a/n: Whew this took a second. Illegal substance warning.
Recap: Ava has just arrived at a house party with hard drugs after insisting on going, despite (quite a few) warnings from Finn.
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This was my first house party, ever. I know, how cool of me, right? It wasn't the fact that I never wanted to go, there has been a history of jocks in high school screaming 'after party at my house tonight, everyone is invited!', but I never deigned to attend because nothing about getting intoxicated and putting bad stuff in your body sounded fun.
Finn was crouched to my level, very near my face.
"Did you hear what I just said?"
"I can't hear anything!" I retorted.
To which, he grabbed me by my wrist and tugged me in the direction of what seemed like the kitchen. Some EDM was blasting on the speakers, I never was a fan of EDM but I tried bopping my head to the music - no, never mind, still not a fan.
The kitchen was empty, no one making out on countertops like I watch in shows. Finn opened the fridge and tossed me a can of diet coke. I surprisingly caught it.
"That's all you're having tonight. End of discussion."
"Why?"
"Do you want drugs coursing through your veins? If this place gets raided tonight they'll run urine tests on everyone and you'll thank me you only had a diet coke."
"I..."
"What is it?"
"Can I have a Sprite instead?"
He shot me a deadpanned expression before reopening the fridge to find a Sprite. Whilst he did that, I tried peeking into the living room. None of the people looked like they were from my high school. I know Finn said it wasn't a high school party but I couldn't help wondering if some of the cool kids still came to this.
"Oi," Finn went. And the next thing I knew, a can of Sprite was flying my way.
This time I missed.
And I watched as the can fell on the ground... and started gushing liquid out.
"Oh for fuck's sakes." Finn swore before he told me to "stay put" while he went in search of something to clean up the mess.
I bent down to pick up the can to lessen the mess.
At which point, someone else entered the kitchen.
"Hey," it was a girl. Black hair, bob cut, the words 'purity' tatted across her collar bone.
She was swaying on her feet while she pushed her hair behind her ears. But she extended a hand. "Theo," she said.
"What?"
"Theo, like, short for Theodora."
It took me several moments to realize she was introducing herself. My eyes widened, "oh, um, I'm Ava. Hi." I said lamely, grabbing her hand.
"Oh my god, sorry, I forgot I have Sprite on my hands," I grabbed my hands back as soon as I made contact.
I spoke to so few people that the entire encounter made me feel awkward. But she laughed it off, leaning forward to embrace me instead. "Don't worry about that. You here alone?"
"No, uh, I came with a friend. I mean friends. But he went off to get something to clean up the mess," I glanced at the Sprite on the floor.
Theo laughed it off, and she nearly fell in the process.
"You okay?" I asked the girl.
"Sorry, I'm so wonky," she giggled. "Hey, do you want my juice? I don't think I can finish it."
I glanced at the cup in her hands. "Just juice?"
She laughed, placing a hand on my arm. Her hands were freezing cold. "Yep, juice juice."
I shrugged, feeling thirsty anyway. "Sure thing then."
She handed me the cup and I glugged it down in one go. It was indeed just grape juice.
Theo laughed, "hey, I like you. You on Instagram?" She handed me her phone then.
I nodded. "Yeah, but, not very active."
I gave her my handle anyway. When I was done, someone called her name from outside the kitchen, her friend I was assuming. With a last pat on my shoulder, she wobbled back out. I noticed she was wearing black boots with heels. Explains the swaying, I wouldn't even be able to balance on that sober.
I crossed my arms, leaning against the countertop for another minute before Finn came back with the guy who greeted us at the door. The host, I presume.
"Oh," the guy went. "No worries man, just throw some kitchen towel there, we'll clean up in the morning. Go have fun."
Finn just nodded, before summoning me to follow him.
Wordlessly, I followed in his footsteps. He led me upstairs, to what appeared to be a living hall.
"You happy?" He went. "Now that you're at the party."
I wasn't sure what I felt but it wasn't a pleasant feeling. "No one's asking you to babysit me." I said softly. I then spotted a familiar face emerging from the stairway. Levi in a cap and a hockey jersey.
"Hey man can you stay with her I gotta do something, don't let her take anything." Finn said.
Before Levi could respond, Finn spoke again, "I mean it. Don't let her take anything," before hastily departing with a clap on his friend's back.
Levi looked puzzled for a few moments before his face broke into a smile.
"Hello nerd, we meet again. Who are you dressing so pretty for? Hey you even painted your nails."
I gave him a forced smile.
"Come on, I gotta introduce you to some cool people I'm sure you'll love them."
"I'm sure I will."
"I'm serious, one of them set someone's yacht on fire with a molotov cocktail. They're cool I promise."
At least he didn't seem annoyed to be stuck with babysitting duty.
I followed Levi into the first room down the hallway. I wasn't sure what to expect but I wasn't expecting a group of people just sitting on the floor, chatting in a circle. No one seemed to be shooting drugs up their arms. This might be okay after all.
"Yo, Levi, get here!"
Levi basked in the attention, greeting everyone in the room. Before he rested an arm on my shoulder and told the room, "Everyone, this is Ava. She's cool."
A chorus of "Hi Ava"s were returned. I smiled and waved at them.
I felt strangely at ease even though I was in a room with strangers, which was uncharacteristic of me. Perhaps I had gotten too used to Finn's clipped responses that I forgot the average human being speaks normal.
I made small talk with a few people close to me, feeling more and more in my skin. I even laughed at someone's joke.
"So how did you meet Levi? Swear to god he's the biggest crackhead I know - not literally," the person speaking to me said seriously. "This man ain't touch crack. He's an athlete. Biggest athlete I know, I only want good things for him."
Before I could respond, he turned to Levi to embrace him in a hug. "Love you so much man, you were always there for me."
Levi hugged back. "Yet you won't dump your girl for me."
The person pulled back laughing.
"Can I get a hug too?" I asked the stranger in a small voice. Weird.
But he reached forward without hesitating. "Yo, of course, of course. Any friend of this beast is a friend of mine."
Some time passed before we pulled apart.
I giggled, turning to Levi.
He was just leaning against the bed frame, gently nodding his head to the music blasting from downstairs. And then his eyes shot open.
"Guys, what the fuck, why isn't there music playing here."
Someone laughed and handed him their phone. "Phone's connected to the speakers, don't play anything gay."
I blinked at the language used, but then decided to lean against the same bed frame Levi was leaning against.
"There we go, my best playlist," Levi announced. "Sickest shit ever."
"Better not be your sex playlist, we don't want anything gay in here."
Levi cracked his knuckles. "Watch it dude. I'm gonna set your house on fire."
The room grew strangely silent.
He quickly said, "Just kidding. I don't do that shit no more."
I allowed the music to consume me for a few moments. I later realized I had unknowingly closed my eyes and began moving my body to the music. Strange, very strange.
I turned to Levi, he was deep in conversation with someone. So I just stared at the way his cap rested on his face. I wasn't sure how much time passed, before he finally looked at me.
"Uh... What's up? You okay?"
"Do you hate me, Levi?"
He looked confused. "No, why would I?"
"You say mean things to me sometimes. And you bullied me for years before you left."
Levi blinked a couple times before he broke into a sheepish smile. "Hey, you do my homework, we're cool now. I love anyone who does my homework 'cause I'm so bad at it. Fuck school man. Why am I even in school? I'm nineteen. Should be manning my own basketball team."
"Oh," was all I could muster.
"Nah, you're a g, I promise you're cool."
"Can I hug you?"
He shrugged. "Why not?"
Then we hugged, and I've never felt so protected.
"I think you're dumb sometimes but you're very cool too." I said to him. "You are also a g."
When we pulled apart, his expression was serious.
"Did you take anything, small-A?"
I pouted. "No, why?"
He was serious now. He wasn't smiling anymore. I didn't like it.
"Then why are your eyes so black?"
"You mean my pupils?"
"What's a pupils?" He asked back.
"The black circle in our eyes."
"Yeah I meant that. Your black circle is huge, you only get that when you're high."
"Because it's dark? Our pupils get dilated when it's dark to allow more light in and that's why there's an adjuice - " I covered my mouth in shame. "I mean adjustment period when you enter a dark place." I said as eloquently as I could. "See, I haven't taken anything. Finn said I couldn't. He's like my father."
"Then why are you speaking in a British accent?"
I burst out laughing. "No I'm not. Woah, why are you wearing glasses?"
I reached out to grab his glasses. He was suddenly wearing nerdy librarian glasses.
Levi looked really confused.
"Calm down," I reassured him. "I'm okay."
And then I realized the guy behind Levi was wearing glasses too. This one was wearing snorkelling goggles.
Someone in the room said, "Yo, where's the plate?"
"Under the bed."
"Could someone pass the plate please?" They hollered too loudly.
Levi turned away from me to reach under the bed for a plate. A plate with white powder, a card, and a rolled dollar bill tied with a rubber band. Uh oh.
"Is that drugs?" I asked.
Someone in the room laughed, I wasn't too sure who.
Levi said, "come with me."
He helped me to my feet.
The entire universe shook. I started seeing butterflies everywhere.
"Why are there so many butterflies," I marvelled to myself. "Where are we going?"
Levi wasn't answering me, he just led me to a door at the far end of the room. It was really far, it felt like I was crossing Mars.
"What was that?" Levi asked.
"Mars," I said. "We're crossing Mars."
"No we're not."
I giggled. "I'm not talking about the chocolate bar, I'm talking about the planet. The fourth planet from the sun and the second smallest planet - "
"I know what's Mars. It's a planet in space."
I scowled. "Let me finish. The second smallest planet in the Solar system after Mercury."
We entered a bright room, like a surgical theatre when I had to get my appendix removed. It was cold too, everything was made of marble. Maybe we're in a bathroom and not a surgical theatre.
I wanted to leave.
But Levi placed his hands on my shoulder, not letting me leave. "No, look at yourself in the mirror. You gotta see your eyes for yourself."
I tried to struggle free.
"Ava!" He said.
And it seemed to work. I was suddenly hyperaware of my surroundings. I forced myself to look in the mirror. I saw myself but it wasn't me. My entire eye was black, I could hardly see the brown in my eyes.
"Holy fuck," I mouthed.
And then I clapped a hand over my mouth. "I just said a bad word. You need to slap me now."
Levi looked puzzled.
"Slap me."
"No, I can't hurt anyone or they'll send me back to juvie." He said with wide eyes.
I focused on my reflection. "Why do I look like that?"
Levi lifted his cap to run a hand through his buzzcut. He looked stressed. I've never seen Levi stressed before.
"Why do you wear a cap all the time? Are you embarrassed of being bald?"
He turned to look at me and he looked very serious. Stern almost.
"I am not embarrassed to be bald. I'm not bald either it's a buzz cut. Strong men in the army have that hair. By the way, did you take something?"
He was still holding me by my shoulders, not letting me escape the alien ship.
"Hello? Anyone home? What did you take?"
I shook my head. "Nothing. Finn tried to give me Sprite but I couldn't catch it and it spilled everywhere. Then he told me to wait in the kitchen. Then a nice girl came and offered me grape juice."
Levi's jaw dropped.
"So you drank juice."
I frowned. "What's wrong with juice?"
Levi didn't look happy at all. He whipped out his phone to text someone.
"Are you ratting on me to the police for drinking juice?" I asked in a small voice.
"No - shut up I gotta text Finn to tell him it wasn't me who drugged you."
"Please don't make Finn come, he's so strict and he doesn't have a sense of humor, he just scolds me for doing everything and he hates me."
"What? He doesn't hate you," Levi said without looking away from his phone. "I think."
"What about you? Are you mad? Do you hate me?"
He looked away from his phone this time. "No, why would I hate you? You haven't done anything bad to me."
"Then why are you angry that I drank juice?"
"Because I'm not supposed to let you take anything. And juice is a type of drug, you idiot."
I was taken aback.
"What?" I was so confused I had a moment of sobriety. "No it isn't. It's made of fruits."
The bathroom door burst open and Finn entered.
He was so, so, so, black. Everything he wore was black from head to toe except the chains around his neck.
"Finn!" I squealed and reached out to embrace him in a hug.
"She took someone's juice."
Finn didn't look impressed. "You had one job."
I couldn't see what Levi was doing because I was hugging Finn, he felt like a big warm teddy bear who smelled like cigarettes.
"Yo, it wasn't me. She didn't take anything with me."
"Then who the fuck's juice did she drink?"
I broke apart from Finn, and I nearly fell backwards. Levi caught me.
My face brightened. "Theo!"
"And who the fuck is Theo?"
"It's short for Theodora."
"Dude, do you know what's in juice?" Levi asked.
I shook my head in the alien ship surgical theatre marble paradise. "Wait. It was grape juice!" I said loudly.
"It's every single drug in the universe combined together. Only people who want to die drink that," Levi sounded stressed as he explained.
"No it isn't. It's ecstasy, ketamine, meth and Erimin5. Some kid invented it." Finn said in a flat voice.
"Oh. That doesn't sound too bad."
Levi's face brightened. "Yeah probably ain't bad. You seem fine."
But Finn wasn't having any of it. "Let's go home."
"NOOO!" I shouted.
"Shut up or people will think we're gang raping you." Levi said.
"Sorry. But please don't bring me home. I wanna stay here forever."
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a/n: I know I apologize nearly every chapter but I'm sorry for the late update! Next chapter Finn's POV, it shouldn't take too long bc I'm KINDA EXCITED to write
Thank you everyone for bringing this book to 10k, who would've guessed a book with a girl and a completely clickbait-y title might garner this much attention🥵
Do vote and leave comments about your thoughts on the storyline/characters/my grammar (because I haven't edited this chapter).
Also, don't do drugs my friends. 🚫💀
Other than that, have a nice day x