Page 41

4

PARTY FROM HELL

WILLOW

F elix leads us towards the front door of the mansion, passing through a large cloud of smoke that reeks of marijuana and cigarette smoke. I soak in the faces of everyone we pass by, a few sneers and looks of disgust cross their features, while some appear curious at the sight of us. I recognize a few of the members of the crowd from school, but not anyone I was close enough with to greet.

I know that Riley is completely on edge and waiting to be bombarded with some kind of assault as we pass through the massive ornate double doors of the home, yet nothing happens. While she prepares for a hypothetical fight, I want to party and let loose for once in my life. We’ve never gone to a party or drank alcohol like normal teenagers do. I’m tired of feeling like we’re locked inside some social cage, away from the rest of the world. I want Riley and I to experience something fun and just be free for once—free to be ourselves in front of others without judgment or fear of being ridiculed.

I want to drink and dance the night away. I want to see Riley’s worry wash away and let her walls down, to see her laugh. Like, really laugh, as if she doesn’t carry the weight of the world on her shoulders. But what I want most of all… is to feel her hands caressing my skin the way they were earlier. Only I wish that next time, she takes it even further.

A few people glance our way, then quickly avert their eyes back to whatever they were partaking in before our arrival.

Felix squeezes in between Riley and I, throwing his arms around both of our shoulders with a grin. He looks between both of us, crushing us to his chest awkwardly. “I told you, Riles, there’s no foul play,” he shouts in her ear over the booming rap music.

I nervously bite my lower lip, staring around the large open space where drunken bodies bump and grind to the music. In the back room, there’s a crowd cheering and hovering around a long table, playing beer pong. Directly to our right, there’s a DJ booth and a makeshift dance floor, bartenders serving drinks at a tiki bar to our left. There are two extravagant curved staircases with golden railings leading up to the upstairs rooms.

Vanessa’s parents are well-known plastic surgeons, so I suppose the extravagant house makes sense. The party decorations are lavish and completely over the top for a shitty teenage house party, but I digress.

“That’s yet to be seen, asshole,” Riley shouts back at Felix with a scowl on her beautiful face.

“Shots! I have Jell-O shots!” A man I don’t recognize screams over the music with a sly smile. He’s holding a spherical plate with an assortment of multi-colored Jell-O shots, treading cautiously amongst the party-goers.

My heart flutters wildly as adrenaline kicks in while I eye the array of jiggling alcoholic shots in tiny plastic cups. I dart out of Felix’s grip and reach the man, who graciously tilts the tray towards me in offering. “Take as many as you want, cute little thing,” he says with a wink.

My cheeks heat at the forward compliment. Riley comes up behind me and possessively wraps her arm around my waist. “Don’t mind if we do. Thanks, dude,” she replies for me, towing me closer to her warmth.

She snatches a red one, hands it to me, then grabs a blue one for herself. Riley holds the shot toward me with her eyebrows raised. “Cheers, cute little thing,” she chuckles, mimicking the man’s earlier praise.

Felix barrels forward, double-fisting two Jell-O cups, and drinking one after the other. He makes a sour face as he gags down the wiggling alcoholic dessert. “Blegh. Nasty stuff,” he dry-heaves, sticking out his tongue and shaking his head like a dog.

Riley barks out a laugh, toasting her shot with mine. “Here goes nothing.” We smile at each other, then toss the drinks back. It goes down rather smoothly, but damn, that stuff is potent. I’m not experienced with spiked drinks, or Jell-O to be exact, but that tastes like straight alcohol.

My insides feel all warm and tingly as the alcohol settles in my stomach. It’s a strange feeling, but I think I rather like it.

After four more shots, two red solo cups filled to the brim with foamy beer, we danced with Felix like goofballs for almost two hours before he ran off somewhere into the sea of people. Mostly everyone avoided us, but we didn’t mind. At least, this fuzzy feeling in my head allows me to let loose and not have a single care in the world.

Riley spins me around in a circle, and I clumsily trip over my own feet. She steadies me with a lopsided grin. Her caramel eyes, now glassy from drinking, lock onto me and her eyes become hooded.

“Come here, beautiful,” she rasps, dragging me to her. So close that our breasts clash together.

I collide against her with a soft gasp.

Her hand glides across my cheek, and my heart beats erratically in my chest. The way she’s looking at me right now, like I’m the most precious gem on the planet. Like she’s been given the world’s greatest gift. Is this what being in love feels like? Is falling in love with your foster sister even morally right?

Because if it’s wrong, then I don’t want to ever be right. I’m hopelessly in love with her, and I want her to know it. I’m going to show her how much she means to me without words. With Riley, I’ve never needed to express myself with words, and this time it’s no different.

I slowly lift my hand to her cheek, my trembling fingers trace over her soft flesh. She gasps softly, her jaw drops in awe. The tension between us is palpable.

“Will,” she breathes.

I wrap my hand around the back of her neck, ready to bring our heads closer to finally seal this moment in reality and begin our new forever. Until the most annoying sound I’ve ever heard causes us to break apart, shattering the moment entirely.

“Shit, sorry. Did we just interrupt a touching moment?” Heidi says awkwardly, one brow raised.

I cross my arms and let out a sigh of annoyance. Riley, on the other hand, has her fists clenched at her side, already on the defensive.

Heidi Sterling—royal bitch queen who made our lives miserable throughout our four years in high school. She was captain of the cheerleading squad, and if she wasn’t stereotypical enough, was and still is dating Shane Hawthorne, the captain of the hockey team. They’re an elite power couple that everyone obsesses over and either wants to be or be friends with.

Except for Riley and me.

Shane never bothered us as much as his stuck-up girlfriend, her posse, and the rest of the hockey team did. But his silence speaks volumes, and we obviously know where he stands when it comes to watching others be bullied by those closest to him.

Heidi flips her bleach-blonde hair behind her shoulder, puckering her glossy pink lips. She’s flanked by Vanessa and Amber, carbon copies of Heidi that try to be exactly like their slutty, brainless queen.

Riley steps closer to Heidi. “If you’re gonna fuck with us, then we’ll just leave. High school is over, Heidi. We’re done with the petty bullshit.”

Vanessa scoffs behind Heidi, crossing her arms. “If we wanted to fuck with you, then we would have done it hours ago when you stepped foot into my home. We came to?—”

Heidi cuts her off, throwing a perfectly manicured hand up in her direction while clicking her tongue in annoyance. “We came over here to apologize. To both of you.” She regards both of us with an unsure smile. “You’re right,” she says, facing Riley. “High school is over now. We want to start over, leave the past in the past, and move forward. That’s why we had that nerdy friend of yours invite you here for us. Consider this a… peace offering.” Her voice sounds unnaturally high pitched, the happiness coating her tone almost dramatized.

Riley narrows her glare onto Heidi. I’m not even sure what to make of this random change of heart. These girls acted like they hated us for four years. Why all of a sudden do they care about making peace with us?

“Yeah, and Willow,” Amber starts, pushing her blonde hair behind her ears. “You’re totally not a freak for not wanting to talk. I think it’s pretty cool that we can’t hear your voice.” She half shrugs with a giggle.

Riley tenses, her eyes turn wild as she scowls at Amber. “It’d be pretty cool if we couldn’t hear your annoying as fuck voice, too.”

Heidi elbows Amber in the arm, rolling her eyes with a sigh. “What did I say,” Amber obliviously asks.

“Look, we don’t want any trouble. What Amber means is, we don’t hate you girls. We totally would love to be your friends,” Heidi beams, while simultaneously shooting daggers at her friend with her eyes.

“Yeah, totally ,” Amber and Vanessa mimic in unison.

Riley steps closer to me, a look of disgust etched into her features. “You know what? I think we actually hit our friend quota. Thanks, but no thanks.” She grabs my arm, attempting to spin me around to leave, when Heidi speaks once more.

“At least let us try to make amends, Riley. You’re at our party after all, let us show you how to party our way,” she laughs icily, looking at something behind us.

“SEVEN MINUTES IN HEAVEN!” A male voice shouts behind us. I gasp in horror when I feel a muscular arm wrap around my waist, lifting me off my feet and dragging me somewhere in the mansion.

All three of the girls are laughing viciously, cruel intentions dancing in their eyes. My head whips to my right at the sound of Riley struggling and screaming. Rage boils my blood, and for the first time that I can remember, dark violent energy brims beneath the surface of my skin, as I watch Brad carry Riley. The very same Brad that raped her.

I dig my nails into the tan arms that hold me captive. I viciously kick and thrash around, attempting to break free. I need to save Riley. I have to get to her.

The arms squeeze around my midsection, making me gasp for air as he cuts off my air supply. “You better chill the fuck out, before I take you somewhere alone to play with for myself.”

I go completely still to the sound of Jake’s voice. One of the popular boys from the hockey team, and Brad’s best friend. Tears prick the corners of my eyes as I realize that there really was no peace offering. This is war, and the enemy aims to humiliate us once again.

Jake loosens his grip, and I control my breathing, staring blankly ahead. This will be the last time they make fools out of us.

Riley shouts as she’s thrown into me inside what looks to be a dry food pantry. “Seven minutes, ladies. Maybe we’ll come join you when your times up,” Brad chides, before swiftly shutting the door.

The sound of a lock clicks. All you can hear is the muffled sounds of the bass and laughter from outside, as we’re submerged in darkness.

“Let us out!” Riley shouts repeatedly, banging her fists against the door. She tries the door handle, twisting, turning, and kicking it but it’s no use. We’re trapped in here.

“Fuck!” Riley screams, her voice becoming hoarse from the overuse.

I lean back against the only wall that doesn’t have shelves lined with food. By now, it’s definitely been longer than seven minutes. I sniffle softly as the tears I was holding onto finally rain down my cheeks.

Riley spins around, shifting her complete attention to me. She cups my cheeks, her thumbs brushing away my tears. “I’m so sorry I couldn’t protect you,” she whispers, defeat weighing heavily in her voice.

She rests her forehead against mine with a sorrowful sigh. With my last ounce of courage, I decide to take the plunge off the deep end. We’re already trapped in here together, alone, and I don’t know what’s going to happen after we leave this pantry. I just want to spend one fleeting moment with Riley locked in complete bliss.

I lift her chin with my fingers, bringing my other hand to cup her face. The energy in this small room instantly changes, charged entirely with tension that’s waiting to implode.

She slowly runs her fingers down my chest, slower over my breasts, down to my hips and she grips firmly.

I glide the pads of my fingers over her plump bottom lip, and I feel her shudder at my touch.

“Willow,” she breathes against my fingers. “I love you more than a sister. I want to kiss you so fucking bad. Do you?—”

With a whimper, exhilaration spills into every nerve, lighting me ablaze with lust and need. I cut her off, crashing my lips onto hers. It’s my first kiss, I don’t really know what I’m doing. But it doesn’t feel awkward. With Riley, feeling her lips against mine is the closest path to perfection.

Her hands squeeze my hips tighter, pulling me flush against her body. She lifts one hand to the side of my face, deepening the kiss with a groan.

I sigh against her lips when she slips her tongue into my mouth. I follow her lead, our tongues dancing, exploring, possessing one another.

Kissing Riley feels like magic. No… that’s not right. Kissing Riley feels like every star in the sky colliding at once, causing a massive explosion and the end of the world. She is the only world that I ever want to know.

Lost in the moment, our hands feeling every inch of each other’s bodies, and I can’t get enough. Riley palms my breast over my shirt, and I moan softly. A sound I’ve never heard myself conjure before.

“Fuck, Will. Do that again.” She rubs her index and middle finger over my sensitive, pebbled nipple, eliciting the very same reaction as she swallows another moan in her crushing kiss. “You make such pretty sounds,” she groans, her voice intense and raspy.

Blinding light floods my peripheral vision, the sound of snickers and laughter filling the small space surrounding us. “Oh my god! They’re lesbians!” A voice squeals.

The laughter roars to a deafening crescendo.

“Aren’t they sisters?” Someone shouts.

“Fucking freaks!”

“Sister fuckers!”

“Awwww, look at the dyke sisters getting it on. That’s fucking hot, you should have called us in to join you,” Brad jests with a twisted grin.

I stare in horror as the flood of flashing camera lights capture this moment in time forever. Before I can stop her, Riley’s fist slams into Brad’s nose. Blood pours from his nostrils like a gushing waterfall. He rushes to cover his nose, when Riley swings on him again and again, causing him to stumble back.

Amber jumps on her back, pulling Riley’s hair with a shriek. Riley falls backward, slamming Amber’s body beneath her, knocking Amber breathless from the impact. Riley rolls off her, and guns straight to Heidi—the mastermind behind this vile humiliation act.

I start to rush out of the pantry, wanting to do something to try and help, when Brad steps in front of me with a wicked glint in his eyes. “You’re gonna pay for my broken nose, you bitch.”

He grabs me and runs toward the back door, that leads out to a pool that sits next to a raging bonfire. There’s a loud crowd out here, cackling and watching Brad manhandle me.

I watch the flames as they soar high and brightly towards the night sky. Panic kicks in, and all I want to do is scream. I kick frantically, unintelligible sounds race out of me as he brings me closer to the fire. My eyes quickly latch on to what’s next to the bonfire, a wooden stake punctures the ground, surrounded by a smaller, circular fire pit. Kindling, twigs, and other flammable line the circular death trap.

Are they going to burn me alive?

The scent of beer hits me strongly in the face, no literally hits me. Vanessa and some others begin tossing the alcohol all over me, soaking through my clothes, and until my hair is utterly drenched.

“I heard you don’t like fires,” Brad whispers against my ear. He chuckles, low and vile. “I wonder if the little strawberry will melt or burn to ashes first?”

Where the fuck is Riley? Hasn’t she noticed they’ve taken me?

Through the raging adrenaline and my heart rate about to send me into cardiac arrest, my consciousness fades away, black dots coat my vision, my limbs become slack, and my eyes flutter closed.