Across the Deadzone

Chapter 16: Ophelia

I had forgotten how damn loud parties were.
Music blasted from unseen speakers, multicolored lights- blue, green, red, and purple- flashed haphazardly in every direction.
Wystan was nowhere to be found, although I kept catching glimpses of his friend, Callum, who seemed to be flirting with a blonde-haired girl over by the drinks table.
Speaking of alcohol, it wasn't too bad, just incredibly strong. I took another sip and felt my lips pucker at the taste. I was on my second cup and already my head was starting to feel fuzzy.
I leaned back against the cool stone, taking in the scene. Young people were dancing around me, throwing their bodies wildy around as if they didn't have a care in the world. People were making out in the corners and spilling drinks on themselves. Yep, it's exactly how I imagined college to be.
The song had no discernible lyrics, but garbled words caught my ear and I found myself swaying to the beat. I blame it on the alcohol.
Before I knew it, a raven-haired girl had her arms around my neck, my hands were on her waist and she was kissing me. Passionately. I smiled blankly into the kiss, deepening it.
When I pulled away for just a moment to catch my breath, I let my eyes flutter open. I gasped, stepping backward, colliding with someone who shouted at me before forgetting what they were saying, and went back to dancing.
In that split second, the girl looked just like Becka. I squeezed my eyes shut, my jaw locked, but then all I could see was her: her long black hair, always twisted away from her face. Her soulful brown eyes that could always get me to bring my guard down with just a look. The curve of her perfect lips. The yellow jacket of hers that I had stuffed in the bottom of my backpack. I even thought I caught a whiff of her. She always smelled like vanilla and rose, even if we'd been traveling for weeks without a shower.
A hand fell on my shoulder, and I pushed it off before I even had a chance to see who it belonged to. The music flooded back in, somehow bringing with it a sense of calm.
"Hey, it's just me," Wystan's voice rang in my ears. The girl I had been previously making out with gave me a weird look before turning and disappearing into the crowd. "What was that whole thing about? You... you were totally freaking out."
"Were you stalking me, Turnill?" I joked weakly, still staring blankly after the girl who bore a passing resemblance to Becka, nothing more.
Wystan let out a short, somewhat guilty-sounding laugh. "Don't flatter yourself," he muttered, pushing his hair from his face. I hummed, nodding along knowingly.
"Do you wanna get outta here?" I asked after a long moment. His eyes were fixed on a point across the cavern. I followed his gaze, and my eyes fell on his ex, Colma.
His tongue darted from his mouth, wetting his lips. His eyes never met mine. "You go on ahead. There's, uh, something I need to do."
"Alright," I said softly, patting his back. "I'll see you in a bit." And without another word, I turned around and trudged back to his flat, absolutely exhausted.