The People We Regret - H.S.

c.2

songs for the chapter (I have a spotify "strwbryoatmlk")

Dancing Shoes - Arctic Monkeys
Just A Girl - No Doubt
What You Know- Two Door Cinema Club
CHOKE - I DON'T KNOW HOW BUT THEY FOUND ME
Arabella - Arctic Monkeys
Kiwi - Harry Styles

-
h's p.o.v.

I slowly get up from the floor, realizing that I've probably been sitting down for too long because my knees and ankles hurt like a bitch. Adeline immediately looks like a child who just got a new toy for Christmas, she's standing on the balls of her feet like she might start jumping up and down.

I walk over to the hidden counter of liquor and pour myself two shots, just like Adeline did only minutes before. I take mine but not nearly as gracefully as she did. Feeling her eyes on me the entire time, for such a small girl her gaze is very intimidating. I'd rather she didn't stare at me.

I pinch my eyes close, very affected by the burning in my throat, and tell her "Alright I'm ready you weirdo."

The annoying girl who still assumed I didn't know her name, forcefully grabbed my wrist with a tight grip, like I might try to run away. I mean she probably can't run that fast, I probably have about a foot on her. She wouldn't like, try to tackle me or anything. Right? I follow her, only because I'm a little scared she would. Only a little, I could take her.

"What? I am really a weirdo just because I ask strange boys, who are sitting on the ground looking sad to dance?" She asks in sarcasm, not convinced I could hold such an opinion of her.

"Yes." I deadpan.

She chooses not to respond, but nothing I've said has apparently offended her too much because she still has that stupidly happy smile. This time walking through the party didn't seem nearly as bad, probably because people seem to move out of her way, as though they couldn't even fathom the fact they might bump into her. With the worry of being eaten alive by the crowd dissolved because of my new company. I'm able to focus much more on my surroundings. I'm able to see that the dance floor is really just someone's living room that has the couches pushed to the side with canvas sheets covering the couches to protect them. I already start to imagine some teenage frat-boy wannabe and his stuck-up, pearl-wearing mother in a pink tweed suit arguing about whether or not the vodka stain is noticeable.

I'm pulled out of my mind when I hear people yelling Adeline's name. I see two people, a boy, and a girl push their way through a few people, them not getting the same treatment as Adeline.

"And where did you go?" The girl asks Adeline, once they both reached us. Neither of them noticed me, but Adeline kept her tight grip on my wrist.

"The kitchen," She says innocently. "I found him, he's gonna dance with me." She announces to her friends, holding up my hand. The boy and girl both look at our connected hands first and then draw their gaze up to me. The girl looking at me with sympathy and the boy looking at me with anger.

What did I do wrong?

"Ads you can't just bring stray boys who obviously don't want to be here and make them dance with you." The girl tells Adeline in a soft soothing motherly voice. 

"How would you know I'm making him," Adeline replies childishly.

The girl looks from Adeline to me and back to Adeline "The poor boy looks like he's being held hostage, Ads." I did feel like I was being held hostage, but I almost didn't mind. They continued to talk amongst themselves like I wasn't here until the boy spoke up for the first time.

"Yeah Addy, weren't you supposed to be dancing with me?"

"I was Tyler but now I'm dancing with him," Adeline responded. Because of how drunk she was she sounded as though she was arguing like a child arguing with her parents because she bought home a stray puppy. I guess they did already compare me to a stray.