Page 26

Visha

The mansion’s bustling with teenagers, and I swear I saw older guys too. Must be freaking groomers because what else do they seek at a high school party other than young and impressionable girls and boys?

Aoi left as soon as he dumped the groceries at home and asked me to put them away. Though I hate chores, I’m glad he asked me and rushed out because at least he doesn’t know I snuck out afterwards.

We step across the lawn where some people laugh and dance, already wasted. Two girls twirl around and laugh as one of them crashes into some guy sitting on a piss yellow colored couch.

“I already wanna go home,” Sarah groans, pushing her ginger hair behind her shoulder. “Someone remind me why we came.”

“Partying and drinking,” Liam answers as he glances at her bare legs covered by a simple red skirt.

She even wore heels, which is rare! I doubt that he knows how obvious his crush on her is but apparently the others haven’t noticed, especially Sarah. That or maybe she’s simply pretending not to know so she doesn’t have to deal with the situation.

“Heavy on the drinking part,” Olivia chimes in.

I scan our surroundings as we head into the massive white mansion, holding back a curse when I see how drunk the majority of people already are.

I’m not sure whether I want to drink. It’s not a good idea to get drunk because if Aoi finds out he’ll be furious, but I want to have fun like everyone else. I want to make mistakes and be young for fucks sake. It’s not the end of the world if I grab a drink for once.

“Who wants a drink?” Xander asks over the loud music.

“Me!” Sarah and Olivia answer giddily.

I glance at Liam who doesn’t seem too keen to drink before answering, “Count me in.”

Half-naked girls dance around the living room with red solo cups in their hands and guys lusting disgustingly over them. With spring blooming outside, the inside of the mansion seems like the Maldives. Everyone’s dressed in light clothing and dances as if we’re already in summer.

Xander goes to grab our drinks with Liam who offers to help, while the girls and I head over to a nearby couch. The music’s so loud it thunders in my ears.

“There are pretty girls here,” Olivia says, wiggling her brows. “Why don’t you shoot your shot with one of them? Maybe you’ll even find someone for the night.”

“Yeah, right.”

“What’s that nonchalant ass response for, huh?” She punches my arm.

Rolling my eyes, I pinch her hand. “As if I care about girls.”

“Right, you’re fruitier than skittles.”

“Shut up.”

“Can’t deny that I’m right though.”

Liam and Xander come back a few minutes later with our drinks then take a seat among us. We spend the next hour talking and sipping our liquor. Except for Olivia who has a higher tolerance for booze than us, everyone’s already tipsy after the second round of red bull vodkas. Sometimes I’m scared she’ll end up an alcoholic with how much she drinks for her age.

I realize how being in a bustling place doesn’t make me feel surrounded at all. I love spending time with my friends, but I long to go back to the apartment and chat with Aoi.

“You seem out of it,” Liv points out.

Liam stares at Sarah with hearts in his eyes while Xander entertains us with gossip and weird stories he caught wind of.

I smile and scratch an invisible itch at the back of my nape. “Nah, I’m just tired.”

“Just tired?”

“Yeah, why?”

“Sometimes it feels like you’re not fully here with us,” she says, low enough for only me to hear.

I watch her sip on her fourth cup, smiling at our friends. They’re all too busy to notice our conversation and I’m grateful for it.

“I’m here though,” I mutter.

She turns her head towards me and the look she shoots me is a mystery. She expresses so much yet so little. Olivia pushes a strand of blonde hair behind her ear before chugging her drink.

“You’re here physically but in there,” she points at my head. “You’re somewhere else.”

My smile falters. “Aren’t you perspicacious, miss Scott?”

“I’m serious, asshole.”

She’s not wrong. I’m an asshole that’s constantly thinking about heading home to the point where I forget that I owe my friends the respect of being fully committed to them when we’re hanging out. If Olivia noticed, then the others might’ve too. They aren’t as observant as she is or at least they don’t let it show but if they do know, then I owe them a huge apology.

“Sorry. It’s rude of me to wish to be somewhere else while being with you guys. It’s not y’all though, I simply miss Aoi.”

She chuckles and pinches my arm, making me jump. “You’re in love with a grown up. That can only mean trouble. You know that. But I guess it’s alright as long as he doesn’t like you back, ‘cause that’d be sick.”

Yeah, I know but what am I supposed to do? My heart is his to love and his to shatter. He bewitched me wholly and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

“Is it so wrong that I really want him to love me back?”

“Of course not.” She props her foot up and leans her chin on her knee. “You’re crushing on someone and shit like that happens all the time. You just happened to fall for the one person you shouldn’t have. You unlucky, dumbass.”

“No shit. Thanks for the support by the way. I love being reminded that I’m dumb.”

She scrunches her nose at my sarcasm. “What do you have planned? You can’t just internally pray for him to one day reciprocate your feelings, you know.”

“I don’t know.” I chug my drink and wince at the taste. “Fuck, this shit tastes disgusting.”

“You’re just a baby.”

“No, you’re just a teen alcoholic.”

She raises her fist and grins. “See this? I’m gonna punch you. Brace yourself, fucker.”

I lift my hands up to cover my face and laugh. “Violence is never the answer.”

“You’re right. It’s the question and the answer’s yes.”

“Not the face! How can I charm my future husband if you ruin my handsome face?”

“Gosh, you’re so full of yourself.”

“Can you two pay attention for a minute?”

We look at Xander pouting at our lack of interest in whatever tale he began telling about Camilla and her new boyfriend. Don’t ask me who Camilla is, I have absolutely no clue.

“Sorry, dude. Go ahead and enlighten us about Camilla and her more than boring personal life.”

I slap a hand over my face at Olivia’s words. “You’re being mean!”

“Someone has to be. Don’t tell me you give a shit about gossip?”

“I don’t but don’t say it like that. Poor Xan is gonna go cry in Liam’s arms if you keep it up.”

“Bro, I’m right here!”

The four of us burst out laughing and even Xander has no choice but to follow suit because he knows we’re just fucking around.