“The ladies are here, the party can begin!” My lips curved into a smile the minute the three of us stepped through the door and just like always we were greeted as if we were royalty. It felt good having everyone back around for a little while. I hadn’t really made any real friends at MCCC, so these people were the closest to friends that I had.
My stomach fluttered just a little, knowing that after today this would all be gone again. Marley and Madison were leaving first thing tomorrow to set up the house they would be sharing near campus about four hours away. They had somehow braved out the dorms for two years, and as their reward, Madison’s father had bought them a house close to campus.
They had really started to get excited lately and were constantly talking about decorating details and all the hot parties they would be going to. It felt sort of weird to be excluded by them. I had always been on top; people flocked to be my friend and were let down if I rejected them. Now, I was the outsider.
The three of us found a seat and were instantly handed drinks by the party’s host, Ian Jennings. Ian’s parties were always epic, his parents were almost always gone and left him with no supervision. Even my mother had never been that stupid. There was always some maid or cook around to keep somewhat of a watchful eye on me, at home at least.
I downed the shot, letting the burning liquid wash down my throat, before handing the empty glass back to Ian. It was nice not having to worry about the cameras around anymore. Of course, the show hadn’t condoned underage drinking, they tended just to show the after effects and the drama that sometimes followed getting completely shit-faced. The producers of the show had followed different groups around at school, wanting to get a diversified feeling, but they seemed to find ours the most appealing and show worthy.
“Nice, Adelaide. Getting started early, huh? This should be a fun night, it’s time for a celebration.” Ian smirked at me before standing up and heading back towards the kitchen, presumably to get me another drink if he knew what was good for him.
“Uh-oh Adelaide, I think someone wants to hook up,” Marley sang out, her eyes following Ian until he disappeared through the crowd of people gathered around. I watched as her lower lip trembled and had to roll my eyes.
She had a total thing for Ian but had never done anything about it for whatever reason. Maybe because I hadn’t ever dated him. I should leave her with a nice parting gift and pull Ian into one of the extra bedrooms. Soon enough, she would be gone though and would probably forget about Ian and me.
As expected, Ian returned with another drink, and Marley and Madison both stood up to leave us alone. He sat down next to me, totally invading my personal space, and I quickly drained another shot, knowing I would need it for sure.
“You’re looking fucking sexy tonight, Adelaide. That dress should be illegal.” Ian whispered into my ear, his warm breath blowing onto my face and I could only guess how much he had to drink before we got there.
Ian wasn’t a bad looking guy, he looked like the All-American with his closely cut blond hair, deep-brown eyes, and bleached-white teeth. But he wanted one thing, just like the rest of them, and that made me cringe. But it also offered me an escape, one that oddly seemed to fill the hole in my chest.
“Oh this? Just something I threw on, I’m glad you like it.” I fingered the clingy red material that was cut short and just covered all of the goods. With my lightly tanned skin, I knew it was the perfect color for me. I had a nice body, after years of working with a trainer at my mother’s insistence, and you could see every inch of that with this dress on.
His hand moved to my bare thigh and I instantly stiffened, but pasted a fake smile on my face. “You want to get out of here and go up to my room? I think we could make things a whole lot more interesting with a private party, don’t you think?”
“Mmm hmm,” I murmured as he tugged me up, and I followed behind him, waving at people as I went. I was abruptly stopped as soon as we entered the hallway, and twirled around, instantly meeting a set of familiar robin-egg blue eyes. I hadn’t seen him in almost a year but he still gave me that gut wrenching feeling every time.
Chris.
Great.
“Could I talk to you for a second, Addy? Please?” He ran a nervous hand through his perfectly gelled blond hair and watched me intently, as I wagered in my head what exactly to do.
Ian stood stiffly behind me, obviously pissed that we had gotten interrupted but backed up quickly when Chris turned and glared his way. Chris had a few good inches on Ian and could easily take him if it came to that.
What a winner you are, Ian.
Chris and I had started dating at the end of our sophomore year. Our relationship had been different, unlike any other one I had before, and I truthfully thought, like some stupid teenager, that we would be together forever.