Friday 8th July, 21:34
Chardonnay's POV
How were they not able to get Anna? Especially Katana. She looked like she would always win a fight. I gazed into their eyes, registering defeat, guilt and shame.
Sighing, I asked, "So are any of you going to tell me what happened?"
"We were running after her, well Katana did most of the chasing because she can run in heels like they're trainers," began Eva quietly. "Then Katana finally tackled her down."
"And then?"
"After that, we held her down as she tried to escape and it was going so well."
"But what?"
"She called out to the three hotel staff, who were on a fag break, to help her," explained Eva.
"Even though she looked like a UFO, they still came over to help her," complained Yasmin. "So the porters started attacking us."
"But you outnumbered them, it's four against three!" I yelled.
I knew I being slightly unreasonable but I just wanted to clear my name.
"Well we were about to beat them until the two stupid security guards from the hotel hauled Anna away from us because she was a security threat," grumbled Katana. "So it was more like six against four, including Anna. I can't really take anyone down wearing a tight dress."
I nodded. I was being very unreasonable. They did the best they could.
"Thank you guys, I really appreciate it. You tried your best," I grinned.
Waving Anna's heels, Katana smirked. "Who said we tried? We're just getting started, after all I have heels to sell."
"Please, let's sort this out tomorrow when I'm not wearing stiletto heels," groaned Yasmin. "Not everyone has the ability to run in four inch heels Katana."
Rolling her eyes, Katana folded her eyes, mumbling something about incompetent eighteen year olds. Behind us, prom was still in full swing but I noticed a few people had already disappeared.
"It's not even ten yet and people have already left."
"Well prom finishes soon," shrugged Eva.
"We might as well start heading to an after party and get drunk since we lost Anna. We'll run her down tomorrow, after my hangover," said Kehlani.
"Wait, Anna would probably go to an after party as well. We can catch her there," added Eva.
"Yeah but which one?" I asked.
"Put your prom queen popularity status for good use and ask people which after party Anna is going to."
Eva had a point. Lots of people were willing to talk to me since I had been crowned prom queen. Especially after I was able to give the most sought out boy in a year a dutty whine. Smirking to myself, I walked over to the nearest group of girls and asked them which after party Anna was heading to. They quickly shook their heads, saying they didn't like Anna and didn't talk to her. Fair enough, I mean, I didn't like the girl either.
"Hey prom queen, you okay?" hollered Tilly, from across the room.
I turned around, squinting to see what she was holding in her hand.
I strolled over to her. "Tilly, how are you drinking in prom? There's teachers everywhere."
"Oh relax. I'm 18, you're 18...you want some of my vodka?"
"No, I'm good thanks," I grinned, already remembering the nasty taste of it. "Do you know which after party Anna is heading to?"
"She said she was going to host one herself when she won prom queen but she didn't win."
"So she isn't going to an after party?"
"Oh she is. Anna's getting a boy to sneak her into Tion's one. I saw her leaving a hotel on snap."
I rolled my eyes. Didn't Anna already know that she had 0% success rate of Tion letting her in. He hated her existence.
Scoffing, I questioned, "You have her on snap?"
"Of course I do. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer," explained Tilly, taking another swig of vodka. "So now I'm not going to Tion's after party to avoid seeing Anna."
Although I had just gotten to know Tilly tonight, I really didn't want to end the night so soon when we beginning to get closer. I had come to like her crazy, alcoholic self.
I shook my head. "No, you're gonna miss out. Just come with me to Tion's party."
"I'd rather just go home."
"Why? Don't be like that, we can go together with Eva and my friends."
"I'm cool with Tion and most of the year, it's just that I know there'll be drama when Anna comes."
There definitely would be. Anna had to confess that I didn't steal Jasiah's watch.
I nodded my head. "If you don't like it, you can leave okay?"
Tilly rolled her eyes, screwing the cap of the vodka bottle back on.
Linking her arm through mine, Tilly sighed, "Let's get this party over and done with."
Together we strolled outside of the hotel towards where Eva was leaning against the Rolls Royce. It was already to beginning to get dark outside.
"Did you find out which after party she's going to?" asked Eva.
"Yeah, she's heading to Tion's and Tilly coming with us," I grinned.
Tilly gave a shy wave but Eva was more than excited to see her. Grabbing Tilly, Eva pulled her into a hug.
"I'll show you were Tion's house is," said Tilly. "He lives in one of the big houses by Loughton station."
"That's cool babe but we're all going to have to squash in at the back," replied Eva, opening the door of the Rolls Royce.
Yasmin and Kehlani had spread themselves out across the three backseats but straightened up when they saw us.
"Tilly is coming with us to the after party so move up," said Eva, waving Yasmin aside.
Yasmin put her leg up to block Eva. "Five of us is too much. Why don't you sit with Bailey at the front?"
"No! Just move up, it's not that deep."
When Eva raised her voice, Bailey and Katana turned around to glare at them.
Pushing open the other door, Kehlani huffed, "Since you man wanna act like kids, I'll sit with Katana at the front because five of us at the back is too much."
A few minutes later, I found myself sat at the back with Tilly, Eva and Yasmin whilst Kehlani sat on Katana's lap at the front. We sped down the poorly lit country lanes as Tilly told Bailey to turn down different roads. Gnarled branches of trees reached out, warning us of the trouble that would unfold at Tion's after party. The occasional farm and detached houses would zoom by as we drove further into Epping Forest.
"Are we nearly there yet?" I asked.
"Yeah, just five more minutes and we'll be out of the forest and near Loughton High Road," replied Tilly.
"Thank goodness, I thought we were about to get lost."
"I know this area like the back of my hand," laughed Tilly then she raised her brow quizzically. "You know you never told me why you wanted to go to the same after party as Anna."
"You know how it is, Chardonnay just likes to be petty," grinned Eva.
"Fair enough, I'm all for that but we didn't get invited by Tion. How are we going to get in?"
I shrugged. "Well I was invited."
"How did your antisocial self manage that one?" inquired Katana, narrowing her eyes.
"I bussed Tion a whine since we both couldn't do the proper prom king and queen dance and then he just invited me."
Eva's eyes bulged. Yasmin dropped her lipgloss mid-application. Everyone just looked at me.
"Is Tion leng?" questioned Yasmin.
"I suppose. I mean every girl in the year practically drools over him," I explained. "It was no big deal though, we danced to Virginity and Foreplay."
Katana kissed her teeth. "You dance? There's no way likkle you-"
Pulling out her phone, Eva showed us a video from Snapchat of me dancing on Tion. On the screen I could see that I was surrounded by a ring of camera lights as I rotated my hips to dancehall. Katana's jaw dropped.
"Well we're here," said Tilly, pointing at a massive, gated house as we turned around the corner. "That's Tion's house."
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I gazed up at the imposing house as we entered the gated residence. On the grand marble balcony, there was a couple making out. Ew. There were lines of trees at the sides of the house, dotted with fairy lights. Swiftly, Bailey jumped out of the driver's seat and opened Katana's door then my car door. What a gentleman.
"Thank you Bailey," I grinned.
Bailey nodded. "It's calm but don't say my govs in public like that, not tryna get bagged by feds. Call me Bmizzy."
What was it with boys thinking imaginary police officers were constantly chasing them?
"Okay, thanks... Bmizzy."
Whilst Yasmin, Tilly and Eva climbed out, I was able to take a proper look at Bailey. He had ditched his suit and chauffeur hat and instead wore casual clothes with a gold chain peeking through. Bailey, or rather, Bmizzy also had a nose piercing. Eva had very good taste in men but as her friend, I could no longer look at him like that. It's just wrong to look at her ex or whatever they had going on. Besides, my heart was hopelessly attracted to Jasiah.
Opening the front passenger door, Eva sighs, "You guys can go in, I need to talk with this dickhead."
I could see Bmizzy glare at Eva at the corner of my eye. Eva knew what she was doing by being rude to him. I winked at her as I walked past them towards Tion's front door. Eva smirked, waving at me whilst she entered the Rolls Royce again.
Knocking on the door, I waited impatiently until I heard the door's locks turning a few minutes later. Tion pulled his large, black, front door open, smirking as he caught sight of me. He was wearing shorts and had a towel around his neck without a top on. I could faintly register the smell of chlorine as his hair sparkled with water droplets. I suppose Tion had a swimming pool in his house. He licked his lips, looking me up and down.
"So what, you came for round two of Vybz Kartel, Chardonnay?"
Clearing my throat, I smiled coyly, "If you're good, just maybe."
"Is this the Tion?" whispered Katana to Tilly behind me. "Man like Chardonnay you know."
Tion's eyes flicked to Katana. "I see you've brought a crowd. What you saying Tills?"
Tilly shyly smiled at Tion as he ushered us into the foyer on his house. Katana, Yasmin, Kehlani and Tilly wandered down the corridors, presumably following the sound of dancehall and afrobeats. An impossibly high ceiling with a glass spiralling staircase greeted me as I walked inside. A marble figure of the Greek Titaness Themis was placed on a mahogany sideboard with other ancient relics. Following my gaze, Tion noticed me staring at the Themis figure.
"My mum is one of the top criminal barristers in London," began Tion, snaking his hand around my waist, "so my dad bought her that marble figure - the goddess of law."
"Yeah, the lady of good counsel with her scales of justice and sword," I grinned.
"You know Greek mythology?"
"Of course! I love ancient mythology and I want to become a lawyer so I recognised the blinded justice."
"Well I'm sure my mum would let you shadow her for work experience."
"Really?"
"Yeah really, gotta help a fellow black sister out," smiled Tion. "Enough talk about law though, this is a party."
Ecstatic, Tion dragged me by the hand into the kitchen. Shot glasses were already laid out on the granite island and an army of Hennessy, Vodka and Echo Falls bottles stood to attention beside a squadron of soft drinks, ready to knock out dozens of young adults.
"Are your family okay with all of this?" I laughed nervously, observing more guests filing in and bottles being popped open.
I glanced at the clock, it was only 10:15pm and his yard was filling up quickly.
"My mum's at some law chamber awards night. What she doesn't know can't hurt her," he smirked, pouring himself a cup of vodka.
"What about your dad and siblings?"
He shrugged nonchalantly. "My dad and brother rarely stay in the house so it's calm."
"Oh okay, I heard Anna got invited here."
Tion choked on his drink. "I didn't invite her so we won't be seeing that bitch any time soon."
I smiled weakly. Little did he know that I wanted to cross paths with Anna.
Tion searched my eyes, chuckling. "Why do I feel like you want to see her?"
"I mean her green dress was definitely a sight to see."
"Oh I get it... you just wanna rub it in that you won prom queen," smirked Tion, nudging me. "I don't blame you, Anna needs to get taken down a notch."
I guess I could run with that. The only truth in Tion's words was that Anna needed to get taken down a notch. And I would make sure of it tonight, providing she is still planning on sneaking into this house.
"I didn't know you could read me so well," I replied. "But Anna isn't invited so I don't think I'll have the chance."
"I'm sure you'll bump into each other in Tottenham. I see her down there sometimes."
"You chill in Tottenham too?"
"Nah my older brother lives there so I stay over at his from time to time."
How come I haven't seen him around Tottenham before? Shaking away my thoughts, I took in my surroundings. A couple of boys that used to be in our year group, who got kicked out of the sixth form, were taking photos on the granite countertops. I could see my friends outside by the pool but I still hadn't seen Eva. Olders boys were occupied with talking to the girls in my sixth form. How did Tion know them?
"Can you come upstairs with me," begged Tion, pulling on my arm. "I wanna get a top and give you one of my mum's law books."
"Sure, let's go," I grinned.
Ascending up the glass staircase, I followed Tion as we entered the second floor of his house. To be fair, it was more like a three storey mansion. I followed behind him, hearing the echoes of my heels slapping on the luxurious marble floors. Even the floors were screaming that my broke self shouldn't be here. Holding my head high, I walked closely behind Tion down the corridor.
Suddenly, Tion stopped. He spun around, cocking his head.
"Chardonnay, do you hear that?"
I closed my eyes, trying to single out any peculiar sounds. Inhaling deeply, I tried to detect any odours.
Shaking my head, I replied, "I can only hear us, the party and I can smell the jasmine air freshener, pool chlorine from you and-"
It had finally caught me. The sound of people. Exchanging glances, I grabbed Tion's arm and followed it.
"You starting a fish market up here?" I joked.
"Nah, I don't really like fish like that."
We travelled further down the corridor, the smell of rotting was becoming more pungent. The low whisper of voices were getting louder. I stopped in front one of the bedrooms.
"Well the voices seem to be coming from here."
Tion frowned. "Well that's my parent's bedroom."
Warm light glowed from the gap in between the door, signalling somebody was inside.
"I thought your mum and dad weren't home. Is your brother back?"
"They aren't so I don't know who the fuck is in there," answered Tion, carefully nudging the door open.
Protectively, Tion stood in front of me as he peeked inside the room. I watched his face wrinkle with disgust.
"Who's in there?" I whispered anxiously.
"You don't need to see it," he replied quietly, shaking his head as he turned around.
Rolling my eyes, I pushed past him and looked through the crack of the slightly open door. I narrowed my eyes at the sight in front of me. If someone told me earlier I would see what I'm seeing right now, I would've laughed at them. My stomach churned with nausea at what was front of me. And the smell-
Grabbing my arm, Tion pulled me away and shut the door. "Go back downstairs for a bit... I'll sort this out."
- Network with people, you never know who will put you on
Who is Tion's brother? Who did Chardonnay and Tion see in his parent's bedroom? And will Anna turn up to Tion's house? Find out in the next chapters, don't forget to vote - Jaymunni