Chapter Seven: The Party.
About an hour later I was ready to take a break. My tummy was full and I'd done enough dancing for a week in my perspective.
So I took a seat on one of the benches near the fence, swinging my feet back and forth, humming the music and watching Annie and Susan dance.
This was nice. I closed my eyes for a moment and when I opened them, spotted a group of girls with a guy in their midst passing by.
The guy was obviously drunk as he swayed with the girls, his arms around the waists of two of them.
I only realized who he was a bit too late and when he turned to look at me, I turned my face away. But he'd noticed me already.
"Violet!" Hale exclaimed over the music, waving at the girls as they left.
I wrapped my jacket around myself and got up, hoping Hale was too drunk to follow me. He wasn't.
Of course he wasn't.
"Where do you think you're going, babe?" He asked, grabbing my arm. I winced when his fingernails opened the same old wounds from before.
"I was just..." My voice cracked when my back hit the wall, Hale pressing himself against me.
My eyes darted around to the rest of the party. The lights were dim and my friends were nowhere to be seen.
"Hale let me go." I rushed out, cursing my voice for not being loud enough but my vocal chords felt like they were being pressed on.
"No...won't do that" Hale slurred, his weight practically resting on me now.
His finger trailed down the part of my chest the top didn't cover. "I actually hoped you'd look good in something like this..."
He looked at the blue jacket I had on like he wasn't sure if it was there the whole time before shaking his head and leaning down to kiss me.
I turned my head just in time so he missed and kissed my neck instead, the abject disgust I felt in that moment giving me enough strength to push him away and he stumbled back, cursing as he struggled to stay upright.
"Stop this Violet!" He snapped, coming back to pin me to the wall like he hadn't left in the first place. "You won't let me touch you, you act like I'm filthy like... like I'm some sort of disgusting... thing for days now! It's annoying..."
I was ready to just faint when his fingers crept under my skirt. They found the shorts I had on though and he looked down in confusion.
Then a sound came from right next to us. The prolonged sound of someone slurping the last of a drink out a bottle with a straw.
On a normal occasion, I hated that sound but right now it was a blessing.
"What's up, lovebirds?"
"Angelo!" I breathed but he didn't look at me. He stared at Hale before tossing the empty bottle aside.
Hale straightened up, wobbling on his feet as all the drinks he'd had were starting to catch up with him.
"You're starting to become one of my...least favorite people." Hale slurred.
Angelo's silver eyes glinted with something close to malice when he grabbed a fistful of Hale's shirt to tug him forward. "Already, cousin? I haven't even done anything yet." he said simply before shoving him back.
Hale was so drunk he stumbled back, crashed right down and stayed on the floor, passed out.
Angelo uttered an annoyed curse.
"Oh no" I groaned, running a hand over my forehead to push back stray hair as I bent down to check on him. "He fell pretty hard, what if he has a concussion or something? Franca is gonna kill us..."
"You're fussing over him?" Angelo asked in wonder.. "Well that's annoying, come on, Small Fry." he held down his hand for me to take.
"But..."
He raised an eyebrow and I quickly grabbed his hand so he could pull me up.
He didn't let go even as we stepped over Hale's unmoving body to find somewhere else to stay.
"You are fine, right?" Angelo asked as we walked into the practically empty kitchen. I pulled myself up on the counter, hugging Susan's jacket close to me and nodding an affirmative.
"Your hands are shaking bad, what do I do?" Angelo asked, coming to stand in front of me.
"Nothing." I said quickly before shrugging, "thanks for helping me, I just don't like when he's drunk."
"Oh" Angelo blinked at me, if he wasn't still expressionless I would have thought he looked apologetic, "I didn't know that, I would have laid off the beer..."
"You're drunk?"
"A little, the world isn't spinning or anything."
I smiled softly, "That's fine, Hale just gets very different when he's drunk. He won't remember this..."
"He's a jerk, Violet" Angelo stated, his hand coming to rest on mine to stop them from fidgeting, "and your fidgeting is stressing me out."
"Sorry". I whispered.
"Don't apologize, it's just...why are you with him?" He asked, taking a stool and sitting next to where my lap was.
Hale was indeed a jerk but one too many times I'd had to remind myself that I was supposed to be a girlfriend to him or else. I had to defend him like a true one so no one would know something was really wrong, so that they won't try to help and end up tangled in the mess that was the Frances.
"Because I love him." I said making myself smile despite how I wanted to throw up.
Angelo hissed out a curse, pushing up from the stool.
"And he can change" I said. "And he...."
"And he could do irreparable harm before you come to your senses!" Angelo snapped, gesturing outside where Hale was probably still lying on the ground. "You think you're the 'good girl' who can change the 'bad boy'? The bad boy is gonna ruin you, Violet!"
My eyes stung as I blinked up at him, it hurt because it was true and he was right but I couldn't jump out of the way of the express train that was thundering towards me.
"Hale can change" I added weakly, "this won't happen again, I'm sure"
"Really?" Angelo gave me a dry look. "you mean to tell me he hasn't touched you like that several other times before?"
I swallowed but my mouth was dry, all I had to do was nod and Hale would be exposed and I... I won't be free even after that, neither would Angelo.
"Of course not," I said, lifting my shoulders slightly. "He just got a bit handsy because he was drunk, you're the one seeing things and jumping into conclusions"
Angelo's eyebrows raised slightly as he studied me. "Violet."
I looked down, feeling bashful. "I don't want to talk about this, not right now, it's too..." I sighed "you're not even calling me 'kid' anymore, did I suddenly age these past few hours?"
Angelo toyed with the silver ring on his thumb before going back to sit on the stool. "I don't call you kid just because I think you are one, small fry"
I gave him a slightly confused look so he continued.
"It's only a nickname I give to my friend's girlfriends." He said with a casual shrug before looking up at me, slight mischief stirring in his grey eyes. "Hale's more of a cousin though so what does that mean, Violet?"
"Uh..." I looked anywhere but him as my cheeks flamed up and let out a nervous laugh. "Is that rhetorical?"
"No" Angelo replied instantly and when I kept staring at him with wide eyes, he sighed "Yes, it is."
I let out a little giggle and rubbed my eyes tiredly, "I think I'm done for tonight."
"You look it" Angelo stated with a nod, "you also look great, by the way."
"Really?" I asked, not sure why he was saying that. I was positive this outfit didn't suit me in any way.
"Really, just super uncomfortable. Loosen up."
"It's really hard for me, I feel as awkward as someone wearing a bikini to a funeral." I chuckled dryly.
Angelo tilted his head as he stared at me, brushing back the golden locks that fell into his face. Then his eyes darted behind me to the kitchen door that led out to the dining room as Susan and Annie came in.
I looked over my shoulder to watch them.
"Did you check the front yard?" Annie asked.
"Twice, she's not there, and I haven't seen Hale either" Susan replied, biting nervously on her finger nail.
"God if anything happens to her, I'm blaming you for making me eat that chilli dog"
"It's not my fault you can't say no!"
"Forget it, just check the upper floors once more while I check the backyard to see if we missed anything..."
"My phone's on, why didn't you just call me?" I interrupted, waving the telecommunication device at them. I nearly laughed at the relieved faces they made.
"Violet!" Susan and Annie gasped and bounded across the kitchen to me, both gushing at the same time about how they thought something had happened to me and how they were sorry.
"Why didn't you call though?" Angelo asked, fully interested in their mistake.
"We didn't think about that, okay?" Susan said, rolling her eyes.
I shook my head, chuckling at Angelo who was nodding in mock agreement.
"What were you two doing here alone though?" Annie asked, leaning on the kitchen island with folded arms.
"Oh, we were just...doing stuff" Angelo cut in, tracing slow circles on my bare lap with his finger before looking up at me. I didn't realize how suggestive that was until it was too late.
"What stuff?" Annie and Susan chorused, Susan looking amused and Annie looking very confused.
"No!" I exclaimed, sliding down from the counter (my thighs making an embarrassing squeaky sound against the ceramic as I did), "no stuff! Why did he say that? Why did you say that? We were just talking..."
"Just talking" Annie said, folding her arms and cocking her hip. "Alone"
"We're not even alone! Look at that guy, over there." I pointed to the guy who was passed out on the kitchen floor near the sliding glass doors.
"He doesn't count" Susan put in.
"He's dead" Angelo murmured and we all stared at him. "Kidding."
"You are so weird!" Annie pointed out.
Angelo shrugged like he got that a lot and stood up from the stool. "Guess I'm done babysitting, make sure this kid gets home!"
I scoffed at his comment, "how do you plan to go home? You didn't drive here!"
"I'll walk"
"Take a cab"
He didn't reply even as he opened the door that led to the rest of the party.
"Take a cab!" I called again.
"Alright, woman!" He replied and the door closed behind him.
"If that's not cute, I don't know what is." Susan giggled. "Maybe I should start an AngeloXViolet fan account"
"Susan!" Annie and I exclaimed but she simply took out her phone and furiously started typing.
"You'll never stop me!" She screeched, running out the back door and of course we chased after her.
~UwU~
Me watching the three of them go by like:
😂😂
Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Um...
That's it.
Next chapter up soon lol.
Please don't forget to comment! 😁