The rest of the week went by pretty quietly. I stayed in for the most part, but I didn't talk to Xavier again. Most nights, the guy from before sat at the end of the garden. I nicknamed him Greg, since I had no clue what his actual name was. I could sense Xavier around occasionally, but I think he was pretty busy, since he wasn't really doing garden watch.
One night I had actually left a water bottle and a fruit bar out for Greg, which he seemed to appreciate. I felt bad that he was being told to protect some eighteen year old idiot all hours of the night. The guy who followed me during the day was a different one, but he left me alone once I reached the school gates- at least he doesn't follow me in.
It was weird, don't get me wrong, but I was trying to think of it as having a bodyguard, rather than a stalker. Whatever Xavier was talking about seemed serious, so I didn't want to rebel against it and get myself killed. If he really is a criminal, I could be in danger; it's a valid concern.
I hadn't told Heather about the long conversation I had with Xavier, since I knew she wouldn't understand. We had been best friends for a long time, so she was naturally protective of me; I was the same with her, she's like my sister.
Marie's party was tonight and I was feeling nervous for once. I had invited Heather over to help me get ready, since I was actually worried about my appearance for the first time in years. She was glad to see me take in an interest in personal hygiene, but wished I wasn't doing it for Xavier.
I took a hot shower, shampooing and conditioning my hair thoroughly. I used a cherry smelling body wash, scrubbing every inch of my body. I brushed my teeth and even used mouthwash- I had to admit, I had a bit of a problem with being so demotivated that I didn't shower enough. Mouth wash is a big deal.
It felt good to be clean, though. I dried off with a towel as best as I could, pulling on some boxers. I then swung the bathroom door open, letting Heather come in with her little bag. She plopped herself on the bathroom counter, grabbing my chin with her manicured hand.
"Can I do your eyebrows? They're wild." Heather mused, looking over my face, "A bit of concealer and you're good- you're naturally pretty."
"Thanks." I chuckled, watching her come at me with some tweezers, "Will this hurt?"
"No." Heather shook her head.
What a liar. It hurt like a motherfucker, making my eyes water with pain. I kept trying to push her away, but she insisted it would look silly if I had half a plucked eyebrow. I let her finish, but then she insisted on doing the other one too- she tricked me.
"Concealer, now. I stole this from the twins' work for you, since we're clearly not the same shade. This is literally just cream, so chill out." She huffed, watching me flinch as she raised it to my face.
She dotted it around my face, on my 'blemishes'. She then took a sponge, dabbing it on my skin to blend it in. She pointed to me in the mirror and I nodded. I didn't look half bad. My skin looked even and my eyebrows were sharp and dark.
"He won't know what hit him." Heather smirked, leading me by my hand into the bedroom.
I sat on my bed, waiting for her to hand me clothes. She was wearing the highest pair of heels I had ever seen and I was wondering how she could walk in those. Her skirt was bright red and she'd paired it with a black lace, corset top. She looked stunning with her hair curled around her face.
"Stop checking out my ass and put that on." She commanded, throwing an outfit at me.
I slipped on the floral button down, leaving it half unbuttoned. She wolf whistled and I pulled on the black skinny jeans, jumping to get them over my ass. She giggled at that, wiggling her eyebrows.
"Now who's checking out who's ass." I retaliated, despite me not even checking out her ass in the first place.
I pulled on some converse and a puffer jacket, nodding at myself in the mirror. I must admit, she did a good job at making me look presentable. I'd have to remember this for future instances where I need to not rock up looking like a slob.
"Are you hoping to see him tonight?" Heather cooed, making me blush.
"He actually said he was thinking about going." I revealed, making her furrow her brows.
"You spoke to him?" She chided.
"Only briefly." I lied, felling bad about not telling her the truth.
"I know you like him, but you need to be careful. Don't let attraction blindside you." She warned me, fixing my shirt, "Ready to go?"
I put up a finger, asking her to wait a second, before digging through my wardrobe. I grabbed the two bottles of Malibu from last weekend's shop, trying to squeeze them into my coat pockets. I nodded and we set off, waving goodbye to my mum as we left.
"Is your boyfriend coming tonight?" I inquired, trying to change the subject from Xavier.
I was already nervous enough about potentially getting to meet him face to face, so I didn't need Heather making it worse by reminding me that he's slightly dodgy. I just hope that 'maybe' means he actually shows up, because if he doesn't after all of this effort I'll be slightly disappointed. Why am I even trying to impress a creep?
I groaned internally, fishing the bottle out of my pocket and taking a big gulp. It ran down my chin slightly, which was gross, but it felt good to start tonight's drinking; I needed a bit of liquid courage if I'm going to see Xavier.
"You're starting early." Heather giggled, "Pass the bottle."
I passed the bottle to her and she took a gulp too, being careful to not mess up her lipstick. She still got lip prints all around the bottle edge, and I shook my head. Gross. I rubbed them off, taking another gulp as we walked towards the party. The rest of the gang were meeting us there, so they were probably already tipsy.
"I've got vodka, too." Heather reminded me, patting her jacket pocket.
"You'll be throwing up by the end of the night." I cringed, knowing Heather can't handle it, "Have you at least ate?"
"Of course not- food absorbs alcohol. If you drink on an empty stomach, you get drunk faster. Therefore, you require less alcohol. Economics." Heather boasted, swinging our hands as we walked.
"Your body must hate you; that's not healthy at all." I chuckled, patting my tummy, "I had pizza."
"Don't you talk to me about healthy- I've seen your shopping kart." Heather reminded me, making me shrug.
We walked up another street, coming up to a driveway that veered off of the country lane. The gates were left fully open, a sign on them reading 'Marie's Birthday Party'. Heather led me up the driveway, coming to a stop in front of a typical red brick, typical farm house. It wasn't huge, but it was bigger than most of the semi-attached houses around the town and it was certainly secluded. No noise complaints from neighbours.
People were milling around outside, smoking, but none of our friends were there, so we kept going. I waved to a few people I recognised- mostly women. Heather scoffed, pulling me past them as one tried to talk to me.
"You have a problem; you're literally here to see a guy. Try not to end up in another girls' bed." Heather scolded, pulling me past all the people.
There were a lot of people from Sixth Form here, but there was also a fair amount of people who looked a bit older. Since we have no clubs in the town, everyone comes to these sorts of parties. There's only so many nights you can spend at the pub before you get bored of it. Plus, taxi's back from the club in the neighbouring town are quite pricey.
"Heather!" A shrill voice cheered, Mick appearing out of nowhere.
"He's smashed already." Heather giggled, "Where's everyone else?"
"Back garden. It's proper nice out there." Mick slurred, trying to take her hand to lead her out there. She moved it quickly, making me suppress a laugh.
We followed Mick through the kitchen and back outside, spotting our group sat around an outdoor glass table. Everyone else was already here, drinking straight out of bottles and chain smoking cigarettes. They all whooped as we came closer, Ava wolf whistling at my outfit.
"Give us a spin!" She gasped, giggling with Heather.
I smirked, slipping off my coat and doing a spin for them, pretending to strut my stuff. Heather grabbed my hand, twirling me around. I wrapped my hands around her waist from behind, swaying to the music slightly.
"You've got Heather to thank." I explained, kissing her cheek exaggeratedly, before letting go and sitting down.
"You did one hell of a job. I didn't even know his hair was curly- it's usually just tangled." Oscar wrinkled his nose, making me smack his thigh jokingly.
"He did that part himself." Heather shrugged, "I can't take all the praise. The boy made an effort."
"Is lover boy nearby?" Ava asked, her curiosity peaked.
"Not that I can tell. It's pretty busy, though. That might effect it." I didn't really know how it worked, or why I could tell.
"You guys have got some catching up to do. Mick made us all cocktails, so we're smashed. Try it." Mike grimaced, pushing the murky looking drink towards me.
I took a sip, spluttering immediately. What the fuck was that? It literally burned my throat and it tasted like straight up Cillit Bang. I took a swig of Ava's coke chaser to get rid of the disgusting taste.
"He thought it was a good idea to mix Vodka with Tequila, Rum and Absinthe." Ava shuddered, "He's drinking it like it's nothing."
"Hey, there's a shot of lemonade in there too." Mick slurred, sipping on the liquid.
"Odds on you downing it, Cam?" Fred challenged.
"5." I proposed, the others counting us down.
"3." We both said in unison, making me groan.
That means I have to drink the rest of the liquid stomach pump. I held my nose, tilting the liquid and taking a deep breath before I poured it all down my throat. They were chanting my name, slamming their hands on the table as I went. I gagged when I finished, almost throwing the whole thing up again. My throat felt as if it had been violated.
"That's absolutely vile, Mick." I grimaced, throwing the plastic cup at him.
It hit him in the face and he swayed dangerously, Mike having to grab onto him to sit him up straight. If that's a glimpse into my future after drinking that, I was going to be blackout drunk by the time Xavier gets here.
"I'm gonna stick to Malibu and pineapple juice after that." I announced, setting my bottles on the table, "I've got to walk home tonight."
"At least you have a bodyguard." Mike joked as I poured myself another drink.
"Fred, are you selling tonight?" Heather asked, fishing money out of her phone case.
"Yeah, how much do you need? Mick bought a hell of a lot of it." Fred chuckled, poking the swaying Mick.
"Do you want some?" Heather asked me.
"I'll have a little bit." I nodded.
She paid for both of us, taking out her skins and a roach. She sprinkled a bit of tobacco in with it and rolled it up, sealing it closed with her tongue. She passed it to me and I nodded a thank you, placing it in my lips and lighting it.
Heather rolled herself another one, lighting hers using mine- touching the tips of our blunts together and inhaling. Hers lit up and I settled back into my chair, kicking my feet up on the table. I let my head flop back, looking up at the countryside sky as I inhaled the drugs into my system.
The music blaring inside the house was slightly muffled and I tapped my foot to the beat, closing my eyes as I finished my blunt. The guys were talking about taking some pills, but I was perfectly content with my drink in one hand and blunt in the other. I took another inhale, breathing out the stress from the last week.