"Morg you chose red last time. My turn for red." May whines, on the phone to Morgan about her party on Saturday night.
It's currently lunch time, mid-Saturday, and I'm sat at May's kitchen table snacking on hummus chips and salsa, whilst May stares distractedly at the un-packed boxes of decorations for the party tonight.
"Play nicely kiddos!" I mock-shout at the phone, grinning at the ridiculousness of the situation. May sticks her tongue out at me and I think that I can just about hear Morgan's scoff over the phone. Who knew that dress colours could be such a competitive subject?
"I was nice enough to offer to throw a late party." May continues. "I'm lucky that I still have all of these decorations from last time otherwise we'd be screwed. Plus, Gen and I are busting our asses over here trying to get things ready before seven."
Looking down at the unpacked boxes, numerous empty bottles of elderflower fizz and my half-empty bowl of chips, I decided that she'd added that last part for dramatic effect. We hadn't even started getting the house ready... and I've been here two hours already, coming after her distress SOS call at ten.
"No, Gen's going for a sparkly dress I think so you can have white, sure. Yeh. Uh, sure. Sound's good. What time are you coming over? Yeh, come early. I don't know, maybe an hour or so? Cool." She hangs up after a whiz of organising and turns to face me, a grin fuelled by excitement and elderflower fizz, stuck to her pretty face. "It's all coming together, despite having organised it last night." She says, making her way over to the wooden table to unpack a box full of streamers and brightly coloured bunting. "Morg is gonna come over an hour early to get ready with us. The other girls are being picked up by Lorrie and Lucan, as per, and coming on time. All we have to do now is throw these up everywhere, eat some more chips and make ourselves look beautiful."
......
Later on, the house is looking extravagant. When Morgan informed me via text that May likes to go all-out at her parties, she wasn't over-exaggerating. The kitchen table is covered in a selection of glitters, candles and different types of drinks that magically appeared out of thin air. The living room and conservatory are bursting with colour because of the shiny streamers, multi-coloured bunting and alternating-colour LED strip lights. Each couch now has sparkly throws and pillows bedding them. Outside, her huge backyard is peppered with glitter balloons, nailed down with silver ribbons to the fake grass. We have moved deck chairs, a ping-pong table and a big inflatable couch onto the glittery lawn. We also constructed a white, glittery gazebo and put it in the back corner of the yard for the smokers and druggies, much to Morgan's delight. Upstairs is off-limits, the staircase barricaded by a large coffee table and NO ENTRY sign. Adding my own touch to the decorating, I also insisted that we hang streams of fairy lights along the garden fence and the conservatory windows. The whole place looks like a multi-coloured, sparkly, flashing party haven.
Morgan has just arrived, bringing prosecco and strawberries to devour whilst we all get ready. True to her word, Morgan slips her skinny body into a white halter neck mini-dress that shows off her mile long legs. How nice it would be to have long legs like that. May, however, slips into a bright red bodycon dress that clings to all of the right places. Feeling a little extraverted this morning and spurred on by the desire to impress Lorrie, I convinced myself that wearing one of Maddie's sparkly mini-dresses would be a good idea. It has long sleeves and a low neckline, stopping mid-thigh. Now, however, my nerves are starting to get to me and I feel a little too out-there.
"Gen you look sexy." Morgan says, whilst applying a fake eyelash in May's bedroom mirror. I stand just behind her, staring at myself in the hunging material in subtle distress. It's very tight. My breasts seem bigger than they do in an ordinary t-shirt. "Stop looking so nervous and get on with your hair and make-up."
Doing as I'm told, I sit down next to her, by the mirror, and pick up one of her mascara tubes.
"I'm not going to stand out am I?" I ask awkwardly, swiping the brush over my long lashes a few times. She passes me some glittery eyeshadow and a fluffy brush.
"Of course you are, you're going to own it." She says, giving me a sultry wink. How can she pull off a wink without looking like an idiot? I always look so weird when I try to do anything sexy like that.
"What if I don't want to own it? What if I want to just blend in?"
She gives me a stern look whilst applying red lipstick.
"Lorenzo Marchesi doesn't go for the girl that blends in. He goes for the mysterious girl in the glittery dress, with the sexy body and the pretty face. Face it Gen, you're not the blending-in type anymore. Even if you decided to wear a bog-standard t-shirt to the party, you'd still stand out amongst the crowd. You naturally shine." She smacks her lips together, making a satisfying noise. "Now own it."
"Lorrie and I aren't..." my voice runs off when she raises her thin brow, silencing me.
"Don't worry, I'll keep it to myself. Maybe cut it out with the flirtatious looks all of the time though, the chemistry oozes from you both." I shudder at the word oozes, such a hideous word.
"Thank you." I say, trying to keep the colour from rising to my face. "I'll bear that in mind."
She glances at me amusedly and reaches for the curling iron.
"Right this will not do. Turn around, I'll curl your hair and you focus on the glitter eye shadow. Let's knock Lorenzo Marchesi right off of his feet tonight."
......
By the time that the group arrives, the party is already well on its way. May was drunk before everybody got here, having one too many prosecco's, leaving Morgan and I to play the role of the hosts.
It's now eight o'clock and I've gone outside to get some fresh air and take my night-time meds. It's already dark but the flashing fairy lights and LED strip lights supply more than enough colourful light to see. No one else is out here, and I silently express my gratitude. The party inside is quite different to the last one I went to, last weekend. It's a lot louder, with more people and more alcohol. I'm feeling pretty overwhelmed now by all of the screaming, the energy, the pushing and shoving inside, the passed out teenagers, and the awfully loud music. Because of all of the bodies, I can't find Morgan, who is probably outside with her druggie friends, or May, who is probably passed out somewhere by now. The exciting fizz of the prosecco has worn off, leaving me feeling very sober and very alone here on the cold concrete. Loads of people have commented on how pretty I look, asking where my dress is from. I have no idea so I made up a new shop each time I was asked, panicking that I'd say the wrong one. There are also a lot more druggies, laying out across the back yard doing weird things like singing and pretending to be lizards. It was amusing for a few minutes but I can't help feeling worried for them. What if someone overdoses? What if they hurt themselves doing something crazy? I wouldn't want to see Morgan lose another person, especially her friend. This is all too much for me, I really don't want to go back inside. I can't exactly just sit here all night though... Can I?
Just as I convince myself to breathe a little deeper and stop making situations up in my head, a long black Chevy pulls up onto the sidewalk a few yards in front of me. I've seen it somewhere before.
Lorrie. Just as it clicks, my heart does a little flip, instantly improving my mood. Suddenly I don't feel so alone anymore which is ridiculous given that he isn't even out of the car yet. Five bodies slip out of the car, four of which are holding different shaped bottles, half full with liquid.
"Genevieveeeeeee." Dalia squeals, running up to me in her very large, golden heels. She looks beautiful in her yellow midi-dress, like a long sunflower. "Why are you outside when you should be-" she hiccups. "-INSIDEEEEEE?" She finishes, laughing drunkenly. I chuckle, peeling myself from the concrete to steady her.
"Alright you, let's get inside. I'd actually like to party before I have to carry you home." The voice of reason, Piper, comes out from behind Dalia, shaking her head at me. She mouths the word help at me before she carries Dalia off towards the party with a smile.
The next to come and greet me is Dex, who gives me a clap on the shoulder as he walks past.
"Sup Gen, you're looking extra good tonight." He says, giving me a cheeky grin.
"Hey, he's right, you're looking gorgeous tonight Gen. See you inside in a bit?" one of the handsome triplets, Isaia I think, gives me a gentlemanly nod before following our friends inside.
Once they're all inside, I turn my attention away from the group and swivel around to face the Chevy again. Lorrie is making his way over to me very confidently, his dominating swagger leading his walk. He's looking handsome in his ripped jeans and black sweater. I recognise the sweater as being the one that I use when we ride on his bike. Seeing him wear it makes my insides do a funny thing.
As he gets closer to me, I notice that his green eyes are shining, taking in my dress. I can't help but smile at his expression. Without pausing, he jogs the last few steps towards me and wraps his strong arms around my waist, pulling me into him. Gasping from surprise, I frantically look around us, checking for observers. His expensive cologne, tinged with the slightest scent of petrol, releases all of the tension in my shoulders that I'd built up from the party.
"You've got to stop doing this to me." He whispers into my hair. "Nobody's watching, don't worry."
I lightly push at his chest so that there's a little space between us and meet his ivy eyes. His features are shadowed by the fairy lights, expressing the sharper edges to his face like his nose and cheek bones. This time last week, I would have said that he looked scary with all of his sharp edges and his muscular build. Now, he just looks like Lorrie.
"No, I enjoy your reaction too much." I whisper back, allowing his arms to tighten around me again.
"Really? I would never have guessed." The light sarcasm bounces off his words, making me pull back and gently thump him on the chest. He chuckles and then looks from me to the house. "Are you the party's security or something? Why are you stood outside guarding the house? A very sexy attempt, I've got to give it to May, but not the most effective bouncer I've ever seen." He smirks.
"Ha-ha." I roll my eyes. "No I think I'll leave all of the security stuff to you and the triplets. I'm not exactly built for taking down rogue teenage boys like you four."
"Why are you outside on your own then Bumblebee?" he traces one of his long fingers across my collar bone, making me feel very exposed and all of a sudden, very flustered.
"It was all getting a bit too much." I say, taking his hand and holding it in mine.
"Then let's get out of here." He simply says, pulling my hand so that my body moves towards him. In an instant, I'm against his chest again and everything feels right. I can feel his heart beat beneath the sweater, making me smile. "You look too good for this place anyways."
"I can't just leave May." I say reluctantly. "She's drunk and she needs me. What if someone trashes her house? What if she gets as bad as last weekend? What if someone calls the cops?" Sighing, I try to pull back but Lorrie doesn't let me. His arms stay stuck around me, his face bowed into my hair.
"Gen, we've got three of The Rose Street boys here watching over the party, keeping everyone safe, kicking out the douchebags, making sure that the house isn't trashed. Why do you think that we always come to these shitty parties? It's not for pleasure, trust me."
He pulls back, taking a step away from me. Feeling instantly colder, which is so pathetic but sadly true, I watch as he pulls his cell phone from his jeans and calls a number. A few seconds pass before it goes through.
"Luc? Yeh it's me bro. Yeh everything's fine. Is it all under control in there? Okay, good. Look out for May, she's pretty drunk. Listen, I'm gonna leave early with Gen, is that okay? Sure. We're gonna go to Federico's. Yeh I'm gonna introduce her to them. Thanks man, I'll see you at training tomorrow."
He hangs up and slides his cell back into his pocket.
"Lucan?" I ask, rubbing my arms to warm myself up.
"Yep. He's gonna keep an eye on May for you, and the other two will keep the party under control. However, me and you..." he cheekily smiles, holding out his hand for me.
With May safe and happy, under protection of the Rose Street boys, I gladly take his hand and let him lead me to the Chevy. The familiar kick of adrenaline hits me as I slide inside, making me feel excited, nervous and joyful all at once. Only Lorrie has this effect on me.
"So where are you taking me this time?" I ask, swivelling around on the leather seat to face him. He clicks his seat belt on and glances at me from the corner of his eyes. "Federico's?"
"Yep. It's a pool hall downtown. My team hang out there on nights when we aren't called out. It's basically our second base." He starts the engine, giving me a nervous smile. My team? Then it clicks.
"Wait, you're going to introduce me to your squad?" I ask in shock. The nervous feeling in my stomach amplifies, making me feel slightly dizzy. "What happened to taking it slow? Staying on the down low?" My voice is a little too high pitched to come across as cool and collected.
"Chill out Bumblebee, they all know about you anyways. I told them this morning during training. I want you to know each of them just in case anything happens. I can't protect you all of the time, but one of us always will be." The protection Thea never had. What? Why am I thinking about Thea? Why am I comparing the two of us?
I don't know whether it's my hyper-active nerves, the alcohol I've consumed, the over-load of information and expectations that Lorrie has just dumped on my shoulders, the adrenaline from the rush of getting away with Lorrie, the loud music of the party or a mix of all of these things, but suddenly I feel sick. Badly sick. My skin begins to prickle, everything feels too hot, too much. Looking at my hands in my lap, I feel like they're shaking. Watching me, Lorrie's expression slowly turns from excitement to worry. Oh no, I'm upsetting him. I can't do this. I can't upset him. I can't breathe. It's all too much.
Grabbing the door handle, I pull quickly and jump out of the car before Lorrie can stop me. I feel way too hot, I need air. Leaving my heels by the Chevy, I begin to run down the street as fast as I can. I don't have a destination in mind, I just need space. I need air. Behind me, I can hear Lorrie cursing and shouting my name but I don't have time for that right now. My body feels like it's going to burst. I run as fast as my legs will allow me to run, ignoring the sharp bursts of pain that blossom on the bottom of my bare feet. Turning left at the end of the street, I run straight out onto the abandoned road, feeling the wind whip at my face. Above me, traffic lights hang, the red light flickering slightly. The humid air, which felt cold a moment ago, now makes my dress stick too tightly. It's making my skin itch. I want to take it off so badly. The darkness surrounding me in the road, feels like it's closing in on me. Anything could be in the darkness, reaching out for me. I can't move. It's all too much. I need to process everything. Breathing deeply, I try not to cry. All Lorrie wanted to do was introduce me to his team. To his family. I couldn't even do that for him. He was doing me a favour, taking me away from the party that was stressing me out. He wanted me to feel comfortable and safe. Why can't I just be normal for one day of my life? Why can't-
My thoughts are cut off by two strong arms, circling around my waist and pulling me into a familiar long, broad chest. Even though my eyes are closed tightly, I can feel tears building up behind them. Don't you dare cry right now. The familiar smell of cologne, leather and petrol makes its way into my senses. My breathing, which is still erratic, causes my body to shake against his. But his tight arms continue to hold me against his chest, regardless of the fact that we are stood in the middle of a dark road.
"Breathe." He whispers softly into my hair. One of his hands move from my waist and brushes my hair, weaving itself through my curls. The feeling is soothing and, unlike a few seconds ago, I feel more myself. "Respira per me." he whispers again, but in Italian. "Breathe for me."