PICTURED: Asha's party outfit
༻✧༺
I had only been at the party for all of five minutes, but my head was already buzzing. My skin was hot and my senses seemed heightened, yet everything felt like it was going in slow motion. I continued to drink my vodka, washing it down with orange juice, lemonade or just downing it straight.
"Let's go dance!" Amanda called to us, and we all hurried out onto the makeshift dance floor that looked like an emptied out living room.
The beat of the song was addicting, and we all swayed our hips to the music. My hair was falling over my face as I danced, and when I pushed it out of my eyes I saw Luke and a girl dancing together. He had his hands on her hips as he stood behind her, grinding his groin into her back. A pang of jealousy ricocheted through me at the sight, but I didn't want to let it ruin my night.
"I'm going to get another drink!" I yelled over the music. The girls nodded and I weaved my way through the throbbing crowd and back to the kitchen. I went into the esky to find my vodka when a familiar voice made me turn around.
"Hey there, stranger."
I snapped my head around and saw Bailey leaning against the kitchen counter, beer in hand. She looked flawless. Her hair was pulled back into a messy bun. Her eyes were slightly darker than they had been at school, which I put down to the effects of alcohol. She was wearing a leather jacket, a crisp white t-shirt and ripped black skinny jeans. She had heavy boots on her feet and I admired her style. She looked effortlessly incredible. I saw her eyes flick down to my exposed cleavage when I turned around, but I pretended that I didn't notice.
"Hey, Bailey!" I said back, grabbing my drink that I poured myself and standing up. I walked over to Bailey and stood next to her, leaning my lower back against the kitchen bench.
"You look good," I told her, looking her up and down. I could feel myself flirting with her, and I inwardly cursed at myself. Why was I flirting with her? She is a girl! I let my eyes wander back up to her face, and they locked with hers. She was biting her lip, studying me intensely.
"You look....wow!" Bailey replied, not hiding the fact that her eyes were locked on my chest.
"My face is up here, Lancaster..." I said jokingly, leaning forward and placing my finger under her chin, lifting her face to meet mine. She met me with a smirk playing on her lips, her eyes boring into mine.
Before we could say another word, Luke interrupted us. He came barrelling into the kitchen, reeking of beer and cigarette smoke. His eyes met ours and his face broke out into that signature smile.
"Ladies!" he roared, "We are playing spin the bottle, come join us!"
"Spin the bottle? I forgot we are in eighth grade," Bailey said, rolling her eyes.
"Come on, it'll be fun!" I teased, grabbing her hand and dragging her out of the kitchen, following Luke to where the game was being played. As we walked, I felt her fingers lace in with mine and my heartbeat fastened. Why was my body reacting this way to her? I didn't have feelings for her, I'm straight!
We walked into a room just off to the side of the dance floor and saw a group of people sitting in a circle on the floor. I could see Amanda, Casey and Breanna sitting in the circle, and they excitedly moved over so that I could sit between them. Bailey sat on the opposite side of the circle next to Luke, rolling her eyes as she lowered herself onto the ground.
"Alright everyone, so we're doing Truth or Dare Spin The Bottle, so whoever the bottle lands on has to either answer a question or do a dare, then they spin and whoever it lands on has to do the same thing and so on. If you refuse, you have to skull your drink!" Luke explained loudly. Everyone nodded in understanding and Luke grabbed the empty beer bottle, placing it in front of him and spinning it with force.
We all watched in anticipation as the bottle span, eventually slowing down and landing on Amanda. She half groaned, half laughed as everyone in the circle 'oooh' and 'ahhh'd.
"Amanda, truth or dare?" Luke said cheekily.
"Truth!" she squealed, and I saw Bailey roll her eyes. Bailey caught me looking at her and mouthed "goody two shoes" at me. I looked down, not wanting her to see the smirk that was on my lips. Amanda was a lovely girl and I didn't want Bailey to think that I was making fun of her. But Bailey was right, no one really chose truth these days.
"Have you ever fucked anyone?" Luke said boldly, and everyone in the circle looked at Amanda. She was blushing heavily, no doubt due to a mixture of embarrassment and the alcohol coursing through her veins. Casey and Breanna giggled childishly, and I couldn't help but agree with Bailey. They were goody two shoes, but I still loved them!
"No," Amanda answered simply, the blush staying firmly on her cheeks as she looked down at her lap. Amanda leant forward and grabbed the beer bottle, spinning it with her hand. The game went on for a few more minutes without landing on anyone that I knew. I started to zone out, staring blankly at Bailey as she sipped on her beer. She was utterly flawless, and I couldn't help but keep my gaze fixed on her as she watched the game unfold.
"Hammond!" a yell broke me out of my trance, "Truth or dare?"
"Dare!" Luke yelled excitedly, rubbing his hands together like a small child in a candy store.
"I dare you to do Seven Minutes in Heaven with the hottest chick in the circle!" the boy said. I hadn't been introduced to him yet, but everyone was calling him Dylan so I assumed that he was Dylan Campbell, the owner of the house and host of the party.
Luke's eyes roamed the circle greedily, and then he set his gaze on me. His Colgate smile appeared on his face and he stood up, reaching his hand out for me.
"Come on, Music Buddy!" he said cheekily, and it took me a moment to register that he was talking to me. If looks could kill, I'd definitely be dead. Almost every girl in the circle except for Amanda, Casey, Breanna and Bailey were glaring at me like I'd just killed their cat. I instantly felt embarrassed, but took his hand and let him pull me up.
"See you in seven minutes," Luke told them, sending a wink their way and pulling me into the closest room. I looked back at my friends and they were giggling excitedly. I flicked my eyes towards Bailey, but she wasn't looking at me. She was looking at Luke, and she did not look happy.
Once Luke and I were in the room, he closed and locked the door. I felt nervous but excited, knowing that I was finally about the kiss the most popular guy in our grade. Without warning Luke turned around and pulled me into him, smashing his lips against mine. His tongue aggressively pushed past my lips without permission. I felt like he was trying to imitate a washing machine, and instantly wondered how on earth he was such a 'player' when he was lacking the most basic of kissing skills. I kissed him back, because the alcohol running through my veins had seemed to inherently destroy my inhibitions.
His hands made their way down my chest and he grabbed my breasts tightly, ripping my playsuit open in the process. I pushed him back, telling him to calm down, but it fell on deaf ears. He pushed himself up against me, walking me back towards the lounge that was in the centre of the room. I had no choice but to walk backwards, letting him push me. I wasn't strong enough to fight against him, but I could feel my intuition telling me to run. He pushed me down onto the lounge and I instantly tried to get up, but to no avail. He climbed on top of me, his lips attacking my neck roughly. He bit down on my neck harshly, and I was almost certain that he drew blood.
"Luke, stop!" I demanded, pushing my arms against his shoulders to try and get him off me. Once again, he didn't listen, and I struggled under his body furiously. His hands gripped my wrists tightly, holding them above my head. I could feel him leaving bruises as tears formed in my eyes.
"Get. Off. Me!" I cried, finally managing to free myself from his grasp. He lunged towards me and I turned, clawing at his face with my nails. I felt them break the skin and blood started to seep through the four lines marking his face.
"You little bitch," he growled, reaching to grab at me. I ran towards the door, fiddling with the lock before finally managing to open it. I fell out of the doorway, tears streaming down my cheeks as I ran. Luke ran out after me, yelling obscenities loudly.
"The bitch scratched me!" he yelled, and I pushed my way through the group of people playing the game. I made my way through the maze of people, struggling to hold back sobs as I desperately tried to find the exit.
I felt the cool breeze hit my face as I stumbled out of the house, breathing in the fresh air as I sobbed loudly. I heard footsteps running behind me, and I turned expecting to see Luke coming for me, angrily taking what I had denied him. But it wasn't Luke, it was Bailey.
"Ash!" she yelled, running up to me and grabbing me by the shoulders. I fell into her, sobbing against her shoulder. I felt her tense up, probably not used to people being emotional around her. She slowly snaked her arms around my waist, rubbing comforting circles against my back. After what seemed like forever we pulled apart, her eyes examining my body. Her jaw dropped as she saw the bruises forming on my wrists, the bleeding bite mark on my neck and my breasts almost fully exposed from the rip in my playsuit.
"What the fuck..." she muttered, "Stay right here".
Bailey turned on her heel and ran back inside the party, leaving me standing alone on the front porch as I cried. Not long after, Amanda, Casey, Breanna, Lauren, Heidi, Chelsea and Mollie ran out of the door, pulling me into their arms as I sobbed.
"Asha, oh my god, lets get you home!" Casey cried.
"No, I can't go home. Not like this," I sobbed.
"We can go back to mine," Heidi said, and everyone nodded in agreement.
"Asha, what happened? Bailey came running in telling us that you were outside. Then she literally just walked up to Luke and punched him in the face!" Mollie stated, her eyes wide with worry.
I couldn't get out the words to explain what had happened in the room, so I simply unfolded my arms from my chest, showing them the rip in my jumpsuit. They all gasped, and Chelsea gently pushed my hair behind my shoulder, exposing the bleeding mark on my neck. Amanda instantly began to cry, hugging me tightly.
"Asha, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have brought you to this party. I had no idea Luke was like that, I really didn't know. I'm so, so sorry!" she cried.
I didn't know what to say, so I just hugged her back. My wrists were aching from where he grabbed me, and the girls noticed my hesitation. Their eyes wandered to my wrists and they gasped again, a few swear words escaping from Lauren's mouth.
"Come on, let's leave. I don't think we should be here while Bailey is angry. You know how she can get!" Breanna said, and the girls nodded silently and we began walking down the driveway.
"Whatever Bailey does to him, he deserves it," Amanda sniffed. I wondered what Bailey could possibly be doing that was so terrible, but I agreed with Amanda. Whatever it was, he deserved it.