It wasn't as crowded as she thought it would be when she entered the living room. She had always thought college parties would be overly packed, just like in the movies where people were squished against each other like canned sardines. Asha looked around her, and exhaled. "Wow!"
"Everyone must be at the back," Cat figured. She tugged Asha by the arm. "This way!
"Look at this place!" Asha whispered under her breath as she gawked at the size of Miranda Lane's house. How many living rooms did this house have? After the first room, she found herself and Cat standing in another room with a luxurious, U-shaped leather lounge suite.
Cat's body started moving in sync with the beat of the music that came from flatscreen TV mounted on the wall. She gently nudged Asha by the rib and pointed towards a group of guys who were having a rowdy game of pool. "Looks like the footy team is here, too!"
"My gosh! How big is this place?" Asha couldn't stop craning her neck around.
Cat laughed as she saw Asha's bewildered look. "Close your mouth, hun," she giggled. "You're like a child who has set foot in the Disneyland for the first time."
Asha's face turned red. She snapped her mouth closed and looked down. "I've never been to Disneyland," she muttered.
"Neither have I." She took her friend's arm and led her through another passage, this time they entered a massive gourmet kitchen. "Pay attention to the party, not the venue," she laughed, lifting her nose in the air, "Mmmmm, smells so good!"
"She got catering, too?" Asha's eyes widened in disbelief, seeing the line of chaffing dishes on the black granite bench top. "I wonder how much she spent on this." She took in the sight of food being arranged on plates like artwork by uniformed staff. The enticing colour and aroma sent her mouth salivating.
"Lots!" Cat replied as she strode closer to the buffet to have a look at what was on the menu. "Yummo!"
"They look so delicious!" she moaned, particularly eyeing the chicken drummies, warm bread rolls, nachos..."Is that a sushi platter over there?" she pointed, unable to keep her excitement.
"I bet the whole student body will be so disappointed when she graduates," Cat snickered. "No more cool parties!"
Asha shrugged the comment off. "You never know, someone else could be hosting a party when she's gone," she said without taking her eyes off the food. "Oooh! I think I know what I'm having!" She was about to approach the stack of plates at the end of the counter when Cat tugged her arm yet again.
"Come on! Let's go to the garden!" she squealed with impatience lining her voice.
Before she could have a chance to protest, Asha's feet were trying to keep up as Cat maneuvered her through a maze of halls, passing by rooms that seemed bigger and more impressive than the other. Despite her admiration, she could never understand the need for that kind of space. Judging by the photographs that were hanging on the walls, it looked like Miranda and her parents were the only ones who lived in the enormous waste of space. Why do they have two gourmet kitchens, formal and informal dining rooms, four lounge areas, a music room, and a theatre room? What was the point of a theatre room when she had already seen five flatscreen televisions mounted on the walls. That did not include the built-in LCD screens on the monstrosity of a refrigerator they had.
Back home, they only had a small kitchen. It wasn't anything fancy, but that was where the delicious magic happened. The dining table was just a four-seater, but it was more than enough to enjoy a feast. There was only one living room, but almost everything happened in there–they watched movies, played games, danced to their music , received guests...It was an adequately sized room, but it was was where they actually lived as a family.
Asha stopped in mid stride to prevent herself from smacking against Cat's back when she stopped abruptly in front of her. Following her friend's line of sight, Asha's mouth flew open again. The backyard was massive! She thought only famous people owned properties like this.
Her eyes raked across the crowd. It was like the whole student body was here. It was just like being in campus, people were segregated in their own social groups. A sudden sense of uneasiness swept over her when she realised that there was a need for a different level of social interaction.
Asha had been accustomed to being alone. She was used to being an outcast. Sure enough, she saw all these people on campus; even more at work. But that was different. There was standard and predictable flow in that. She felt totally out of place. The only consolation she had was the fact that these people didn't know her. They didn't know her past.
"Oh, look! There's Lally!" Cat pointed. "I'm going over to say 'hi.'"
Asha thought she heard Cat say something. With the music and multiple conversations coming from all directions, it was difficult to hear. She turned to Cat. "What did–" Her friend was no longer beside her. She scanned the huge yard for her friend. "Oh boy!" she whimpered, realising that she was now on her own.
I want to go home! Thinking of the huge effort Cat made to drag her to this place, she decided to sum up the courage to socialise. Her eyes raked across the huge speck of land. In between clustered groups of people, she could see lush, green topiaries, skillfully sculpted to fit in the landscape of a Japanese-themed garden. From where she stood, she could see the disheveled state of what she believed was meant to be a Zen garden. After the sand had been ruffled by disrespecting sneakers, loafers, heels, and platform shoes; someone definitely had to rake it back into its serene form the next day. That was, after sifting out the unsightly paper cups and food scraps that littered all over it. In the middle of the garden was a boulder–intimidatingly strong, and scarred by the ripples and cracks of time. She admired the visual poetry of this huge rock. It stood firm and strong, yet its body was conquered and tamed by the roots of bonsai tree. Her eyes strayed further across the yard. At the far side of the garden was was a gazebo, which looked more like a dojo. The accordion-like panels fully open.
A loud splash, and the sound of squealing girls drew her attention away from the dojo. She turned towards the source. Of course, there has to be a swimming pool! Asha was impressed by swimmers' lack of inhibition. Some girls confidently plunged into the water in just their knickers and bras, while the guys splashed around in their boxers. It was obvious that none of them was prepared for an evening swim. The only one who seemed prepared for a dip was Miranda Lane. Asha couldn't help her eyebrows from arching. The other girls' underwear seemed more modest than her white bikini. She simply shook her head and looked away.
The urge to go home became stronger as her attempt to find someone she knew seemed futile. I'm not supposed to be there in the first place! It was hard to understand, but a strange feeling had been bugging her since she woke up that morning. The feeling got stronger as the day progressed. To get her mind off the weird emotions, she indulged herself in a relaxing bath. A frantic pounding on the door made her get out from the tub prematurely. What the hell? She quickly slipped into a robe before grabbing her phone to call the police. Maybe the odd feeling she had was warning her about this? Cautiously, she peered through the peephole. She felt even more anxious when she saw Cat's face. "What is she doing here?" she muttered quietly.
"Hey, Asha! Open up!" Cat called, knocking even louder.
She scrambled towards the bathroom. "I'm coming!" she yelled. Cat's persistent rapping on the door sent her fingers fumbling for her contact lenses and spectacles.
"What took you so long?" Cat had no qualms in showing her distaste as soon as the door opened. With wet hair in tangles and ugly goggles, who could blame her? She looked at her from head to toe and back to meet her bewildered expression. She flashed a huge, enthusiastic smile. "Cool! You look fresh, now put on some party clothes!" she commanded. After several minutes of protests and excuses, Cat snapped Asha's lips shut, squeezing them together like a duck's beak. "Ash, you are coming to the party, and that's final! Have fun, socialise, and make more friends!" Asha didn't know much people in Perth. With her shy and guarded demeanor, Cat had suspected that her friend might be suffering from some form of social anxiety. "You'll thank me later!"
The conviction and determination in her voice convinced her. "Okay," she muttered through her pressed lips.
Cat released her friend's lips. Proud of what she had accomplished, she held her chin high. "Good!" she smiled with her hands on her hips.
"Oooh-kay then," Asha huffed under her breath, snapping herself out of her flashbacks. "Let's mingle and meet new people, shall we?" She scanned her surroundings again. While she was searching for someone to talk to, part of her was longing to catch a glimpse of Zach Larson. He wasn't in the pool area, which she found odd. Usually, wherever Miranda was, he wouldn't be far away. A slight pang of envy pinched her gut. She shook her head, trying to dispel the thoughts of jealousy. Her eyes roamed around the gardens once more. To her disappointment, he was nowhere to be found; instead, she spotted two girls from her Creative Writing class, standing not far from the poolside. She hardly ever spoke to them in or outside class, but she always saw them around campus together. Come to think of it, I've never seen them apart. It was as if there was this co-dependency going on between them. Sometimes, she wondered if they were actually together. As in together.
"Hi there," she beamed as she approached them. Rea and Elaine turned to her direction with half a smile. The way they looked at her made her feel like she was intruding.
"Hey," Rea greeted her with a slow wave of her chubby hand.
Asha felt the unwelcoming reception.
"Sooo, what's up?" Elaine drawled.
She didn't know what to say. Awkward! she sang in her head. "Umm...Have you started on the assignment yet?" Of all things to open a conversation with, it had to be about school! Stupid! What else was she going to say? Maybe she should have opened up with a joke? The weather? Or something other than school.
The two girls glanced at each other. "No," they drawled in unison.
She forced a laugh. "Oh! Neither have I." Silence followed. She noticed the look of impatience on both faces. She bit her lower lip, struggling to think of what to say next. Maybe I should tell a joke now? "Ummm..."
"Hey, Asha!" a voice bellowed.
A rush of relief filled her. She flashed another smile at the two. "Excuse me." They didn't waste time to get back to what they were doing before she interrupted them. She didn't even get a wave. "Okay then!" she grumbled quietly before turning her heel.
Following the source of the voice. A huge weight was lifted off her shoulders when she saw Cat waving from the pool. "When did you get in there?" she wondered as she got closer. "I swear, I didn't see you there when I looked."
"Not long," Cat replied. "The water is great! So nice and warm! Come on in!" she yelled over the splashes.
Her forehead wrinkled when she noticed Cat's jeans, shirt, and jacket neatly folded on one of the reclining sun beds. She didn't expect her to be so bold in swimming in her matching black underwear. "You realise that nearly the whole student body has now seen you in your intimate apparel, right?"
Cat wrinkled her nose at her dismissively. "Bah! People wear skimpier clothing!" she protested with a giggle as she pointed towards Miranda. "Besides, I'm not the only one!" She kicked herself away from the pool's wall and moved her arms back and forth in the water. "Come on in!"
"Come on, Asha! Join us! It'll warm you up!" she insisted.
It was the middle of winter. The weather forecast said it could reach nine degrees that night. Not that it bothered her. She had always found the cold weather comforting. While everyone else was snug in their warm jumpers and jackets, with the exception of the half-naked bodies wallowing in the heated pool, Asha was comfortable in a white, short-sleeved knitted dress, a black pair of leggings, and a pair white slingback sandals. "Nah. I'll stay on dry land."
"Ugh! Where are my manners?" she huffed, rolling her eyes. She pointed at of the girls floating behind her. "This is Bev, Lally, and that's Fran." Gesturing towards Asha, "This is Asha," she ended.
She waved. "Heya! Nice to meet you." The longer she stayed around the swimming area, the more she got used to seeing people walking around almost naked.
Cat pouted and gave her the puppy dog look. "Join us!"
She shook her head. "Sorry, not prepared for the water," she laughed.
"Neither were we," Bev giggled, suggesting the obvious. "The temperature is beautiful!"
"Oooh, not that brave for my bra and knickers to double as a bikini." She retrieved her hand from the water. "I'm kinda hungry and thirsty," she admitted, deliberately changing the subject. "Do you want me to bring anything for you?"
Lally shook her head. "Thanks, we're all good."
Cat raised her hand. "I don't mind a beer!"
Asha shifted her questioning eyes towards Bev and Fran. Both smiled at her and shook their heads. "Okay, just a beer then!" Putting both hands on her lap, she hoisted herself up. Just as she turned her heel, she thought she saw a bright yellow object coming towards her. Her body instinctively took a stepped back onto a non-existent pavement. A loud gasp escaped her lips as her body fell backwards. In that quick second she shut her eyes tightly before plunging into the water. From underneath the pool, she could hear the commotion that was happening above. It was hard to make up the words they were saying, but the sound of their laughter was clear. Her face flushed at the embarrassment. If humans could actually breathe underwater, she would have stayed at the bottom of the pool until everyone was gone.
"Asha! Are you okay?" Cat shrieked.
Everything was dark, and the sound of her friend's voice was muffled by the water. She felt a hand touch her shoulder, and pulled her towards the direction of the pool's walls. Well, I have to face the crowd one way or the other! Might as well get it over and done with. Like a blind person, she let her hand feel her way around her. She got hold of the edge of the pavement and used it as leverage to keep her head above the water. Still with her eyes shut, she rubbed the water off her face. Great! I lost my glasses!
"I am so sorry, are you all right?"
Her chest almost exploded upon hearing the sound of his voice. Suddenly, goosebumps lined her skin, not from the cold but from the thrill of having him close by. She opened her eyes and saw the gorgeous face of Zach Larson.