuringly as I wave her on.