SETTING: KING COUNTY, SEATTLE
EN ROUTE TO ANTHONY'S PARTY.
TIME: 10:30 pm
IVY ISN'T A JUBIAL FAN OF LYING—AT ALL. Her heart would always do that little drum in her tight chest, the apple cheeks blossoming a red tinge across the pane of her rich skin. Especially to her illiberal mother, but occasionally it was absolutely necessary. Like now. If her mother found out she was attending the party tonight, Ivy's pretty little curly head would be served for evening dinner by perhaps a smartly dressed waiter. A simple text informing her that she'd be at Aurora's house was sufficient enough. Right? Well hopefully it was, because she had no plans on not attending this party.
Ivy eyed herself inquisitively in the mirror, running her hands over her curvy body. A tan matching set adorned her torso and upper legs, the tight shorts accentuated her hips, a scribbled calligraphy imprinted the side of the material. If her mother ever saw her like this, God she could only imagine the screaming that would probably shatter all the windows in her house. Her wavy hair was scooped into a half-up ponytail, with a beige scrunchie to match her cute outfit.
"Black or white wedges?" Aurora dangles the shoes in her hands, her eyes wide in hurried anticipation for her answer.
They were meant to be rushing, you know, getting ready to leave right now—Well Aurora was the only one, since they were slightly late but Ivy sat comfortably on the bed, munching on a barbecue chicken wrap. Her best friend takes so long to get ready, her face makeup-ed to perfection, each blonde strand as bone straight as humanly possible. She looked really pretty. Her hands screeching the metal hangers against the pole, she deeply searched for another outfit for no distinct reason.
"Ivy?"
"Yes?"
"Black or white?"
"Uh, Wedges? To a party?" Ivy questioned, glancing down at her own sneakers worriedly, wondering if she underdressed.
"Already know what you're thinking. I like the sneaker look, but you know I always wear wedges." She pauses, then repeats herself for a third time, her head tilted in slight annoyance. "So fucking black or white? Or should I bring out the red ones?
"God, don't confuse me even further. Um-White. It looks pretty with your dress," Ivy confirmed.
Her dress was flowy and short sleeved yet form fitting with lace trimmings around the bust. Vastly angelic looking, somehow reminds Ivy of something Jordan would drool over —now she understands why Aurora is dressed as if she's attending the beach. But Ivy kept quiet, knowing her best friend for the amount of years, Aurora would deny, deny, deny.
After sliding the shoes on, Aurora grabs her faux crocodile skin handbag, jangling her car keys in her other hand, "Ready to go?"
"Yep." Ivy confirms, following Aurora as they climb down the carpeted stairs.
"Mom! I'm leaving now, I'll be back around 3." Aurora yells into the living room, her mother shouting something incoherent back to show she's asleep and doesn't really care.
Sometimes Ivy could wish upon a shooting star for a mother like Aurora's. Ms. Ainsley was unbelievably kind, and worked late nights at the hospital as a diligent nurse—She wakes up extremely early and returns home extremely late, with a birdnest hair, and heavy eye-bags, it's a surprise she's home at this time. Inexplicably, she still didn't look a day over thirty, with bright youthful eyes and a smile that could irradiate a dimmed room, you could easily tell she's a warm-hearted woman. Ivy admired her, she wishes she could say the same about her own mother. Shit happens.
Her long, pale fingers fixated on the joystick, the positioning at gear 3, Aurora liked to drive fast, as Ivy gripped the car-handle with her dearest fucking life. "Slow down, damn."
"We are very fucking late." She paused, " I don't want to get there when everyone else is drunk and I'm sober. God, imagine getting there and there's like orange juice left. The fuck am I meant to do with that?"
Can't relate, Ivy thinks to herself. She strictly doesn't drink alcohol because the taste is genuinely disgusting to her, but she doesn't absolutely relish in judging people who enjoy indulging in booze. Last time, she took an unwarranted sip of her mother's champagne and virtually coughed up her tiny lungs at age thirteen. Her mother always taught her to be careful with drinking, because it's easy to be taken advantage of when you're not in the right state of mind. True words by a false woman.
The music was so fucking loud, each bassdrop fizzled into the tips of Ivy's fingers, she can't even imagine how annoyed the neighbours must feel. As Aurora pulled into the driveway, neon lights flashed continuously through the lustreless windows, the lights completely out. Empty cans of beer littered on the lawn, chanting echoing through the house, it seemed fun.
Anthony's large house was almost two blocks away from Ivy's, the rich side of town. A repellent depiction of her mother hearing of a teen party close by and hunting out her daughter painted in Ivy's head. Of course, it would never actually happen in a million years but paranoia is a powerful feeling. Plus, her mother is one crazy son of a bitch. Never say never.
"Um-Are you okay?"
Ivy snapped her head towards her best friend, the inattentive haze over her eyeballs dissipating into a thin veil of torment. "Sorry, I was a little distracted."
"A little? You look like you've seen Michael Jackson in the fucking flesh." Aurora put her milky washed hand over Ivy's deeply toned arm in comfort. "If you're nervous about the party, I can take you home, it's not a problem."
God, Aurora is so clueless. Ivy's been to parties before, well not many, but enough to know not to feel any sense of anxiety. She enjoyed them for the most part. But for peace of mind, she went along with it, reaching to unbuckle her seatbelt loudly.
"Don't worry. I'm fine." Ivy sighed.
"No you're not. If it's about the alcohol then I could tell Anthony you don't drink, he'll understand."
"No, no, no. That's so embarrassing, there's no need." Ivy screeched.
Ivy and Anthony have never personally met before, she hears his name floating around every week when he hosts his many, many parties. He's a friend of a friend to her, she can't even really remember what he looks like. Aurora yapping her gums to a guy she doesn't really know is a nightmare, because she does care about her repute. A prissy wimp will be her new image, because she's that paranoid.
"He really wouldn't care, he's pretty nice."
"Nopey nope. Let's just go in, and we can decide inside." Ivy lied straight through her teeth. She knew she wasn't going to decide inside and would ultimately avoid the subject.
"If you say so."
Walking hand in hand, she almost regretted swinging the door open. The strong scent of weed and sweat floated through the atmosphere, catching Ivy at the back of her throat. Clouds of thick vapour evaporating into the hot air and closing off the hallways. The fast-paced music being louder inside than outside felt impossible as it rung through their ears, the rhythm resounding through her body. How exciting.
"Straight to the kitchen." Aurora shouts in her friend's ear over the music, barely.
Eagerly nodding, Ivy desired to escape the very busied living room, she had no eyes on anyone she knows. Bodies clung to sweaty bodies, the two friends forced their way to the kitchen, feeling like the longest journey.
"Jordan!" Aurora screamed.
Compared to the living room, the modern kitchen felt ten times emptier, the LED lights a faint vivid glare on Ivy's skin. The three boys sat on the grey marbled kitchen counter, a scarlet cup settled in each of their hands as they conversed amongst themselves. Jordan flickered his head once his name was summoned, his face lighting up once he saw Aurora's beautiful profile as he hopped off the counter. The two others followed him.
"Poison, you're here? At a party? It's like seeing fucking elephants fly." Mariano laughed but his eyes betrayed him as he peered at her body, his eyes lingering a little longer than usual. Vinnie as per usual, was scrolling through his phone paying no mind to either of the two.
"Guess you're seeing Dumbo for the first time, because here I am. At a party. Clearly." Ivy snapped back.
"And you've got attitude, damn Poison, you've been drinking already?"
Ivy avoided the question, simply shrugging ambiguously to try and store the topic of alcohol at arms length. Mariano didn't question her though he seemed like he wanted to. His sclera of the eyes were tinted a pale rose hue, Ivy could tell as he made direct eye-contact, his vision gauzy. Wait-Was he high? Asking out-loud would be a huge risk in case he offered a blunt to her, which she'd politely decline.
Jordan and Belle had disappeared into thin air which elevated Ivy's blood pressure, her breathing quickening. They've never separated at a party ever, it felt unnatural because she knew how shy Ivy could be— Standing in the corner of the room is the resultant of their separation every so often. It's pretty pathetic.
"You dressed for the occasion, unexpectedly." A high-pitched voice chirped in, Belle's peppy face inches away from Ivy who jutted her head back in surprise. "The colour is giving, hmm—Dog shit." Then gave that annoying innocent gleam of a smile.
This stupid, annoying ass bitch. Ivy closed her eyes in closed frustration, finding the hem of her shorts band and squeezing hard. Belle settled next to Vinnie, her hand fixated onto his broad shoulder, her physical touch trailing along his back. Ivy's wide eyes observed the hand like a mad woman, her teeth chewing on her pink bottom lip. Fuck, she desperately wished her best friend hadn't left the group, so Aurora could help bite back at Belle.
"Shots?" A brown haired boy, Ivy assumed was Anthony, offered. In his hand, was a wooden tray, with almost ten shot glasses filled with a transpicuous caramel hue, hovering at Ivy's eye level. The strong spirit stench almost filled her body with revolt, she was sure her nostril hairs are incinerated off. Yuck.
"Um-I don't drink. Like ever." Ivy admitted, eyeing the untouched bottles of water at the opposite side of the room, laying on the top of the fridge.
A low sneer could be hear being emitted from Belle's mouth, whilst Vinnie had a face like 'of course, this pussy never drinks', his eyelids hung low in almost bored fashion, continually staring at her. Though being judged heavily, she held her ground, glancing away from tray, pressing her clammy hands against her top.
"You need to live a little. It's almost end of Junior fucking year." Mariano encouraged, the shot glass replacing the red cup filled with whatever in his hand.
"I just don't drink."
Mariano turned his head, rolling his brown eyes, "Well, I got that part. Why am I not surprised?"
"Yummy, I love being around judgemental people." She sarcastically cheered. "I'm going to find Aurora. I don't need this."
"Okay Poison, I'm sorry." Mariano grabbed her arm. "She's probably with Jordan, right now. Third wheeling, at a party? Not the type of fun you'd want."
After a while Ivy agreed, nodding. Though she's happy Aurora found a man, the feeling of being alone at a party with no one she really talks to felt miserable.
Everyone grabbed a shot glass, apart from Ivy who awkwardly looked around the room, her lips pursed in a cumbersome manner. Vinnie and Belle clinked the glasses, slid the liquid down their throat then kissed. They kissed. Sorry, what. Ivy blinked hard to make sure her mind wasn't playing magic tricks, her vision perhaps deceiving her. Ivy made sure the remaining two shot glasses were physically there because maybe she accidentally glided the two down her mouth and she was drunk right now. But she wasn't. Her mind was fully conscious, the two were passionately lip-locking, her gripping hand on his bicep, his bored hand on her flat ass. What the fuck.
A blazing fire ripped through her chest, her throat squeezing, the feeling indescribable as her heart drummed irregularly. Belle is such a liar, if she hates him for taking her virginity, then why is she kissing him like there's no tomorrow?
Mariano noticed her bitter face as he half-heartedly interrogated her whilst her long sharp nails sunk into his slightly tan skin of his palm. Her face looked bothered. "What's the matter?"
She shook her head, "Nothing."
"You sure?"
Two shots in two of her dainty hands, Ivy, without a second thought, downed the booze down her pharynx, the burning sensation of the raging taste of rum skidding down her tongue. Mariano's comfortingly raspy voice and the addicting flow of music seemed miles away from her buzzing ears. The painfully intoxicating taste of alcohol levitated through the veins of her fragile body. Her compassion and sensitivity was so dulled out, Ivy could be hit by a fucking car right now, and it would feel like a pinch.
She dragged out a resonant hum, feeling so content with herself, now letting the sense of spirits swim across her stomach. So she leaned herself closer to his oh so cute face, a dopey grin spreading across her face so bewitchingly. His face was a picture, his drawn out eyes almost pulled out of the sockets.
"Thought you don't drink?" He quirked an amused eyebrow, observing her loosened shape.
"Needed to live a little, right?" Her voice was so husky, she sounded—Sexy, almost. Almost jumping at the predilection of her unfamiliar tone, the feline undertones of her sentence surprised Mariano himself, who watched her curiously from the edge of his red cup, as he tipped the remainder into his mouth.
"You changed your mind quick." He then asked, wanting to laugh at her slightly adorable stumble of words.
That swirly anxious feeling that bubbled in her stomach had vanished, she wasn't sure if Vinnie and pink fucking bobble-head Belle were still kissing nor did she really fucking care. She was about to get absolutely shit-faced and she loved it. "Um-" She dragged out, numbing out the way he mockingly looked at her. Ivy dug her fingers into Mariano's zip-up hoodie and dragged him close, their faces real close. "Let's go to the living room, where the real party is."
"Okay, fine. But no more shots."
Ivy peered back at Belle holding Vinnie close, her sultry blue eyes filled with desire as he whispered something in her ear. She needed to get away from this, it was a must. She wasn't sure it was jealousy that she was feeling but she didn't necessarily want to stay.
She scoffed, her pupils congested with crazy excitement for the rest of the night to come. "We'll see about that."
_____
(AUTHORS NOTE)
she's a lightweight but so am i, so
i'm in no place to judge.
also i'm going to explain the pov here
because maybe it's a bit confusing. it's
definitely third person ofc , but it's like a
mixture of third pov and Ivy's perspective.
it will almost always follow where her
perspective apart from exceptions, and kinda
incorporate her opinions. like when i
say "that bitch." or something, it's not me
saying it, it's like ivy thinking it
that's all. <3
-Parissa🌹