Page 28

Visha

The sound of pop music rattles against the walls and strives to make more bodies sway.

Xander shakes his hips as though he’s Shakira’s long-lost sister which makes Sarah cackle out loud, almost toppling over a stray purse. Sweat drips down my spine and forces me to settle down on a nearby flat surface to catch my breath.

“You good?” Liv shouts over Ariana Grande singing Break Free .

I nod fervently, fanning myself. “Just thirsty! It’s too hot in here.”

“Wanna get out for a bit?” she asks, gesturing at the backyard where countless teenagers are hanging out.

It seems as crowded and stuffy in the yard as it feels in here, so I decline. “I kinda wanna head upstairs, you know? Get away from the crowd.”

“Sure!”

We push through the people swaying to the beat of California Girls by Katy Perry getting louder by the second . A girl steps in front of me, blocking the path to the stairs as she shakes her butt energetically.

Throwing her hair back, she inches too close into my personal space. “Wanna dance cutie?”

Her long blonde hair jumps as she moves and cascades in shiny curls behind her back. The party lights reflect on her tanned skin but to me she looks like any other girl.

I lift my hands in front of me and offer her an apologetic smile. “Nah, but thanks.”

She frowns, visibly offended by the rejection and grabs my arm, preventing me from leaving. “Excuse me? How dare you.”

“You’re excused.” I yank my arm out of her grasp. “What’s your problem?”

She scoffs, dramatically flicking her hair back. “Do you know who I am?”

“Should I?” I shoot back, confused by this nonsensical exchange.

Olivia steps in and glares daggers at the blonde girl. “He’s with me, so move bitch.”

Way to go. She’s probably the crudest and rudest one among our friend group but in moments like these, I’m thankful for her bad attitude.

“What the fuck? You can’t speak for yourself, so you get your skank to defend you?”

I pull Olivia aside and grab that spray tanned copy-pasted chick by the arm. “Don’t you dare call her a skank again, you Trump lookalike. If I looked like you, I’d hate myself too. Just because you can’t get what you want doesn’t allow you to act like a spoiled bitch.”

She gasps and slaps me across the face. The sting of the impact rings in my ear but I forcefully brush it aside. This is nothing compared to the beatings I’ve suffered.

“I’m gonna kill this bitch.”

“Hold on. We don’t want any problems with the cops, Liv.”

“I couldn’t care less about the cops!”

“Think about it.”

She flicks her tongue and gives the girl her middle finger before letting me take a hold of her hand and lead us up the second floor where hallways interlink and doors all resembling each other cross our path. A door swings open and a drunk couple, clearly having hooked up in there, stumbles out. We slip into the bedroom and close the door behind us.

My nostrils are assaulted by the damp scent of sex, and I grimace. “I should’ve picked another room.”

“Are you okay?” she asks, reaching for my cheek already red from the assault.

I push her hand away and sit down on the edge of the king-sized bed. “I’m fine. She didn’t hit me that hard.”

“Guys and their pride.”

“She called you a skank. This has nothing to do with my pride considering you stepped in first.”

Shrugging, she takes a seat next to me on the beige covers. “The Trump comparison though? Good one.”

“Right?” I wheeze, throwing my head back.

If someone were to tell me that, whatever that girl’s name is, and Trump are related, I’d believe it right away. Both look more orange than the fruit which says a lot about the shade of foundation they use to cover up their ugliness.

Out of the blue she groans. “My mom’s asking for a divorce.”

“How’re you feeling?”

“I dunno. My dad is an asshole and she’s better off without him but I don’t know how to feel about whatever awaits us now.”

“You’ll leave with her though, right?”

She sighs and leans her head on my shoulder. “I don’t know. I guess that’d be smarter than staying with my dad but neither option’s good. I’m glad she’s leaving him ‘cause he’s really a piece of shit but what the hell should I do?”

“Your parents really suck.”

Her father’s a deadbeat drunk and her mom’s a narcissist with a victim complex. Honestly, I don’t think she should pick either one of them. Neither parent, nor the life that comes with lodging with them, sounds attractive. The issue is she’s barely sixteen; she doesn’t have a long list of choices.

“Damn right.”

“How are things at home though? I’m guessing he hasn’t moved out yet. Is he giving you a hard time?”

I wish I could help her in the way Aoi helped me but I’m only fifteen. I have no job, no money, no way of genuinely lending a hand other than offering a shoulder to cry on and an ear to vent to.

She interlinks her fingers and cracks them. “He’s been drinking more often actually. I don’t know what’s going on in his head so I don’t feel very safe around him but that’s always been the case.”

“What about your mom?” I ask. “The whole thing must be hard on her too. I hope she’s not taking it out on you.”

“As much as I hate her, I feel bad for her. I mean, she’s been through a lot of shit because of him. She’s had to deal with his abuse more than I. If I could do something to help her I would. She’s my mom and I can’t help but want to see her happy.”

“Do you want to come stay with me and Aoi for some time? At least until the tension eases?”

She stares at me, eyes glistening but she shakes her head. “I can’t. I don’t want to impose on either of you and I could never leave Tommy behind.”

“It’s fine. Aoi’s a benevolent man. If I explain the situation, he’ll immediately help you. Also, it’s a given that your little brother is included in the offer.”

Olivia’s eyes crease at the corners. “You’re a really good friend you know?”

“It’s the bare minimum, Liv. You’re like my sister. Not being able to help you makes me feel like utter crap.”

“I’ll be fine.”

I glance at the unmade covers we sit on and cringe. “You know those two that walked out of here probably fucked on this bed, right?”

She straightens and grimaces. “That’s disgusting. Why’d you have to mention that now?”

We get up and dust ourselves off, hoping no nasty residue is clinging to our clothes as we head out of the room and back into the busy living room.

“There you are!” a familiar voice calls out and I already know it’s Xander.

Jesus Christ, what is he doing?

My eyes widen as he stumbles towards us, completely drunk and laughing at everything. He throws his full weight in my arms, expecting me to catch him.

“How much did you drink you idiot? Where are the others?” I question, scanning the room for ginger hair and an Asian guy with glasses.

Xander giggles and slurs his words as he points at the backyard. “Dancing outside. Were y’all mingling without me?” He wiggles his brows, insinuating something weird that I can’t decipher.

“You’re done. Let’s get you some water,” I assert, huffing at his weight in my arms.

Dragging his body through the crowd, I gesture at Olivia to get him a cup of water.

“Did you and Liv have sex?” he blurts blinking slowly and laughing like a madman.

“Hell no. Liv’s like my sister.”

“True, true.”

What the hell happened during the time we were away? How can he drink that much in twenty minutes?! Don’t tell me, he’s a future alcoholic in the making. Liam is supposed to be the one watching over Sarah and Xander and yet here we lost a soldier fusilladed by vodka shots.

Sandy blonde hair bounce in my line of view as Olivia comes back with a cup of water. “Here. Did you see the others? I couldn’t find them on my way.”

I shake my head. “I’ll go look for them. Mind keeping an eye on this dumbass for a sec?”

She crouches down in front of Xander’s limp body on the couch. “Of course. Text me when you find them.”

I nod and head toward the back yard where half naked teenagers dance to the beat of Shut up and drive by Rihanna. Scanning for my friends among the crowd I stride towards a group of sympathetic looking people and ask them whether they saw my friends missing in action. The four shake their heads and I keep searching until I catch a glimpse of long wavy ginger hair.

“Sarah!”

She turns around, her lipstick smudged and her eyes bloodshot. “Oh, Visha. What’s up?”

“What’s going on with you? Are you okay? Why’s your lipstick smudged?”

“It’s alright, I’m good,” she chuckles, seeming abnormally nervous. “Where’s Olivia?”

“She’s inside with Xander. He’s wasted,” I explain and look around for our friend. “Isn’t Liam with you?”

She bites her lower lip and looks away, cheeks flushing. “I think he went to the bathroom a minute ago,” she says, slightly slurring her words.

Is she lying to me? Why is she behaving so strangely? “We’re leaving in a bit, so don’t drink anything other than water and tell Liam to join us at the front door.”

She nods frantically, leaning back against a tree. “This night was wild!”

“Are you sure you’re fine?”

“Don’t I look fine?” she shoots back, cheekily.

I grab her hand. “Never mind. Just come with me, I’ll bring you to Liv and I’ll find Liam myself. I could never forgive myself if you did something stupid while I’m away.”

She doesn’t fight me and follows as I lead her towards the couch where Xander’s passed out like a frozen vegetable.

“You know you’re way better than me with drunk people. Check if she’s really alright, please.” I gently shove Sarah next to Xander on the couch.

Olivia nods and smiles as she sees something behind me. I turn around and jump, startled by Liam’s pale face barely two inches from mine.

“Jesus Christ Liam! You scared the shit out of me,” I snap, clutching my chest.

“My bad,” he mumbles, seeming completely sober but a rosy tint lingers on his swollen lips.

“Where the hell were you? I was worried!” I wave my hand and sigh. “Whatever, it’s fine. I’m glad you found us before I had to go look for you. We’re leaving soon.”