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The human mind is a complicated space.
One day it is at peace,
the other at havoc.
As confused as a person can get, it must all be blamed on the mind.
It plays games, for and against.
One can never understand what exactly is supposed to be done with the complicated piece in the body.
As Alyssa read the article on Human Mind, she shut her eyes and breathed in. A lot has happened in the past few weeks and she didn't pause to even think about anything. She has been tortured with the reality of her life, she has lost a lot. In the process of collecting memories, she now only wishes to forget these past few days.
"Hey."
She opened her eyes to meet the blue ones that belonged to her best friend. He planted a kiss on her forehead as he took a seat next to her. She passed him a smile. She missed him, the most. Her heart knew - whatever her friends did, they did for her. She could never be angry at them, though she felt betrayed, she knew - it was for her good.
"Are you done with your assignments?" She asked him as she took another bite of her sandwich. He nodded.
"I think I might be able to get A's in all of them."
She squealed excitedly. "That's amazing, Neil. That way, your conditional offer for Kinsley will be changed to unconditional and you'll get your admissions."
He nodded smiling. Neil had a busy week. As much as he wanted to be with his best friend, he was occupied with the situations depending on his future. In the last few days, he had appeared for three interviews, nailing them all and received two unconditional, while one conditional offer in his hand. Kinsley was his first choice, so if he could turn his offer into unconditional, he would immediately take the spot. Alyssa was happy for him. She knew how much he hoped to get into the best college. Though she does not remember her past four years, she does remember how I'm going to a good college has always been his dream.
"What about the others?"
"Zach got into Lincoln and Elizabeth is waiting to hear from them. I think Skye is trying to get into Hearthstone and Jamie is looking for other options."
"How did I miss all of this?" She mumbled under her breath.
"It's okay, Ally. You've got a lot on your plate." Neil rubbed her back. She nodded.
"Hey guys, don't forget to comply with the theme tonight." Some random guy rushed into the cafeteria and announced. Everyone cheered.
"Why would someone agree to the stupid theme." Alyssa sighed.
"I think the 2000s is a great theme." Neil declared.
"The only great thing about the '00s is the debut album of Coldplay."
"And Nokia phone, I suppose." Neil shrugged.
"We weren't even born in the year. The world was better off without our existence. What have we even returned to the earth with our existence?"
"A population growth?" Neil laughed. She scoffed.
"Are we going good with the population growth?" She asked him. "It is only biting us in our ass. Climate change, Hunger problems - how do we deal with all the shit?"
"Leave your shit at home while you come to the party. Tonight is about the present, the exact time to be alive." He declared.
"Ahhh - what a life, man. To Be Alive." She exasperated. Neil gave her a worried look.
"What do you think should I dress up as?" He asked her, to change the subject and her thoughts.
"Doesn't matter, Weber. You're only going to make a fool out of yourself."
"And why is that so?"
"Have you never looked at the fashion sense back in the '00s?" She scoffed. "Everybody is probably going to dress up like The Cheetah Girls or some rapper."
"Do you have anything cool in mind?" He asked.
"How about not attending at all?" She raised her brow. "That will be my theme. I wasn't in the year - so, I might just skip this one. Call me when they plan on something between 2003 to 2021."
"When did you turn so boring, Ally." He dramatically cried.
"When life happened, bruh." She rolled her eyes and stood up. "Don't overdo your costume, baby. Also, do not dress up as Shaggy."
"How about Paris Hilton?" He joked.
"I'm sure you'll be twinning with Danielle with that choice." She winked at him. He huffed.
She waved him a bye and walked towards the next class. Returning to school had been hard for her, but she decided to block all the negative thoughts and focus on her studies. That is one thing that she could concentrate on, the rest just slips out of her mind.
She entered the class and was welcomed with a warm smile by Mr. Porter. She had the class with Neil and Skye but both were busy with their assignments. So, she had to attend the class alone.
She took a seat next to Chris while Mr. Porter started reciting a poem by Emily Dickinson.
The Heart asks Pleasure - first -
And then - Excuse from Pain -
What does her heart want?
The pain to wash away,
The suffering, the melancholy feeling that has captured her mind, she wants it all to go away.
For the past week, Alyssa has been feeling guilt inside her, not because of the accident or the truth that she doesn't remember, but for not feeling guilty enough. She believes, she cannot feel remorse because she does not remember anything. It feels to her like she has been fed with a truth that doesn't seem like hers. She tried remembering, putting a lot of pressure on her thoughts, in all of the action - she even decided to get hypnotherapy. But in the end, she knows she has a fragile heart. She may not be feeling remorse, but she sure does feel guilty.
She tried to hide away her emotions so that she doesn't have to bother anyone else. She still does not want the people around her to suffer because of her actions and reactions.
Everything to her has become a concept of the fantasy world. Nothing is false, but everything is not true as well. In the world of black and white, she is in complete grey. She wants to be colour blind, but she cannot rule out the fact that she now knows the truth of her tragic night, but she does not remember a single moment.
Her finger rushed to the forehead where she has the scar from the accident. She tried recalling the incident by touching her wounds, maybe if she could regain something, but that didn't help as well. She was unable to concentrate because she didn't have the pills. Last, when she saw Dr. Payton, she lashed out at him and after three days, she was out of her pills. She did not need them immediately, but she is aware of the consequence she might have to deal with, once she starts losing her mind. She does not want that, but it is not in her hand that her brain started overreacting one fine day, putting all the pressure on her heart. That day is not far enough, she knows that. But she can't do anything about her situation.
Mr. Porter was a little literal towards her as he did not ask her any questions. She was in no mood to answer any words that his mind wanted to hear. The class ended sooner than she thought because she was occupied with her thoughts the whole time. She left the class and as all her friends were busy submitting assignments and preparing for their interviews, she decided to go home. The school ended and she didn't want to stay back and do anything. Instead, she decided to go home and get some rest.
Her phone pinged and she took it out from her pocket to read the message. It was from Neil.
I refuse to be stood up by you tonight. So do show up at the party. I promise it will be fun. Love you, x.
She smiled. Even though a lot has happened with her friends, she was trying hard not to let it affect her. She punished them enough for hiding the truth, but she also knew she needed them.
She was least excited about the evening, but she wasn't going to bail out. Her friends bragged a lot about the party and the whole school was excited about it. She wanted to understand the hype and so she decided to attend the party, not for her - but the sake of her friends.
***
It was around seven and she was dressed up for the party. She didn't want to kill herself with the cold weather. December had already started and in some days it was going to snow. She didn't want to risk her life to the chilly weather outside.
Landon found it odd for her to dress up in that manner for the themed party. She explained to him and her dad the reason behind why she chose the particular get-up. They laughed at her choice. She rolled her eyes and knew, she would get the exact reactions from everyone else.
"At least I'm not killing myself by wearing almost nothing to rock Christina Aguilera iconic looks from the year."
"She was the star of every Hollywood night." Dad declared.
"I'm sure you had pictures of her in your room." She winked at him while Landon let out a silent laugh, trying not to hurt dad's feelings.
"Her, Aaliyah and all those beautiful singers." He winked at her this time. He definitely was trying not to lose from his daughter.
"Ahh, all those wet nights, dad." She declared and before he could scold her for the comment, she ran out of the house, waving her bye to a hilariously laughing Landon and a shocked Dad. As soon as she stepped out, she froze. She could already feel her blood freeze, she had no idea how would she survive the season.
She saw a car pull over and the window rolled down. She ignored the person in the car. He honked to grab her attention. The sky was already dark and she stood in the cold night, waiting for her best friend to come to pick her up before that creepy person bothered her. The guy honked again and gave her a look of disbelief.
"Get in the car, Alyssa."
"Not with you, Blondie." Crossing her arms against her chest, she declared.
"This is no time to joke, we are already late." He rolled his eyes.
"You look like a creep. Daddy taught me to stay away from guys like you." Silence groped them and she huffed. "Alright, any way you'll forget everything in the next fifteen minutes." She laughed and opened the door, she stepped into the car.
He took the polaroid from the back seat and clicked a picture of her before she could even pose. It blinded her eyes for a second. "Do I look hot?"
He showed her the polaroid. "You look like someone who ditched the theme." He took out a sharpie from his pocket and wrote 'the flaker' under her picture. She rolled her eyes.
"I'm very well dressed according to the theme, you'll know." She stated and continued looking at his hair.
"You finally falling in love with my looks?" He teased her.
"I'm trying to remember the exact moment when I became friends with you. I want to erase that off my mind."
"You can never erase me off of your system, Pearson." He winked at her as he started driving. She still had her eyes on him.
"Is that permanent?" She asked. "The colour?"
He shook his head. She sighed. "This look will forever haunt me in my dreams."
"You're being dramatic."
"Because you look nothing like Leonard." She complained. "Just wearing a cream-coloured suit does not make you Guy Pearce."
"I have tattoos on my body, one reads Alyssa is in love with me."
She laughed, resting her head on the seat. "The bruise looks promising though."
His phone rang and she received the call for him as he had a no-phone rule while driving.
"Where are you, Leo?" It was Zach.
"He forgot the address and now we are stuck in the middle of nowhere." Alyssa declared.
"Agh, Neil took his role seriously." Zach laughed on the other side. She stated they'll reach in the next ten minutes and ended the call.
"Why is this party so hyped up for?"
"The party is thrown to enjoy the ends of exams and to welcome Christmas Holidays with fun." He declared. "It is like a tradition."
"How many traditions do we have to follow?"
"It's Eastwood High baby." Neil sang in a high-pitched voice. They arrived at the address in the next ten minutes. As she stepped out of the car, Alyssa saw people entering the huge house with enthusiasm, all dressed up according to the theme. They entered the house and were welcomed by an overwhelming crowd, cheering and enjoying the party already. The temperature of the house was warmer and she liked her idea of attending the party. The huge golden balloons hanging above welcomed everyone in the '2000s was lit' party. Red and Green lights moved vividly. Neil took her hand as they walked through the crowd into the next room. They entered the living room which was already packed with fifty bodies, laughing, dancing, drinking and some kissing in the corner.
"Guyyyssssss." Skye landed herself on her two best friends. "Finally, the two people I love the most." She declared and landed a kiss on Neil's cheek. Neil laughed at her look, while Alyssa adored her friend in those cool pigtails.
Skye was dressed as Lizzie McGuire in her iconic pigtails look with a green top. Skye smelled nothing like herself but all of the alcohol.
"Is she drunk already?" Alyssa asked Neil, he shrugged. "Are you drunk?" Then she asked Skye. The brown-haired shook her head. "How long have you been drinking?"
"Three hours, but I'm not drunk. I just had - " Then she counted her fingers. "Two bottles."
Alyssa and Neil passed each other worried looks. Skye had been drinking even before the party, she arrived here drunk.
"Who drove you here?" Neil asked her, trying to shout so that she could hear him beneath the loud music.
Skye bit her lip and he knew, she came by herself. He did see her car in the parking.
"Are you out of your fucking mind?" Neil grabbed her arm and shook her. "Why would you drive by yourself?"
"I don't have a driver to drive me everywhere I go. I do things on my own." She hissed at him, trying to get out of his grip. His eyes turned dark.
"This is your last glass, Rollins." He declared. Even though Neil has always been the calm one, everyone knew - when he declared something, it was the last words. No one would dare to go against his words.
Skye pouted and looked at Alyssa for her. Alyssa sighed.
"He is right, Skye. You're wasted. You need to rest." Alyssa walked Skye out of the living room into the next room where she made Skye sit on the couch. "Do not get up from here. You've had enough for tonight."
"But the party's just started." Some guy seated next to Skye cheered. Along with him, Skye cheered.
"He is right. Anyway, tomorrow is no school. So stop being my mom and let me have the time of my life." She cheered.
Neil gave her a strict look and she stopped right there, rolling her eyes. Alyssa felt bad for her friend. She was not in the best version of herself.
"You sure she'll be okay?" Alyssa asked as they exited the room.
He nodded. "She knows what she doesn't have to do next. She knows my rules, Ally."
"You look quite intimidating tonight, though. She wasn't scared of you, Weber. Leonard coerced her." Alyssa laughed. He huffed.
The booming speakers' made it hard for them to communicate with anyone and they decided to find their friends. They bumped into a lot of people to finally make it to the kitchen. There, they saw two guys indulged in some intimate kissing while the others ignored the guys and continued enjoying.
"Is that -?"
"Yes, Chris." Neil answered before she could even ask.
"Agh, now all those poems make sense." She giggled and he handed her a glass of juice while picking a glass of beer for himself.
Alyssa found it hilarious that twenty per cent of the girls were dressed up in velvet track-suits, the popular fashion trend from the '00s, while the other twenty were dressed up as Elle Woods, the over-used character.
"You should've dressed as Elle." Neil laughed. "What are you anyway?"
Alyssa wore a white oversized sweater and skinny jeans. She only wanted to save herself from the cold weather. She had no intention of dressing up for the party.
She bumped into someone that made her spill her juice on the particular person. She looked up to meet the familiar guy.
"I'm so sorry. I wasn't looking, I -"
"It's okay, Alyssa. You all right?" He asked her.
She passed a weak smile. Her eyes landed on his hand. "Woah Liam, I'll buy you a new suit, but don't kill me."
She surrounded her hand in defence. Neil rolled his eyes at her silliness but was enjoying watching her enjoy her time.
"Not at this moment, sweetheart." Liam tried his best to bring justice to his role. "I'll engage myself in massive homicidal behaviour by the end of the night. You must save yourself then." He winked at her. She laughed at the way, he delivered the dialogue.
"I think the axe will anyway give a heart attack to a few." She declared. "It is a bit too much."
"Who is American Psycho without his axe anyway?" Liam asked
"Not a Psycho murderer?" Neil asked, in the way of humour. "Great choice man."
Liam passed him a smile. "I hope you remember all of this after fifteen minutes." As he stated, the three of them laughed.
"I'm glad you came, Alyssa." Liam declared. His eyes beamed, as he smiled.
"Wouldn't miss this one for anything, man." The sarcasm in her tone baffled him. Neil let out a laugh.
"She is not really liking the theme of the party."
"Is that why you decided not to dress up in particular?" Liam asked her. She shook her head.
"I'm committing to the theme."
The guys gave each other a weird look.
"You won't get it guys, but I'm in theme." She declared and walked away from them, looking for Jamie, Zach and Beth.
Some cool songs from the 2000s played through the loudspeakers while people danced. Right now, it was Shake Yah Ass by Mystikal. Alyssa's eyes landed on a particular someone in the crowd who was gaining all the attention from the people. She stood on a table as she moved her body into the rhythm of the song. How was she even dancing on this song?
"Oh God, how is that scarf even holding her boobs?" She heard her friend ask. She turned and greeted Beth with a warm hug who was dressed in denim from head to toe.
"Where is your Justin Timberlake?" She asked her. Beth giggled as she knew Alyssa would love her choice of character. "How much denim is too much?" She asked.
Beth shrugged. "Never enough." Then she took a deep breathe and shouted FREE BRITTANY. Some people joined her as they shouted again, standing up for the singer's rights.
They turned their gaze back on the one who was yet the star of the night, with that outfit and her moves.
"Did she really leave her house like that?" Beth asked.
"Just like you left yours like this." Alyssa laughed.
"The denim missing from my shoulder is the exact size of denim on her waist. " Beth declared.
"Is there an award for the best and worst dressed tonight?"
Beth shrugged. "What would she win for her theme?"
"I feel sorry for Christina though. Her iconic looks are ruined in such manner." Skye entered out of nowhere and stated. Her eyes were heavy with the drinking and she stumbled as she stood next to Beth.
"She looks great, Skye. I think she rocked the look." Beth stated. Alyssa agreed.
"A little over the top, but she does look great."
The crowd cheered and applauded as she twerked. By now, everyone had a good view of Danielle's ass and were clearly enjoying what bothered Alyssa. The crowd was objectifying her and Alyssa didn't like it. No doubt she looked great, but not everyone would see her with good thoughts in their mind. Danielle was surely going to get some extreme comments and compliments tonight.
"That's Danielle for everyone."
Skye declared and vanished into the crowd.
"Oh God, how is she even alive. I reckon she was a vampire in her previous life." Beth exclaimed.
"Maybe because her heart is cold, she can't feel anything." Alyssa declared and Beth laughed.
Alyssa's eyes landed on a guy in the corner who was jerking himself as he watched Danielle dance.
"Oh, Sweet Jesus." She mumbled. Beth's eyes landed on the guy as well and she let out a scream, which invited some eyes on her. Those people then looked at the guy in the corner and laughed.
"Danielle did wonders to Gary without even touching him." Some guy commented.
"His eyes are out." The other laughed.
"So are his balls."
The whole crowd laughed.
Alyssa felt bad for Danielle, she had no idea what was happening because she was so busy dancing and enjoying herself that she forgot, she was around some pathetic people. Alyssa wanted to ask her to get off the table, but she knew that would only anger Danielle and she hates Alyssa. So she decided to leave the room. Beth rushed to find Zach and Alyssa was now left alone in the room filled with more than thirty people. All her friends were enjoying the night and she didn't want to bother them. She knew they'd look out for her but she didn't need that.
Alyssa had mixed feelings about attending the party. Some much had happened with her that she was afraid if she had a good time for herself, it will be ruined by something. She didn't want to risk her mental health to anything, she was already drowning.
"Pick your poison." A guy held out two glasses in front of her to choose one.
"I don't drink." She answered. The guy insisted she has one, to enjoy the night.
"Leave her be, Harry. She can't drink. Doctor's strict rules." Alyssa heard someone say. She felt a presence next to her who was none other than the girl who would never take a stand for Alyssa. But she did right now. "Remember, she has a problem?" She asked, a hint of anger already sensed by Alyssa. "She does things and forgets. It should've been you to dress as the guy from Memento instead of your best friend."
Alyssa shut her eyes in annoyance. "At least I'm not one of fifty girls dressed up as Christina. Very Unique there, Zoey."
Zoey huffed. "At least I'm the unique Christina. Nobody else is dressed in that outfit of hers." She declared. Alyssa was surprised to see Zoey dressed up in the iconic yellow and black leather outfit that the singer wore during MTV's times. She even had a blonde wig on with the same braids hairstyle. "But who are you exactly? Is there any theme based where a girl fools people with her amnesia and ruins lives?"
Alyssa was shocked by Zoey's sudden outburst. She could hear each word fall out of Zoey's mouth in pure hatred.
"There may be. In your head, Zoey. You can build as many castles as in the air, just stop torturing me with your taunts. I already have enough on my plate."
Zoey let out a sly laugh. "You have enough?" She rolled her eyes. "God, you never fail to make everything about you, do you?"
Alyssa gave her a confused look and stumbled ahead as someone bumped into her from behind.
"This isn't about you, Pearson. It is about the lives that have been ruined, people suffering because of you." Having said that, Zoey took a step close to Alyssa, intimidating her, Zoey was in no mood to fuck around. "This is all about you, being the culprit."
She pushed Alyssa and walked out of the room. Alyssa stood there, confused. She couldn't understand anything that Zoey blamed her for. The loud music was already giving her a headache and now Zoey's words put an extra burden on her.
The room went silent for a second and another song started playing. The aura of the house went into slow motion, everything around her moved unhurriedly. Some people danced together, some cleared the floor. Some took the hands of their partners and tried finding a place to make love. Alyssa decided to go upstairs, away from the music, the loudness, the crowd.
"Did you see how he wore an orange shirt?" She heard a girl say to another as she giggled. The girl was dressed as Britney from Oops, I did it again video.
"Who did he dress up as? Nobody has ever seen him in such weird colour." The other girl laughed.
"Heard some girls talk, he dressed up Chandler Bing."
"Did the show not start in 1994?" The other girl asked. The first one nodded.
"He dressed up as Chandler from the sixth season when he was going to propose to Monica."
"Why that particular episode?"
"Because it was during season six which aired in the year 2000," Alyssa answered to them. The girls turned their attention to her and passed her a smile. She smiled back. "It was a great choice. Whoever decided to dress up as Chandler from that particular episode, must be a keen observer."
"It was Arthur." The girls stated and walked away for another refill. Alyssa was surprised to know that Arthur was at the party too. She hasn't seen him since the last time they met, the time when she cried in his arms and let her heart out in front of someone who then left her, to deal with her confusion and never returned. She thought about him every day, he was injured that night. She wanted to know if he was okay, but she was already working up with her life, she couldn't bring herself to see him.
A smile appeared on her lips when she realized that the episode of the proposal topped her five favourite episodes from the show. The best moment for her was when Chandler kneeled and He and Monica started crying together. She loved how it wasn't the cliché where the guy proposed. She loved how Monica took the initiative. She loved everything about Mondler.
He has a great sense of fashion.
She thought to herself and took out her phone to message Neil to meet her upstairs when her eyes landed on Skye who was far longer than wasted on the couch. Alyssa rushed downstairs and made space for herself on the couch as a couple next to Skye was making out violently. She tried waking Skye up.
What is wrong with her?
"Skye, open your eyes." She demanded. She rubbed her friend's palm. Skye opened her eyes and they were red. She pushed Alyssa and rushed to find a place to puke. Alyssa ran after her. Skye left the house and threw up in the pool.
Yikes.
Alyssa reached there, getting hit by the chilly weather and she was already missing the warmer tone of the house. She saw the mess her friend had created. Keeping her distance from the pool, she rubbed her back as she let out all the alcohol that was in her system.
"You feeling better now?" Alyssa asked her, once she was done with the vomit. Skye looked up to meet her eyes with her worried friend. Alyssa got her a bottle of water and Skye drank it, her eyes not leaving the ground.
"Do I look any better than before?" There was a taunt in her voice. "I'll not feel better, Ally. Not tonight, not tomorrow. Not the coming week." Then she looked up at Alyssa.
Alyssa was confused. There was sadness in Skye's tone.
"What happened?" She took Skye's hand in hers. Skye shivered.
"It will take me a week and I'll be okay. It always takes a week, you know right? You know me - no wait, you don't. You don't remember me." A tear fell from her eyes which worried Alyssa more. She made her sit on the chair next to the pool and placed a hand on her knee.
"I - what are you saying, Skye?"
"It hurts, Alyssa. It fucking hurts. You don't remember anything. Do you think I don't know? You didn't recognise me or Beth or Zach when you first woke up. Because for you, only Neil and Jamie were your friends. We were your fucking friends too. But we didn't react, you know why? Because we love you. But it hurts so much to see you this way." Skye stroked Alyssa hair that fell loosely on her face and tucked it behind her ear. A tear rolled down Alyssa's eyes on her cheek.
"I miss you, Ally. The old you. This new version of you does not remember me and it fucking hurts. Back in the days, we grew close, closer than you were ever with Jamie. I became your best friend. But when you woke up after the accident - it was all gone. I don't blame you, babe, I don't. But what can I do? If my old best friend was here, she would've guessed by now that I broke up with my girlfriend, but the new you - you can't see this is me, this is what happens every time I break up with some girl."
Alyssa wiped away her tear. "You broke up with Pallavi?" She was shocked. Do others know about this? Have they been hiding this too?
Skye shook her head. "She broke up with me. She said it was hard for her but she was doing me a favour."
"What?"
"Yes, she fucking left because -"
"Because what, Skye?"
Skye couldn't take her eyes off of her best friend. Alyssa's face shone brightly under the moonlight and everything about her tensed Skye. She tried hard not to look at Alyssa in any other manner than a friend, but it became hard for her. Before she knew it, she leaned in and rested her lips on Alyssa's. She was taken aback but Skye was in her senses while to kissed her. Alyssa was shocked, she pulled away immediately. Skye sat there confused, but her eyes went wide when she realised what she had just done.
"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Shit. Shit." Panicky, Skye got up from the chair and took a step away from Alyssa. Alyssa sat there, still shocked by whatever happened just two seconds ago. "Alyssa - I, I'm -"
"Because of me." Alyssa then met her eyes with Skye was already looking at her, surprised by her own actions. Alyssa got up from her knees. "Pallavi broke up with you, because of me, because you like me."
Skye sighed, another tear rolling down her eyes. She looked down, she didn't want to look into Alyssa's eyes. The effect of Alcohol was washing off and she was having a headache.
"I didn't mean to -." She didn't even complete her sentence and turning on her heels, she ran out of the pool area. Alyssa tried to stop her but she stood right there. She placed her thumb on her lips and tried to understand what just happened.
"Here you are -" She was brought out of her thoughts when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "What are you doing out here?"
"Neil, I -" she was speechless. "Skye broke up with Pallavi."
Neil's eyes went wide in shock. "What, When?"
"Did you not know?" Surprised, Alyssa asked. He shook his head. If anyone, Skye would've told Neil about her breakup. But she didn't. She told Alyssa first. She kissed her.
Did she do it because she was not in her senses?
Alyssa thought.
But, wait - no. She can't like me more than a friend, right?
"Guys - what are you doing out here." Zach arrived and shouted. "C'mon, let's dance inside." Alyssa's eyes landed on him, he was indeed dressed as Timberlake, being the partner of Britney. Neil and Alyssa gave each other a look but followed Zach inside, who had no idea about his friend's breakup.
"Don't tell anyone. It is Skye's thing to say." Alyssa told Neil. He nodded. They entered the house again and It wasn't me by Shaggy played louder than any other music. Everyone was dancing to the beats, it was one of the hit songs and catchy too.
The whole crowd matched their beats to the rhythm and sang along. It was the liveliest the party went. The bodies grinding and the heater in the house made it hard to believe if it was December's party.
Alyssa tried enjoying too. But her mind was occupied with whatever happened with Skye. She wasn't mad about the kiss, she was worried about Skye and everything that she said. Each word rang in her ear, it hurt her to know that her best friends were hurting somewhere because of her. It was in neither of their hand to do anything about the situation.
As soon as the song ended, everybody cleared the dance floor, cheering and applauding each other. Some guy suggested they sing songs and everybody agreed. The guy from a band, Cory started singing and some joined in dancing and creating a whole vibe.
Liam walked to Alyssa and took his hand out. "May I have this dance with you?"
She looked perplexed. Her friends looked from her to Liam and back at her. She was confused. Why would the host of the party, Liam - who has hardly talked five words to her want to dance with her? Yet, she agreed and placed her hand in his. Some guys cheered for them. In the corner, Danielle shot some daggers at Alyssa. She wasn't at all liking the attention that Alyssa was receiving.
They started dancing as Liam moved his left foot backwards, while she moved her right forward. His fingers played with her shirt as he had his hand on her waist, while she smiled at him placing her hand around his shoulder.
As they continued dancing, her eyes landed on a particular someone, the one who wore an orange shirt to honour Chandler Bing. He stood on the upper floor as he watched her dance with Liam. He could not focus on anything else around, he only had his eyes on her. The grip of her hand around Liam's shoulder loosened when she saw him look at Liam in not so friendly way. She could sense some tension in his eyes. She had been holding her breathe for a few minutes and she finally sighed when he shut his eyes. He couldn't watch her dance with someone else while she was relieved she saw him tonight. When she heard those girls talk about his outfit, she wanted to find him, confront him and talk to him. But then she got engaged with Skye's problems.
Standing there - slow dancing with someone else, she could only imagine her and him in the room. The feeling felt so new, yet gave her a sense of affinity as if she has felt this feeling before.
He walked downstairs and everybody was aware of his presence in the room. The music kept playing and Liam had no idea who stood behind him. He placed a hand on Liam's shoulder, resting his on her hand when she looked up to meet his gaze. Liam turned and was surprised. He didn't say a word yet Liam let go of his hand off her waist. He moved aside while he stood in front of her. There was a drop in the beat and she stepped back. He slid his hand around her waist and pulled her close. Some girls in the room gasped, every person was shocked. She shut her eyes and when she re-opened them, his blue eyes were already staring. She got lost in his eyes and slowly placed her hand on his shoulder.
Sadness is beautiful, loneliness that's tragical -
So help me I can't win this war, oh no
Touch me now, don't bother,
If every second it makes me weaker
You can save me from the man I've become.
The lyrics were twenty years old but she could feel like they were written right at the moment, only for them. Every word hit her as much as it did to him. Both had their ways of understanding the lyrics, both trying to take a hold of their emotions.
A tear escaped his oceanic blue eyes and his hand was no longer on her waist. He took a step back and she was no longer close to him. Taking another step back, he turned his back on her and walked out of the room, leaving everyone speechless and her - shocked.
"Arthur."
His name escaped from her lips like an old melody. There was so much pain in his eyes, she couldn't understand why and how was he hurting. All she wanted at that moment was to take him in her arms and let him show the shape of his heart, what his heart was yearning for, what hurt him so much that it became hard for her to breathe.
She was about to run after him when the lights of the house went out. People screamed and howled and every single person in the house forgot what happened two seconds ago. She stood right there, in darkness - trying to understand her life in that one night.
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Hi guys, it's been more than two months since I last updated. This chapter was supposed to be something else - a lot more intense. I had a lot in mind, I still have the backup in my notes, but I ended up with this.
I tried a lot to write. But nothing worked. Last three months have been the most dreadful, unbearable. I don't even know what happened - I was just not in the mood. I went to live with my grandparents, I tried celebrating festivals, but there was some void within me. It was killing me inside. I'm still the same, not recovered. I don't know what this is, but I sure do know what this is all called. I'm just too afraid to admit. I don't find happiness in anything anymore, the world is just the same, the same everyday life and here I am - dying every single moment.
I finally got out of my head and tried writing, but nothing came out. So I wrote this chapter 3 days back and I couldn't bring myself to publish the chapter. But I did today - I'm not a hundred percent happy, but this will work. I have a lot in my mind, I just hope I update the next chapters soon and don't take another break.
Anyway - Happy New Year Indians.
Happy Thanksgiving and Happy Holidays guys.
Also, the new variant of coronavirus 'Omicron' is the virus of concern and please - everybody stay safe and healthy. Keep wearing masks and have happy holidays.
Stay tuned for the next chapter and yes - THIS IS A BIG SHOCK, SKYE KISSED ALYSSA. I wanted to write this moment since the start of the book. I wanted to show how Skye and Alyssa had a bond, how they could have something. And I think I pretty much ruined the special moment, but I hope you guys like it.
How are you all doing today? Let's connect through comments.
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Beth and Zach were dressed as Brittany and Justin.
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Zoey was dressed as Christina Aguilera.
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Danielle was dressed as Christina Aguilera as well.
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Skye was dressed as Lizzie Mcguire character.
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Neil was dressed as Leonard from Memento.
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Liam was dressed as American Psycho.
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Eleanor and Nic were dressed as Nick and Lindsay from Freaks and Greeks.
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Arthur was dressed as Chandler Bing from Season 6.
Any idea what/who Alyssa was dressed as?
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