PITD 4: Parties

The rest of the week went by uneventfully for Leigh. She hardly saw Willis at all except the few times he would suddenly pop up behind her, say his greetings and disappear again. Leigh had a feeling he was laying it low till the party and she could barely wait for him to make his next move.

Finally, the long awaited Saturday came. She had gotten up early, well much earlier than she did on weekends to get her things in order and by ‘her things’ her hair was the major problem. The curls just wanted to be let loose and bounce around as freely as they’d like. 

“Well, not today,” She told her curls through the mirror and mercilessly ran a hot comb through it again.

Thea would be meeting her at her place in an hour's time so they could both prepare for the party. When Thea had asked if Willis would be picking them up, she had replied negative. He hadn’t even bothered to ask where she lived. He had however, later that week dropped a scribbled address in her palm saying it was where the party was going down.

Thea, had understandably thrown a fit. Claiming he was a no do-gooder if he couldn't even offer a girl he had invited to a party, a ride. Or explain the lack thereof. Leigh had only succeeded in calming Thea down when she pointed out that it was one of the things she would tell him while walking all over the shards of his ego.

Leigh almost jumped out of her skin when a loud thump! Sounded at her door. Since it didn’t sound like someone knocking and most likely something crashing into her door, she wielded her hot comb as a weapon while slowly approaching the door. 

“Mom?” she called out to make sure she didn’t whack her mother in the face with a hot comb. 

Thump! 

There it went again? What was crashing into her door?

“Thea?” she called weakly knowing Thea wasn’t due until another one hour and her best friend was anything but early. 

Thump! Thump! 

What in the world? Summoning up the courage she didn’t have, Leigh opened the door and swung her hot comb out at the same time a huge ball of fur launched at her. 

“Leon!!” Leigh exclaimed in laughter while her face was being lapped up by the huge dog. 

"Hi Leon, where have you been" she said finally free of the dog’s tongue. Leon was a stray Leigh had picked off the streets a few months ago. She’d been a really little abandoned puppy then, now She’d grown into a big dog that spent most of her time napping around. Leigh had mistaken the puppy for a male back then and had named it before discovering its actual gender.  

"I see you're excited for tonight," Samantha commented, coming into the room behind the dog. Tommy balanced on one hip. 

"Yes mom. It's my first party since transferring to Saints Academy." She said in her gentlest voice, getting up from the floor and wiping dog spit from her face. Now her hair was all messed up again. She sighed, but she was happy to see the dog. 

"I know sweetie. Don't forget the rules. No drinks, no drugs, no sex and... be back by nine."

"Be back by nine. Got it."

"See, I know you're a smart young lady. What time is Thea due?"

"In a few minutes. You might want to clear anything that might be destroyed by a fierce hurricane." Leigh warned her mom. Referring to Thea.

Samantha groaned and rolled her eyes skyward. "So help me God."

****

"You can't wear that!" Thea disapproved for the hundredth time in two hours. It was getting late and they didn't have all day to sit around discarding dresses.

"I'm going with this one," she held up a baggy red gown "Whether you like it or not." Then proceeded to cross her arms like a petulant child.

"This isn't so bad. If you pair it up with those super cool boots you got last winter, child." Thea added the last part simply to spite her best friend.

"Sometimes, I wonder why I even keep you and feed you."

"Cause you love me?" Thea batted her long lashes. 

Leigh rolled her eyes at her best friend in shocking yellow bum shorts and a crop top. "Beats me." She retorted and set to change her clothes.

Since they both could not drive yet and did not want to bother Samantha, they had agreed to walk and take a bus to the venue of the party just a couple of streets away from Saints Academy. A few minutes past six and both girls were ready.

"Leigh honey, you look stunning. You too Thea, you're gorgeous" Samantha fawned over them.

"Thanks Sam." Thea grinned.

"Now babies, please be dear enough to watch Tommy for a minute okay?"

"But mum--"

"I forgot to get paper glue while coming in earlier and I need them now. I'll be just a minute. Take care of Tommy!" And she was gone before Leigh could utter a single word.

"Geez, I love your mom." Thea chuckled and earned a steely glare from Leigh.

A minute turned to ten minutes then ten minutes slowly ticked into twenty but there was still no sign of Samantha. Leigh had taken to pacing around the rectangular area that was the living room for the past five minutes now, occasionally stopping to check the windows and ground out "where the hell is she?" through clenched teeth.

"Relax Leigh, your mom will be here any second," Thea, content on playing with Tommy, tried to reassure her.

'That's what you have been saying for the past ten minutes but I don't see her anywhere in sight. Do you?"

The sharpness of Leigh's tone had Thea bunching up her shoulders and glancing up at her friend curiously. "You know, if I didn’t know better, I would think you're either too eager or too nervous to go to this party I mean come on, it is just a freaking party and we have been to quite a few before."

Leigh sighed and broke off her pacing to come sit by Thea on the sofa. "I know I'm acting all bitchy," Cue a raised eyebrow from Thea which made Leigh roll her eyes. "But it’s just that I haven’t been to a party here before. I don't know how it is gonna be like. You know how much I like to know what to expect."

"Geez girl! A party is a party not minding where it’s held. We gonna have fun, listen to horribly loud music and maybe even get boozed. Besides you are gonna be with yours truly all night, what could go wrong?" 

"Oh... I don't know,” Leigh dragged out, tapping her chin like she was thinking about something. “How about, you see a cute guy, latch unto him like a tick and take insane pleasure in sticking your tongue down his throat totally forgetting your best friend." Leigh accused.

"That was years ago!" The red head protested.

"Uh huh," Leigh scoffed. Safe to say, Thea had ridden home with the cute guy she’d been making out with, leaving Leigh to walk the dark and freezing streets alone.

"I have apologized for that times without number and even made it up to you by getting you a triple decker chocolate cake for your birthday that year. I think that is compensation enough." Thea whined, not minding that Tommy was now fisting chunks of her perfectly styled hair. 

Leigh held her heart like someone and pierced it and gasped for breath. "Nothing, absolutely nothing can compensate the feeling of betrayal when your best friend leaves you for a guy."

"Okay we are so not doing this again. Get over yourself. Me, I'm gonna go get myself a juice box." Thea hit Leigh's shoulders playfully and made to get up when Samantha bust in through the kitchen doors.

"I’m so sorry girls. I got caught up in the stalls. I’ll leave you to enjoy your evening now." She plucked Tommy smoothly from Thea’s arms, untangling chunks of hair from his fists. The baby cooed, happy to see his mother.

'I guess I’ll have to pass on that juice box. Come on Leigh. Thank you Samantha." Thea said and breezed out with Leigh following closely behind her.

"Have fun!" Samantha called as the door closed behind them.

******

The evening air was crisp and warm as the two teenage girls walked the few blocks to the bus stop. The sun had long since sank below the horizon though it was still bright out. Singing birds had returned to their nests and rent the air with harmonic melody. The gentle breeze carried with it the thickness of oak wood and filtered through the leafy trees silently singing a sirens song with the birds. They were just about to take the last turn to the bus stop when a car honked behind them.

"Anyone you know, Leigh?" Thea questioned when the car owner kept blaring its horn instead of moving forward.

"No, I don't think so except...." She trailed off and walked towards the car unable to see who was behind the wheels from the headlights glaring brightly in her face.

"Hey beautiful," a familiar voice greeted as she approached the driver’s side.

"Willis?" Leigh called out in disbelief.

"Alive and in the flesh." He grinned and got out of the car. "Good evening mademoiselle." he bowed slightly in front of the ladies. "Won't you introduce me to your friend here?" He asked when Leigh simply stared at him, saying nothing. 

"Yeah, um...” Get yourself together Leigh! “Thea, this is Willis. Willis, Thea my best friend." She made the introductions, gesturing from one person to another.

Thea took Willis' outstretched hand for a shake, "Pleased to meet you."

"the pleasure is all mine Thea." Willis said, releasing her hands.

 Though Leigh had only introduced them on first name basis, Willis felt like Thea knew more about him than just formal introductions. The glint in her icy blue eyes and the cleft of her sharp chin when Leigh had made the introductions were warning signs that she knew more than she was letting on. 

Even in the shadows cast by the warm evening, Willis could clearly see the differences in the two girls. While Leigh had dark brown hair, Thea's was a shocking blonde that fell in straight tendrils over her thin oval face. Where Leigh had full cheeks and a fuller lip, Thea sported hollow cheeks, a sharp chin and thinly pursed mouth currently painted a smoldering red. She was also a little bit taller than Leigh but none the less sexy in her yellow shorts and crop top that screamed 'Danger'. 

Leigh herself was dressed in a black baggy sweater -- which seemed to be her personal favourite-- underneath he could see what was left of a red dress, with knee high socks on short boots. Her full lips seemed to shine in the evening light and she had a fruity scent about her that made him heady.

"How did you even know where to find me?" Leigh was saying, her pretty face masked by confusion.

"Well, I forgot to ask for your address and I'm sorry for that by the way. Then I decided earlier today to take your bus and note all its stops which by the way, is a lot. Then for the past hour, I have been driving around the three neighborhoods that I narrowed down your house to, hoping that I might get a glimpse of you or something that could lead me to your house and well, luckily for me I found you." By the time Willis finished, the two girls were looking at him like he had candy in his hair. "What?" he shrugged his muscled shoulders innocently.

"You mean like, you have been driving around looking for me since?" Leigh asked incredulously while Thea tried hard to keep herself from laughing at the look on her best friend’s face.

"Yeah, I don't have your number or I would have called. There was this one house I was so positive was yours though. It's a two storey down the other street from here. I even rang the door and was answered by this agile grandma who told me to and I quote 'get my silliness away from her front pouch cause her Minnie ain't old enough to be dating teenage boys like me who were too fine for their own good."

 At that, Thea burst out laughing. She laughed so hard it took a jab in the ribs from Leigh to calm her down. Leigh glared at her best friend who was acting like a rabbit high of laughing gas. 'shut up' she mouthed which made Thea calm her hysteric laughter to giggles and mouth back 'loosen up'.

"Shall we ladies? The party awaits." He gestured like a humble chauffeur and opened the door for them. "Buckle up ladies. This is going to be one hell of a ride."

A split second before Willis started the engine, Leigh thought he just might be referring to more than the ride to the party.