2.Party Till We're Purple

Almost wanting to kiss the ground as I opened my door, I mentally felt proud for not trying to kill my best friend's boyfriend; the whole hour and a half drive here was full of Williams' shitty singing and horrible dance moves that almost made us go off roading a few times.

“Babe,” Austyn whined, shutting the car door behind her. “Pleaseeeeee quiet singing! My ears are about to bleed,”

William laughed a bit too loudly as he locked the doors behind us, pulling Austyn into his arms and kissing the tip of her nose. “Tiney, the moment I stop singing is the moment I die,”

“Then I'll start planning your funeral now “ Austyn mumbled, grabbing my hand. Austyn was definitely dressed ‘sexy’. Her dress was made up of blood red sequins, the length just enough to cover her behind but low enough to show any man the handful she had on her chest. Glancing down at my outfit, Austyn smiled softly.

She was kind enough to let me be me, and that meant everything.

Trees of darkness surrounded us as we walked down the middle of the gravel road, cars and trucks lining each side of the road, and as the cold forced its way around each of us, we all huddled together. Williams' arm was slung around Austyn's shoulders, her hand in mine, and judging by the fact I couldn't see stars, there was no doubt in my mind that snow was coming.

We seemed to walk for hours when in reality it was probably about five minutes before we started to hear the beat of music and in front of us, we could see a huge house; inside of it, lights danced and the aroma of beer and liquor started to pick at my nose.

“This is gonna be fuckin’ sick,” William hollered, adding in a little jump that had me questioning his sexuality for a moment.

“Who even are these people?” Austyn questioned, her hand tightened in mine and I tried not to look too shocked at the fact she didn't even know who's house we were going into.

“I don't know,” William shrugged honestly. “They're friends with Jeffrey,” Jeffrey was our school's golden boy - the fastest, the hottest, and the most popular; I've known him for a few years and he took being popular to a whole new level it seemed.

“Yuck,” Austyn mumbled as we all walked up to the front of the giant house. The walls seemed grey under the dark light and the big wrap-around porch was filled with couples making out, a beer pong game, and small groups of friends chatting the night away. Music pulsed heavily with a quick beat, and as we entered through the front door, I could hardly see my own hand in front of me due to the heavy crowd of people. The music seemed to be drowned out by all the voices around me, Austyn's hand gripping mine tighter as we weaved through the drunken teens.

We entered into what seemed to be a living room and one thing was certain - whoever owned this house was well off. Beautiful paintings of landscapes hung on the cream colored walls that were now decorated with spilled -I’m assuming- alcohol and the chandelier above was crafted with what looked to be deer antlers.

I bet if it wasn't littered with toilet paper, I'd be able to tell.

“I'm gonna find Jeff and the guys,” William yelled over the busyness. “I'll text you in an hour?”Austyn nodded and kissed him deeply as a goodbye.

“Want a drink?” She asked, turning back to me.

Shifting my feet, I shrugged. Austyn laughed, pulled me into a hug and led me to the room which acted as a dance floor - bodies grinded against each other, moving to the movement of the music, and lights of red, blue, and yellow danced to their own beat - casting shadows of the dancing figures upon the walls.

Austyn let loose, shaking her hips as the red sequins bedazzled the passing crowd. I could see the lingering eyes upon her and even though she made my body move side to side with hers, I felt so small.

Austyn was effortlessly beautiful.

One song merged into the other and finally Austyn was finished dancing. “Do you want a drink?”

“No,” I yelled back, trying to push away the incoming headache down deep. Austyn nodded as we left the dance floor, my forehead beading with moisture and catching my breath, Austyn looked around.

“I might go find Will for a bit,” My jaw ticked at the thought of her leaving me alone even though she said she wouldn't. Nonetheless, I nodded before we both went our separate ways.

Trying to get away from the crowd, I tiptoed past the people on the giant staircase and rounded into a few hallways before I was finally away from the hustle and bustle; the house seemed to have a warm glow the further I got from the crazy so I just kept walking.

Finding myself alone, I took the time to examine the paintings on the walls. One was of a lilac field, hues of purples and blues that seemed to wave in the wind was next to another frame that houses a willow tree swooning to the side; the paintings were unique in their own way and they each gave off a hint of sadness… I wasn't an expert in art by any means, I knew a few pieces but these were breathtaking.

Once I finished looking at the paintings in one hall, I moved to the next and then the next. Doors made up of dark wood and small chandeliers that matched the one in the living room littered each hallway, a sitting room here and an open office there, and passing a large window, I saw the snow had started to fall gently.

Not wanting to spend the night here due to the weather, I hurried back down the maze of hallways and stairs before pushing past a few people in the living room. The lights still danced as did the people but no Austyn or William. Trying my luck in the kitchen, a different living room, two bathrooms, and a small closet, I didn't find anything but a few couples kissing like their lives depended on it.

Sighing, I slouched down into a couch that was littered with crumbs. I recognized a few people from school but not too many, many just some athletes and a couple of the more wealthy kids.

“Valerie, right?” A deep voice came from behind, making me jump.

Turning around, wide eyed, I nodded… in front of me was-

“Isaiah,” I smiled and finished my internal thought, the cage in which my heart raced made me feel flushed.

Isaiah chuckled and nodded, pointing to the spot next to me. “Is it taken?”

“No,” Scooting over, I couldn't help the nervous smile which painted my lips. A boy? Next to me? Willingly?

“We take science together,” Isaiah stated as he sat down. Isaiah was a rare one of the popular guys that seemed pretty nice. He often studied in the library during lunch and even though he had only been at our school for about three months, there was a line of girls that wanted their turn with him. Every girl called him sexy but to me, he was beautiful. He had flashy green eyes, chocolate brown hair, and a smile that often made me forget my troubles for a second.

“Mr.Youngs class,”

I nodded and smiled. Words apparently didn't exist to me anymore…

“You're friends with Austyn and Will, right?”

“Just Austyn, William is just along for the Austyn ride,” Now my words seemed to come out too quickly.

Isaiah laughed loudly and red painted my cheeks, my heart beating even faster and I couldn't believe I made Isaiah Brimms laugh… Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit! “Damn, you're an honest one,”

I was about to apologize when suddenly, what seemed to be a loud roar took over my ears and sent a little more than a chill down my spine; Isaiah froze as well, a cloudy look forming in his green eyes and everything seemed to stop - the music, the dancing, and the chatter.

“Oh,” Isaiah whispered. “We are so fucked,”