Rule #24: No Social Events
We don't interact with rule-followers.
-()-
Imagine a crazy scientist trying to morph a gothic scarecrow and a stick of fluffy pink cotton candy into one giant object. Could you imagine what it would look like? Good.
Because that probably resembles what I look right now.
I shift my stance so that I'm viewing my dress from another angle. But no matter how the light hits me, I still look ridiculous. Last night, dying my dress pitch black seemed like a perfect idea, but now it only emphasizes the pinkness of my hair. In order to cover it up, I took a hideous sunhat from mom's closet.
It makes my appearance worse, but it draws attention away from my hair, which is all I can ask for right now.
"Peyton, hurry up, we don't have much time," Mom snaps, her nails a sickening shade of neon blue as she snaps for me to move. Mom's been furious at me ever since I dyed my dress pink.
"Coming," I say.
After throwing one last disgusted glare at my reflection, which mirrors my distaste, I storm outside.
I make it a point to slam Melody on the shoulder as I pass her in the hallway. She glares at me, but says nothing. It's a good feeling to know that my silent treatment has an effect on her.
Mom and dad join hands before heading towards the house together. Melody's the first one to reach the house, unsurprisingly and rings the doorbell with unneeded enthusiasm.
On the other hand, I take my own sweet time getting there. I've never notice how magnificent the lawns under the stars and dark sky. No, really, somehow the dim lights of the house make it look extra green. Why, I could just stand here, examining each little strand of grass forever and forever...
"For god's sake, Peyton, hurry up!" Mom calls.
Maybe some other time.
Surprising a groan, I trudge towards the Raine house, which is blasting fifties music and radiating the scent of dead animals for the barbecue. The door swings open just as I arrive at the front door.
"Welcome," Mr. Raine, complete with suspenders and a suit, booms. "I'm glad you were able to make it today."
The walk from next-door sure was adventurous, I think in my head.
His wife comes up to us and shakes our hands. Her pearly-white smile flatters when she sees me, but just by a bit. Mom shifts so that she's blocking me from view. I don't know why she even brought me here. It's clear I'm an embarrassment.
"Why don't we go outside?" Mr. Raine suggests after a bit of small talk.
We follow them to their huge backyard, where a crowd mingles around a crackling bonfire.
About every woman has hot red lipstick smeared across their lips. About every man wears the same bad-boy leather jacket as my father. They laugh and mingle around the grills, which serve burnt corpses of animals.
How enjoyable.
They've decorated the horse stables with pink ribbons that test my gag reflex - probably because they're the same shade as my hair - and the trees behind their house are strung with little strings of twinkling white lights.
While Mr. Raine and my dad go off to join some of their friends, mom says, "You have some beautiful trees next to your house."
"Oh yes," Mrs. Raine lips curl up in an attempt to seem modest. "In fact, we're planning to build a tree house soon."
"Oh my, that should be fun."
"I hope so," They laugh together. High, fake laughter that makes me want to crawl under a rock and never come out again.
"What about you, Peyton, what do you think about this party?" Mrs. Raine asks.
"Seems a little unrealistic to me. Where are the segregated water fountains?"
Mr. Raine snorts, ignoring his wife's sour look, and says, "That's a quite a joke there, young lady."
"Yes, she cracks us all up," Mom narrows her eyes at me. "Peyton, why don't you go outside and mingle with your friends?"
"What a perfect idea, mother. This could be my perfect chance to scout for a husband. After all, I am almost eighteen and it should be time for me to settle with a boy and have children, the only thing I am remotely useful for in this fantastic decade."
I leave.
It takes me around two minutes to find the buffet table. I pull my sunhat even further down, ignoring the glances people give me.
Maybe, for once, I can actually eat something at a barbecue. I scan my options. Gummy bears. Marshmallows. Chips. Salsa. More chips. Cheese. Damn it. I can't fill my stomach with any of these junk food items.
In the end, I go to the giant bowls of fruit surrounding the chocolate fountain. Maybe I can make a fruit salad or something. I grab one of the plastic balls, with a picture of a fifties sitcom in the middle, and start filling it up with about every fruit I can find.
A man walks up to me.
At first, I pay no attention, thinking that he's just another father eyeing the pile of candy in the corner. But then, I notice the person's around my age and a face that I know all too well.
"Nice hat, Monroe," Derek says. "What are you hiding under there?"
I grab a couple of strawberries and ignore him.
"Rumor has it you had a little hair mishap," Derek steps closer. I stiffen, but try not to step back in an effort to maintain my cool. I had forgotten that he lived in this neighborhood. "I'm sure it can't be that bad. Let me see."
"Back off, Derek. Or I'll break something even bigger than your nose."
He reaches up and grabs my hat. I slap his hand away, but he still manages to yank it from my hair, jerking out multiple pins. Pink curls fall out of my bun, framing my face. A little hush comes from behind us as people turn to look at the ongoing drama.
He guffaws. "Pink suits you, Monroe."
"Give me my hat back, asshole."
"Why?" He forces me to take a step back. "Am I making you comfortable?"
I clench one of my fists, ready to slam one of them against his jaw if the need arises. At the back of my mind, I try to figure out a way out of this situation that won't attract too much attention.
Then, Archer pops up.
"Derek, it's good to see you. Peyton, you look adorable today," He shifts between us, so that both of us have to a step back. "Enjoying yourselves?"
"No." I say.
Derek mumbles something in response.
"Good to hear," Archer turns towards the crowd, which scatters immediately.
This is my moment to escape. I seize the oppertunity and head off the woods before anybody can stop. Except Archer, then, stops me.
"What do you think you're -"
"Just hang on for a minute," His eyes flicker towards my hair, to my face and then to my hair again, before he finally starts leading me to the ocean.
I try to wrestle my hand from his grip. "Where are you talking me?"
"Somewhere where you won't cause a distraction."
"You don't need to worry about that. I'll just camp out in the woods all day."
"The woods are dangerous. I'm going to take you to the stables. Will you please stop hitting me?"
I stop hitting him. "The stables?"
Stables mean horses. And I love horses. Archer rides his horse almost every week and I love see the brown animal gallop around the beach. Maybe I can meet him.
"Yes. Now come along."
I come along.
When we reach the wooden barn, Archer bends down at the stables and begins to unlock the key.
I take this time to actually examine him. Unlike everybody else in the party, his hair has remained unattached by hair gel and is the same brown mess as always. Besides the classic 'bad boy' jacket and jeans from the fifties, which is rolled up at the sleeves, he looks the same as always. But the pen behind his ear really ruins the mood.
"You've been here for, what, twenty minutes, and you already manage to get into a fight?"
"Derek's fault."
"So, I guess knocking over that grill was an accident."
"Oh, you saw that?" I thought I was being pretty inconspicuous.
"I'm surprised nobody else did." For a second, a ghost of a smile crosses his face. Then, he straightens up and swings open the door. "Mom put me in charge of peacekeeping and in order to do my job properly, I have to make sure you're not around any people."
I nod. Smart decision.
He steps aside to let me through and I enter the room, plopping a grape in my mouth. A hush settles in the room as soon as Archer shuts the stable door.
The lack of light and sound does nothing to ease my headache. In fact, the smell makes it twice as painful and I feel somewhat nauseous. But I ignore the feelings and go to the back of the stables, where the silhouette of a horse munches on some grass.
My breath catches in my throat.
A chestnut colored horse peeks out from his stable. His brown eyes follow me as I creep towards him, cautious but warm. His mane is dark, neat and it brushes against his neck when his head turns to greet my outreached hand.
I glance over my shoulder. Archer is too busy watching something outside to notice me.
I take this opportunity to walk over to the horse. This is the one that Archer commonly uses. I recognize the color and diamond shaped birthmark on his forehead from all the times I've watched him canter around the backyard.
He's even more beautiful in person.
I've only interacted with horses once before, at the summer class I went to. The horse there, Rubin, really enjoyed my company. The instructor even sends me pictures of him from time to time. Archer's horse seems to like me too. He sniffs my hand gently then nuzzles it.
"Hello, cutie, what's an animal as beautiful as you doing here all alone?" I whisper eagerly. My words topple over one and another in a rush to come out. "Were you forced in the stable or do you just not like parties? I hate parties too, but I had to wear this ridiculous dress and come out here. It's all because of my mom. She's really demanding at times-"
"Are you talking to me?"
I jump and look over my shoulder. Archer's stopped his party-watching to give me an odd look.
"To your horse."
"My horse?" This makes him smile. Archer takes a step back from the stables so that the door slams shut with a breeze that makes hay fly in my direction. "Would you like me to introduce you?"
I give the horse a questioning look. He gives me a look that seems to say, go on.
"Sure," I mutter.
Archer walks right up to me, so close that I can feel the warmth radiating off his body. I want to step away, but I don't want to let go of his horse, so I let my feet stay where they are and wait.
"Julia's horse is probably sleeping somewhere right now," For a second, he sounds wistful. Of the horse or Julia, I don't know. "Brutus, this is Peyton. She's the one watching us from her bedroom window all the time."
I scowl at him, pretending that the heat in my face can be passed off as anger and not embarrassment. It's a good thing it's dark in here.
"Very funny."
"I thought so," He leans against the stall. A shadow crosses his face so the only thing I can see are glimmering gray eyes. "Do you want to ride him?"
It takes me a minute to answer his question. Brutus releases a breath of air, causing my hair to flutter, and nuzzles against my neck. I pat his head affectionately. A surge of excitement overtakes me. "Can I really?"
"Sure."
"But I don't know how to ride a horse."
"I can teach you."
"Oh," My heart sinks at the thought of another person being there, especially Archer. It would take all the fun of riding a horse away with somebody else watching me and giving orders all the time. "Actually, I don't think that I can..."
"Why not?" Archer narrows his eyes. "Because of me?"
I tell the truth. "Yeah."
"Why? What's wrong with me?" He grabs my wrist in an attempt to stop me. An unpleasant sensation crawls up my arm. The pounding in my head becomes worse as I snatch my hand away.
"Touch me again and I'll punch you." I walk away.
Brutus whinnies from behind me, making my heart ache. But I push forward the doors and storm outside into the bright light. The chatter of the crowd nearly deafens me. The heat and smell of the meat from the barbecues irritates me even further. For a second, I stand still, unsure what to do with all the strange sensations, but then I hear a bang from behind me.
Somebody grabs my elbow.
I snatch it away. "What's your problem?"
"My problem?" He snarls. My heart hammers in my chest, both from his loud voice and his close proximity. "You've been nothing but a jerk to me the day we met!"
Sweat runs down my forehead.
"You're the o-one that tried to run me over!" I say, my voice weaker than I'd like to be.
"Tried? You jumped in the middle of the road!"
"I - that's not my fault - you were about to run over a cat!"
"Oh, the cat? The supposed cat I haven't seen once during the thirteen years I lived here?"
Archer's face is nearly inches from mine. I'm so dizzy that I can't keep my balance. My gaze flickers toward the crowd, which is slowly gathering around us, and Archer who swims an out of focus.
"Leave me alone."
With those words, I try to turn around. All I want to do is find a nice, shady spot to lie down, relax and stay out of everybody's way. My headache hurts so much that I can barely keep my eyes open.
And then, the asshole has the nerve to grab my wrist again.
Somewhat furious, but mostly delirious, I swing around and punch him in the face.
There's a crack as his head snaps backwards. Archer stumbles back, stunned, and raises a hand on his jaw. Murmurs break out from behind me, as a crowd begins to gather. It takes me another second to realize what I've just done.
Damn it.
I turn around, unwilling to face Archer or any other person anymore. Something uneasy stirs in my stomach and, taking advantage of the fact that our backyards are right next to each other, I run into my house.
I barely make it to the bathroom before I throw up.
Mom's going to kill me.
-()-
Well. That was unexpected.
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You know who he is. I just want to give everybody who voted and commented a huge thank you! Each one counts and I remember them all! :D
Thanks for reading!
QotC: What's the weirdest incident that ever happened to you in a party?